Faith Formation Family News for May 22, 2013

CONTENTS:

* “Little Ones” Cartoons

1. Memorial Day Mass at our Parish Cemetery (Monday - May 27) 2. Last Chance to Have Your Family Photo Taken for the new St. Gabriel’s Photo Directory

(Today & Tomorrow) 3. Archdiocesan Youth Day (For all students going into Grades 9 – 12) 4. Prayer of the Week – Prayer for Our Government 5. An Article for Parents from At Home with Our Faith

Once More, With Feeling! 6. Rediscover Faith: I don’t need to attend Sunday Mass when I am traveling or on vacation, right? 7. News from The Catholic Spirit Including a movie review of Star Trek Into Darkness 8. Do You Want to Express Your Faith More Actively? 9. God is Giving Us Opportunities: A One-Minute Meditation 10. Happenings in the Parish

Parents Night Out – The 3rd Friday of Each Month

Feast of the Body and Blood or Christ – June 2 Procession

CATHOLICISM DVD Series: Available for Borrowing 11. The Priest at the Horse Track (Humor)

At the end of this email: 12. Two for Memorial Day

Q & A about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Veterans of Santa Barbara

A good one as we approach the end of school . . . . and for the holiday weekend.

1. MEMORIAL DAY MASS AT OUR PARISH CEMETERY

Next Monday, May 27. 9:00am

AT ST. MARGARET’S CEMETERY. Our parish cemetery is named St. Margaret’s because it was originally part of St. Margaret’s Church, the very first Catholic Church in the Hopkins area. St. Margaret’s Church was built in 1880 by some of the earliest settlers in the Hopkins area, and stayed open until 1921, when it merged with St. Mary’s Church in Hopkins to form the then new Church of St. Joseph. St. Margaret’s Cemetery now belongs to St. Gabriel’s Parish.

Directions Go south on Shady Oak Road, left on Bren Road, then the first right (directly behind the Scoreboard Restaurant). Mass is at 9am – just inside the main entrance! Come join us in prayer for our ancestors in faith.

2. LAST CHANCE TO HAVE YOUR FAMILY PHOTO TAKEN

FOR THE ST. GABRIEL THE ARCHANGEL PARISH PHOTO DIRECTORY Today & Tomorrow - This Wednesday and Thursday only. Photos will be taken at the St. Joseph’s campus only next Wednesday and Thursday, May 22 & 23.

It’s easy to sign up! ONLINE: Go to http://www.stgabrielhopkins.org/#/lifetouch-photo-directory to sign up for our photo sessions.

Or Call the PARISH OFFICE during business hours, to sign up by phone 952-935-5536.

FREE for signing up for the photo directory. A complimentary copy of the new Parish Directory. A FREE 8x10 print of the Church Family Portrait of your choosing.

We’d love to have ALL our families represented!

3. ARCHDIOCESAN YOUTH DAY!

o For All Students Going Into Grades 9 – 12.

Last year the Youth Day was completely filled a couple of months in advance. Registrations by May 29 are guaranteed. After that there will likely be a waiting list. Please sign up now! Hey – it’s FREE!

Join Archbishop John C.

Nienstedt in a special event just

for high school age Catholic youth (9th – 12th Grade in Fall)!

THEME: “We too believe and therefore speak.” 2 Cor. 4:13 Archdiocesan Youth Day 2013 will bring together teens from around the archdiocese for a day of

faith formation and fun! Kick off the 2013 school year by joining together with other youth in the

spirit of faith. Come celebrate the truth and joy of our Catholic faith so that you can speak of Christ’s

love!

Date and Time: September 21, 2013

2:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. (registration opens @ 1:00)

Location: Holy Family Catholic High School

8101 Kochia Lane . Victoria, MN 55386

Full day with Archbishop Nienstedt

Emcee – Dave Rinaldi

Keynote – Sean Forrest (International Catholic speaker, performing artist, author and retreat

leader)

Mass

Opportunities for Reconciliation and Eucharistic Adoration

Music by Sonar…and more!

P.S. There is no charge for this special event!

Are you ready to join? Gather your friends! Registration is by group only, so talk to Chuck Romportl or Fr.

Liekhus to sign up. Space fills up quickly, so sign up soon.

We are also looking for adult chaperones to go with our group.

Thanks! Chuck Romportl, St. Gabriel’s Faith Formation Director.

4. PRAYER OF THE WEEK.

Prayer for Our Government

God of power and might, wisdom and justice,

through whom authority is rightly administered, laws are enacted, and judgment is decreed. Assist with your spirit of counsel and fortitude the President and other government leaders of these United States. May they always seek the ways of righteousness, justice and mercy. Grant that they may be enabled by your powerful protection to lead our country with honesty and integrity. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

5. ARTICLES FOR PARENTS from

Once More, With Feeling! Dealing with: What parents can learn when their children celebrate a sacrament.

Renewing one’s faith through their children’s faith formation.

At their infant son Michael’s baptism, Tom and Sally stood at the altar with their son’s godparents and their 3-year-old daughter, Katie. As part of the baptismal rite, the priest invited all of them, including Katie, to mark Michael’s forehead with the sign of the cross. “For me, that moment was a brush with the divine,” Sally remembers. “Katie’s loving touch, her simple

symbolic gesture, so clearly united the two of them in the world with God in heaven. The idea of her loving him, and the two of them showing God’s care and tenderness to each other through the many phases of life they would share, was so palpable and so clearly an act of God. It was as forceful as lightning for me. That day will always be an example of what a sacrament can and should be. It’s one of the greatest gifts of my life.” Our children’s sacraments can be moments of God’s grace for parents as surely as they are moments of grace for children. For parents who didn’t pay too much attention the first time around, children’s sacraments also offer a second chance to learn, listen, and be open to the movement of God. Carol, a director of Faith Formation for her parish and mother of four, sees many parents who reconnect with their own faith as their children are preparing for a particular sacrament. “Sacramental preparation for children can be a re-awakening for parents,” Carol says. “Especially when the materials used for preparation are to be done as a family, the parents are able to appreciate the sacraments more deeply. It gives them an opportunity to really reflect on what they believe.” Some parents say they weren’t ready to hear about sacramental grace when they were preparing for the sacraments themselves, but now, with more life experience, they see value where before they saw tedium. “In the 30 years between my own first reconciliation and my son’s first reconciliation, I didn’t go to reconciliation at all,” says Jeff, father of two. “I felt like, why should I confess my sins to a priest? I can say I’m sorry to God directly. But as I’ve seen how sin breaks relationships and tears apart families, I understand that there is something powerful about naming my sin out loud. Reconciliation changes me in a way that a private prayer cannot. I didn’t understand that when I was younger.” …continued next week —by Annemarie Scobey, from the pages of At Home with Our Faith, Claretian Publications’ print newsletter for parents on nurturing spirituality in the home. Winner of the 2012 Best in Class award from the Associated Church Press, as well as a First Place General Excellence award from the Catholic Press Association for the past three years running.

6. REDISCOVER FAITH

Want to learn more about your faith? Check out http://rediscover-faith.org/ for their large collection of answers to

questions of importance to all of us.

Here’s a sample of a short 1-page answer to the question:

I don’t need to attend Sunday Mass when I am traveling or on vacation, right?

http://rediscover.archspm.org/belonging/topic.php?id=7175

7. NEWS FROM THE CATHOLIC

SPIRIT (Our Archdiocesan Newspaper)

The May 17 edition (including a movie review of STAR TREK INTO

DARKNESS:

http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=qpa4ffcab&v=001xmZOF4pc7pOxoM3jZZ8IpP0wyF2

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PngtY4A7QnkL0RaxQDse2F0FOGRlkxRqqSf_lSLddC22npA0Z1wZAtDN10lagSz98Ucy_Z

8. DO YOU WANT TO EXPRESS YOUR

FAITH MORE ACTIVELY?

Calling Forth of Catechists

Do you want to express your faith life more actively in our Parish

Community by sharing faith with our young people? Or do you know

someone whose gifts suggest that they would excel at being a

catechist? Please prayerfully consider these questions and please

talk to Chuck Romportl, our Faith Formation Director, about this.

As always, everyone’s prayers for our catechetical ministry are

greatly appreciated.

9. GOD IS GIVING US

OPPORTUNITIES: A One-Minute

Meditation

Seize the opportunity by the beard, for it is bald behind.

--Bulgarian proverb

Through laziness or inattention, we often miss opportunities to grow. Maybe we don't play our hunches or listen to our intuition. Maybe we see an opportunity but fail to act because we're not sure it's what we ought to do. An opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream has appeared, but we don't trust our good fortune. A chance has come to use our talent to help someone, but we don't know how the person will handle it, so we do nothing. And we rationalize. We decide it's a frivolous impulse, a whim that's not worth our attention. We decide it couldn't be our Inner Guide. God seldom takes us by the scruff of the neck and pulls us to our next destination. God provides the opportunities; it's up to us to seize them. God talks to us; it's up to us to listen. Today I'll be on the lookout or God's opportunities.

You are reading an adaptation from the Hazelden book:

In God’s Care by Karen Casey

10. HAPPENINGS IN THE PARISH

PARENTS NIGHT OUT – The 3rd Friday of Each Month

Hello everyone! I organize PARENTS NIGHT OUT on the 3

rd Friday of each month. The next one will

be on Friday, June 21st. It’s 3 hours of FREE childcare, from 6 to 9pm, and we meet at the St.

theblackmanfamily@rocketmail.com John’s Campus in Leo’s Den. You can sign up via email

or call 952 393 9884. Preregistering helps to be sure there are enough volunteers for the kids.

Also, please let me know if you are interested in volunteering for any Parents Night Out as more volunteers are needed. Thanks Joan Blackman

SAVE THE DATE: June 2, 2013

FEAST OF THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST This year the PROCESSION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT will take place after the 10:30am

Mass at the St. John’s Campus.

CATHOLICISM DVD SERIES – AVAILABLE FOR

BORROWINGWe have an extra copy of the five DVD’s of the CATHOLICISM Series which any St.

Gabriel Parishioner can borrow from the parish office at no charge. Watch the episodes

as a family! A good program to watch on a rainy night.

11. A CATHOLIC PRIEST AT THE

HORSE TRACK (Humor)

An Oldie, but Not Too Baddie

One day while he was at the track playing the ponies and all but losing his shirt,

Mitch noticed a priest who stepped out onto the track and blessed the forehead

of one of the horses lining up for the 4th race.

Lo and behold, that horse - a very long shot - won the race!

Before the next race, as the horses began lining up, Mitch watched with interest

the old priest step onto the track. Sure enough, as the 5th race horses came to

the starting gate the priest made a blessing on the forehead of one of the horses.

Mitch made a beeline for a betting window and placed a small bet on the horse.

Again, even though it was another long shot, the horse the priest had blessed won

the race.

Mitch collected his winnings, and anxiously waited to see which horse the priest

would bless for the 6th race. The priest again blessed a horse.

Mitch bet big on it, and it won. Mitch was elated. As the races continued the

priest kept blessing long shot horses, and each one ended up coming in first.

By and by, Mitch was pulling in some serious money. By the last race, he knew his

wildest dreams were going to come true. He made a quick dash to the ATM,

withdrew all his savings, and awaited the priest's blessing that would tell him

which horse to bet on.

True to his pattern, the priest stepped onto the track for the last race and

blessed the forehead of an old nag that was the longest shot of the day. Mitch

also observed the priest blessing the eyes, ears, and hooves of the old nag. Mitch

knew he had a winner and bet every cent he owned on the old nag.

He then watched dumbfounded as the old nag come in dead last. Mitch, in a state

of shock, made his way down to the track area where the priest was.

Confronting the old priest he demanded, 'Father! What happened? All day long

you blessed horses and they all won. Then in the last race, the horse you blessed

lost by a Kentucky mile. Now, thanks to you I've lost every cent of my savings -

all of it!'

The priest nodded wisely and with sympathy. 'My Son,' he said, ‘I’m guessing

you’re not a Catholic – otherwise you would have been able to tell the difference

between a

simple blessing and the last rites.'

12. TWO FOR MEMORIAL DAY These two items can be found back in the original email.