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Posted in Faith and Formation
 Teens Encounter Christ (TEC) is a celebration of the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ. The celebration takes place in a setting which is informal, safe and comfortable for youth. Activities, discussions, music, sharing, food, fun, fellowship, recreation and worship are all part of the TEC experience, all designed to enhance the faith life of young Christians.  My daughter with her new TEC friends |
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I have written about our ministry work at Mission Outreach in the past. We love going there several times a year to sort through medical supplies/equipment, package it, weigh it, and catalog it. These items are sent to missions throughout the world. I've also written about assigning a leadership project to the kids as a requirement of their homeschooling. Over the last year, my boys have partnered in a two-fold project related to their Mission Outreach ministry. The 13yo attended a parish Ministry Fair and "advertised" his project to collect used prescription medicine bottles. He explained to each inquiree they would be washed and stripped of labels, then sent to missions around the world. via Mission Outreach Every week for 6 months he collected the bottles donated in the church vestibule. The 14yo coordinated the same bottle collection at a couple other churches in town through a liaison in each parish. He then hosted a service project day at our parish hall for assemby line-style washing, stripping of STICKY labels, and drying.  13yo son scraping labels off 15yo son training one of the helpers Cooperation = Success All ages pitched in on this project! Helpers were served milk and cookies. Today, we delivered the "booty" which totaled 70 lbs of clean prescription bottles! |
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Worship from around the world. |
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Thank you for answering God's call to Holy Orders and serving as our parish priest, Father Joe! You are someone our sons look up to as a solid role model. |
25th year anniversary as a priestPosted in Faith and Formation
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"How Parents Can Be a Model of Christ for Children" by Father "Rocky" Fr. Rocky is a nationally known speaker appreciated for his sense of humor and ability to explain the faith in simple and inspiring ways. He met for an hour with the adults, and then an hour with the teen boys and finally the teen girls. Each talk he gave had a different title and perspective, but he wisely incorporated a shared theme in all. In the seminar I attended, he first described the kinds of attitudes we should model and the kind of marriage we should model for our children. Lastly, he described the most important virtues we should model....the same virtues he discussed with them in their sessions. Virtues to Teach: (and some notes) 1. The Virtue of Work "Work is to the soul, what a plow is to the soil." "Laziness is an enemy of the soul" Give children a taste of hard work and model it too. They will learn the habit of good effort and perseverence and reap the rewards of satisfaction of a job well done. 2. The Virtue of Piety Piety is love and affection for God. Use prayer and the sacraments gifted to us for that purpose. 3. Virtue of Purity Responsibilty of the father to set the standard for modest dress; the less revealed, the better. 4. Virtue of Sincerity Be open about one's imperfections; honesty and transparency are key. 5. Virtue of Poverty Use material goods for the glory of God. Never claim anything as "mine".....things are gifts only by the grace of God. Model and teach charitable giving of cash/goods. |
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The Illinois Catholic Homeschool Conference had an excellent Teen Track this year. All three of my teens attended an opening pizza party with ice breakers, fellowship, and all the ice cream sundaes they could eat...a sure way to get a teen's attention! Following the fun, they shared Adoration, Rosary and a spiritual talk given by Father Pablo Straub. Father has spent the last twenty years in rural Mexico, where he helped found two new missionary and contemplative religious orders. In the United States, Mexico and Guatemala, Father Straub directs missions, retreats, and Marian Eucharistic Conferences, and is a frequent presence on Mother Angelica’s EWTN and on Mexican Catholic television. The kids thoroughly enjoyed his talk about the Glorious Mysteries of our Faith and his work in Mexico. A teen Catholic Dance and Theater Troupe entertained us with a highly professional and beautifully choreographed show to close the evening. On Saturday, the teen's keynote speaker was Father Burke Masters on "Discerning God's Call," followed by a workshop titled, "How to Promote a Culture of Life." After more good food and ice cream, the teen boys had the opportunity to meet with Father Frank "Rocky" Hoffman. Ordained as a priest for Opus Dei in 1992 by John Paul II, he holds a doctorate in Canon Law from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross (Rome), a B.A. from Northwestern in History and an M.B.A. from Notre Dame. He talked with the boys about "Being Catholic & American: The Best of Both Worlds." Their closing workshop was "Chivalry: Become Knights in Shining Armor." I can only say, I haven't opened a door since then! My teen daughter enjoyed an interactive adventure with Regina Doman (the author of one of my daughter's favorite books), discovering the relationship between Faith and creativity. They talked about writing faith-based stories, using Christian symbols of "good" and "evil" and the use of "light" and "dark" in conveying a meaningful message through literature. My daughter loves to both read and write, and appreciated this discussion. She also had the opportunity to meet with Fr. "Rocky" and other teen girls to discuss, "Living for God, Living for Others, Living for Christ" following the examples of Our Lady, St. Martha and St. Mary Magdalene. Fr. Rocky's question he posed to the girls: "Why in Genesis, did Satan choose the woman to tempt?" After much discussion, he explained, "If Satan can bring the woman down, he can bring the whole family down with her." She was very impressed with this insight. She also wrote in her notebook, "I can choose my actions, but not the consequences." Mom's quiet response, "Amen!" Catholic Homeschool Conference: Part I |
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Notes from a great seminar..... "Teaching the Truth to Our Children" by Monsignor Dan Deutsch 1. Teach children to be intimate with Christ, without inhibition through frequent prayer and reception of the sacraments. 2. Teach children to encounter Christ regularly: Adoration, Reconciliation, Mass/Eucharist. "To encounter Christ is to be changed." 3. Teach children to see the world through eyes of faith. 4. Teach children conversion: The Intellect apprehends good The Will perceives good and true 5. Teach children to develop habits and virtues through many small acts of conversion. 6. Teach children to share the gift of Christ with others; to be "spiritual warriors" in the world; "to align themselves with Christ in all matters." 7. Teach children to praise God in all things. "God does not need our praise, but when we praise Him, He redounds it back to us as the gift of intimate Truth." Avoid all forms of RELATIVISM....in all things, seek His Face, the "Face of Truth"
And what were the teens doing? More at...... |
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Donnie McClurkin is awesome! I've been waiting for this particular video to go on You Tube....this video is a favorite to sing along with at our bible study. Now I can play it whenever I want! |
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Please join me in the Chaplet of Divne Mercy beginning Good Friday. Our family will be participating in the Divine Mercy Novena (nine consecutive days).
Be back next week. |
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