|
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
. PARISH SCHOOL OF RELIGION |
Parish School of Religion Update 9/15/2024
Dear Saint Pope John XXIII Parish Family,
I want to first thank everyone for their kind reception last weekend. After talking with a variety of people after each Mass, I know that the greatest point of angst was a concern over Church buildings. It cannot be stressed enough that the bishop is determined that both Church buildings, Saint Stephen Church and Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church buildings remain open for the celebration of Sunday and Weekday Masses, as well as other Sacramental celebrations. I believe this determination has brought relief to the vast majority of the Saint Pope John XXIII parish community.
With the concern of Masses and buildings taken care of, now attention needs to turn to the life of the parish, with respect to organizations, programming, social and service activities, finances, etc. This is where some challenges will present themselves. As I stated in my homily last weekend, the merger of a parish is like a marriage, bringing together different ways of doing things and seeking to create one new family. I also stated that there must be give and take. And of course, this will take time. One matter that must be resolved now is that of our religious education program for the parish. After considerable discussion with the bishop and other members of diocesan staff, it has been determined that there must be one unified program going forward. I understand that not everyone will initially welcome change. I hope and pray that everyone will take some time to pray about the foremost goal, which is the forming of our young people in the practices of our faith. I also want to say that when it comes to matters of sports and other extracurricular activities, as well as various custody agreements, we will seek to work to the best of our ability in each case. In some cases, people will have to make a decision about their priorities and where Church, faith formation, and the sacraments fall within those family priorities.
Beginning Sunday, October 6, 2024, the Parish School of Religion (PSR) for Saint Pope John XXIII Parish will begin. The program will meet from 10:10 AM – 11:25 AM in the Mount Carmel Family Center on Erie Street. To accommodate our children and families who choose to worship in the Church building of origin, the Sunday Mass at Mount Carmel will move to 11:30am beginning that Sunday – October 6th. When I speak of give and take, each community that now comprises Saint Pope John XXIII Parish is being asked to make a change. The 20 families that previously met on a weeknight for religious education are being asked to come on Sundays. The 150+ individuals who on average attend the 11am Mass are being asked to come at 11:30am. The 4pm at Mount Carmel and the 9am at Saint Stephen will remain at the current time. A schedule for additional sacramental preparation for Reconciliation, Eucharist and Confirmation is being planned. Please note that the celebration of First Eucharist will take place in which ever of the two Church buildings the family desires. Confirmation will take place at the Cathedral with Bishop Bonnar and Reconciliation will happen at the combined Advent Reconciliation Service. Please note, if you attend an area Catholic School, the Sacraments of Initiation are celebrated in your parish Church, not the Church attached to your school. Participation in the parish sacramental prep sessions at Saint Pope John XXIII is required.
I am asking any and all individuals who have served as catechists or who would be willing to become a catechist – please contact the parish office at 330-652-5825. I am also asking all families with young people in grades K-8 to either use the registration link included in the bulletin or contact the parish office to register your children for the beginning of the catechetical year. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to move the unified parish of Saint Pope John XXIII forward. May we model ourselves after our patron, who Pope Francis has called “the Pope of Openness to the Holy Spirit.”
God bless you all – Very Reverend John-Michael Lavelle, D.Min. Parish Administrator
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PSR (Parish School of Religion)
2024-2025 CALENDAR
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION REGISTRATION
Saint Pope John XXIII Church (Saint Stephen and Our Lady of Mount Carmel campuses) will be combined as one PSR program. Registration for the new catechetical year has begun. This year, as in the past, we will have on-line registration. The link for registration is: bit.ly/2425spjohn23psrreg The link for the medical form is: bit.ly/2425spjohn23psrmed Reminder: that both forms need to be filled out before your child begins PSR. If you are interested in becoming a Catechist, please reach out to Chrissy at the parish office 330-652-5825 or email: [email protected]. If you are new to the parish and have school age children, or you have a child in kindergarten or first grade, who has not yet been in our PSR program, please contact the office to make sure we know you are planning to have your child participate in the program this year. I want to remind everyone again of the basic requirements for participation in PSR. The first requirement for participation in our religious education program is baptism (if your child has not yet been baptized, we will work to have the child baptized in preparation for other sacraments in the future). The second is an active and faithful participation in the celebration of the Sunday liturgy. It was at baptism that our young peoples’ parents promised to raise them in the practices of the faith. The first and primary example of living our faith is participation in the sacrifice of the Mass. As we prepare to begin a new catechetical year, please be aware that the catechists and the PSR program are an extension, not a replacement, for the primary work of the parents and the celebration of the Mass. Let us all work to build up the faith we have been called to in Christ Jesus – for ourselves, and most especially, for our young people. Thank you and God bless you.
Registration Form - bit.ly/2425spjohn23psrreg
Medical Form - bit.ly/2425spjohn23psrmed
To Report Your Child Absent - bit.ly/2425spjohn23psrabs
****************************************************************
PSR Communications
Our email address is [email protected] This will be our main method of communication for PSR and all future emails will come from that address. In the unlikely event that class would be cancelled due to severe weather, an email will go out to the primary email address you provided on the registration form.
PSR (Parish School of Religion) Saint Pope John XXIII PSR is provided for those children of our faith community who are unable to attend a Catholic school for grades Kindergarten – Grade 8.
Our program is held in the Parish Family Center at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel campus, Sunday mornings, 10:10 am -11:25 AM, September-April. Volunteers are always needed. For any questions about the PSR program please contact the Office at (330) 652-5825.
Dear Saint Pope John XXIII Parish Family,
I want to first thank everyone for their kind reception last weekend. After talking with a variety of people after each Mass, I know that the greatest point of angst was a concern over Church buildings. It cannot be stressed enough that the bishop is determined that both Church buildings, Saint Stephen Church and Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church buildings remain open for the celebration of Sunday and Weekday Masses, as well as other Sacramental celebrations. I believe this determination has brought relief to the vast majority of the Saint Pope John XXIII parish community.
With the concern of Masses and buildings taken care of, now attention needs to turn to the life of the parish, with respect to organizations, programming, social and service activities, finances, etc. This is where some challenges will present themselves. As I stated in my homily last weekend, the merger of a parish is like a marriage, bringing together different ways of doing things and seeking to create one new family. I also stated that there must be give and take. And of course, this will take time. One matter that must be resolved now is that of our religious education program for the parish. After considerable discussion with the bishop and other members of diocesan staff, it has been determined that there must be one unified program going forward. I understand that not everyone will initially welcome change. I hope and pray that everyone will take some time to pray about the foremost goal, which is the forming of our young people in the practices of our faith. I also want to say that when it comes to matters of sports and other extracurricular activities, as well as various custody agreements, we will seek to work to the best of our ability in each case. In some cases, people will have to make a decision about their priorities and where Church, faith formation, and the sacraments fall within those family priorities.
Beginning Sunday, October 6, 2024, the Parish School of Religion (PSR) for Saint Pope John XXIII Parish will begin. The program will meet from 10:10 AM – 11:25 AM in the Mount Carmel Family Center on Erie Street. To accommodate our children and families who choose to worship in the Church building of origin, the Sunday Mass at Mount Carmel will move to 11:30am beginning that Sunday – October 6th. When I speak of give and take, each community that now comprises Saint Pope John XXIII Parish is being asked to make a change. The 20 families that previously met on a weeknight for religious education are being asked to come on Sundays. The 150+ individuals who on average attend the 11am Mass are being asked to come at 11:30am. The 4pm at Mount Carmel and the 9am at Saint Stephen will remain at the current time. A schedule for additional sacramental preparation for Reconciliation, Eucharist and Confirmation is being planned. Please note that the celebration of First Eucharist will take place in which ever of the two Church buildings the family desires. Confirmation will take place at the Cathedral with Bishop Bonnar and Reconciliation will happen at the combined Advent Reconciliation Service. Please note, if you attend an area Catholic School, the Sacraments of Initiation are celebrated in your parish Church, not the Church attached to your school. Participation in the parish sacramental prep sessions at Saint Pope John XXIII is required.
I am asking any and all individuals who have served as catechists or who would be willing to become a catechist – please contact the parish office at 330-652-5825. I am also asking all families with young people in grades K-8 to either use the registration link included in the bulletin or contact the parish office to register your children for the beginning of the catechetical year. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to move the unified parish of Saint Pope John XXIII forward. May we model ourselves after our patron, who Pope Francis has called “the Pope of Openness to the Holy Spirit.”
God bless you all – Very Reverend John-Michael Lavelle, D.Min. Parish Administrator
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
***************************************************************
PSR (Parish School of Religion)
2024-2025 CALENDAR
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION REGISTRATION
Saint Pope John XXIII Church (Saint Stephen and Our Lady of Mount Carmel campuses) will be combined as one PSR program. Registration for the new catechetical year has begun. This year, as in the past, we will have on-line registration. The link for registration is: bit.ly/2425spjohn23psrreg The link for the medical form is: bit.ly/2425spjohn23psrmed Reminder: that both forms need to be filled out before your child begins PSR. If you are interested in becoming a Catechist, please reach out to Chrissy at the parish office 330-652-5825 or email: [email protected]. If you are new to the parish and have school age children, or you have a child in kindergarten or first grade, who has not yet been in our PSR program, please contact the office to make sure we know you are planning to have your child participate in the program this year. I want to remind everyone again of the basic requirements for participation in PSR. The first requirement for participation in our religious education program is baptism (if your child has not yet been baptized, we will work to have the child baptized in preparation for other sacraments in the future). The second is an active and faithful participation in the celebration of the Sunday liturgy. It was at baptism that our young peoples’ parents promised to raise them in the practices of the faith. The first and primary example of living our faith is participation in the sacrifice of the Mass. As we prepare to begin a new catechetical year, please be aware that the catechists and the PSR program are an extension, not a replacement, for the primary work of the parents and the celebration of the Mass. Let us all work to build up the faith we have been called to in Christ Jesus – for ourselves, and most especially, for our young people. Thank you and God bless you.
Registration Form - bit.ly/2425spjohn23psrreg
Medical Form - bit.ly/2425spjohn23psrmed
To Report Your Child Absent - bit.ly/2425spjohn23psrabs
****************************************************************
PSR Communications
Our email address is [email protected] This will be our main method of communication for PSR and all future emails will come from that address. In the unlikely event that class would be cancelled due to severe weather, an email will go out to the primary email address you provided on the registration form.
PSR (Parish School of Religion) Saint Pope John XXIII PSR is provided for those children of our faith community who are unable to attend a Catholic school for grades Kindergarten – Grade 8.
Our program is held in the Parish Family Center at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel campus, Sunday mornings, 10:10 am -11:25 AM, September-April. Volunteers are always needed. For any questions about the PSR program please contact the Office at (330) 652-5825.