Category: Faith Formation (Page 4 of 8)

Let all guests who arrive be received like Christ, for He is going to say, “I came as a guest, and you received Me.”  Chapter 53:  On the Reception of Guests

This instruction from the “Rule of Saint Benedict” is followed closely by Benedictine monks in monasteries throughout the world.  It is also the motivation for the Greeters and Collectors at St. Joseph Parish here in Lincoln.  All are welcome in this place!

Periodically, you will notice the children in our Faith Formation Program and their families greeting you as you arrive for Holy Mass, helping with the offertory collection, and handing you a bulletin as you go out to spread the Good News.  Our students are learning about hospitality and stewardship as part of their process of Christian formation and service to their parish community.  Please receive them as they, in turn, receive you

Faith Formation Update

Our Faith Formation program continues to provide opportunities for the children in our Parish to grow in their Catholic faith. We are using the Sophia Institute curriculum, approved by the Diocese of Manchester, which offers online content and activities designed to increase their knowledge of our catechism.

We have also offered opportunities for the families to gather together for shared faith activities. At the beginning of the Advent season, we got together on a Zoom meeting and created wreaths to help focus our attention on the blessings of the past year and our hopes for the future…an attempt to put a positive spin on a pandemic year which took so many things away from us. For the Lenten season, we met on Zoom again and created baskets to collect paper eggs that tell about the sacrifices we’re making for others and the ways we’re improving our prayer life.

Our second and third grade students will be preparing to receive their First Reconciliation right after Easter. Please keep them in your prayers as they get ready to experience God’s forgiveness and mercy.

May God bless and keep our children in His loving arms!

By Faith Formation team: Paula King & Annie Anderson

Faith Formation

We are getting ready to re-start our Faith Formation program and are excited to welcome everyone back! If you have a child in first through sixth grade, please contact the rectory and register them for our Faith Formation program. We will be using the “Spirit of Truth” curriculum from the Sophia Institute, one of the publishers approved by the Diocese of Manchester. We will be using a digital format for the first half of the year, and the children will do their learning online and at home. As soon as we are able, we will schedule in-person gatherings to give the children a sense of being a community of learners. Feel free to contact Paula King (348-8166) if you have any questions or would like more details about the program.

We are getting ready to re-start our Faith Formation program and are excited to welcome everyone back! If you have a child in first through sixth grade, please contact the rectory and register them for our Faith Formation program. We will be using the “Spirit of Truth” curriculum from the Sophia Institute, one of the publishers approved by the Diocese of Manchester. We will be using a digital format for the first half of the year, and the children will do their learning online and at home. As soon as we are able, we will schedule in-person gatherings to give the children a sense of being a community of learners. Feel free to contact Paula King (348-8166) if you have any questions or would like more details about the program.

Hello Everyone,
Since there is no new information to convey at this writing, I thought I would take a different direction.

 Jesus, in Today’s Gospel tells us, “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy burdened, and I will give you rest.”
For the past three months we have been burdened with restrictions placed upon us because of the pandemic which has affected all of our lives.  Our spiritual and social lives have been disrupted, and all of this has caused a burden on everyone.

 During these months, we have also witnessed social unrest and violence, and on a more positive note, peaceful demonstrations promoting peace and justice. 

 In the Scriptures, we are all asked, as disciples of the One Lord, to accept His invitation to pray as Jesus did, “that all may be One as We are One.”
We may at times feel burdened with our own personal problems as well, but we must have faith and place our hope in Jesus who promises that He will make our burden light and give us rest

Among the many prayers you may have, I would like to introduce a prayer adapted from the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem:

O Lord Jesus Christ, we pray to You through Your five wounds.
Give us the strength to love all whom Your Father has created and, especially our enemies. Free our hearts and souls from sin, from prejudice, from self-interest and from cowardice, so that we may be worthy of Your Sacrifice. Let your Spirit fall upon us all, so that it may make us committed and sincere ambassadors of peace and love among our brothers and sisters and, especially, among all those who do not believe in You. Give us faith to face all the problems of everyday life and to deserve one day to approach Your presence, humbly but without fear.  Amen