June 29, 2025: Bonus Post for Summertime Spirituality

Greetings everyone!

In the weeks since the RE year concluded, I've had some amazing spiritual experiences, and I've had prayerfully in mind all of my 250+ former students and families.

In May, after sightseeing in the Boston Metro Area, my first visit to Massachusetts, I traveled south to join my family for vacation time in the Washington, DC, Metro Area.  I stopped in New Haven, CT, my first time in Connecticut, and went to see St. Mary's Church--please see photo directly below.  Blessed Father Michael McGivney served as a priest there, and founded the Knights of Columbus there.

Washington, D.C., has become a place of spiritual significance for me because of two places I enjoy visiting during my annual trips to that area.

The first is the National Shrine of St. John Paul II.

Here I'm posing next to St. Faustina, in a photo taken by a fellow visitor.

Here I pose next to Pope St. John Paul II, in a photo taken by a fellow visitor.

Here's a portrait of Pope St. John Paul II.  I lit the prayer candle in the lower right corner.

The lighting isn't the best, but here's la Virgen de Guadalupe.  I lit a prayer candle in the lower right corner.

Just to the south is the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

Here's a prayer candle I lit.

A fellow visitor photographed me outside the Basilica.

I also attended Mass at two different churches in Alexandria: St. Joseph's, founded with funds from St. Mother Katharine Drexel, and St. Mary's Basilica, the oldest Catholic parish in Virginia.

St. Joseph

Basilica of St. Mary

In Baltimore, I stopped by the Basilica of the Annunciation (please see photo below), the first Cathedral in the US, although the Archdiocese of Baltimore has a different Cathedral now.

And I saw the house--in the photo below--where St. Mother Elizabeth Ann Seton lived before she settled in Emmitsburg, MD.  Last year, August 28 marked 250 years since her birth, and this coming September 14, marks 50 years since she was canonized the first US-born saint.

(If you're interested in reading more about my trip and what else I experienced, including the National Memorial Day Concert, Fort McHenry, and lunch at a tavern where George Washington ate, please contact me and I'll send you a link to the post on my personal blog when it's complete.)

In mid-June, I was at Guaranteed Rate Field for the Pope Leo XIV Celebration.

Here I am in the stands, holding a flag that was in my hand when I came within 20 feet of Pope Francis at World Youth Day 2019.  Parishioner Bill Skalitzky took this photo of me.

Here's the view during the broadcast of the message of Pope Leo XIV. 

At the end of Mass in the stadium.

I highly recommend that your families spend 7 minutes watching Pope Leo's message that was broadcast at the celebration, the first message for a US audience.  He specifically has words for young people.

When visiting these places, and at Pope Leo's celebration, I was praying for you, that God will work wonders in your lives and bring you alive in faith.

Please know of my continued prayers for you throughout the summer and beyond.  If there are any specific prayer intentions you want to share with me, please send them my way.  I remain available to support you spiritually.

I look forward to seeing you at Church.

God's blessings,

Paul

Artwork, inside the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, depicting the descent of the Holy Spirit.  I pray the Holy Spirit pours out fresh graces day by day upon all my former RE students and their families.

April 29, 2025, Class Update: Easter and Pentecost

Easter Greetings!

The celebration of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday is such a glorious day, and it is so glorious, it spills forth into the 50 Days of Easter Season as we continue to rejoice in the new Life of the Risen Christ.

Above and below are views inside Ascension Church decorated for Easter Sunday and Season

Just as the winter gives way to spring and the rising of the sun signals the end of nighttime darkness and the start of a new day, so the Resurrection of Christ proclaims the beginning of new and glorious Life for us, the faithful.

Two of my favorite sunrise pictures from onboard the westbound Amtrak Southwest Chief train from July 2022.  Above is in western Kansas, west of Garden City getting close to Colorado.  Below is the view from south of Needles, CA.  In the picture appears the Colorado River with Arizona on the far side and in the foreground is California.

To start class, our opening prayer was the song "Alive (Mary Magdalene)", which provides a perspective of the Resurrection from the viewpoint of St. Mary Magdalene.

Christ is alive, and as people joined to Him by faith, we share in the newness of Life He won for us by the Resurrection.  This Life in us sends us forth, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to proclaim the Good News to all the world.

We begin our lives joined to the Paschal Mystery of Christ's Death and Resurrection in baptism.  The anniversary of my baptism was the day before this class, on April 28, so I was glad to celebrate it with you all.

At the end of the 50-Day Easter Season, we celebrate Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Church.  By the Holy Spirit, the Apostles proclaimed the Good News of God in different languages so that other people gathered in Jerusalem could understand them.  (If you scroll down on this webpage, you'll see a map of all the different geographic places where people came from when they gathered in Jerusalem on Pentecost.)

This same Holy Spirit makes it possible for us to develop our relationship with God and grow in holiness as we reflect His character in the world.

The Church in the Vatican II Council emphasized the idea of "The Universal Call to Holiness", in which all people, lay and in religious life, are called to live out their relationship with God.

The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception has a piece of artwork that illustrates this idea, entitled "The Universal Call of Holiness".

We have many examples of saints who sought to grow in holiness before God, and as an activity in class, everyone had the chance to create an acrostic of their Confirmation saint's name.

Because of the reality of Christ's Resurrection, we focus on the glory to come, and it impacts us even now.  (In fact, toward the end of the Easter Season, we celebrate the Ascension of Jesus Christ, rejoicing that He went to Heaven and will follow Him.)  This idea was in the song that was our closing prayer, "Glory Bound" by Matt Maher.  

The Dome inside Ascension Church depicting the Ascension of Christ

And so we have reached the end of this Religious Education year.  During the course of this year, we learned about Sacred Tradition, the Eucharist, the Bible, the liturgical seasons, our mission as people of faith, the meaning of Confirmation, and how we live out our faith.  We had three guest speakers, including my former student Faye, my college friend Will, and my Uncle Bernie.  We watched two different documentaries, one about the faith experiences of those in the MLB, and another on stories of God at work in the lives of people in central Illinois.

Looking at your exit slips, you mentioned that you enjoyed the documentaries in class, seeing the National Eucharistic Congress presentation of actor Jonathan Roumie, the snowball tosses, and the food.

Thank you to Hadley for assisting with class, and to Mrs. Lopez for providing so many wonderful treats for our class.

We are truly blessed, not just lucky, but blessed by the time we spent together in class encountering God.

I am so grateful and blessed that I have had the opportunity to be your Religious Education teacher and support you in your faith journey this year.  Also, as a Julian alumnus, I'm glad that I had the chance to reconnect with today's Oak Park middle schoolers.

We will gather once more on Wednesday, May 14, for Mass at St. Edmund's at 7 PM.

Please know that although our time in class has concluded, I am still here to support you.  Your parents all have my contact info, so you are welcome to have them reach out to me at any time if you seek spiritual support or have questions about faith. I hope to see you at Mass, and please feel free to come greet me before or after.  This website will remain in place indefinitely, so you're welcome to come back and visit it if you want to relisten to a song from class or anything.

I strongly encourage you to keep close to the Holy Spirit, Who, as Jesus says in John 14:26, will continue to teach you about faith and remind you of all that you've learned about faith.

We remain connected as One Church by faith in Christ, Who died and rose again, and continue to abide with us by the Holy Spirit.

All my relations.

We look forward to seeing you at the End of the Religious Education Year Mass on May 14 at 7 PM at St. Edmund's Church.

Keep swimming in the ocean of God to encounter His presence.

You are a gift, so be a gift of blessing to others.

You're not just lucky, you're blessed.

Jesus Christ is risen and lives forever! Alleluia!

God's blessings,

Paul

Here is some other Easter music to enjoy:

"Jesus is Risen"

"Be Not Afraid"

Here are a couple of stories I didn't have the chance to share in class that tell about the journeys of faith for two people in the sports world.

Father Burke Masters, the Cubs chaplain

Simone Biles

April 15, 2025, Class Update: Holy Week and the Triduum

Greetings everyone!

The Paschal Mystery of Christ's Death and Resurrection is at the heart of our faith.

The days when we commemorate these central events happen at the end of Holy Week during the three days of the Triduum that begins on the evening of Maundy Thursday, continuing through Good/God's Friday and Holy Saturday, and lasts until Resurrection/Easter Sunday.

The Triduum was our focus during class time.

Our opening song was "Glory in the Cross of Christ", and its lyrics encompass our focus during Holy Week and the Triduum.

During His Passion, Christ suffered greatly, and through the ages, people have asked why there's suffering in the world.  Bishop Barron offers some thoughts on this topic in this homily.  We listened to a few minutes of it starting around the 8:00 mark when he shares a story about his family's dog when he was growing up.

In Philippians 2:6-11, the second reading for Palm Sunday Mass, St. Paul writes that Christ humbled Himself in obedience to the Father and suffered greatly and then died on the Cross, fulfilling the plan to redeem us from sin, and then He rose to new life.

We recall Christ's exuberant entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, and we hold palms to remember how Jesus got lavish treatment when He entered.

On Maundy Thursday, we celebrate when Christ instituted the Eucharist, and the priesthood, at a meal with the apostles celebrating the Jewish Passover, when they remembered God's deliverance of His people from slavery in Egypt and established a covenant with them.  Christ instituted a new covenant at that Passover meal, with a new commandment to love one another.  Maundy comes from the Latin term mandatum, the word for command.  (I recorded this video 5 years ago to illustrate elements of Maundy Thursday.)

Then we remember the Crucifixion on Good Friday, terminology that comes to us from the phrase "God's Friday".  During the liturgy of this day, we venerate the Cross by touching it with a reverent gesture.

The darkness of Holy Week Friday continues when the Holy Saturday Easter Vigil begins with the church in darkness.  As we hear stories of how God sought to save His people, the light in the church grows gradually brighter until all the lights are illuminated when we sing the Alleluia acclamation and rejoice that Christ is Risen.  (I also recorded a video on Holy Saturday and its stunning visual effects.)

There is so much joy that marks Easter Sunday when we celebrate the Lord's Resurrection, and it continues for 50 Days until Pentecost.

Becuase of the Resurrection, we are truly a people of hope, and that is the focus of this year's 2025 Jubilee.  We finished class with the Jubilee 2025 Year Prayer.  Everyone got a copy of it upon leaving class, along with a handout on the Shroud of Turin that I got from the National Eucharistic Congress.

We'll focus on the meaning of the Easter Season next time we gather as we approach the end of the RE year.

Please feel free to contact me with questions, etc.

Remember, you're not just lucky, you're blessed.

We remain connected as One Church bound by faith in Jesus Christ Who humbled Himself to the point of death on the Cross to bring us salvation and new life:

All my relations.

God's blessings for Holy Week and the Triduum,

Paul

Inside Ascension on Palm Sunday

April 8, 2025, Class Update: God Working in Us

Greetings everyone!

During our opening prayer time was this video of Chris Tomlin's performance of "Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)".  It features scenes from the movie Amazing Grace, one of my favorites that I watch annually.

In celebration of Percy Julian's birthday on April 11, we watched a clip from the biographical documentary on his life Forgotten Genius, in which he shares a story about his great-grandmother at the time of his college graduation.  She bore wounds from a beating she received in the waning days of slavery and then said his graduation, with honors, was worth all the scars.

Jesus bears the wounds from His crucifixion as a sign that His wounds were part of the sacrifice by which God redeemed us.

We continue to re-present that sacrifice when we gather for Mass.  I shared some analogies about the Eucharist to help us understand this mystery a little better.

We also watched part of actor Jonathan Roumie's speech at the National Eucharistic Congress when he does a dramatic reading of John 6:47-69, a scene that isn't part of The Chosen series in which he stars.

This link is for the entire speech, which lasts about 15 minutes, and his dramatic reading starts around the 9:00 mark.

I was there when Jonathan Roumie spoke before tens of thousands gathered in Lucas Oil Stadium on the second to last day of the National Eucharistic Congress.

Ultimately, at the end of that passage, some disciples stop following Jesus, but the Twelve remained committed, as St. Peter, speaking for all of them, expresses belief in Jesus.  We are called to go forth from frequent reception of the Eucharist to confess our faith in God by how we live.

One great example of someone who expressed her faith in Christ was 16-year-old Brazilian Olympic athlete Rayssa Leal, who competed in the 2024 Paris Summer Games, and used sign language to share a verse from John chapter 14.

This video shares the story, and the report itself ends around the 1:30 mark.

On March 25, hundreds gathered to testify to the beauty of all life, including the unborn, at the Illinois March for Life in Springfield. The Diocese of Springfield, IL, made this video recapping the event.  I make a cameo appearance at the 2:16 mark.

We concluded class with Philippians 3:8-14, in which St. Paul writes about how he considers the Cross to be the greatest gain, and strives constantly to grow in faith grounded in the Cross of Christ.  It was the second reading for Mass in Cycle C of the Fifth Sunday of Lent, which was April 6.)

The Cross is a central part of Holy Week and the Triduum, which will be our focus in our upcoming class on April 15.

Please feel free to contact me with questions, etc.

Remember, you're not just lucky, you're blessed.

We remain united as One Church, professing faith that shows the power of the Cross in our lives:

All my relations.

Paul

P.S. A very Happy Belated Birthday to our class aide, Hadley, whose birthday was on April 9.  Thanks to the students in class for signing a card for her.

March 18, 2025, Class Update: Transformed to Live Faith

Greetings everyone!

As an opening prayer, I offered the story of Exodus 3 when Moses encounters God in the burning bush. God says the place where Moses stands is "holy ground".  I heard these words proclaimed 12 years ago when I was at St. Augustine Mission, which is holy ground because it was founded by St. Mother Katharine Drexel.  The reading can be found for the 3rd Sunday of Lent Cycle C readings here.

St. Augustine Mission in Winnebago, NE

During Lent, we recognize how God desires to make us holy.  The Gospel reading for the 2nd Sunday of Lent, in Luke 9, tells the story of when Jesus took Peter, James, and John up a high mountain, often a place of encounter with God in the Scriptures.  Then Jesus was transfigured in the appearance of His Heavenly glory.

At age 9, I posed on the top of Mount Cadillac in Acadia National Park in Maine, with the Atlantic Ocean in the background, in a photo likely taken by one of my parents.

Here I pose in the mountains near Cripple Creek, CO, when I was visiting with Colorado cousins in a photo taken by one of those cousins.

It gave the apostles of glimpse of the glory that was to come after His Resurrection.  That glory is not just something Christ experiences, but what we strive for as we heed the call to repent and strive to live in greater holiness by putting faith into action.

I have been blessed to put my faith into action and attain great purpose in life by being your RE teacher.  So I was glad to celebrate the day of your Confirmation the day before my birthday, as I could celebrate how I have lived a life with great purpose by giving of myself to you.  I hope your Confirmation inspires you to live out your purpose by helping contribute what you have to offer in building up the church.

As a birthday gift, in addition to the treats, I played the song "Glorious" from the documentary Meet the Mormons, and in a performance by the One Voice Children's Choir.

We then heard from our very special guest star, my Uncle Bernie Rupe.  He talked about the organization he founded, Chicago Voyagers, which serves at-risk youth by giving them the chance to participate in outdoor adventure trips.  He showed this video during his presentation in which the youth participants share the impact of participating in a CV outing.

Our closing prayer was the concluding prayer of the Holy Ghost Litany.

We're off for Spring Break. When we resume on April 8, we'll continue to explore Lent, the Eucharist, and how to put faith into action.

Remember that you're not just lucky, you're blessed because you are part of the One Church and we are all connected by faith in God:

All my relations.

God's blessings,

Paul

This message is on a gift that I got, most likely when I graduated college.  I often think about it when it's my birthday and I hope you take the words to heart.

On March 25, the Solemnity of the Annunciation, I was in Springfield for a March, and I stopped by the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception to light a prayer candle for our class, which is shown in the photo below in the center.

I lit the candle by this statue of St. Patrick.

March 11, 2025, Class Update: Journeying Together as One Church

Lenten Greetings Everyone!

To set the tone for our Lenten journey, our opening prayer in class was "Jerusalem My Destiny".

The major idea of Lent is that it originated as a time period of intensified preparation for those preparing to be baptized and initiated into the Church.  In fact, the composer of the song wrote it to encourage his young children as they prepared for baptism.

For those of us already baptized, it's an opportunity for us to take up practices that help us grow in our relationship with God, so we can be ready to renew our baptismal promises on Easter/Resurrection Sunday.

We remember that although we have sinned, God says we are worth fixing, just like Sally says Radiator Springs is a town worth fixing in the courtroom scene of the movie Cars, my favorite animated film.

So we enter into the desert with Jesus, similar to the scene in the Oak Park Conservatory's Desert Room, a stark environment where we can be purified.

I shared the story of participating in a Native American Sweat Lodge ceremony 12 years ago when I traveled to Nebraska, which is a spiritual purification experience.

As Catholics, we hold to the idea of purgatory, a process whereby God, in His mercy, removes the effects of sin upon us as we transition from this life to Eternal Life with Him.

Michael W. Smith's song "Purified" speaks wonderfully to this idea of purification.

Lent leads to Easter Sunday, when we celebrate the Resurrection of Christ and our new life in Him.  The night before, new members of the Church are initiated through Baptism and Confirmation. We renew our baptismal vows and profess our faith as belonging to One Church.

I shared the story of Belong Designs, the apparel company my cousin Mark co-founded, which is based in the Denver Metro Area.

This video of "Behind the Brand" tells its story.

God desires to fill us with a passion for Him and we find that we belong as we follow our passion for Him and grow in faith.

By the power of the Holy Spirit, in faith, we come together as One Church.  In Confirmation, we are united more closely to the Church.

To illustrate this idea, I shared the song, "I Believe" performed by Canadian pop-jazz singer Nikki Yanofsky for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

Here's a French-language version of the song.

Here's a bilingual version performed by the One Voice Children's Choir, and another bilingual version performed by Nikki Yanofsky and Annie Villeneuve.

To conclude, I shared a prayer I have been offering in the lead-up to Confirmation Day on March 15 from a Pentecost Novena card.

Indeed, we profess one faith in God and are connected as One Church:

All my relations.

And remember, you're not just lucky, you're blessed because God has called us to be part of His Church.

God's blessings,

Paul

Here's the recipe for homemade pretzels that I brought to class, which I got from a special Lenten bulletin many years ago at Ascension:

Mix 1 package active dry yeast with 1 tablespoon sugar in 1 1/2 cups lukewarm (100-110 degree) water.  Mixture should bubble.  Stir in 1 teaspoon salt and 4 cups flour.  Place on floured board and knead in 1/2 cup more flour.  Knead about 8 minutes.  Divide into pieces, roll into ropes, and shape into pretzels.  (As you fold the "little arms", pray the Lord's prayer or another Lenten prayer.)  Let rise until about double in size.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Place  pretzels on greased cookie sheet.  Brush with mixture of 1 egg yolk mixed with 2 tablespoon water, and sprinkle with kosher salt.  Bake 12 minutes or until golden brown.  Depending on the size of the pretzels, this recipe can yield anywhere from a dozen to three dozen pretzels.

March 4, 2025, Class Update: Fat Tuesday and Ash Wednesday

Greetings everyone!

We spent our class on this evening at a Mardi Gras celebration to let the good times roll before the start of Lent.

At this celebration, we often sing "When the Saints Go Marching in".  Here's a performance of it at an Andre Reiu concert.

While the weather prevented it this year, customarily we burn palms on Fat Tuesday which becomes ashes for our foreheads on Ash Wednesday.

Customarily, our prayer liturgy has words about ashes and repentance.  Fire destroys what is old and lets new growth emerge, just as God desires for us to be made anew during Lent.

People often covered themselves with ashes as a sign of mourning for their sins.  Prophets like Ezekiel and Daniel mourned the sins of God's people.  Fasting was also a way to show contrition to God.

Esther fasted and wore sackcloth as she pleaded with God for her people.  Their deliverance in the Persian Empire is the basis for Purim, which Jews still celebrate today, usually in March.

In the Gospel according to St. John, people brought a woman caught in sin to Jesus, but no one condemned her after Jesus turned the matter on them.  Then Jesus told her to go and sin no more.

The prophet Isaiah says that when we're sorry for sins, God comforts us.  Even though Lent is a somber time, it concludes with the joyful celebration of Christ's Resurrection on Easter Sunday.

As we journey through Lent, we remain connected as One Church professing faith in God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit: 

All my relations.

God's blessings,

Paul

From the 2024 palm burning prayer liturgy on Mardi Gras

February 25, 2025, Class Update: Spiritual Toolboxes

Greetings everyone!

I missed being at class, and I'm grateful that Mrs. Monaco jumped in close to the last minute to oversee class for the 7th and 8th graders.

I hope you enjoyed the Jeopardy game.

As a recap, Mrs. Monaco talked about spiritual toolboxes.  Here are the bullet points of what's in the spiritual toolboxes:

A rubber band: To remind you to be flexible 

A paper clip: To remind you that God helps you hold things together 

An eraser: To remind you that no mistake or misunderstanding is permanent, and there is Reconciliation

Bubble gum: To remind you that you are a child of God and are essential within

A crayon: To inspire you to go out and color the world 

Smarties: To remind you that you are smart in choices 

Bible Quotes: To remind you that God is still speaking – and to encourage you 

Candy: To keep joy within you and keep you laughing 

A yellow pencil: To write down those great thoughts you want to share with God 

A Band-Aid: To remind you that God can help you heal 

Stars: To remind you what you are reaching for, the heavens

Bookmark: To remind you of community, the support we receive from our family of faith 

These are great symbols for how grow in relationship with God.

The upcoming season of Lent is a great opportunity for us to do spiritual practices that will help us grow in relationship with God.

Before Lent starts on Ash Wednesday, March 5, we have a Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras celebration.

Instead of class as usual, on Tuesday, March 4, please go directly to the Pine Room for the festivities.  At 7:30, we will have a prayer liturgy to burn the palms to create ashes for our foreheads for Ash Wednesday.

We're back to class as usual on March 11, and I eagerly look forward to seeing you all then.  We'll explore more about Lent and the meaning of Confirmation.

Please feel free to reach out to me with questions, feedback, etc.

We're not just lucky, we're blessed.

As we get closer to Confirmation, you, students, remain in my prayers because we are connected as One Church professing one faith in the God Who loves us and works wonderously in our lives:

All my relations.

God's blessings,

Paul

Inside the sanctuary of St. Mary Parish in Temple, TX

Let's put our spiritual toolboxes to work in service, like I did scrubbing the floor of St. Augustine Church in Winnebago, NE.

February 11, 2025, Class Update: Our Mission and the Eucharist

Greetings everyone!

We started our class with the concluding prayer of the Litany of the Sacred Heart.

Then we pondered what our mission is in light of the recent Sunday Mass readings on February 9, especially Isaiah 6 and Luke 5.

Both Isaiah and St. Peter become aware of their unworthiness when they enter into God's presence.  Yet He cleanses them and sends them forth in a mission.

We are sent forth in our mission when we partake of the Eucharist at Mass.

We watched three Eucharistic Encounter videos from Relevant Radio.

Do You Know How Much That Will Cost? It's about money.

What's the Number One Reason for not Attending Mass? It's about time.

Expressway Churches

At the end of class, our closing prayer was the concluding prayer of the Holy Family Litany.  The month of February is devoted to the Holy Family, since the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord was on February 2.

During class, everyone had the opportunity to write a thank you note to someone, and the activity this week is to give it to that person.  There is no submission required.

Looking ahead, there will be further opportunity for us to explore the Eucharist and our mission.

As an important part of Confirmation preparation, everyone will have the opportunity to participate in the sacrament of Reconciliation with Father Rex at our next class on February 25.  Please be sure you arrive on time at 6:45 so there's sufficient time in class for everyone to go for reconciliation.

Please feel free to contact me with questions, feedback, etc.

We're not just lucky, we're blessed because God is present with us always and everywhere.

We remain connected as One Church by faith in Christ, Who continues to offer to us the gift of Himself in the Eucharist:

All my relations.

God's blessings,

Paul

In the heart of downtown Forth Worth, TX, is St. Patrick Cathedral

February 4, 2025, Class Update: God is Alive, Move Night

Greetings everyone!

We spent this class watching the documentary God is Alive, produced by the Diocese of Springfield, IL.

It is available to watch on YouTube for free at this link.

The documentary shares 5 stories of how God has worked in the lives of people in central Illinois.

At the end of class, I repeated the Taize-style Nunc Dimittis prayer I shared on January 21.  Here's a video of the song.  This prayer is linked to the Night Prayer/Compline of the Liturgy of the Hours.  I personally pray this song as I go to bed each night after turning off the light.  Please feel free to use it, too, at bedtime.

Looking ahead, our plan is to spend time in class focusing on the Eucharist and our mission as people of faith.

The Scripture reflection activity is due on February 11.

As usual, please feel free to contact me with any questions, feedback, etc.

We're not just lucky, we're blessed.

We are alive in God.

We remain connected as One Church by faith in Christ, bound together by the Holy Spirit:

All my relations.

God's blessings,

Paul

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield, IL

January 21, 2025, Class Update: Christ and the Sacramental Life

Greetings everyone!

Coming right after the national holiday for Pastor Martin Luther King, Jr., our opening prayer for this class was "Lift Every Voice and Sing".

As everyone enjoyed treats, I played the English dance version of the 2019 World Youth Day song, "Here I Am, the Servant of the Lord", which is based on Mary's Fiat.

Continuing in the spirit of Christmas, we did a show and tell:  Everyone did a great job showcasing something they have connected with a special memory.

These items show something visibly and display beyond themselves that is unseen.

We then focused on the Prologue of the Gospel according to St. John, which is John 1:1-18:  God is unseen, and revealed His fullness in Jesus Christ, referred to in the passage as the Word of God Made Flesh.

The sacraments are visible signs that reveal an invisible reality, as we looked in our book.  It's much like Jesus is a sacrament revealing visibly the unseen God to us.

We continue to experience God's presence powerfully in the Eucharist.

I showed about a minute of Colonel Mike Hopkins's talk at the final day of the National Eucharistic Congress.  This link is of a video of the entire talk, which is about 12 minutes.

We can rejoice that God is with us, and gives us reason to hope and live with purpose each day, which Matt Maher sings about in the song "Alive and Breathing".  I showed this video of his live performance of the song on the final evening of the NEC, which starts at the 3:31:00 mark and lasts about 5 minutes.  The other link goes to a video with lyrics.

At the very end of class, I mentioned the upcoming Feast of the Presentation of the Lord on February 2, coming 40 days after Christmas.  It celebrates when Jesus was presented to the Lord in the Temple in Jerusalem.  It is also known as Candlemas, and it's customary to bring candles to church for a blessing.

I gave everyone a small tea candle as they departed class, which were all blessed by Father Rex.  I asked everyone to light it at some point during the next week or so.  You can wait until February 2 to light it, or you can do it sooner.  Because it is blessed, please treat it with care:  Please wait to put it in the trash until after it's been lit and the wick has burned down.  If you place it in a candle holder or a fireproof dish while your family has dinner, it will stay lit for at least 20-30 minutes.

We're off class on January 28.

When we return on February 4, I plan to show the documentary God is Alive, produced by the Diocese of Springfield.

The paragraph on your saint is due that day.  It is in addition to the form your parents must submit with your saint's name by January 31.

The Scripture reflection activity is due February 11.

On Friday evening, January 31, there is an open gym night at St. Edmund's School for all 7th and 8th graders from 7:00-8:30.

Please feel free to contact me with questions, etc.

We're not just lucky, we're blessed because we are in the Light of Christ, connected as One Church:

All my relations.

Let us rejoice in Christ our Light!

God's blessings,

Paul

On the Indiana War Memorial is an altar for Benediction at the end of the Eucharistic Procession in downtown Indianapolis.

Colonel Mike Hopkins remarked that he was more nervous about speaking before 50-60000 people in Lucas Oil Stadium on the final day of the NEC than launching into space.

January 14, 2025, Class Update: Christmas and Baptism

Greetings everyone!

The Good News that God came to us born as a baby has a great impact on our lives.

It is truly reason for joy.

Our opening prayer was this music video of "Joy to the World", a beloved Christmas carol that was originally written as a song anticipating the 2nd coming of Christ and is based on Psalm 98.

This video was filmed in Jerusalem and is trilingual, in English, Hebrew, and Arabic.

We also watched a music video of the song "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" performed by Casting Crowns.  The song was written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in the midst of a trying time in his life and in the USA in the 1860s.

We also watched this music video of "Joy to the World" by the One Voice Children's Choir based in Utah.

On our liturgical calendar, the Christmas Season concludes with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.  Just as God revealed Himself in Christ's birth and in the Epiphany when the Magi came, so God revealed Himself when Jesus was baptized.

All four Gospels tell this story near the beginning and describe how the Holy Spirit came down upon Jesus and anointed Him and a voice from Heaven spoke, declaring Jesus as God's "Beloved Son". We, too, become God's beloved in baptism and are anointed with the Holy Spirit in the form of specially blessed olive oil that serves as the Sacred Chrism.  (Olive oil was also part of the winning question at the 2005 National Geographic Bee School Final Round at Julian.)

At the National Eucharistic Congress, Katie Prejean McGrady shared a great story about Canon 877, which requires that each baptism at a parish be recorded, and she used it to illustrate how important baptism is in our lives.  (This link goes to a video of the NEC session that begins at the moment when she tells the story, and it lasts for about 4-5 minutes.)

We concluded class with the final prayer of the Holy Name Litany, since January is the month dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus.

As Confirmation gets closer, if you have not already selected a saint for Confirmation, now is the time to do so.  This saint will serve as a heavenly role model and support for you, students, as you live out your Confirmation.

To give you, students, the opportunity to express who this saint is and what s/he means for you, we ask you to write a paragraph to share some biographical information about who the saint is, and even what the saint is the patron of, and why you picked that saint and how that saint will be a role model for you in living as a Confirmed Catholic.

We ask this paragraph be submitted by class time on February 4.  A printed copy is preferred for submission, but electronic submissions are okay, too.

Please note that the parents must submit a form that includes the saint name of their daughter/son by January 31.  This paragraph is to be written by the students and is in addition to the form.

The websites of Catholic Online or Franciscan Media are two resources to help you pick a saint if you haven't already done so.

I originally assigned an activity to complete a Scripture reflection by January 21.  To give you the chance to focus on the saint paragraph, the due date for the Scripture reflection is now February 11, if you have not already completed it.

Looking ahead, our plan is to continue exploring the message of Christmas, that God is with us. We'll do a show and tell in class on January 21.  Please bring in an item that is associated with a memory you have.

This coming Sunday, January 19, is Hospitality Sunday, with food and drink served after both morning Masses at Ascension.  I will be giving a presentation of about 10-15 minutes on my experiences at teh National Eucharistic Congress last summer.  Your families are welcome to attend, and I will make sure that it counts as a faith booster for Confirmation.  I will open the floor for Q&A after my presentation.

If you're out of town this weekend, Masstimes.org is a great resource to find a place to attend Mass.

As usual, please feel free to contact me with questions, feedback, etc.

We're not just lucky, we're blessed.

We remain connected as One Church through faith in God, Who has come to us in the Incarnation at Christmas and continues to abide with us:

All my relations.

God's blessings,

Paul

The baptismal font in Ascension is adorned with Christmas decorations: God manifested Himself at Christ's Baptism, and at ours, too.

January 7, 2025, Class Update: Celebrating Christmas

Merry Christmas/Happy Epiphany!

On the current liturgical calendar we use, the Christmas Season is from December 25-January 12.

We had plenty to celebrate for Christmas Season during our first class in 2025.

Nativity Scene inside Ascension Church

For our opening prayer, we listened to the song of the angels, "Glory to God in the Highest" from Luke 2:13-14 as it is sung in the famous oratorio, The Messiah.

When Christ was born, God gave us the greatest gift of all in His Son.  So we spent time reflecting on gifts we gave, both items and good deeds.

The amazing and glorious reality of Christmas is that the vast, infinite God came to us as a human person, born of Mary.  He wanted to be close to us, and not be too frightening to approach, like when He came to Mount Sinai to present Himself before His people.  So He came as a baby, closely identifying Himself with us, inviting us to draw close to Him.  He fulfilled the prophecy of Emmanuel, the Hebrew name meaning "God with us".  That is truly Good News.

To elaborate on the big idea of Christmas, I shared a commentary from a Bible he got as a gift when I was in middle school.  I sent it via email to the parents if you want to see it again.

Then, to illustrate, we did a baby/child photo guessing game, ending with me.  My childhood Teddy Bear also made a special guest appearance.

Here I am, about aged 3 or 4, with my Teddy Bear in the park by the Gateway Arch in St. Louis while on a trip with my family.

Again, God wanted to come to us in a form so that we would desire to approach Him, just as people delight in babies and stuffed animals.  My Teddy Bear accompanied me everywhere as a child, just like God accompanies us, and we recognize His presence now in the Holy Spirit.

For the second half of class, Paul's friend Will Haenni joined us as a special guest star.  He is a TV meteorologist with WWMT-TV based in Kalamazoo, MI.  He shared about his work and what faith has meant to him throughout his life.

Our closing prayer was the Holy Name of Jesus prayer of St. Bernard of Clairvaux.

On Christmas, we celebrate the Word Made Flesh.  The at-home activity is to spend time with Scripture.  Here's the link to the form with instructions.  It is due on January 21.

Everyone also got blessed chalk that is to be used for an Epiphany house blessing.  Customarily, it's done on January 6, but go ahead and do the blessing if you haven't done so already.

Looking ahead, we'll continue to explore what it means for God to be among us, a major theme of the Christmas Season, and its impact on us as arises in the liturgy of the Feast of the Lord's Baptism, which is January 12 this year.

Please feel free to contact me with questions, feedback, etc.

We remain connected as One Church by faith in God, Who came to us in the Flesh and abides with us forever:

All my relations.

We're not just lucky, we're blessed because God is with us.

Let us rejoice!

God's blessings,

Merry Christmas,

Paul

Nativity scene in the Ellipse Park, just south of, and within view of, the White House in Washington, D.C.

In Baptism, we celebrate that God is with us in Jesus Christ, Who was baptized as He sought to identify Himself with us.

December 17, 2024, Class Update: Getting Close to Christmas

Greetings everyone!

After a wonderful presentation on La Señora de Guadalupe on December 10, we were back in class with great anticipation of the celebration of Christ's Birth.

In the week before the Solemnity of the Lord's Nativity on Christmas Day, the Church observes the days with greater focus and anticipation of Jesus Christ's birth, beginning on December 17 with O Antiphons.

In the spirit of looking ahead to Christmas Day, our opening prayer was the song "Be Born in Me" performed by Francesca Batistelli.  The lyrics speak to how we are called, as people of faith, to let God be born in us so we make Him known in the world.

Then we looked at the O Antiphons, which serve as the basis for the Advent hymn "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel".  This webpage has videos for each of the 7 O Antiphons, similar to how we read about them in our class book.  Also in the book are stories about heralds who announced the coming of Jesus Christ.

During the time period from December 17-24, the Gospel readings are the stories preceding Jesus's birth in Matthew 1 and Luke 1.

We watched video clips from the movie The Nativity Story, one of my favorite movies, with two scenes from those readings, the Annunciation of Gabriel to the Blessed Mother Mary and Mary's visit to St. Elizabeth.  The visit story illustrates how we can experience joy just by anticipating the arrival of God into our lives, which is a major theme of the Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday.

December 17 is Pope Francis's birthday, and we celebrated in class.  He was present at World Youth Day 2019 in Panama, and the theme of that event was based on Mary's fiat, "Let it Be Done to Me according to Your Word".  We saw the international version of the theme song, with the refrain, "Here I am, the servant of the Lord. Speak Your Word in me and let Your Will be done".  (I actually visited some of the places shown in the video.)

Advent is a time that calls us to be more aware of God's presence, especially as He comes to us in the Eucharist.  We watched this short video from Relevant Radio's Eucharistic Encounters series, about a mysterious metal sound.

Our closing prayer was the concluding prayer of the Angelus.

Everyone wrote down that prayer on an index card, and I asked you to display it somewhere during these weeks we're on break.

When we return on January 7, we'll still be in the Christmas Season, and we'll explore its meaning.

At this holy time of year, I pray that you will be gladdened by the presence of Christ deep within you, Who fulfills the promise of Emmanuel, for God is truly with us.

We remain connected as One Church in Jesus Christ, Who was born for us:

All my relations.

And remember that you're not just lucky, you're blessed.

Like the song says, I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

God's blessings,

Paul

Advent Wreath at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., with all its candles lit for the 4th Sunday of Advent