Status Update

This is just a quick note to parents. I hope to put several of the class updates on this BLOG so you can see some more detail about what your student is learning. As a reminder, there is no SOR the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

Thank you,

Greg

The Rosary - The devil's defeat.

We are learning about the Rosary tonight in class. I would strongly recommend that the adults of the family read the book The Secret of the Rosary by St. Louis De Montfort. In addition to what you as parents need to know in order to pass on the faith, there are several stories your students might be interested in. It's also in the Adult Faith Library, if you don't want to spend $5. Have you heard of Blessed Bartolo Longo?

On the day of Bartolo Longo’s beatification, October 26, 1980, Pope John Paul II called him a “man of the Madonna”; he later called him “a true apostle of the rosary” and “a layman who lived his ecclesial pledge to the full”. And John Paul II knew what he was saying — his own Marian spirituality was influenced deeply by what, as a young man, he had gleaned from Bartolo’s life and works.

So who was this a man who so profoundly affected the greatest pope of the 20th century and who has had a permanent effect on the way we Catholics venerate Mary? Unfortunately, he is unknown to many of those in the English-speaking world. His name is Blessed Bartolo Longo. Most people who know of Bartolo have heard of him from asides made by John Paul II in his apostolic letter on the rosary — but there is much more to this remarkable man than a few pithy quotes. His feast day is October 6th, and this is his story.

In Bartolo’s time, from the 1860s onwards, the Church in Naples was experiencing a spiritual crisis. Unbelief, rebellion, and the occult were widespread and affecting the souls of the faithful, especially college students. Many of them traded the theology of the saints for the philosophy of atheists, made street demonstrations against the pope, and — perhaps most dangerous of all — dabbled in witchcraft and consulted the famous Neapolitan mediums. Continue reading the rest of the story...

Dating

Have you ever wondered about dating? Is there more to it than what your friends say?

Important Dates

Parents and Students,

Does your student have his/her saint name picked out, checked with the SOR office, and spelled right on the program? If you are not sure, call Tricia ASAP.

Here are some important dates:

April 2nd (Thursday): Penance service at the church

April 6th (Monday): Confirmation Practice

• Your practice time is 6:30 PM if you will be confirmed on April 13th
• Your practice time is 8:00 PM if you will be confirmed on April 16th

April 13th: Confirmation!

April 16th: Confirmation!

June 8 - June 12: Vacation Bible School (VBS). Here is a chace for you newly confirmed Catholics to pass on the faith to others. Consider signing up to be an aide.

July 6 - July 17: Summer SOR. Again, here is your chance to sign up as an aide.

Lost and Found: see Tricia Baldwin right away. She will give all items away at the end of the year; so if you want your stuff, go get it now.

Give your day to Jesus everyday. A great way to do this is to pray the Morning offering each day. Here's the prayer. I found it on EWTN.com if you want to look up other prayers and devotions.

O Jesus,through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,I offer You my prayers, works,joys and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, for the intentions of all my relatives and friends, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father.
Amen.

Your brother in Christ,

Greg

Three Catholic Priests in Africa killed in one week

So, the questions are simple.

1. Are you ready to give your life for living your Catholic faith?
These priests did.

2. Fr. Joe Cramer said in one of his short and to the point sermons, "Look back on last week. Could anyone have accused you of being a Catholic by the way you lived?"

"If we are imitators of Jesus Christ and face up to all life's battles, we too will share in His victories." - St. Padre Pio

Jesus' Message of Mercy

Jesus' message was one of mercy. "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." Matthew 5:7

That may be easy to forget sometimes. It is for me.

Have you heard about the Chaplet of Divine Mercy? What about the private revelation to Saint Faustina, the Polish nun who died just before the start of World War II?

You can go to the EWTN web site here to read more about what Jesus told St. Faustina. You might also look at the side menu and read the background information, as well as look up the Chaplet of Divine Mercy .

Here's the bottom line: Jesus loves you. Jesus will forgive you for any and all of your sins. Forgiveness and mercy are yours for the asking.

I know times are tough, for kids, teens, and adults alike. Turn to our Lord, ask him for the grace to serve him every day.
It's OK to struggle, but trust in Jesus.

I find it interesting that in about the last 100 years, there have been at least 3 private revelations that tell us of repentance, Jesus' mercy, and His Second Coming.

1. The aparition of Our Lady at Fatima
2. St. Faustina's Diary and the Message of Divine Mercy
3. Anne, a lay apostle in Ireland. (She's alive today.)

You can go here to read more about the
Divine Mercy and the Second Coming.

Dear Jesus, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Nicean Blues