NOTES FROM P.R.E.P. MARCH 20, 2013

Next week, March 27, is Wednesday of Holy Week. There are no PREP classes and no PREP NOTES next week. We hope that you and your family will be able to attend some of the beautiful liturgies from Holy Thursday through Easter Sunday.

CALLING ALL KINDERGARTNERS Do you have a child who will be attending Kindergarten next year? Do you know someone who does? We would like to have a Kindergarten class again next year but we need to have enough students. Once we have our classes set up and our catechists assigned to a class, it is too late to change things around. If you have a Kindergartener, please get your registration form in before April 24. If you know someone who doesn’t already have children at PREP but has a child of Kindergarten age, please let them know about our registration deadline. Don’t wait until it’s too late! SACRAMENTAL UPDATE

CONFIRMATION The Confirmation Sponsor Eligibility form is due on April 3. The Confirmation service project is due on April 17.

Help is needed with Easter Food Baskets this coming weekend, March 22 and 23.

FIRST COMMUNION UPCOMING DATES April 17 – WEDNESDAY – 6:30 – 7:45PM-First Communion rehearsal – PLEASE NOTE - THIS WAS INCORRECTLY STATED ON THE PREP CALENDAR – THE DATE IS A WEDNESDAY NOT A THURSDAY. April 20 – Saturday – 11:00 AM –First Holy Communion April 30 – Tuesday – 7:00 PM – First Communicants take part in the closing procession for 40 Hours. May 1 – First Communicants take part in the May Crowning May 5 – Sunday – 11:00 AM Mass – First Communicants take part in the Parish May Crowning

OUR LADY OF LUJAN The election of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio as Francis has naturally inspired interest in the devotions unique to his home country of Argentina. This is especially true of Our Lady of Lujan, the Patron of Argentina. Her shrine was elevated to a Basilica in the 20th century and the colors of her clothing inspired the Argentinian flag. She is also the patron of an order of religious sisters, the Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matara (SSVM), nuns recognizable by their grey and bright blue habits. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia is privileged to have the Sisters among us as they serve the parishioners of San Roque (Saint Rocco), Avondale. Following is the history of the statue that became Our Lady of Lujan, as listed at their website.

Our Lady of Lujan: Patron of Argentina

History The history of the shrine begins in 1630, with a farmer who emigrated to Argentina from Portugal. Coming from a place where the Faith flourished, he was saddened by the lack of religious influence in his adopted district, and in particular in his village of Sumampa. He decided to help the situation by building a chapel on his land. He decided to write to a friend in Brazil, he asked the friend to send him a small statue of Our Lady for his chapel. The friend, unsure of how the farmer wanted Our Lady to be depicted, sent two statues—one of the Madonna with Child, the other a representation of the Immaculate Conception. Having first been transported by sea, the images were then placed on a cart for the journey inland. Because of hostile natives in the region, a number of carts and pack horses banded together in a caravan. When darkness overtook the travelers after leaving Buenos Aires, they camped at the isolated ranch of Don Rosendo de Oramus. Early the next morning, the wagons and animals were readied for the rest of their journey. One by one the carts began to move, all except the one that carried the images of Our Lady. Progress was stalled when the driver was unable to coax the animals forward. The other drivers in the caravan came to help—but all the efforts were unsuccessful. Finally, it was decided that the animals might somehow be influenced supernaturally. And so it seemed, since the animals willingly moved when the statue of the Immaculate Conception was removed from the cart. The statue of the Madonna and Child continued its journey and arrived safely in Sumampa, where it is still venerated under the of Our Lady of Consolation. As for the statue of the Immaculate Conception that was taken off the cart, it was solemnly carried to the ranch and enthroned in a room of its own. This room soon became a popular shrine and remained so for the next 40 years. Additional chapels, including the private one of Dona Ana de Mattos, became the temporary shrines for Our Lady of Luján over time. As other miracles were attributed to her intercession, the pilgrims began to come to pray in ever greater numbers. In 1677 her image was kept in a church built in her honor, until a larger one replaced it in 1763. Work on a large Basilica reached its completion in 1904 when the image of Our Lady of Luján was solemnly transferred there. Every October large crowds of youth walk the 40 miles from Buenos Aires to Luján in an overnight pilgrimage of great Marian devotion. During the period of independence in the late 18th and early 19th century, the flag of the free Argentina was designed by Sargent Major Carlos Belgrano to reflect the "blue and white of the Immaculata of Luján." She has always been invoked as the patroness of all the regions of La Plata: Paraguay, Uraguay and Argentina.

FIRST PENANCE CELEBRATION Our Level 2 students enjoyed a celebration last Wednesday following their First Penance.

The sheep cupcakes were a big hit! Thanks, Mrs. Santella!

FIRST COMMUNION RETREAT This past Saturday the children who will be receiving First Holy Communion took part in their retreat.

The children made banners which will be displayed in church on their First Communion day.

Mrs. Heffelfinger helped them to make St. Theresa’s sacrifice beads.

Father Eckert gave a very informative tour of the church.

Mrs. Gnida helped the students to press hosts that will be consecrated on their First Communion day. Banners, agape, beads, tour of church, and host pressing – A very busy day for our third graders!

FOOD PANTRY

The winners of the food pantry award last week were:

MRS. DUPREE’S AND MR. RETALLICK’S LEVEL 7 AND A FRIEND! CONGRATULATIONS!!

IN APRIL WE WILL BE COLLECTING: SPAGHETTI SAUCE AND PASTA PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY

REGISTRATION AND TUITION

PREP registration forms and tuition are due by APRIL 24, 2013. Please get your work done and get these in so we can get our work done and arrange our classes for next year! Thank you!

INAUGURATION OF Since today is the Inaugural Mass for Pope Francis, here are a few facts regarding our new pope:

The Coat of Arms of Pope Francis The Papal Coat of Arms is used in an official capacity much like the of the United States Presidency. However, the Papal Coat of Arms is also used to display symbols that are meaningful to each individual Pope. Here is a brief explanation of the symbols chosen by Pope Francis:

 The background for each Pope remains the same: the Papal sits at the top. Behind the shield, two keys are crossed, which represents the keys of the Kingdom that Jesus gave to St. Peter (Matt. 16: 18-19). Below the shield is the white given to each Pope at his Inaugural Mass.  Since Pope Francis is a Jesuit, the symbol of the Jesuits adorns the center of the blue shield. The “IHS” is a Christogram, which means it is an abbreviation for the Holy Name of Jesus, and it is shown inside a yellow sun shape.  The star on the lower left, as well as the blue background, symbolizes the Virgin Mary.  The bunch of grapes on the lower right symbolizes Christ as the grower of the faith.

The Motto of Pope Francis Every coat of arms contains a motto in . Since becoming a bishop, Pope Francis took as his motto “Miserando Atque Eligendo.” He will retain this motto for his Papacy. The Latin words translate into “Lowly and yet chosen.” These words refer to Jesus calling Matthew to become a disciple. Matthew was a tax collector, a position despised among the Jews at that time. Despite this lowly beginning, Jesus chose Matthew to follow Him and proclaim the Gospel.

The Mass of Inauguration On March 19, 2013, Pope Francis will celebrate a public Mass of Inauguration. Pope Francis became the Pope at the moment in which he accepted the election by his brother cardinals. However, this special Mass will allow Pope Francis to publicly mark the beginning of his ministry. He will also receive two symbols connected to St. Peter—the pallium and the Ring of the Fisherman.

The Pallium - The pallium is a white woolen stole meant to symbolize that a bishop is the shepherd of his flock. Every bishop receives a pallium, and the Pope is the new Bishop of . It will be placed on his shoulders by Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, the cardinal who announced “Habemus Papam!”.

The Ring of the Fisherman -This ring symbolizes the Pope’s role as a “fisher of men” (Mark 1:17), and also symbolizes St. Peter since he was a fisherman. It will be placed on Pope Francis’ hand by the dean of the , Cardinal Angelo Sodano. The ring is ceremonially destroyed at the end of a Pope’s ministry.