We had a great time going on a field trip during our class to tour the church.
To begin, we had our opening prayer outside by the Shrine of St. Francis as I proclaimed Psalm 104, which focuses on God in nature, and even as a reference to the Holy Spirit breathing life into the world. It was a wonderfully mild evening to be outside.
Then we walked around the outside of the church to view the stained glass window.
At the door of the church, I proclaimed Psalm 122, which was a Psalm sung by pilgrims to ancient Jerusalem when they went there for the major feasts.
Inside, we looked more closely at the St. Joseph altar, the High Altar, Mary's altar, and the ambo. We also looked inside the sacristy.
I also showed everyone the spot where I sat during my Confirmation Mass.
To conclude, I demonstrated the incense. There are several references to incense in teh Bible as an image of prayer rising to God. I prayed Psalm 141:1-2 for our concluding prayer. Other references are Revelation 5:8 and 8:3.
To bring it full circle, we went outside in the great weather to enjoy some treats on the parish green.
You all wrote prayer intentions to offer during our closing prayer time. Please keep praying those intentions for the next week until we meet again on November 12.
Looking ahead to our upcoming, the tentative plan is to learn more about the Church as the Body of Christ, the Eucharist, remembering those who have passed on from us, and Christ the King.
I will discuss this activity in class, but you are welcome to start it now. It has a required submission. Since I have not yet discussed it in class, submissions are due on November 19.
Blessed Carlo Acutis, who will soon be canonized, was an Italian teenager who created a website documenting Eucharistic miracles.
Please visit the website, and spend 5 minutes looking at one of those miracles.
Then, in the form at this link, please submit a short reflection of at least 1-2 sentences on what you learned.
You only need to spend 5 minutes completing this activity.
If you read about more than one miracle, you get extra credit. Please note that in your submission.
I would also like to share a couple of special opportunities, which count as Faith Boosters for Confirmation preparation.
Check out The Saints podcast, which has 5-part series on several saints, produced by the Merry Beggars, the entertainment division of Relevant Radio. There are many great stories, and they make for great family-friendly entertainment. (Please note that some episodes contain content that's more suited for older children, but nothing overly objectionable.)
In addition to attending Sunday Mass on the weekends, we have the opportunity to attend Daily Mass during the week. Daily Mass at the Oak Park parishes is generally held at 8:30 AM, which runs into the start time for Brooks and Julian. You are invited to join me at St. Leonard Church in Berwyn for Mass at 5:15 PM. I will email the parents ahead of time with dates I plan to attend Mass there so you can join me. It is optional, and if you're available, it's a great opportunity. If there's a date you and your parent would like to join me, please have your parent contact me ahead of time to coordinate.
Remember, we are connected as One Church:
All my relations.
God's blessings,
Paul
 |
| Inside Ascension Church |
No comments:
Post a Comment