December Newsletter

Religious Education Newsletter

December 2022

Message from the Director

Jessie Adrians, Director of Religious Education

The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord….When the angels went away from them to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.”So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger.When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child. All who heard it were amazed by what had been told to them by the shepherds.

Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them.

Lk 2: 10-11, 15-20

Like most children, my six year old son Andrew loves candy. When asked what his favorite candy is he will say two things: The first is that he likes suckers and the second is that he likes anything that is mint. So, as you can imagine, Christmas time is particularly exciting for him because when you combine a sucker with mint flavoring you get the holiday staple: the candy cane. Needless to say, St. Nick always makes sure to include at least one candy cane in Andrew’s stocking.

As most parents know, the closer Christmas becomes, the more excited children become and the fictional “Night before Christmas” becomes a reality as visions of sugar plums (or candy canes) visibly dance in our children’s heads. Unfortunately, I am past the age of visions of sugar plums and I often get caught up in the holiday stress of trying to get everything done by Christmas while working full time, running Andrew to various appointments, doing the never ending cycle of laundry, grocery shopping, and the countless other tasks that comprise “adulting.” And while I am very good at giving others advice to focus on the true meaning of Christmas, the sad reality is that when faced with a calendar that tells me it is December 18th and I have no presents wrapped, my Christmas cards are not done, and I have yet to finalize the Christmas Eve menu for the dinner we are hosting at our house for our extended family, my own wise advice flies right out the window and I am left feeling stressed and grumpy.

It was with all this on my heart and mind that Andrew and I pulled into the church parking lot on the 4th Sunday of Advent to greet parishioners at the Saturday evening Mass As Andrew and I“suited up” with our warmest gloves and winter coats my mind kept drifting to my to do list as I tried to calculate exactly how late was too late to send out my cards.

It so happened that on this particular evening our family friend Rick came to Mass bearing gifts. Each year Rick generously gives a gift to Andrew, and since there is a chance we will not attend the same Christmas Mass, Rick brought the gift with him to church for Andrew to open. As Andrew and Rick sat together to open Andrew’s gift, I continued greeting parishioners as they entered. Suddenly Andrew was by my side full of excitement. “Mama, look!” he exclaimed, holding up what was quite possibly the biggest candy cane I have ever seen. (As you can tell Rick knows my son very well.)

I began with “Wow, that’s amazing” followed immediately with, “Give that to Mama, we can’t have candy in church.” However, my words fell on deaf ears as Andrew proceeded to run through the gathering space and into the vesting sacristy to show anyone and everyone his candy cane. Everyone included Fr. Tom, the ushers, and the sacristan. (I think it is important to note, Andrew did not attempt to open it as he know the “no food in church” rule.) During this time, I tried, and failed to calm him down, and I could feel myself getting flustered, embarrassed, and self-conscious until I looked around me and realized that everyone else Andrew was showing his candy cane to had a big smile on their face as they shared in his unbridled joy. I was the only one who seemed concerned about his wild enthusiasm. Eventually, the candy cane was returned to my office and we proceeded to go into Mass.

Later that evening, as I was reflecting on the events of the day during my prayer time, I thought back upon the “candy cane incident.” I had been so caught up in all the things I hadn't done that I failed to see what was in front of me: the generous love of a friend and the wild, thankful joy of my child. Andrew’s sheer joy in sharing the great gift of the “biggest candy cane ever!” had brought a smile to every single face. Why? Joy is attractive. When you live your life joyfully, people want to be around you and they want to discover the source of your joy.

As I pondered further, I realized that God was reminding me that as Christians we are called to share the greatest gift that has ever been given. This gift was given to us freely and generously by our heavenly father. That gift came in the form of a baby in a manger, who by his life, death, and resurrection saved us from our sins. Death no longer has a hold on us because of Him. Like the shepherds on that first Christmas night, we are called to share the good news of great joy.” In the light of that joy, all the other things I was so wrapped up in, faded away. As long as I keep my heart centered on that joy, everything else will fall into place.

In his apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel) Pope Francis teaches, ”The joy of the Gospel is such that it cannot be taken away from us by anyone or anything . . The joy of the Gospel is for all people. May each of us seek to renew and deepen our relationship with God.” Each of us is called to the joyful task falling more in love with God every day,and sharing that love and joy with others.

Christmas is a time when many of us gather with family and friends, and is the perfect time to share the joy of the Good News with others. Like the shepherds we need not be theologians to share our faith. Our joy will speak for us! Here are three simple ways you can share the joy of the Gospel with family and friends this Christmas:

Say a prayer at your Christmas meal or gathering: Saying a simple prayer thanking God for his goodness is a wonderful way to share faith with your family. You could also consider asking each person to share something they are thankful for. Click here to view Christmas meal blessings.

Invite a friend or family member to attend Mass with you: At Mass we raise our voices in song in praise of God and the church is filled with joy! Click here for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Mass times at St Raphael.

Listen: For many people the holidays can be difficult, especially if they have recently lost a loved one or have negative memories of family holidays, and knowing that someone cares makes all the difference in the world. Calling someone who is having a hard time just to check in, or inviting them to a holiday gathering is a way of sharing God’s mercy and love with others.

However you and your family joyfully celebrate Christmas this year, please know Josh, Andrew and I are praying for you. Please pray for us!

Jessie Adrians

Director of Religious Education

Family Outreach

Kathy Baehman, Youth Ministry Assistant & Family Outreach Coordinator

CHRIST * HOPE * JOY * PEACE * LOVE

I hope that you are all having a safe and blessed Advent season! Remember to take some time for yourself to relax and take in all of the blessings that the Lord has given you. Don’t forget to spend some time with the Lord and thank Him for those blessings!

I was recently scrolling through facebook and saw an article that a friend had posted, I immediately knew that I wanted to share it with the families of St. Raphael’s!

Bring Them to Church!

Bring them to church. Saturate their lives with the Word of God.

Even if they lay on the floor. Even if they need 437 goldfish and a sucker to be quiet.

Even if you stand in the back swaying back and forth holding them. Even when it’s hard.

Even when your pew looks like a small hurricane just came through.

Bring them to church. Let them see you worship. Let them see you pray.

Let them see you running toward the Savior…because if they don’t see and learn these things from you, who are they going to learn from?

The world will teach them it’s not a priority. The world will teach them it’s ok to lay out, not to pick up their bibles. The world will direct them so far off course, confuse them, and misinform them that just being “good” is enough.

The world won’t teach them about Jesus. That’s our job.

We love your kids and look forward to seeing you and your family at Mass!

Merry Christmas and may God bless you and your families with happiness and good health always!!

Kathy Baehman

Family Outreach Coordinator

Youth Ministry Assistant

kathy.baehman@raphael.org

Sunday School

Gwendolyn Larsen, Sunday School Coordinator

Happy Holidays Families!

It's almost Christmas! We have been doing some wonderful things in Sunday School to help those in need. We made our very own Christmas cards for the Day by Day service project. The kids put on their helping spirit and together in class we made 125 candy bags to add to the Breakfast bags in addition to our Christmas cards!

We are working on the letters O and P this weekend in our religious ABC book! The kids are really enjoying getting to color these projects knowing that they will be something to take home and keep for the rest of their lives! The kids have been amusing different types of coloring utensils to add variety!

As we continue to get closer to Christmas, we are talking about Mary and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem. We will be talking about how there was no room in any inn for them and how they needed to stay in a manger.

Next Sunday school we will be having a birthday celebration for Jesus filled with fun!

How are you and your family preparing for Jesus's birth? I encourage you to talk as a family about the true meaning of Christmas and maybe come up with ways your entire family could remember Christ on Christmas morning!

Have a wonderful rest of the year,

Gwendolyn Larsen

(gwendolyn.larsen@raphael.org)

Sunday School Coordinator PK/K

Elementary School

Jenifer Jensen, Elementary School Coordinator

The Christ child is upon us!

This season is such a beautiful time in our church year. May your family find joy and peace in the coming days. This Gaelic lullaby attached-Christ Child's Lullaby- and lyrics that follow are to remind us of how special Baby Jesus is to our faith, he was born into this world like us, fully human. How precious He is! Continue to keep Christ the center of your family and truly let that babe be one you adore.

Christ Child Lullaby (Gaelic Lullaby)

My love, my treasured one are you,

My sweet and lovely son are you.

You are my love, my darling new,

Unworthy I, of you.

Chorus:

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.

Your mild and gentle eyes proclaim

The loving heart with which you came.

A tender, helpless tiny babe

With boundless gifts of grace.

King of Kings, Most Holy One,

God the son, eternal one.

You are my God and helpless son

High ruler of mankind.

Traditional Gaelic Christmas Lullaby

Middle & High School Youth Ministry

Michael Wilms, Youth Ministry & MS/HS RE

Praise the Lord!...Now and forever!!

Tis the season! I was blessed recently with being able to watch my niece’s first ever Christmas concert. Wow, did that take me back to all the concerts I had been part of throughout my school years. As I watched the concert I spotted my niece right away in her beautiful pink dress and her big smile. It was a joy to see her excitement along with her classmates and to be able to share in what they have been preparing for all year thus far. During the concert I noticed various students looking around and behind them, some super focused on the director and some wonderfully in their own world. When it came to adding dance moves, let’s just say there were a few chuckles. All of this excitement and commotion got me thinking about Christmas and where my focus was during the Advent season. It’s easy to get caught up in all the distractions around, “have I gotten this person a gift yet?” “Do I have enough vacation days to take a break or can I afford to be away?” “Are all the things on my checklist done?” “I haven’t heard from this person or I’m still hurting from when this one thing happened,” etc. The list goes on and on. If I focus too much on those items, I miss the cues of the Director guiding me along the path. Just like those little kids, I can start to go off rhythm and might even throw a few others off as well. By not keeping my eyes forward on the Director, or fixed on Jesus in my life, I might miss the very thing I have been preparing for all season long. Ironically, the Lord has different ways of getting us to slow down.

The Christmas season is not about how much we can do or accomplish, it’s about presence (not presents). Are we present to those in front of us, to our families, friends, neighbors and those in need? Are we present to the Lord throughout the day, or is He simply something that pops into our lives when we need something or it’s convenient? This is something that I know I need to work on in my life, and the Lord wants to help me in that quest. My top receiving Love Language is Quality Time. To help ensure that I am able to receive that Love from God this Christmas, I need to set aside time to be with Him in an intentional way. I am blessed to be able to go on a 5 day silent retreat to be solely focused on the Divine Director and I cannot wait! This is not for everyone, so what is it that each of us can do to stay present and focused on God in our lives? If that’s starting with 5 minutes a day, perfect! Already doing that, then add one more intentional thing. The Lord does not ask us to be successful, but faithful. Be patient with yourself and don’t underestimate what a little R+R with the Newborn King Jesus can do for you!

Upcoming Events and Retreats:

Feb 10-11: High School Lock-in. High schoolers are invited for our overnight social at Church, come for games, fellowship and fun!

Feb 17-19: (CYE) in Door County: Come experience God through the beautiful nature of Door County. Retreats for high schoolers and adults available: https://www.cyexpeditions.org/teens

Sat, Mar 18: Wisconsin Catholic Youth Rally. Arise Milwaukee is back! Open to both Middle and High School students!! https://www.arisemke.org/wcyr

April 21-23: 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/

Blessed Carlo Acutis…Pray for us!

Michael Wilms (michael.wilms@raphael.org)

Youth Minister/Faith Formation

Grades 6-12

inFORMED Highlights

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.

O Holy Night, The King is Born: What Christmas Is About

Formed video

Celebrate the wonder and joy of Christmas with Brother Francis in this heartwarming presentation of the birth of God's Son! Witness the moving submission of Mary, Joseph, and others as they make way for our Savior.