Monday, December 26, 2016


Reminders for the New Year!

May the peace of Christ touch each of your hearts!   Every time you have an encounter with a parishioner, whether it is a student, parent, or adult learner; you have touched a child of God.  That is an awesome responsibility!  Most of the time the job of a coordinator, a catechist,  or a substitute teacher, has no compensation--no thank you notes, no stipends or gifts.   It is the calling from Christ and the love of the children of God that keeps each one of us moving forward to make our parishes the best they can be!  

Here are some reminders for the beginning of the year:
  • Put out a schedule for Religious Education classes for Winter/Spring.
  • Include extra First Communion sessions with the parents if you have them!
  • Decide on Lenten activities now.  If you need speakers for parish events, they may be difficult to get if you wait.
  • Make sure there is something for your teens to look forward to---a Lenten retreat or regional retreat or a service project.
  • What a about a multigenerational event?  Don’t forget to get  the Religious Education classes involved.  That brings the children in and their parents and grandparents.  Some suggestions are:  game shows, talent shows, church history days, movie days, saints performances, plays, grandparent events.   Don’t forget to include food!
  • Make sure your teachers and substitutes are all trained to be aware of child abuse.  Our church uses the VIRTUS program (virtusonline.org), but your church  may use another approved program.  Make sure your classrooms are open and available to the coordinator, parents, and pastor and that no child is with untrained adults.  
  • Thank your teachers in some way.   We are in such a rush at the end of the school year that we forget to extend our gratitude to those who have spent hours each week planning activities for the children and adults of our parishes.  

Sr. Therese Maria, MSCL, Eparchial Coordinator for MYO & MYA brings us a new
Going Deeper article by Dr. Anne Borik:  

Prayer Warrior’s Inner Room
Clear the space that clutters your heart and mind and prepare to live today to the fullest; play to the fullest, work to the fullest, and pray to the fullest.
Jesus said, “Go to your inner room, close the door and pray to your Father in heaven.”  That ‘inner room’ is your heart, the depth of your being. How do you connect with that place in a way that empowers you, motivates you, encourages you and gives you hope for tomorrow?
I would like to suggest three things that will help you to quiet the inner chatter that often distracts and gets in the way of life, especially prayer life.
The first is Breath. Not necessarily to practice deep breathing, but to simply use your breath to remind you that God is always with you! The breath is one of the functions of the body that is there whether you think about it or not.  God is always there, even if you are not thinking about Him, He is always with you. When you find yourself feeling anxious or angry, take a deep breath and be reminded that even in the storm of the day, God is always there.
           Next is your Posture or Attitude. This is not referring to the physical posture, but rather to stand firm in your faith.  Do not be indifferent, but instead be rooted in your Maronite faith. Colossians 2:7 says, ‘Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.’ Desire to be a Eucharistic person, that is, one who is filled with gratitude and thanksgiving.  By doing this you will find yourself growing deeper in the Spiritual life.  
Finally is Prayer. Prayer has the power to transform any situation, condition, problem or person. Like any deep and lasting friendship, your relationship with the Lord will be strengthened by frequent, honest, open communication. So when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door and pray to your Father who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.  Matthew 6:6

Monday, December 5, 2016

December Thoughts

Do you remember the Fire and Spirit filmstrips?  We have tried to update them into PowerPoints that might be useful for your classrooms or for adult workshops.  I am including the first one here:
  Maronite Way to Maron

As we rapidly approach Christmas, we wanted to share two activities with you.  
The first is how to say the rosary, since December 8th is the Immaculate Conception and the 12th is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  Here is a worksheet that the teacher can use to explain how to say the rosary. The prayers are right there on the sheet. Print them out back to back. The students can dedicate each Hail Mary to someone who needs it by writing their names along side. In this way, they can pray for 50 different loved ones if they wish!
  How To Pray The Rosary

The second activity is a  paper nativity scene created by Good Ground Press.  The students should color the scenes first, then cut them out.  They can glue the pictures to upside-down paper cups so they stand up.  Then they can arrange their nativity!  Even high students love doing this one!
  Nativity Cut-Outs


Here is also a Nativity play that you can adapt for your church community:
  Nativity Narration


Sister Therese Marie sent us the December Going Deeper article:  
  Spiritual Direction