Queen of Apostles Catholic Parish

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Confirmation Prep – Gifts

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Session Overview for Catechists
Slides * Catechist Guide

  • Track A: Monday 11/27/2023, 6:45-8:30 p.m.
  • Track B: Wednesday 11/29 and Friday 12/1 in Religion class

Gathering Icebreaker (5 min.)

Icebreaker: The Best Gifts Ever
Discuss a thoughtful gift you have given, and a gift you have received that might not be worth much in dollars, but is worth a lot to you.  Then share something from the journaling homework.

Opening Prayer (5 min)

Opening Prayer
“This Is Amazing Grace” – Phil Wickham

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPQKj2Zptr0)

Presentation on the Gifts of the Holy Spirit (10 min)

Overview of the Gifts of the Spirit (printable leader’s notes)
The Gifts of the Spirit help to perfect our Virtues. Four Gifts help us to know God’s will: 

  • Wisdom helps us to see as God sees, to recognize the value of others and the importance of keeping God central in our lives.
  • Understanding is the ability to comprehend the meaning of God’s message, to read the Scriptures not just as literature but as the story of God’s continual outreach to his people over time and as evidence of God’s love and mercy.
  • Knowledge is the ability to think about and explore God’s revelation through the person of Jesus, and also to recognize there are mysteries of faith and miracles beyond our human reason.
  • Counsel (Right Judgment) is the ability to see the best way to follow God’s plan when we have moral choices to make, and to be able to speak with the words of God to others when they ask for our advice.

Three Gifts help us to do God’s will

  • Fortitude (Courage) is the ability to do actively what is right in the face of challenges to our faith, and it is the perfection of the Cardinal Virtue of Fortitude (the strength to resist excessive desires).
  • Piety (Reverence) helps us pray to God in true devotion, and to make everything we do into a prayer by showing respect for God and for others in all that we say and do.
  • Fear of the Lord (Wonder and Awe) is the feeling of amazement and smallness before God, who is all-present and has expressed love for us through all of creation.

See also pp.53-56 in the textbook.

Reflection: Sentence Starters (10 min)

Do Sentence Starters for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit — work on individually.

Breakout on Gifts of the Spirit (40-45 min)

Exploring the Gifts: Scripture Search and Song-writing
Each table is assigned one of the Gifts of the Spirit to explore.  Read the scripture passages and answer the questions on the question page for your table.  Then write a song using the tune “Happy Birthday” that explains what the gift is about.  You may want to brainstorm ideas a bit first by looking back at the questions you have answered about the readings.  Be ready to sing the song together when you present it to the rest of the class (this may involve hand-copying a few lyrics sheets to share).
Question sheets for all tables (18 pages)

Sharing of Songs and Saints (15-20 min)

Share the song you have written as a group, as well as briefly explaining the story of the saint from your Confirmation Name Papers who best exemplifies that Gift or another Gift of the Holy Spirit.

Homework and Reminders (5 min)

HOMEWORK (due in mid-December)

REMINDERS

  • Next class session for all Candidates with Parents is on Monday, December 4, from 6:45 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in Queen of Angels Church
    • Bring your Parent(s) — or a stunt-double!  You will need a partner to work with.
  • Next regular class is the second week of December – this is when your book/journal homework and crossword puzzle are due!
    • Track A Monday 12/11, 6:45 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
    • Track B Wednesday 12/13 and Friday 12/15 in 8th Grade Religion class

Closing Prayer (5 min)

Petitions for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit:

  • For the gift of wisdom: that God may help us see the real value of everything around us in our complicated lives. We pray to the Lord… Lord, hear our prayer. 
  • For the gift of understanding: that our minds may be open to the mystery of God and that we may see into the heart of things with God’s help. We pray to the Lord… Lord, hear our prayer.
  • For the gift of counsel or right judgment: that we may make good choices in our lives so that we may never turn away from the sure paths God has set for us. We pray to the Lord… Lord, hear our prayer.
  • For the gift of knowledge: that we may be able to separate truth from lies and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus through our daily actions. We pray to the Lord… Lord, hear our prayer.
  • For the gift of fortitude or courage: that we may defend the vulnerable and stand for what is right even when we are afraid of what might happen. We pray to the Lord… Lord, hear our prayer.
  • For the gift of piety or reverence: that we may lead lives of devotion to the Lord and give our time and talent in service to God’s people. We pray to the Lord… Lord, hear our prayer.
  • For the gift of fear of the Lord or wonder and awe: that we may experience the power and mercy of our Lord through prayer and through the works of God’s creation. We pray to the Lord….   Lord, hear our prayer.

Note for later on:

  • Service Hours can be done now; due finally in mid-January. 
  • Plan for you and your Parent(s) to all attend the class session on Monday, December 4, 6:45 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.  It will take place at Q of A Church so we have room to spread out.
  • Letter to the Pastor due in early January, to be assigned as classwork in December during the Anointed lesson.

How Common Is Domestic Violence

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17th Annual Domestic Violence Counts Report 2023

Illinois Summary

On September 7, 2022, 49 out of 57 (86%) IL domestic violence programs participated in a national count of domestic violence services conducted by the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV). These statistics represent the services they provided during the
24-hour survey period.

2,626 Victims Served

1,287 adult and child victims of domestic violence found refuge in emergency shelters, transitional housing, hotels, motels, or other housing provided by local domestic violence programs.

1,339 adult and child victims received non-residential supportive services related to legal needs, housing advocacy, transportation, mental health, public benefits, and more.

975 Hotline Contacts Received Domestic violence hotlines are lifelines for victims in danger, providing support, information, safety planning, & resources via phone, chat, text, and email. Hotline staff received 975 contacts, averaging nearly 41 per hour.

199 People Educated Local domestic violence programs provided 19 public training sessions (educational sessions provided to the public) to 199 people, addressing topics like domestic violence prevention and early intervention.

589 Unmet Requests for Services Victims made 589 requests for services that programs could not provide because they did not have the resources. Approximately 28% of these unmet requests were for emergency shelter, hotels, motels, and other housing.

If you are a victim or survivor of domestic abuse seeking help:

National Hotline: 1-800-799 SAFE (7233); 1-800-7873224 (TDD)

Novena for Our Lady of Penafrancia

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Please join the Confraternity of Our Lady of Penafrancia (COLP) and their invited guest celebrants for a 9-day novena of prayers and Masses beginning September 8th and leading up to her feast day of “Ina” on Saturday, September 16th. Novena prayers will include the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, the Holy Rosary, and other special prayers to Our Lady of Penafrancia, a sacred image of Our Blessed Mother from Naga City in the Philippines and patron saint of Bikolandia. All events will take place at Queen of Apostles Parish, 2330 W. Sunnyside in addition to our regular worship schedule:

  • Friday, September 8, 2023 – 6:45 p.m. –  Procession inside the church followed by Chaplet of Divine Mercy, Rosary, Novena then the Holy Mass
  • Saturday, September 9, 2023 – 7:00 p.m. –  Chaplet of the Divine Mercy, Rosary, Novena then the Holy Mass
  • Sunday, September 10, 2023 – 7:00 p.m. –  Chaplet of the Divine Mercy, Rosary, Novena then the Holy Mass
  • Monday, September 11, 2023 – 7:00 p.m. –  Chaplet of the Divine Mercy, Rosary, Novena then the Holy Mass
  • Tuesday, September 12, 2023 – 7:00 p.m. – Chaplet of the Divine Mercy, Rosary, Novena then the Holy Mass
  • Wednesday, September 13, 2023 – 7:00 p.m. – Chaplet of the Divine Mercy, Rosary, Novena then the Holy Mass
  • Thursday, September 14, 2023 – 7:00 p.m. –  Chaplet of the Divine Mercy, Rosary, Novena then the Holy Mass
  • Friday, September 15 2023 – 7:00 p.m. –  Chaplet of the Divine Mercy, Rosary, Novena then the Holy Mass
  • Saturday, September 16 2023 – 6:30 p.m. –  FEAST DAY OF “INA” Fr. Jason Malave, Pastor – Main Celebrant Outside Procession followed by Chaplet of the Divine Mercy, Rosary, Novena & the Holy Mass.

For inquiries, please contact: Roger Odiamar – 773-406-1117

devotional statue of Our Lady of Penafrancia, crowned with and surrounded by flowers
Our Lady of Penafrancia enshrined at Queen of Apostles Parish.

Coming As a Missionary Among You

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Several years ago, a group of priests and lay faithful came together in my Diocese of Kiyinda-Mityana in Uganda. The convener of the meeting asked them a question: “Which one of you is a missionary?” They all looked around amongst themselves to see if there was someone who had come from another country, place, or wearing a missionary cross. After a brief silence one of the priests stood up and said that all of them were local clergy and lay persons from within the diocese. He went on to add that the religious and missionary priests were not part of that meeting.

Really? Do you sometimes think that a missionary is only that person who comes from outside of your area, but not that ordinary lay person or priest who follows Jesus’ teaching? Jesus says to all his disciples, “Go therefore and proclaim the Good News… baptizing in the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit… And I am with you until the end of time.”(Matt. 28:19-20).

I am happy to be here at Queen of Apostles parish as a missionary among you! I come from Uganda in Africa, where the church is vibrant and relatively young. The first Anglican and Catholic missionaries come to Uganda in 1878 and 1879. It was pagan territory back then.

After a few years of evangelization by these missionaries, young people who were working in the palace of the king converted to Christianity and began to resist and abandon the pagan practices that pleased the king and his officials. They attended catechism classes day and night; always loyal to their assigned duties but not going back to the unchristian way of living. They learned how to read and write. They had found the truth and light that comes from Jesus Christ. Once set on fire for Christ, they shared the good news about Jesus Christ with their relatives and all the people they encountered. I tell you; it was a great missionary adventure!

Fearing for his kingdom and being ill-advised by his officials, the king expelled the missionaries from his kingdom. In the intervening time, these young men, some baptized and others who were catechumens who had converted to Christianity, went about catechizing others. This angered the king the more, he ordered these young men and all who had become Christians to be killed by being burned at the stake at a place called Namugongo. In all, 22 Catholic and 24 Anglican martyrs were killed in the period between 1885 and 1887.

In 1964, the 22 Catholic Martyrs were canonized by Pope St. Paul VI. And of course, the 24 Anglican martyrs are also in heaven. Their feast comes on 3rd June every year. You must come and see for yourselves how the blood of these martyrs, Charles Lwanga, Matthias Mulumba and their companions has become the seed of Christian faith! We not only have ancestors and martyrs of faith in the Uganda martyrs, but we also have an example of how all of us, each and everyone of us can become missionaries to others right where we are. Afterall, we are baptized and sent to carry out the mission of Christ, the mission of the Church.

I look forward to sharing with you how the mission of the Church is taking place in Uganda and ask you to support this growing church with prayer and missionary charity.

Have a blessed Labor Day Weekend.

Fr. Pontian Kaweesa
National director of the Pontifical Mission Societies, Uganda.

Lenten Stations of the Cross

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Please join us in church each Friday in Lent to walk with Jesus in the Stations of the Cross. Stations will be held at 6:30 p.m. in English. Eucharistic Benediction is included in the service. Follow in the footsteps of Jesus on the Way of Sorrows through this meaningful Lenten devotion. Ponder and pray over the pains and sacrifices of modern life as you are moved by the trials Jesus faced on the cross. This is a great faith opportunity for adults or families of all ages to pray together in a timeless Catholic devotion.

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