Religious Education Newsletter
September 2022
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Message from the Director
Jessie Adrians, Director of Religious Education
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The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
Ps 145:18
Since we brought our son Andrew home from the hospital six years ago his bedtime routine has always consisted of three things: prayers, stories and songs. When he was an infant, I prayed and he listened. We he turned 2, we started saying prayers like the “Our Father” and “Hail Mary” together and we integrated time to “talk to Jesus.” We have discussed many times that Jesus is our friend and wants us to tell him everything (good and bad) that is on our mind and in our hearts.
And although Andrew is all pro at saying the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be (The Glory Be is his favorite because it is the shortest.) the “talk to Jesus from our hearts” is a continual work in progress. Andrew’s nightly prayers mostly sound the same and often seem to be said more for my benefit rather than God's. I try to walk the thin line between affirming his efforts to pray and challenging him to be more reflective in what he is saying and to always keep in mind WHO he is addressing. (It is the creator of the universe that he is speaking to therefore prayer is worth more than 30 seconds of our time each night.) Some nights I feel more successful than others and I have to admit that there are many nights when I wonder if anything I have said to him in our conversations about prayer has any impact at all
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Andrew entered first grade this year at a new school and that means he has gotten opportunities to meet new friends and classmates. When asked what he thinks of school, he mainly tells me about hot lunch or the newest game he has played at recess. School is very rarely mentioned in his prayers, either positively or negatively, and until a few nights ago, I had never heard him pray for another person outside of family.
As we were settling down to pray, Andrew began by thanking God for a fun day and then added “And please help Lily when she walks, Jesus. Ok. Amen.” After we had finished prayers, I wanted to know more, so I asked about who Lily was and why she needed help walking. “Lily is a girl at school. She has to walk with braces. Her back is all bent and she can’t stand up straight. I think that must be hard, so I want Jesus to help her.” After asking a few more questions, I figured out that “Lily” (not her actual name) had cerebral palsy. This led to a discussion about how she would probably need her crutches to walk for a long time, but there are ways that we can be kind and make sure she is included when other kids play or talk together at lunch.
Later that evening as I was reflecting on the conversation, I thought about how I had never asked Andrew to pray for those who are vulnerable or in need. He had been hearing me pray for different people for different reasons since the day Josh and I brought him home from the hospital. Prayer, like so many other things, is caught not taught. He learned more from witnessing my own prayer than all the different books I had read him over the years about prayer. (And when your mom is the DRE, you have to know that I have read MANY books about prayer.)
During the online registration process, we surveyed parents on how they would most like to grow in faith as a family and prayer was the winner, by a large margin. In response to the survey, the focus of this year’s parent meetings, parent child classes and Families of Faith break out sessions, will be how to continue to grow in prayer as a family. (Click here to be taken to the weekly class calendar to see the dates/times of weekly class parent meetings and parent/child sessions for 2022/2023.)
You will note that the first weekly class parent session isn’t until October 11th/12th, but there is no time like the present to begin growing as a family in prayer. Here are three resources you can utilize as you grow in the love of Jesus through prayer as a family:
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For the Whole Family: Loyola Press offers a wide variety of prayer experiences to try both individually and as a family.
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For “Littles”: The Five Finger Prayer is a concrete way to help children begin building a friendship with Jesus.
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For Teens: The Prayer Process is a simple, but powerful way to prayerfully reflect on the day.
Know that Josh, Andrew and I are praying for you. Please pray for us!
Jessie Adrians
Director of Religious Education
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Family Outreach
Kathy Baehman, Youth Ministry Assistant & Family Outreach Coordinator
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I hope you are all enjoying these last days of warm weather. Fall is right around the corner and we have a lot of great events & faith opportunities planned for all of our St. Raphael families!
Saint Story Hour: St. Raphael
Thursday, September 29, 4-5pm Children in grades 4K-5th are invited to come and celebrate the feast day of St. Raphael with a story, craft project, and special take home treat.
St. Raphael Parish Feast Day: Celebrating 50 Years as a Faith Community We will celebrate our parish "origin story" on September 29th. The celebrations will start with 5pm Mass, then a chili dinner at 6pm followed by Musical entertainment.
Mom’s Group, 2nd & 4th Mondays, 9:30-10:30am
The goal of the Mom’s group is to encourage one another in the faith. Children are welcome and will be able to play in the nursery as the mothers talk.
Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults-Adapted for Children
If you have a child between the ages of 7 and 15 who is not yet baptized or had First Communion, we have a program for them -RCIC (RCIA adapted for children). If you are interested please contact me at [email protected] or 233-8044 X246.
Gracious and loving God,
Thank you for the seasons we can count on,
find routine in, and that will never cease while the
earth remains. As we enter into Autumn,
when the cooler winds drift in and the days grow shorter,
draw us closer to you. Let us feel your warm and loving presence.
We praise you for being a God who loves us and takes care of us.
We are grateful you are with us in all circumstances and seasons.
As we enter into a new season let us remember to pray for each other! Know of my continued prayers for you and your families!
Kathy Baehman
Family Outreach Coordinator
Youth Ministry Assistant
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Sunday School
Gwendolyn Larsen, Sunday School Coordinator
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Hello, Sunday School Families!
Our first Sunday school class went really well! We learned about prayer and had a conversation about why we pray, how we pray, when we pray, and where we pray. We learned our class prayer and how to do the sign of the cross. We also did lots of get to know you questions such as what is your favorite color, do you have siblings, our favorite animal, and what is your favorite ice cream flavor!
We will be creating a religious ABC book during this school year, which will be sent home with the students on the last day of Sunday School as a keepsake. Each child is decorating their own pages!
We will be talking about how God created everything during our next Sunday School class. There might even be some prizes for a class game of Creation Bingo!
If its been a while since you've taken a peek at the creation story, I encourage you to grab your Bible and maybe find the awe in God's love for us through it!
A reminder to please complete, with your child, and have your child bring with them, the All About Me worksheet to share with the rest of the class on September 25th!
Have a wonderful rest of September,
Gwendolyn Larsen
Sunday School Coordinator PK/K
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Elementary School
Jenifer Jensen, Elementary School Coordinator
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Catechetical Sunday takes place the 3rd weekend of September each year reflecting and sending forth a special blessing to all those who carry on our beautiful faith. Each year at St Raphael’s we honor catechists at every Mass with a blessing of recognition and creating some kind of visual appreciation for parishioners to gaze upon for those who have answered this special calling. Truly our faith formation programs are blessed by these many people coming to the table of the Lord and sharing His presence as a community of believers to those searching, longing and ultimately the hope of finding a relationship with Jesus!
The heartfelt gratitude for those who give so generously of their time and efforts in sharing Jesus is praiseworthy indeed, but they need these blessings and our prayers to persevere and stay strong in faith, especially in the classrooms and at home. Please continue to hold all those teaching and instructing our faith in prayer as we know our world is hurting. Know it is also searching and longing to be united with something greater. The greater is The Body of Christ, we as the community of believers. We can be part of that healing and uniting of the world. We are all being called to catechize (stating that we are to instruct (someone) in the principles of our Catholic faith).The fruit of this labor is bringing others into a relationship with Jesus, gathering all to be blessed by coming to the table of the Lord. It is in that fellowship where He is in the midst, offering healing, comfort and the unconditional love of God our Father.
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Middle & High School Youth Ministry
Michael Wilms, Youth Ministry & MS/HS RE
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Praise the Lord!...Now and forever!!
Welcome back to another exciting year! It is such a joy to have all of the energy, laughter and smiling faces present again in the halls of Saint Raphael. I have missed interacting with all of the students over the summer time. There is a great absence here when the day consists of mostly office work instead of engaging with the Love of Jesus through His children. It is important to have both, but I prefer the path of Mary (Luke 10: 38-42), aka quality time.
We are ready to roll with year one now under the belt. I am grateful for all the catechists, helpers, staff and families for each role played in forming our youth and assisting me here. This could not be done without your help and the help of so many others. Thank you for all the things you have done to help raise up your family in the faith. Thank you for sharing the light, the hope and the peace that God brings. Thank you for all of the unseen things you have done for His glory. This is not the easiest task to undertake; at times it might even be a challenge and take great effort to continue, but it is so worth it! God desires so much for us and He cannot wait to overflow our cups with His immense Love. The first step: be present. Come before Him daily, spend time with Him at home and at Church, and spend time with others. The more we open ourselves up and expand our hearts, the more room there is for Love. The next step: support. We live in a world that tells us we can do it all, and that we should be able to do it all. That is a lot of expectation! It’s ok to not have it all together, it’s good to ask for help and it’s great to support others. On the surface most people appear to have it all together, but underneath it might be another story. Let us build each other up, be our authentic selves, share the good things that we see around us and let God in! If anyone can help us in our battles, in our wounds, it’s our Loving Creator.
Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to all of the many graces in store for us this year! We ask that you continue to keep us in your prayers, share with us how God is working in your life and also how we can pray for/support your family. We are all in this together, and for that, I am truly grateful. If you would like to get more involved or learn ways how you can grow as an individual or family don’t hesitate to reach out or stop by :)
Upcoming Events and Retreats:
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Friday Oct 14: HS service day- Sign up with Michael Wilms for our service day at Father Carr’s Place 2B, from 11-2pm
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Oct 28–30: TEC Retreat. Join us and other youth from the Diocese as we go on this awesome retreat that uses witness, small groups, food and prayer to help us grow in our faith. https://anchorofhopetec.org/events/
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Sat, Nov 5th: HS service day- join us for our 2nd service day at Fr Carr’s, from 10-1pm, sign up with Michael Wilms
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Sat, Nov 12: GBYC Conference. Come to this day-long Conference in Green Bay featuring Jonathan "Bearded" Blevins for a day full of impact and encounter. https://www.gbresources.org/gbyc.html
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Sat, Mar 18: Wisconsin Catholic Youth Rally. Arise Milwaukee is back! Open to both Middle and High School students!! https://www.arisemke.org/wcyr
Blessed Carlo Acutis…Pray for us!
Youth Minister/Faith Formation
Grades 6-12
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Some content in this section may be from FORMED, a Catholic content digital platform that provides 24/7 access to video-based study programs, feature films, audio presentations, and eBooks. St. Raphael has a parish-wide subscription, so sign up for your FREE account by visiting formed.org/signup and searching for St. Raphael the Archangel in Oshkosh, WI.
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Formed video
Practice makes perfect! This is a true saying whether one is playing basketball, drawing a picture, reading, or even praying! Brother Francis will help your children establish a personal relationship with God!
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Ascension Press video
Fr. Mike lays down the reasons we should pray and gives a few spot-on examples of how real life reflects the nature of prayer. Through prayer, God invites us into his will, and gives us the dignity to participate in it, which strengthens our relationship with him.
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Formed Video Series
Sign up at FORMED Daily to receive these daily reflections directly to your inbox.
Start your day off right. Be inspired and renewed each morning with a short video from Dr. Tim Gray.
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Check the youth page on the St. Raphael website for calendar updates.
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Religious Education
920 233 8044
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