Religious Education Office March/April, 2015 Newsletter As we rapidly approach the end of the RE year, we also find ourselves close to the holiest part of our Liturgical Year. Holy Week begins March 29 with Palm Sunday. We commemorate our three holiest days with Triduum – Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. During the Mass of the Lord’s Last Supper on Holy Thursday we celebrate the institution of the priesthood and Jesus giving us the gift of himself in the Eucharist. Good Friday commemorates the day of Jesus’ passion and death, and Easter Sunday brings us the glory of His resurrection – salvation for all! Holy Week is my favorite time of the Church year because as Christians, I feel that Triduum pulls us to the deepest roots of who we are, of why we do what we do as Catholic Christians. Things to ponder: How have we kept Lent? How have we prepared our hearts to celebrate these holy days? How will we keep these holy days with our family? There is still time to begin to make changes in how we choose to live our faith. There is still time to find ways to fast, pray, and give alms, to serve those who are most in need of our help and prayers. Here is the schedule of late Lent and Holy Week services at our parish, so that you can make your plans to join us whenever possible: Lenten Confessions: Saturdays @ 4:30 pm Wednesday, April 1, from 6:00pm – 7:00 pm Parish/Deanery Lenten Penance Service: Sunday, March 22@ 7:00 pm, St. Joseph Parish, Middletown Holy Week Services Palm Sunday, March 29 - Masses on Saturday @ 5:30 pm, Sunday @ 8:30 & 10:30 am Holy Thursday, April 2 – Mass of the Lord’s Supper and Procession @ 7:00pm, Visits to Repository until 11:00 pm Good Friday, April 3 – Stations of the Cross @ Noon, Celebration of the Lord’s Passion @ 5:30 pm Holy Saturday, April 4 – Blessing of Food @ Noon, Easter Vigil Mass @ 8:00 pm Easter Sunday, April 5 – Masses at 8:30, 10:30 am & 12:15 pm Other Important Dates THERE WILL BE NO RELIGIOUS ED CLASSES ON SUNDAY, MARCH 29 OR TUESDAY, MARCH 31. This is a change to this year’s RE class schedule. 15, 17, 22, 24 22 25 28 29,31 March Diocesan RE Assessment will be administered for grades 2 through 8 RE Registration Week for the 2015/16 school year. Forms & deposit returned by April 15, please. VBS Volunteer Meeting@6:30 pm in small conference room Diocesan Youth Pilgrimage, 10 am – 6pm ; First Eucharist Foschi Photo day, 8:30 am in church Palm Sunday – Holy Week begins – no RE classes this week 2,3 5 12, 14 22 26 29 April Holy Thursday, Good Friday – see above schedule for times of church services Easter Sunday – see above for Mass times CLOSING RE CLASSES for this year! All RE students are expected to attend. First Eucharist rehearsal @ 6pm for April 26 celebration First Eucharist Day! Mass is at 12:30pm First Eucharist Rehearsal @ 6pm for May 3 celebration 3 First Eucharist Day! Mass is at 12:30 pm May Save the Date: Vacation Bible School is schedule for August 3 – 7! Watch the parish bulletin and website for registration information! Diocesan Youth Pilgrimage – Saturday, March 28 Please keep the young people of our diocese in prayer this day as they pray and journey their way with Bishop Malooly through the city of Wilmington. Well over 800 young representatives of our Catholic faith alive and well in our diocese – it’s a beautiful witness! Many of SMOS Boy Scouts, Confirmation Candidates, and others will join the journey this year. Religious Education Assessments – We made it through! A HUGE thank you to our RE families for your cooperation and help as we navigated through this event for the first time! It is my hope to have all assessments corrected and returned to all RE families during the last week of classes, when Progress Reports are sent home. We also would like to thank our RE catechists who worked so hard to help the children not only prepare for the assessments, but to help them do it in ways that kept the stress level of the students to a minimum. Most of all, thanks to the RE students for working so hard - you guys are awesome! Religious Ed Class Registrations for the 2015 – 16 School Year Present RE families will receive registration packets on March 22 & 24. Please read these packets carefully, as there will be changes to both the form and the RE program for next year. These registration forms, along with deposit, are due back to the Religious Ed office before the end of April. If you need extra forms for a new RE student in your family, please contact Mrs. Romano ASAP. Our program is growing, classes are large, and class sizes will be limited for next year. I am asking that you please get your forms right back in so that you have first choice of class day. RE Registration will be announced to the parish April 19, so I hope to hear from all of our returning families by August 15. VBS at SMOS Vacation Bible School is scheduled for the week of August 3 – 7, for those entering Kindergarten through entering Grade 5. We are looking for volunteers to help plan and to execute our program for this year. We are looking for high school age volunteers as well as the many adults we need to bring this to the children of our parish. A volunteer information meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 25, at 6:30 pm in the Parish Center. Contact Madeline Romano for info. Thank You! Finally, I’d like to say thank you to all of the members of our RE family for your warm words of welcome, as well as your patience as I spend my first year as a member of the St. Margaret of Scotland family. I know that it’s been a bit rough, starting a good month into the start of the RE year, but I could not ask for more openness to trying a few things differently, your participation in the RE family survey as I try to be sure that we are doing our best to see to your needs, and for your patience as I get used to the differences in how things are done between one parish to the next. Your parish family has been warm and inviting, and I am settling in much faster and easier than I ever expected. That has all been due to your welcoming me to the family. I see it as a wonderful sign that as we get to know each other better we will all be able to work well to provide the children of our parish with not only good, solid Religious Education programs, but also other programs that will serve to help all of our parish children and their families grow strong in faith as they grow into fully and actively participating members of our parish family. I wish you all a meaningful end of Lent and Holy Week, and a glorious Easter, when our “Alleluia!” truly comes from the heart. Enjoy the summer break, but don’t forget to stop and say hello when you come for Mass on the weekends, and most – importantly, keep a close eye on the mail, as well as the parish bulletin and website, for new and exciting information about the upcoming RE year and new programs! Easter Blessings, Madeline Romano