Week 1 | March 18, 2020
Faith Formation from Home
What's happening at St. Thomas Aquinas?
Even though Masses and classes have been cancelled until further notice, there are still many ways that we can grow and share our faith during this difficult time. We are blessed to be a part of a vibrant and supportive faith community that is here to support one another in times like this. If you haven't already, please add our Facebook page "St. Thomas Aquinas, Bridgewater, Massachusetts" so that you can connect with other parishioners and listen to the beautiful daily video reflections Fr. Bill and Fr. Giombetti will be posting.

As always, if there is anything that we as a parish can do for you, do not hesitate to ask!

May God bless you and keep you safe!
"So I'll give thanks to God when I don't have enough,
'cause He's more than enough and He knows what I need..."
For so many of us, music is that healing balm that brings calm to our minds and peace to our souls. The band Housefires has the beautiful skill of weaving the words of God into song in a way that is prayerful and relaxing. Each of their songs is on average 8 minutes in length with repetitive Refrains so that you have the time you need to reflect on what God is speaking to your heart throughout the song.

"I'll Give Thanks" is a great song to play in the morning as you are getting ready for your day. Click on the link and sing along!
Bible Basics
Did you know that the Bible Catholics use is different than what Protestants use?

The Catholic Bible includes a total of 73 books- 46 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. However, Protestants exclude 7 books of the Old Testament making their Bible only 66 books total. Click the link below to learn more about this question!
Bible Story of the Week
Genesis 1

In the first story of the Bible, we read how God created the whole world in 6 days and rested on the 7th day. Wow! What an AMAZING story! However, you might be asking yourself... "How is this possible?!"

First, let us remember that the Book of Genesis is not a scientific account. The 2 creation accounts (Genesis 1 & Genesis 2) are not meant to be read for scientific truth but for religious truth. The name "Genesis" means "the beginning". The author is reflecting on how everything came to be and how the complexity and order & purpose in nature tell us something amazing about the power, creativity, and generosity of God!

Read Genesis 1 together with your family. Discuss the following questions based on the message Genesis 1 teaches.
Reflection Questions:
  1. What did God create on each Day?
  2. How do we see the author of Genesis revealing that God created everything with order & purpose?
  3. At the end of each day, what did God say about what He made? (HINT: "It was...")
  4. After God makes human beings, what does he say about them? (HINT: "It was _____ good!")
  5. Share: What are some things that make human beings special? Share something that makes you special! Likewise, go around and share 1 thing that is special about each person in your family.
  6. Discuss: What are some things in nature that AMAZE you?! Think about the way nature works and the complexity of nature. Consider how complex the human body is or even the water cycle. (This is a good opportunity to discuss how science helps us to appreciate the complexity and wonder of what God has created!)
  7. Activity Idea: Go on a nature walk!
Saints and Sacraments
"How do people become 'Saints'?"
Have you ever wondered, "How do people become saints?". In the link below, you will learn about how the Catholic Church discerns the process of sainthood and carries out a thorough investigation of the person's life over the course of many years.
Saint Patrick
Feast Day: March 17th

Patron Saint of... Ireland & Boston

Saint Patrick is most famously known for bringing the Catholic faith to Ireland. He is also credited for the analogy of comparing the Trinity to a shamrock- 3 leafs (like 3 persons) all separate but a part of the same plant.

What most people don't know about him is that he was kidnapped by pirates and sold as a slave in Ireland!

Activity Idea: Have a green themed party! Cook traditional Irish food together and turn on some Irish music!

Click the links provided to learn more about St. Patrick!
Saint Joseph
Feast Day: March 19th & May 1st

Patron Saint of... of the Universal Church, unborn children, fathers, workers, travelers, immigrants, and a happy death

Saint Joseph, the husband of Mary, is often looked up to as a model of what it means to be a holy man of God and a loving husband.

One quirky Catholic tradition is that sometimes people will bury a statue of St. Joseph upside down and facing their house if they want it to sell faster!

Activity Idea: Celebrate the father figures and young men in your life! Write them a letter to tell them how you see Jesus in them.
"How do we know that Jesus
is truly present in the Eucharist?"
"A new Pew Research Center survey finds that most self-described Catholics don’t believe this core teaching. In fact, nearly seven-in-ten Catholics (69%) say they personally believe that during Catholic Mass, the bread and wine used in Communion “are symbols of the body and blood of Jesus Christ.” Just one-third of U.S. Catholics (31%) say they believe that “during Catholic Mass, the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus.”

With these results, it is no wonder that so many Catholics struggle to live out their faith! As parents, this can be a difficult concept to explain to our young children and teens. How do we prove to them that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist when the Bread & Wine still look and taste the same? How do we explain this miracle when we also struggle with it ourselves?

In this section, links will be provided to articles and videos that will help you to engage your children in a conversation about the importance of Mass and the Eucharist.
Venerable Carlo Acutis &
Eucharistic Miracles
Often when we think of saints, we think of priests, nuns, and older people who have lived their life in total service to God. We very rarely hear about young people who totally surrendered their lives to Jesus!

Carlo Acutis was born and raised in Italy. He led a very normal life and liked the things other teens enjoyed. As a teen, he was diagnosed with cancer. Using his knowledge of computers, Carlo created an online database cataloguing over 150+ Eucharistic Miracles to help others realize Jesus' true presence in the Eucharist. Although he died in 2006 at the young age of 15, at his funeral hundreds of poor people and people who were secretly helped by Carlo came to show their respect. This young man reminds us that it doesn't matter how old we are, all people are called to be saints!

Carlo is now at the 2nd stage of "Sainthood". He has the title "Venerable".

Explore the links to the left to learn more!
TV Show & Movie Recommendations
Kids

For kids who grew up in the 1990s and early 2000s, you might recognize this classic Christian favorite! VeggieTales is a humorous and age-appropriate cartoon for kids from ages 3 to ~8 years old. The shows tell the Bible stories and other tales of virtue by using vegetable characters. Each show is filled with catchy songs that will help your child learn the stories in a fun and animated way. You might even be surprised that you and your older children will enjoy it as well!

VeggieTales can be found on YouTube, Amazon Prime, and can be ordered as a DVD.

Below are a few links to some of the films for FREE on YouTube.

Middle School

This 1956 classic starring Charlton Heston & Yul Brynner brings to life the story of Moses and the Israelites journey out of slavery in Egypt. While most versions of the story of Moses tend to cut out a lot of parts of the story, this film is a fairly thorough retelling of the Book of Exodus.

Since this film is long (3 hours and 40 minutes), you could easily break it up over a 2-3 day period.

This film is one that can be watched by your entire family, although it may be too long to hold the attention of little children.
Teens

The Bible Series is a 10 episode miniseries that covers some of most important stories of the Bible starting with the Old Testament story of Noah and ending with the New Testament stories of how the apostles spread the word of God after Jesus ascended into heaven.

This dynamic TV show will help your teens better understand the roots of their faith as they learn about the holy men and women who God chose to help carry out His plan of salvation.

The Bible Series can be found on Amazon or can be purchased as a DVD set.

NOTE: The director takes some creative liberty in choosing a very diverse cast that does not always accurately represent the ethnicity of the Israelite people. The devil is represented by a pale, cloaked figure. Furthermore, there are some scenes of violence and fighting, particularly in the Old Testament stories.