I thought I would write a weekly blog to keep you informed about what is going on in our religion class.
Our 1st class was last night and we spent the evening talking with the students and informing them of our plans for the class this year. With the help of Mary Fitch and Allie Loomis and the support and assistance of Father Jason and our Murray State Newman students, I think this year will be a rewarding experience for all. I pray that we will grow in both faith and fellowship studying the scripture, learning about our Catholic faith, and serving others in our community.
Last night we started with a mass in Gleason hall. This gives our students a chance to hear inspirational words of faith from our pastor Father Jason McClure. Father Jason taught the students and all in attendance about the role of intercessory pray and the need to pray to[or ask] God when there is someone in need of his assistance, daily.
In class, we took attendance then tried to get a feel for where are students were in their knowledge of Catholic prayers. We then asked them if they came to class because they wanted to be there. They all unanimously stated they were happy to be there and for that they received a candy. [off to a great start!]
Next, we asked if they knew of any students that might be missing from class and if so, the students were encouraged to ask them to join us. We hope this year will be both fun and rewarding as we study our faith. From Scripture we know that until all of our students are present our "Body of Christ" is not whole, [1 Cor 12:14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many] for each person is special and important.
I informed the class briefly about what we would learn and discuss this year. We will start with mass weekly then a lesson on the Bible. We will watch a 35 min DVD by a dynamic Catholic Scholar from Phoenix Arizona followed by a 2 page discussion about what we learned. This is called "T3" a series put out by Ascension Press.[check it out on the web] As high school students, they are given ample time to know when their tests are coming so that they can prepare and keep up with their studies as well as attend our weekly 1 1/2 hr sessions.[ including mass] Some weeks we will not have a learning session but have an activity session or prayer time. During those sessions we will be assisted by our Murray State students.[thank you]
This is an exciting year for our 9th and 10th grade classes. They will be confirmed by our new Bishop at St. Leo on May 4th. Throughout the year we will prepare for this wonderful event with prayer, service and study. We discussed the need to pray to the Holy Spirit for guidance all year during this time of preparation, the importance of giving of ourselves in service to others and the church, and the need to make the Scripture and our Catholic faith a priority in their lives. They will have the support of their teachers, fellow students as well as the St Leo Catholic community in this yearlong endeavor. Besides the Wednesday night classes, the confirmation class will have special sessions at my house starting in January. We will discuss this more as the year progresses.
All students are requested to bring their Bible with them to class and any student needing one was given one tonight. Please remember to bring your Bible to class weekly. Any student needing a rosary will be given one also.
All of our elementary students will have one Sunday where they will be responsible for the 11o'clock mass. The high school students all stated they would be interested in preparing a mass on Sunday also.[GREAT JOB STUDENTS I AM PROUD OF YOU FOR VOLUNTEERING]
Mary Fitch collected the phone numbers and e-mails of students and their parents to allow us to keep in communication with the families about classes and events of the coming year.
All students were given an article about "What it meant to be a Catholic" to read at home.
Lastly I want to inform you about some ideas we had which the students will vote on next week. These are a group of ideas to increase student involvement in our church and community as well as help them in their spiritual growth, but most of all to have FUN.
Some activities to choose from include:
1. Service: help at our parish picnic in October, rake leaves for some elderly of our parish, plant flowers at the church, take baskets to shut-ins at Thanksgiving, help with the Christmas program for younger students, help with 1st Communion, make Valentines for elderly in the community, and read to children during Dr Seuss week.
2. Prayer: pray at the flag pole once together with Father and Allie to lead, pray a Holy Hour together once this year with a cook-out prior at the Newman House for students and their families, pray the rosary together, pray the Stations during Lent, attend some of the Holy Week services and learn some new prayers.
3. Activity: bowling one Wednesday and probably again, ice cream party, youth trip to Owensboro to meet our bishop and then to visit St Meinrad, Halloween party at our farm with a dance in October, attend a Christmas program or movie, trip to tour St Jude Children's Hospital in Memphis which would require some fund raising, a breakfast discussion after confirmation to communicate with one another about their experience, make Valentine cookies for elderly of the community, a youth weekend trip to Owensboro to attend the wonderful Diocese Youth Conference for students 6-12th grade where there will be music and interesting talks from dynamic Catholic Youth, and a possible trip to Our Lady of the Snow outside St Louis followed by a tour of the Cathedral in the city.
We had a busy 1st class and I look forward to next week. If you have any comments call me, Mary or Allie or meet us before class. We would love both parents and church community involvement in our activities and could use your prayers for us this year.
See all the students next week!
Friends in Christ,
Joyce Hughes
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