20 New Little Angels

Twas' 11 days before Christmas, around 9:38
          When 20 beautiful children stormed through heaven's gate.

Their smiles were contagious, their laughter filled the air.

They could hardly believe all the beauty they saw there.
They were filled with such joy, they didn't know what to say.
They remembered nothing of what had happened earlier that day.

"Where are we?" asked a little girl, as quiet as a mouse.
"This is heaven." declared a small boy. "We're spending Christmas at God's house."

When what to their wondering eyes did appear,
but Jesus, their savior, the children gathered near.

He looked at them and smiled, and they smiled just the same.
Then He opened His arms and He called them by name.

And in that moment was joy, that only heaven can bring
Those children all flew into the arms of their King.

And as they lingered in the warmth of His embrace,
One small girl turned and looked at Jesus' face.

And as if He could read all the questions she had
He gently whispered to her, "I'll take care of mom and dad.."

Then He looked down on earth, the world far below
He saw all of the hurt, the sorrow, and woe.

Then He closed His eyes and He outstretched His hand,
"Let My power and presence re-enter this land!"

"May this country be delivered from the hands of fools."
"I'm taking back my nation. I'm taking back my schools!"

Then He and the children stood up without a sound.
"Come now my children, let me show you around."

Excitement filled the space, some skipped and some ran.
All displaying enthusiasm that only a small child can.

And  I heard Him proclaim as He walked out of sight,
"in the midst of this darkness, I AM STILL THE LIGHT."

St. Matthias' response to the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School

Monday, December 17, 2012

St. Matthias' response to the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School

We are deeply saddened by the events in Connecticut, as are we all. Such a tragedy makes no sense and I'm sure that we all just want to hug our children and keep them closer to us to try to keep them safe.

At St. Matthias, our upmost concern is your children's safety, especially when they are in our care. This morning at 11am, our Pastor, Fr. Craig, Preschool Director, Mary Ornellas and myself will be meeting with a law enforcement official (and Preschool parent) to review our safety procedures and develop a plan to make improvements to our facilities (if needed) so that we can protect your children to the best of our abilities.

Let us remember to keep the families of those affected in our prayers. Let this tragedy draw us closer to God and help us remember to cherish our children every single minute they are in our care. Our children will no doubt have questions about these events, in my opinion it is best to answer their questions, not with every single detail, but in a general way. Education and awareness help keep us all safe. If you would like to talk more about this for yourself or your child, please contact me or Fr. Craig and we would be happy to help or guide you to a service or organization that can best meet your needs.

Make the following prayer part of your daily routine for these next few days and weeks. We are all saddened, but our Lord God hears our prayers and sees our tears and is there for us.

Prayers for Mourners

O Lord, whose ways are beyond understanding,

listen to the prayers of your faithful people:

that those weighed down by grief

at the loss of their children

may find reassurance in your infinite goodness.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

*Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers

Purple, Purple, Pink, Purple

Purple, Purple, Pink, Purple. That little mantra, if you will, helps me to remember the order of the colors of our Advent Wreath. On the first, second and fourth weeks we light purple candles, on the third week, a pink candle. Growing up, I never understood why we switched from purple to pink in the middle and back again. Why wasn't the pink candle the last? Or first? Later, I grew to accept that that is just the way it is.

Yesterday, I met with a family about the sacrament of Confirmation and the season of Advent came into our conversation. I mentioned my mantra, purple, purple, pink, purple and got asked the question, "Why is there a pink candle, and what do the colors mean?" I didn't have a good answer at the time. So today, I googled it. Here's a great blog post to explain:

http://livinghopeomaha.wordpress.com/about-living-hope/bible-stud/the-meaning-of-the-advent-wreath/

Prayer of Thanksgiving

Prayer of Thanksgiving

O God, we thank you for this earth, our home;
For the wide sky and the blessed sun,
For the salt sea and the running water,
For the everlasting hills 
And the never-resting winds,
For trees and the common grass underfoot.

We thank you for our senses
By which we hear the songs of birds,
And see the splendor of summer fields,
And taste the autumn fruits,
And rejoice in the feel of snow,
And smell the breath of spring.

Grant us a heart wide open to all this beauty;
Save our souls from being so blind
That we pass unseeing
When even the common thorn bush
Is aflame with your glory.

O God our creator,
Bless this feast and all who partake of it.
Keep us mindful of those who are in need of food, safety, companionship or justice, and bless our efforts to be of practical help to them.
We make this prayer in the name of Jesus, our brother and Lord, Amen.

(NCEA, 2010)   

Blessings Box

Each month, we send out a newsletter to families with faith sharing ideas for the month. This November, our idea was a "blessing box". A family could create a box which would be kept on the kitchen table (or where ever the family eats together). And at each evening meal, blessings from the day would be shared, written on pieces of paper, and placed in the box. On Thanksgiving day, the blessings could be shared with the entire family as they gather for their feast. The Rak girls made this box for their family and shared the photo with us!

Mary in Superstorm Sandy

Mary in Superstorm Sandy

This morning, in the wake of Superstorm Sandy that has so devastated our East Coast brothers and sisters, a mom sent me this photo. In the midst of all the destruction that the storm caused, Mary still stands as a beacon for our faith and our lives as Catholic Christians. What a strong symbol! I am imagining what it would be like to be a rescue worker and stumble across this sign, this miracle. Mary provides hope for so many of us as mothers, wives and caregivers. What a beautiful photo! Thanks Amy for sharing it!

May we stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters as they struggle to recover and rebuild their lives. May Mary continue to always provide us with the hope that we so desperately need. Amen.

Our GIFT to St. Matthias

Over the past year, our community has been preparing to launch a new model of faith formation in the community. Our first step taken was our staff has read and discussed a book called Faith & Families. The premise of the book is that parishes should be doing a better job helping parents raise their children as Catholics. They should offer more family friendly activities, help families connect what happens at home to what happens at church, and should involved parents more in the faith formation of their children.

Next step was the formation of a Faith Formation Commission, a group of parents, catechists, staff and board members who met four times this past year to discuss and help plan for this transition. They created promotional materials, conducted interviews for the bulletin and help to finalize the plans for this new approach.

Thirdly, we offered workshops to all the parents called "Strong Catholic families, Strong Catholic Youth" where data was presented from the National Study of Youth and Religion which shows that teens who are more involved in Church activities along with their parents and siblings are much less likely to engage in risky behavior (sex, drugs, alcohol) and do significantly better in school. These workshops were presented so that parents could be made aware of the research, but also as a way to further promote our new approach. At the end of each presentation, parents were given an opportunity to fill out a survey that asked them what they need to help them raise their children as strong Catholics, what else should St. Matthias be doing? One of the things parents said was to offer family service projects. We listened and are building those in to our program monthly.

Our new approach is called GIFT : Generations in Faith Together. We do view this as a GIFT to the parish, a way to help parents connect what happens at home to what happens at church and a way to help them learn what their children are learning. We will have monthly gatherings for the entire parish, with break out groups for the grade levels and adults. Fr. Craig will lead the adult sessions and our volunteer catechists will lead the small groups.

We are also offering a youth ministry type program for 5-8th graders and high school kids. This is an additional way for them to connect with their peers and begin to "own" their faith in preparation for the promises they make in and after confirmation.

The benefits of this approach:
-gatherings are only once a month so families have time to spend with each other and participate in parish activities which are really "the faith formation program"
-parents get to learn what their children are learning
-high school aged youth have a forum after Confirmation
-more attention can be given to fun activities and service projects
-the parish can become a more vibrant worshipping community as adults connect with one another

Holy Thursday - sedar supper

Holy Thursday was an amazing experience this year! Fr. Craig's sedar supper was a wonderful feast. Celebrating the passover meal with the community, praying the prayer of sedar, then celebrating Mass and listening to the readings from exodus (the Passover) and the institution of the Eucharist. Made such an impact, created better understanding of what we do and why we do it. It would be so worthwhile to attend next year to gain a better understanding of our Jewish roots.


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Youth day

Amazing to see all these teens gathered at youth day professing there love for Jesus!


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Location:W Katella Ave,Anaheim,United States

Strong Catholic Families: Strong Catholic Youth

This evening, from 7-9 pm, parents are invited to gather in Fr. Lacey Hall to hear a presentation that uses research gained from the National Study of Youth and Religion which points to how important parents are in the faith lives of their children. During the presentation, parents will be invited to consider what their wishes are for their children and share those. We will also be asking parents to complete a survey so that they can share how the parish can better support them in their role as primary catechists for their children.
All this is in preparation for the changes to our programs which will be implemented in Fall of 2012. Stay tuned for more information.

Are We Asking the Right Questions?

During this Catechetical Year, we have been reflecting on and evaluating our faith formation programs and their effectiveness. We formed a group of parents, catechists, board members and staff members to study and discuss how our faith formation programs are conducted and decide to make some changes which will be implemented in the coming year, 2012-2013. The following article presents a compelling argument for why our current models of formation do not work. The article refers to the NSYR which is the National Study of Youth and Religion. We will be participating in a process called Strong Catholic Families, Strong Catholic Youth. I will post more information about this later this week.
Forming Young Disciples: Are We Asking the Right Questions Article

The Joy of Stewardship

Yesterday, at the 10:30 am Mass, as I was in the Communion Procession, I was stopped by two little, six year old girls whom I know well. One of them said to me, "Sabrina, can we give this money to Church?" When I looked down to see what money she was talking about, I saw a two shiny coins in her small hand - a nickel and a penny. I replied, "Of course, you can give that money to Church! After Mass is over, you can go put it into the collection basket". At that the two little girls literally  jumped for joy (as only 6 year olds can do!), gleefully saying "Yay!!!". If only we could learn to give of ourselves so joyfully!

Epiphany Reflections

Today is the Feast of Epiphany. (Epiphany is actually on Jan 6th, but the Church moved this Feast to this Sunday, Jan 8th). Traditionally, this day also called "Little Christmas" is celebrated 12 days after Christmas and is the day that the Three Kings or Magi arrive from the East to pay homage to the newborn baby Jesus. Micah prophesied about this saying that Jesus would come from "...Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means means least among the princes of Judah, since from you shall come a ruler who is shepherd to my people Israel."
Jesus was send to earth, not just to shepherd the people of Israel, but was send for all nations. This feast celebrates the manifestation of Jesus to Gentile seekers, and Matthew tells the story of the kings humbly entering the house of the Holy Family to present gifts to Jesus and congratulate Mary and Joseph. Because of this, there are many traditions which celebrate the family as the domestic Church, an intimate Christian community in which children and most Christians first find faith in Jesus.
How can your family celebrate your faith in Jesus? What have you sought or are seeking this season? Research some Epiphany traditions and adopt one for your family.

At  St. Matthias, we have a collaborative approach to Faith Formation. So, last night I was asked by our Deacons - George and Rich to come to RCIA and talk about Epiphany. I can't tell you how much fun I had researching this feast! For instance, did you know that King Cakes are not just for Mardi Gras? They are actually "in season" from Epiphany (Jan 6th - celebrated on the 8th this year) through Mardi Gras (the day before Ash Wednesday). Traditionally King Cakes are decorated with purple, yellow and green icing or colored sugar and there's a tiny plastic baby baked inside. Whoever gets the piece with the baby in it is said to be blessed throughout the year, but is also responsible for providing the cake next year.  The purple denotes justice, the green faith and yellow power.

For my presentation, I thought it would be cool to bake and share a King Cake with the group. I found a super easy recipe online that I'd like to share (recipe comes from www.homecooking.about.com)

Filling Ingredients:

4 oz cream cheese

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 teas cinnamon (I like a lot of cinnamon so used more)

1/4 cup raisins, soaked in hot water for 15 mins, then drained and patted dry on a paper towel

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Cake Ingredients:

2 rolls (total of 12 individual crescent rolls) refrigerated crescent rolls in the can

Icing:

1 1/2 cups of powered sugar

3-4 Tbsp milk or cream

1 teas vanilla extract

purple, green and yellow colored sugar or food coloring

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a pizza pan or baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray or line with parchment.

Place all the filling ingredients into a food processor and pulse until well mixed. Set aside.

Unroll crescent roll dough and separate into triangles. Position triangles next to each other with the points toward the center, overlapping the long sides about 1/4 inch, forming a large round. Where the pieces overlap, press the seams together only in the center of each seams, leaving either ends of the seams unsealed so you can fold them up over the filling.

Spread the filling around in a ring covering the center sealed seam of each triangle.

Place a small plastic baby someone in the filling.

Fold the wide edge of each triangle toward the center just to the edge of the filling to cover. Continue all the way around, until the wide ends are all folded over. Begin folding the points of the triangles over until they are all folded. Lightly press the seams to seal.

Bake 20-25 mins until golden brown. Let cool to room temperature.

While baking, whisk together the powered sugar, milk or cream and vanilla until smooth. The consistency should be fairly thick, but still thin enough to slowly drip down the sides. Add more milk if necessary. If using food coloring, divide the icing into three smaller bowls and add colorant. Allow icing to dry and serve!

Does your family have any Epiphany traditions or customs? Do you celebrate the Feast of the Three Kings? What epiphanies have you had in your life? What is the significance of the three kings coming from the East to you?