Dear 2024-2025 Religious Education Families,

Blessings to all as we enter the most important week of our faith: Holy Week!

I hope this newsletter find you and your families well. Please make sure to read through the entire email as there is important information this week about Holy Week Services, 2025-2026 Registration, Class #16 and End of Year Celebration, and Catechist Appreciation.

MASS GOOGLE FORM

Below you will find a link to the Mass Google Form for this weekend. You will receive this email with a link every week. We ask that each family fill out at least two per month as a way to promote conversation about the liturgy with one another. It is a great "Car Ride Home" activity on your way home from church.

Mass Goggle Form Link: Weekend of Apr. 12-13, 2025

OPTIONS FOR MASS ATTENDANCE

1) In Person (which we recommend in you can). For your convenience here is the parish Mass Schedule:

Saturday: 5:00 p.m.

Sunday: 7:30 a.m., 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., 5p.m (Teen Mass)

2) If you chose to attend Mass virtually, you can watch Mass online via our website or our facebook page: Click Here

3) Or if you chose to watch it on TV, ABC7 will televise Sunday Mass from Holy Name Cathedral every Sunday at 9:30am.

HOLY WEEK INFORMATION

Attached you will also find a Lenten Family Calendar put together by Sadlier Religion. You can print it and put it somewhere where everyone in your home can see it. There are great and simple daily activities that families can do together during Lent. Please click on the link to view the calendar: Family Lenten Calendar.

I am also attaching a version of the Stations of the Cross that can be done at home, on the way to school, or at meal time. This a a simple version of the Stations that your family can do together this Lent. Please click on the link to view the Stations: Stations of the Cross.

HOLY WEEK/ EASTER MASS SCHEDULE

Monday (April 14)

7:00pm Stations of the Cross from Mary's Perspective

in Church

Wednesday (April 16)

7:00pm Tenebrae

Church open until 9:00pm

Holy Thursday (April 17)

8:30am Morning Prayer

7:00pm Mass of the Lord's Supper

Church open until 11:00pm

Good Friday (April 18)

8:30am Morning Prayer

3:00pm & 7:00pm Liturgy of the Lord's Passion

Holy Saturday (April 19)

8:30am Morning Prayer

1:00pm Blessing of Easter Food Baskets

8:00pm Easter Vigil Mass

(No 5:00pm mass)

Easter Sunday (April 20)

7:30am, 9:00am* and 11:00am masses in church

9:15am and 11:15am masses in school gym

(No 5:00pm mass)

*This mass will be live streamed

IN PERSON RE

Class #15 is this week! 

We will be in the classroom on

Sunday, April 13th and Wednesday, April 16th.

Please make sure your children are present for class.

Final Class #16 for all programs will be on

Sunday, April 27th, 2025 from 1PM - 3PM.

Details in this newsletter!

ONLINE RE

All lessons (2-15) must be turned in no later than Wednesday, April 23rd for your child to get credit for this school year.

Thank you to all students who have already turned in Class #14. Just a reminder that the Class #14 Google Form was due on Wednesday, April 2nd. If your child has not turned it in, they still have time, but don't have them fall too far behind. Class #15 will be sent out tomorrow Sunday, April 13th and will be due on Wednesday, April 23rd.

Final Class for all programs will be on

Sunday, April 27th, 2025 from 1PM - 3PM.

Details in this newsletter!

LAST CLASS FOR ALL PROGRAMS -

SUNDAY, WEDNESDAY, AND ONLINE

CLASS #16 WILL BE ON SUNDAY, APRIL 27, 2025

beginning at 1PM

Our final RE class #16 for all students K - 8 in our Sunday, Wednesday, and Online Programs will be an IN PERSON MANDATORY RE FAMILY EVENT on Sunday, April 27th from 1PM - 3PM. Please mark your calendars as this will be the final RE "class" your child/ren and at least one parent or guardian needs to attend to get credit for this school year. We will begin with a family prayer service in church and then parents and students will be invited into the Education Building to visit their classrooms to obtain their child's progress report and completion certificate. (Specific details to locations of each program classrooms - Sunday, Wednesday, Online - will be sent on the Saturday, the day before the event.)

Bring the whole family (aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents too) to enjoy some delicious Aracely's tamales (pre-order below). Hot Dogs for $2, Snow cones, cotton candy, and popcorn for $1 will be sold down in Joyce Hall from 1:30PM - 3PM. Help us to raise funds for the SFX RE Program!

END OF YEAR RE FUNDRAISER:

PRE ORDER YOUR

TAMALES TODAY

The SFX Religious Education Program is once again partnering up with Aracely’s Bakery and selling their delicious tamales for our end of year fundraiser. We hope for this to be our biggest fundraiser of the year. All proceeds will support our program and students. We are asking all our families and community for support. We will be taking pre-orders for the tamales and will only have a limited quantity available for sale the day of pick up.

4 Tamale Options this year: 

Pork in Red (Rojo) sauce

Chicken in Green (Verde) sauce

Vegetable (Squash & Carrot)

Bean and Cheese

You can order in quantities of a dozen or a half dozen

Order deadline is Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025

Click Here for the link or scan the QR code and it will take you directly to the order form page to order and pay for your tamales.

Pick up for the tamales will be at our End of Year Religious Education Event which will be held in the Education Building on

Sunday, April 27^th, 2025 from 1:30PM – 3PM.

Thank you so much for your continued support!

Registration for our 2025- 2026

  K – 8 Religious

Education Program

      is now open!

We are happy to be able to offer both the in person and virtual option to our families in the 2025-2026 school year.



Please don't delay in registering your children as classes fill up fast!

Families who register by April 23rd will be entered into a raffle for free tuition. The drawing will take place at our last class in person event on April 27th. You must be present at the event to win!

Visit our website for complete information on

registration and tuition and the 2025-2026 calendar.

Click the link: Registration for the 2025-2026 school year are now open.

WE LOVE OUR CATECHISTS AND WANT TO THANK THEM!!

We are officially 3 classes away from the end of the 2024-2025 Religious Education school year. This year we have 68 amazing volunteer catechists that stepped forward to teach the Good News of Jesus in both an in person and virtual format. If you would like to show your appreciation to our catechists, please use this link: 

https://www.givecentral.org/location/218/category/903/event/19103 

to give a monetary donation of your choice. The donations will be presented to our catechists at our End of Year Prayer Service and Celebration on Sunday, April 27th! Thank you in advance for your generosity to our amazing volunteers.

FOSTERING STEWARDSHIP IN OUR CHILDREN

What we are asking of our parents:

During each week

•Encourage your children to think about how they express who they are and how they wish to act as God’s Hands in their home and community.

On the weekend

•Children will place their offertory envelope in the offertory basket as it is passed around church, with their message of time or talent written on the envelope. Remember to bring your envelopes when you come to Mass.

Once a month

•Look for the Children's Stewardship article in the bulletin that includes our children’s offerings from the previous month.

PARISH NEWS AND EVENTS

Attn: All High School Teens!

FINAL CROSS ROADS MEETING FOR THIS SCHOOL YEAR THIS SUNDAY:

Apr 13th after the 5PM Sunday Mass

Please use link to sign up and also for more information: https://bit.ly/SFXCrossroads

Questions? Please reach out to Laura and Greg Ozark at greg.ozark@gmail.com or lauraozark@yahoo.com

Attention NEW Altar Servers 

Entering Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth GRADES

For the 2025-2026 School Year if you are interested in becoming an altar server (and I hope you are). Training is required for all NEW servers only. Please fill out this form by Friday, April 25th. 

There are 3 training dates to attend:

Thursday, May 1st, May 8th, and May 15th 3:30-4:45pm.

2025 VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL REGISTRATION

ALMOST FULL!

Scan or Click on the QR code to Register



VBS registration is going very well. We are pleased to report that the 5th and 6th Grade “Service Crew” is reaching capacity so if your child has interest in participating please sign up soon. There is still room for the 4 year olds to 4th grade, but spots are going fast!

We also encourage any 7th and 8th Graders who would like to volunteer as crew leaders to sign up as well-there is a need for you and you will receive service hours!

We still need adult volunteers for the various activities so if you have not yet signed up for set up or activities during the VBS week please do so. Check the site for volunteer opportunities.

There will be meeting on Wednesday April 23rd at 7 pm at Grace Lutheran for all volunteers or those interested in volunteering. Zoom will be available for those who cannot attend in person.

Any questions please contact Karl Olson at olson.karl@gmail.com or Phil Zadeik at pjzadeik@gmail.com.

HOW TO STAY IN TOUCH WITH WHAT IS

GOING ON AT THE PARISH

Parish Weekly Bulletin

The Parish Bulletin is emailed weekly to all registered families. You can find another copy by clicking here.

Stewardship 

Stewardship is an attitude that leads to the devotion of time, the sharing of our talents, and the giving from our treasures so that we bring the Gospel to life in word and action. If you are not able to come to mass in person, please consider making your weekly donation online through Give Central. You can set it up for an automatic withdrawal by clicking here.

Parish Instagram and Facebook Accounts

The parish has a social media presence and is on Instagram. Like and follow for updates on SFX happenings, upcoming events, and more @sfxlg_parish or follow us on Facebook here.

Thank you for being a part of the SFX Religious Education Family.

Peace and Blessings,

Elis Guidice

Director of Religious Education

St. Francis Xavier Parish