December 2009
We have entered the month of Advent which is, of course, a time of waiting. We wait all year for the joyous Christmas season and for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. We wait for the wonderful times together with family and friends. We wait each year to enjoy the delicious food, and see the excited faces of children on Christmas morning. We wait and enjoy all of the sights and sounds of this special holiday.
All junior high students have prepared an Advent Calendar in order to help with their waiting for the birth of Jesus Christ and prepare for his coming. Hopefully you have been the recipient of their good works and the kindnesses that appear on their calendars as daily activities.
The seventh grade just finished a chapter on Jesus’ use of parables to teach us moral and spiritual lessons. Next up, is discussion of the Sacraments of Service, marriage and Holy Orders.
The eighth grade has begun Confirmation preparation. Each student received a packet of information containing prayers and other fundamental teachings of our faith that we will be studying. We began our preparation with several lessons concerning our Baptism. We researched this topic using the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Next we will also use the Catechism as a guide for researching the Sacrament of Confirmation.
On January 22, 2010, the 8th grade will be attending a prayer service at the Cathedral of St. Paul to pray for the lives of the yet to be born. This prayer service is lead each year by the Archbishop and is also attended by many parishioners from St. Joseph’s.
I sincerely hope your Christmas is filled with many blessings and much joy! See you next year.
Debi Vinetas