Hello Faith Formation Families!
Last week, we learned about St. Martin de Porres, a saint who sheltered the homeless by caring for the monastery home he shared, building an orphanage, and even starting some animal shelters! God gave him some pretty special gifts to help him in his mission to serve the poor, including the gift of bilocation!
Check out our third "Shelter the Homeless" lesson below, as well as Children's Liturgy of the Word for the 4th Sunday of Advent and some other fun Advent & Christmas activities!
Christmas Trivia and Music Night!!!
Join the Faith Formation team for a virtual trivia and music night on Sunday, December 20, from 7:00-7:45! Click the link below to join the Zoom party, and have your phone or another additional device ready for some family Christmas trivia via Kahoot! (Parents, if you've never heard of Kahoot!, ask your kids! They'll set you up!)
Or cut and paste this link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85025676765?pwd=VXJtWjZWeklpZE5uV0crWUZmUWVoQT09
Baby Jesus Craft!!!
There are still some Baby Jesus craft kits available in the Parish Center! It's not too late to pick one up and create this super-cute Baby Jesus!
"Shelter the Homeless "
Family Lesson #13
Let's begin our lesson as we begin all things, with the Sign of the Cross.
"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen."
Then pray the "Our Father" together.
(prayer cards included in the Faith Formation materials available for pickup in the Parish Center)
Activities: A Tour and a Meditation
In today's activities, we'll take a tour of our parish home and do a little Advent meditation.
A TOUR
When my family was getting ready to move to Midland almost 9 years ago, one of the first things we did was look for a church to call home. My family in Cincinnati went to a church called Good Shepherd, and we had been active members there since I was a little baby, more than 40 years ago! I wasn't sure we would be able to find a parish that would feel like home the way Good Shepherd did, but as soon as I walked into Blessed Sacrament, I knew it was where we were meant to be!
Blessed Sacrament is our parish home, both yours and mine! During this month, as we're learning about how we can shelter the homeless, let's remember that we always have a home here at Blessed Sacrament. And if you're ever in Cincinnati, take a minute to visit Good Shepherd, and tell them Mrs. Cathcart sent you to visit her other parish home!
Good Shepherd in Cincinnati
Blessed Sacrament in Midland
A BONUS TOUR
The church called St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City in Rome, Italy, is the church the pope calls home. As Catholics, we can call St. Peter's our home, too! Here's a little tour of St. Peter's if you're interested in a little bonus. I actually had a hard time finding a good video tour. This one doesn't have any narration, but the videographer added some titles to some of the things you get to see on the tour. He's using a wide angle camera, so some of the video looks a little curvy... it's not curvy in real life! Enjoy this visit to St. Peter's!
Mrs. Cathcart outside
St. Peter's Basilica in 2006
A MEDITATION
Guided meditation is a great way to connect with Jesus in your mind and heart. Have you tried it?
In a guided meditation, you close your eyes and use your imagination to enter into a gospel story or another sacred place. The speaker will help you use your senses to encounter Jesus. Many people, children and adults both, find that a guided meditation is one of the best ways to feel the presence of Jesus and speak to Him in prayer. I invite you to share in this meditation together.
In this little video, we imagine that we are travelling with the Holy Family to Bethlehem, looking for a place to stay. We begin with a little introduction to set the stage, then I'll ask you to close your eyes and imagine along with me. About two thirds of the way through the video, you'll have a quiet moment to just be with the Holy Family. A short prayer to Baby Jesus ends this quiet time. Then we return to our story and finish our meditation. The video has some pretty pictures of a fresh snow at Chippewa Nature Center last November. If you have trouble keeping your eyes closed during the meditation, you can use the pictures to help you center your imagination and then close your eyes again.
Special Bible Verse
As a family, read this Bible verse a few times slowly. Take a quiet moment to think about what Jesus is telling us.
"You have been told, O man, what is good, and what the Lord requires of you; Only to do right and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God. "
If you wish, you could also write out this Bible verse in fancy letters, or even try to memorize all or part of it!
God Sightings
Many years ago, I made this nativity set for my goddaughter so we could act out the nativity story without worrying about breaking Great Grandma's fragile nativity set from Italy. When I started thinking about our virtual nativity play for this year, I knew right away these little guys would be a part of it. It's what they were made for! And I'm sure God was planning it all along!
Remember to share your own God Sightings in the "Share your faith work" section below!
Share Your "Faith Work"
Thanks for joining me this week to learn about our parish home!
Yours in Christ,
Corinne
Children's Liturgy of the Word
Faith Formation and Parish News
Plans for the New Year
With Michigan's current lockdown status, and as virus cases continue to rise in our state and across the country, Father Rob and our Faith Formation team have decided to continue virtual programming into January and through the rest of the school year. One of the many ways we can show how "Love Works" is by keeping one another safe! And as always, our love is at work for you!
Pick Up Your Faith Formation Materials
The materials you'll need to complete our December Faith Formation lessons, including the Baby Jesus craft, are available in the Parish Center. Come on by to pick up yours! If you're feeling unwell or if coming into the Parish Center makes you feel unsafe, or even if you just can't find the time during the day to get to church, please let us know and we'll plan on a special delivery porch drop off for you!