Family faith formation started the new liturgical year out with a bang! We began with a lesson on the liturgical calendar. Each week in Family Faith Formation, we set the tone for whatever we are learning by finding how it fits into the liturgical year. Our new book series, Discover is Bible based, so we also start each week with the current Cycle A readings from the Gospel of Matthew. Then, we proceed with age appropriate lessons for the children. Each week during Advent, we lit the wreath and learned more about each person involved in the unfolding story of the birth of Jesus. We learned about the angel Gabriel, Mary and Joseph‘s willing involvement in the birth of Jesus, and Jesus’ cousin John the Baptist and how he prepared the way of the Lord. On the Epiphany of the Lord we made crowns and learned about the three kings. We learned the significance of the gifts they gave to Jesus. The children also received gifts for the Epiphany that they could use in their lives. They each got items of creativity, communication and education. The children also received a family gift to take home any experience with their families for good quality family time. Now that holidays have passed, we will begin an intense focus on learning from our workbooks.
Our annual Eucharistic Adoration will take place this weekend starting Saturday, November 9th at 9:00AM and will end Sunday, November 10th at 10:45AM just prior to the 11:00AM mass. During Eucharistic Adoration, we "watch and wait", we remain "silent" in His Presence and open ourselves to His Graces which flow from the Eucharist. In its fullest essence ... Eucharistic Adoration is "God and Man reaching out for each other, at the same time!" The church will remain open during this time, please come and spend some time in quiet prayer.
There will be a Patriotic Rosary November 11th at 6:30. If you've never attended a Patriotic Rosary you're in for a treat. It dedicates one Hail Mary in the traditional Catholic Rosary to each state of the United States and asks God’s protection of and guidance for the nation. There will be fellowship and light refreshments at McAuley Hall following the service.
A couple weeks after the tornado of May 28th, Archbishop Schnurr stopped by Queen of Martyrs to survey the damage. Earlier in the day he stopped at Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley to hear story after story of victims of the event. (click on the title for more information)
On Sunday, November 3, Family Faith Formation took a break from our normal studies and explored the seasonal Holy Days of All Saints, All Souls and the Mexican tradition of Day of the Dead. Day of the Dead (Dia De Los Muertos) is a holiday where families create ofrendas (Offerings) to honor their departed family members that have passed away. Our children brought in pictures of their deceased loved ones and told their stories. We sampled Mexican baked goods, and created a cute pair of “sugar skulls” made from pom-poms. We will continue the topic of All Saint and All Souls this week, November 10, by taking an in depth look at the Holy Days through Church teaching. We will also talk about vocations, as Vocation Week is November 3-9. All are welcome to drop in any Sunday. We meet at 9:30 prior to Mass at McAuley Hall, stop by and see what we have to offer.