SHARE THE GOOD NEWS November Issue 2015 A Message From Annette Klanac Important Director of Religious Education Dates: 440-234-6830 x 247 [email protected]

23 November— 7:45pm Greetings to all PSR Families, FAMILY Thanks-giving Prayer Service in We began the month of November celebrating All Saints and the All Souls Day. On the feast of All Saints, we honor those men 29 November—Advent Begins and women who – whether they’ve been canonized or not- 7 December—7:15pm have led lives of heroic virtue that set an example for all Reconciliation for grades 3-8 in Christians. We celebrate all the saints together- the ones we the Church. Time permitting, know and the ones we don’t. These are people who help us parents may participate in the believe that love is the most important thing in the world. sacrament Their lives tell us that what matters most in life is not what 8 December– Feast of the Im- we earn or own, not the job we have or the people we know. maculate Conception Mass 7:00 What really matters is how much we love God, others, and pm ourselves, and how well we show that love in all we do. We 14 December—7:00pm are all called to be saints. FAMILY Advent Prayer Service On All Souls Day we remember all those who have died. We in the Church and Advent Party pray that they will be united with Christ in Heaven! We cele- brated with a beautiful Mass in honor of our loved ones who have passed away. Candles were lit by families and placed on the altar. We continue to pray this month for all the souls in purgatory.. LOOKING AHEAD... Our theme this year is GIVE OF YOUR HANDS TO SERVE AND YOUR HEARTS TO LOVE! Take time each day to notice the Christmas & New Year’s ways your children are sharing Christ’s message by serving Mass Schedule others. Read to them about the lives of the saints. Attend 29 November Advent begins Mass weekly. As you prepare for Advent and the Christmas 24 December: Season, find ways to help others in your family, parish, and - 4:00pm community. And as Father Barry says, “Practice your Catho- - 6:00pm lic Christian faith. It is right and good that you are here.” - 12:00am Midnight Mass 25 December: God Bless, - 9:00am Annette Klanac - 11:00am 31 December: Reminder: Please send back your child’s report in - 4:30 the yellow envelope after you have reviewed and 1 : signed it. In keeping environmentally friendly efforts, - 9:00am we like to reuse the progress report and envelope. - 11:00am Thank you !!

“Give of your hands to serve and your hearts to love!” Blessed Mother Theresa of Calcutta

STEP-by-STEP Student Stewardship© Copyright ® 2002 Susan K. Reuter. All Rights Reserved

The children in the PSR program at St Adalbert will be completing service projects this year to coincide with our theme Give of your Hands to Serve. Each grade has a theme and the teachers will be working with the students to complete a project for the year. The themes are listed below by grade. Please participate in your child’s project to the best of your ability.

Grade 1- NEEDY- First grade will partner with seventh grade to make bag lunches for the West Side Catholic Center on January 25th.

Grade 2- HUNGRY- 2nd grade will assist in the food drive we are holding this month. They are also invited to help deliver the food on Monday, November 23rd at 5:00 pm. In- formation was sent home with the 2nd graders.

Grade 3- ELDERLY- In April, third grade will make door decorations for the South- ern Hills Nursing Home.

Grade 4- SICK/VETERANS- 4th grade is making cards for veterans to receive at the holi- days.

Grade 5-DISABLED- Project to be announced.

Grade 6-CHILDREN IN NEED- Collecting donations in December for children to give to Frontline Services in Cleveland, Ohio.

Grade 7-HOMELESS/REFUGEES- A speaker from Catholic Charities Refugee and Mi- gration Services spoke with the class on November 16th. They will be collecting household items for the refugees in Cleveland. Seventh grade will also help the First grade make bag lunches for West Side Catholic Center on January 25th.

Grade 8- LITERACY/EDUCATION- A book drive will be held in March to benefit Met- ro Hospital Reach Out and Read Program. They will also be reading stories to the First Grade PSR class. Class Room News much more.They all stars!! Byis. sage so,doingthey are retaining so week.Afterward, wediscuss what themes- toact outthe gospelteachings eachof GRADE4 knowledge ofthe Prayers is advancing! also wonderful to tional pate with such enthusiasm about God and Creation. somuching fun as they've learned GRADE 1 The 4th grade PSR class loves loves class PSR grade 4th The other nooks and crannies. and another cool tour ofthe church's Commandments), an airplane toss, movie night and popcorn (The Ten planned, such asThe Game Show, scenes". tour and got to go "behind the ready had a very interesting church pletely made onup the spot. teer to say a class prayer that com- is GRADE 5 spontaneous prayer; students volun- for candy! Bibleand thenplay B.T. each class we read fromchildren's a weekly Venture lessons. y mon good.mon as of and sharing service for the com- theied and explored the ide- viewed Commandmentsthe Ten stud-, Testament parables. Recently we re- explanations about some of the New Fair designing by posters writingand studentsyear our participated aFaith in sincerity of these intentions. Early in the have been impressed bythe scope and class prayer by offering intentions. We GRADE7

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IMPORTANT REMINDERS:  Monday, December 7th grades 3-8 will have the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Reconcilia- tion. Please help your child prepare for this by practicing the Act of Contrition and using the exam- ination of conscience found on the parish website under Sacraments-First Reconciliation.  With the flu season upon us, it is extremely important to call the DRE Office if your child will not be in class. We can then make adjustments to classes if necessary. (440-234-6830 ext. 247). A class that is missed without parent notification (phone call, e-mail or written notice) will be marked as unexcused and will not be excused until the work is made up.  When your child misses class, a Weekly grades (4-8) or pages from the text book (grades 1- 3) will be sent home for you to review together. Please complete any assignments and have your child return those assignments to the teacher at the next class. Assignments not returned within 2 weeks may result in an unexcused absence. If your child needs more time to finish work, please let Mrs. Klanac or the teacher know. More than 4 unexcused classes may result in additional work over the Summer.  To prepare your child for class on Monday, please attend Mass on Saturday evening or Sunday morning. Every will have the same readings, so if you cannot go to St Adalbert, your child will still be prepared!

Holy Days of Obligation.

Holy days are important feast days in the life of the Catholic community on which, in addition to Sun- days, Catholics (who are above the age of reason and who are not sick) are obligated to participate in Mass according to the precepts of the Church. They celebrate an important mystery of the Catholic faith.

December 8th– Feast of the Immaculate Conception This feast celebrates the solemn belief in the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In 1854, Pope Pius IX officially declared the Immaculate Conception as dogma of the Church. "We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful." It is universally celebrated on December 8, nine months before the feast of the Nativity of Mary, which is celebrated on September 8. It is one of the most important Marian feasts celebrated in the liturgical calendar of the Roman Catholic Church.

December 25 - Christmas, the Nativity of Our Lord This feast, one of the two major feasts of the , celebrates the birth of Jesus. We celebrate the Incarnation, when God became flesh and entered the world. We have a God who loves us and saves us!

January 1 - Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God This feast, closely connected to the feast of Christmas and celebrated on the octave of Christmas, is the most important and oldest of the major feasts of Mary. Mary's Divine Maternity became a universal feast in 1931. Liturgical reform initiated by Vatican II placed it on in 1969. Prior to this, the feast celebrated on January 1 was the of Jesus. Mary is indeed the mother of God and our mother is well. As we begin a new year, it is fitting that we honor and venerate Mary as an essential part of the Catholic Church and of our own lives.