APRIL 21ST Faith Formation Newsletter

ST. FRANCIS BORGIA PARISH

Week of Dear Parents, Every year, Catholics across the Archdiocese of April 25th St. Louis unite through the Annual Catholic Appeal. The Appeal supports the life and mission April 25th of the Church throughout the Archdiocese of St. 4th Sunday of Easter Louis, serving those in need. You can learn more

about the ACA at April 28th https://www.archstl.org/aca St. Louis Marie de We are asking the children in our faith formation Montfort classes to make their own gift to the Appeal so Faith Formation Classes that they, too, can be a part of the Church’s

mission. Please encourage your child or children April 29th to make a donation from their own resources, St. Catherine of Siena however small that donation might be. Our main

goal is not to raise money, but instead to raise their awareness of the Church outside of our A Reminder parish boundaries and how blessed they are to be a part of that Church. We are proud that our children participate in the Please remember when youth appeal and have done so for several years. coming to class to bring Please have your child send in their gift by with you Wednesday, May 12th. A completed health Thank you for all that you do for our parish and screening for the witness of faith you give to your children. Your bag of handouts Sincerely and supplies Rev. Michael Boehm Pastor Your Bible.

Save the Date

We invite everyone to join us for our closing night of class, May 12th in the church at 6:30 for an end of year prayer service. Ice Cream Social to follow 8th Grade Earth Day Good Stuff Celebration Scripture Happening on Crosses Wednesday Nights

https://media.ascensionpress.com/video/ what-makes-joseph-the-ideal-man/

As a Church we have dedicated this year to St. Joseph. Bobby Angel shares a little insight into this quiet man. I invite you to take a moment to watch this video. I love the way he offers a different perspective of St. Joseph than that we historically have seen in art.

How about you? How do you picture St. Joseph? Feast of St. Louis Marie de Montfort April 28th

Here is story of St. Louis Marie de Montfort that you and your child may enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yg6nFPPC25U

Feast of St. Catherine of Siena April 29th

St. Catherine was a special girl who always had a special connection to our Lord.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZSblkcm-ME

This past week we celebrated Earth Day. Currently, our diocese is preparing to kick off the Annual Catholic Appeal Campaign. These are events that help us to pause and think about the gifts we have been given from God and how can we turn them into blessings for those in the world. The lyrics to the song Give Me Your Eyes is a song that you may find touches your heart with this message.

Give me Your eyes for just one second Give me Your eyes so I can see Everything that I keep missin' Give Your love for humanity Give me Your arms for the broken- hearted The ones that are far beyond my reach Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten Give me Your eyes so I can see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5AkNqLuVgY The

Imagine a world where each day and in every time zone, people would pause briefly at Noon and raise their hearts and minds to God recalling the moment when the Angel Gabriel told the Virgin Mary, she was to be the mother of

.

While the history of the Angelus is not easy Like other daily Catholic devotions, the to trace, it is generally thought to have Angelus can sanctify our day. The prayer, been established some 700 years ago with which takes only a few minutes, is a short the monastic custom of reciting three Hail summary of the greatest event in human Mary’s during the evening bell. Since the history that changed the world forever! sixteenth century, three sentences were added to each of the ’ to It also helps us to recall the Blessed Virgin’s formulate the Angelus prayer along the “Fiat” in becoming the Mother of God when lines of what we know today. “the word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” In doing so, it helps us to not only thank For centuries, this ancient Marian devotion, Mary for her perfect obedience to God’s will in memory of the Incarnation, had been but also to imitate her “yes” in our own lives traditionally recited by Catholics across the regarding God’s will and plans for us. globe three times a day at 6 am, Noon and 6 pm. Amid a world that tries hard to have us In some parts of the world, the Angelus bell believe we can be satisfied with material still rings across rural areas, small towns goods and success – the Angelus prayer and even some large cities and many of the gets to the heart of things in helping us humble locals still recite the Angelus. realize and give thanks for God’s redemptive The bell rings at 6 am and they begin their and life-altering gift of the Incarnation. day with the Angelus. At Noon, you can hear neighbors cease On the following page you will find a guide to working in their fields and gardens – a praying the Angelus. hush appears over the rural landscape as they stop and pray. In the evening, the 6pm Angelus bell again calls people to raise their eyes from what is below to what is above. So why is it important to pray the Angelus? For one reason, it helps us to acknowledge each day the heart of our Catholic Faith – the celebration of the incarnation of God’s only begotten Son.

The Angelus Prayer This prayer can be recited once or three times a day at 6 AM

Noon

6 PM

Leader: The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary. All: And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, The Lord is with Thee; Blessed art thou among women, And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, Pray for us sinners, Now and at the hour of our death. Amen

Leader: Behold the handmaid of the Lord. All: Be it done to me according to your word.

Hail Mary full of grace, The Lord is with Thee; Blessed art thou among women, And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, Pray for us sinners, Now and at the hour of our death. Amen

Leader: And the Word was made flesh. All: And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary full of grace, The Lord is with Thee; Blessed art thou among women, And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, Pray for us sinners, Now and at the hour of our death. Amen

Leader: Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. All: That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

All: Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts, that we to whom the Incarnation of Christ Thy Son was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen