All Saints Day
All Saints Day is on Monday, November 1st! On the feast of All Saints, we honor those men and women who—whether they’ve been canonized or not—have led lives of heroic virtue that set an example for all Christians. Saints tell us what matters most in life is not what we earn or own, not the job we have or the people we know. What really matters is how much we love God, others, and ourselves, and how well we show that love in all we do.
Typically All Saints Day is a holy day of obligation, but this year it is not because it falls on a Monday. However, our church still celebrates this beautiful feast day and will do so by having a mass on Monday, November 1st at 7:00pm. All students and parents who typically attend this 7:00pm faith formation time will instead be attending the mass together. Students who attend faith formation at any other time are encourage to join us in celebrating this feast day at mass.
Ways to celebrate All Saints Day:
- Attend mass as a family
- Celebrate with a special feast at dinner
- Share about your Confirmation Saints with your students! Here's a fun way to do it below:
- You can find paper autumn leaves at craft and discount stores or cut your own. Write each dinner guest's name on one side and on the other side write something about the saint for which each guest is named (first or middle names) or their Confirmation Saint. Ex. For Eve or Eva, you might write, "The mother of all the living." For Stephen you might write, "The first deacon and the first martyr." Put the leaves on each persons plate at the dinner table and during dinner have each person share about their saint!
- Read Revelation 7:14-17 aloud together and reflect on it.
- Learn about All Saints Day together - Faith ND has a wonderful reflection on All Saints Day here.
- Listen to or sing "For All the Saints" as a table prayer.
- Pray this prayer from A Christian's Prayer Book by Franciscan Herald Press:
Father, you are the source of all holiness.
Through the prayers and examples of you saints, lead us to holy lives.
As you have called us to be perfect in love,
so make us perfect in your service.
Lord Jesus Christ, you came to serve, not to be served.
Make us truly humble in your service and in service to our brothers and sisters.
The saints bore your cross willingly throughout their lives; enable us to bear any suffering in this life for your sake.
We thank you, Lord, for those who have chosen poverty or solitude for your sake, for men and women of prayer, for saints in every walk of life, and for all who in purity of life have endured pain with patience in the strength of Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen.
Unit 2: Trinity
Your students are currently learning about the Trinity in this unit (Chapter 4, 5 and 6). These chapters go over the mystery of the Trinity, 3 persons in one God, the roles of the 3 persons, their unity, and our role in the life of the Trinity. Our role being that God wants us to know and share in his love, to bring his goodness and love to others. He desires us to become like him, and so he cares for us and guides us with his wisdom and love. The Father works through the Son, his Holy Spirit, the Church, and the actions of people to help us.
Ideas for continuing formation at home:
- Watch this video about the sign of the cross as a family (2 min)!
- Watch this video from Bishop Barron (15 min) to help continue your own formation on the Trinity. If you have any questions, feel free to let me know!
- Pray with the Sunday Scriptures together or John 14 as a family using Lectio Divina.
- Reflect on this icon of the trinity as a family, even while you are praying with John 14 or Genesis 18:1-15.
- Make the sign of the cross when you wake up in the morning and before you go to bed.
- Bless your kids and yourself before you leave your home for the day.
Ask your student:
- Where did you see God in your day/week?
- When you pray, how do you usually address God? As Father, Son, or Holy Spirit?
- How can I pray for you this week?
8th Grade Confirmation Update!
Reminder: Confirmation is on Wednesday, April 20th at 7:00pm.
Sponsor Night:
Sponsor Night is Wednesday, November 10th at 7:00pm. This meeting will be an opportunity for students to begin their Confirmation journey with their sponsors! We will go over some resources I will give students and sponsors to do together these next few months and will have some time for students and sponsors to begin their first activity together.
Please RSVP for the sponsor night below! Only one person - parent, student, or sponsor - needs to RSVP for everyone attending.
