Religious Education Newsletter
March 2022
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Message from the Director
Jessie Adrians, Director of Religious Education
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“We do not pretend that life is all beauty. We are aware of darkness and sin, of poverty and pain. But we know Jesus has conquered sin and passed through his own pain to the glory of the Resurrection. And we live in the light of his Paschal Mystery – the mystery of his Death and Resurrection. We are an Easter People and Alleluia is our song!”
-St. Pope John Paul II
In my 43 years of life I have come to realize that some years are more eventful than others. I remember very clearly turning 10 because I got to ride my bike around the block without a grown up, turning 14 because I began high school, and at 17 I started my first real job. The year I turned 23 was especially eventful because I not only completed my first year of teaching, but I also got married. And then there was the year I turned 38, and our son Andrew Edward came into our lives. As with any change, each new chapter brought equal amounts of excitement and what I have come to think of as growing pains as I navigated my new reality. The start of one thing, often marked the end of another.
And although I cannot speak for him, I have a feeling that when/if our son Andrew remembers his fifth year of life, he will see it as an eventful one. (As his mom, I know I will.) This year has been one of two significant firsts: the first day of school, and most recently, losing his first baby tooth.
I was in the kitchen when he first brought the wiggly front tooth to my attention. “ Mama look!” he exclaimed. “ My tooth is loose!” I have to admit it caught me by surprise. I suddenly realized he was the right age for losing his tooth, but I couldn’t really believe the time was upon us already. I faked my shock well by saying, “Wow, how exciting.” Andrew smiled and ran into the other room.
However, as a few days passed his excitement over the loose tooth gave way to anxiety. I found that more and more of our conversations started to revolve around “the tooth.” His many worries included swallowing it at night, it hurting when it fell out, and how he would eat without his tooth. Eventually, his worry and anxiety became so high he didn’t want to go to bed or eat his dinner for fear of it falling out. None of my reassurances seemed to work, and it was becoming increasingly hard to calm his fears.
So like any modern day parent, I posted an SOS status on Facebook that read, “Looking for advice from parents. Andrew is losing a baby tooth and is looking at it every 5 seconds and afraid of it falling out. Tips for how to help children through this phase of development? I don't think I can have another conversation about the tooth.”
What followed was a stream of helpful advice, which included reassuring books to read to children, language to make it exciting, and ideas for how to preserve the lost tooth. Since my friends include educators, counselors, and seasoned parents, I was able to calm his fears, I did this through reassuring words, watching a video entitled, “The Night Before the Tooth Fairy Came” and buying a dinosaur tooth pillow so the tooth fairy (Who he knows is Mama and Daddy by the way.) could leave him his loot. By the time he actually lost his tooth, which happened on a Tuesday during a snow day, he no longer felt any fear or worry.
As I put four quarters in his dinosaur tooth pillow and reflected on the day, I came to realize that Andrew’s experience of losing his tooth is really no different from the big changes any of us experience in life. We have to die to one part of ourselves to live to another.
The truth that new life comes from death is the Paschal Mystery, and the heart of our Catholic faith. The term Paschal Mystery describes the redemptive work of Christ and the fact that Christ's cross and Resurrection stands at the center of the Good News that the apostles, and the Church following them, are to proclaim to the world." (CCC, 571)
As a Church we enter most deeply into the Paschal Mystery each year during the Easter Triduum—from the evening of Holy Thursday to the evening of Easter Sunday. Though chronologically three days, they are liturgically one day unfolding for us the unity of Christ's Paschal Mystery. The Easter Triduum is the summit of the liturgical year and simply put (in my opinion) the most amazing, powerful, and real way to enter into our love story with the God who not only created us, but took our sins upon himself so we could live with him forever in heaven. If that isn’t the greatest love story ever told, I don’t know what is.
If you are looking to have the most amazing experience ever as a family there are three simple ways to enter into the Paschal Mystery during the Easter Triduum, which begins on Thursday, April 14th and ends on Sunday, April 17th this year:
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Attend at least one Triduum liturgy as a family: The Triduum liturgies include Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, veneration of the Cross on Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil Mass on Holy Saturday. I have taken our son Andrew to all three, with the knowledge that I will need to leave early or take a “walk about” since they tend to last more than an hour. (If you have very young children I would recommend starting with Holy Thursday as it is highly engaging and the shortest of the Triduum liturgies.) Click here to find out mass and service times for the Triduum at St. Raphael.
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Quiet Time: Spend time on Good Friday (particularly between noon and 3 pm) in prayer or reflection. Consider making it a time with no television or Internet. You could spend part of that time praying the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary or doing stations of the cross at home.
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Read Aloud: Read a part of the passion narrative during each of the three days of Triduum at home as a way to help your family enter into the three days. A suggested reading plan is:
There are also endless ideas for crafts, special meals, and family prayer rituals available online. (Click here to view what creative ideas Catholic Icing has to offer.) However your family decides to enter into the Paschal Mystery as we journey toward Easter joy, , know that Josh, Andrew and I are praying for you. Please pray for us!
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Family Outreach
Kathy Baehman, Youth Ministry Assistant & Family Outreach Coordinator
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I hope all of you are having a blessed and prayerful Lenten season so far. The Triduum is near.
For Catholics, the easter Triduum is the proper name for the three-day season that concludes Lent and introduces Easter. A triduum refers simply to any three-day period of prayer. Triduum comes from Latin meaning “three days”
The three 24 hour periods of the Triduum include the major feasts for all four days at the heart of the Easter celebration: the evening feast of Holy Thursday, Good friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday. The Easter Triduum memorializes the suffering, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Holy Thursday
The Triduum begins with the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper. The Mass of the Lord’s Supper includes a ritual washing of feet in most Catholic congregations. The altars are stripped of ornamentation, leaving only the cross and candles.
Good Friday
The Good Friday church service is marked with a large cross placed near the altar. This is the day that marks the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The service does not include Communion on this day. Catholics may venerate the cross in honor of Jesus. The service has a very solemn feel to it.
Holy Saturday
After nightfall on Holy Saturday, Catholics hold an Easter Vigil Mass, which represents the faithful awaiting the resurrection of Jesus Christ after his burial. This Mass includes a ceremony of light and darkness, in which a paschal candle is lit representing the resurrection of Christ; members of the congregation form a candlelight procession to the altar.
The Easter Vigil is considered the pinnacle of the Easter Triduum.
Easter Sunday
Easter Sunday marks the end of the Triduum and the beginning of the seven week Easter season that will end with Pentecost Sunday. Easter Sunday Mass is a joyous celebration of the resurrection and rebirth of Jesus and mankind.
During these final weeks of the Lenten season I pray that your families can find some prayer activities to prepare yourselves for the triduum and the joy of Easter!
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Elementary School
Jenifer Jensen, Elementary School Coordinator
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As we “March” along through Lent, CRS (Catholic Relief Services) Rice Bowl can serve as the foundation to your family’s Lenten journey. These Rice Bowls have been around for decades, I loved doing this even when I was growing up! We have prayer resources, and these bowls, here at church if you are interested in participating in this easy and much needed effort. The pamphlet and bowl provide activities to use during dinner, in the car on the way to school or whenever you have just a few moments to gather together, pause and pray. Use these holy days of Lent to respond to Pope Francis’ call to deepen your family’s faith life-and let CRS Rice Bowl accompany your family along the way. Very easy and rewarding experience for everyone. If you don’t have the opportunity to get a CRS Rice Bowl at church, you may print the DIY Rice Bowl label and adhere it to a container to turn into church or your child’s RE class, if more convenient.
May the abundance of Christ’s love fill your families this Lenten season.
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Middle & High School Youth Ministry
Michael Wilms, Youth Ministry & MS/HS RE
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Praise the Lord!...Now and forever!!
He is near! We are now more than halfway through Lent. This does not mean we slow down, give up on our Lenten resolutions or busy ourselves with life. Rather, it is a time to assess ourselves and our families, refine any goals we made and resolve to further commit our hearts towards conversion. How can we do this? Add one more simple thing into your heart: pray the surrender novena to start your day, join us for stations of the cross on Friday, commit to a meal together as a family with no screens or noise beyond that of your family dialogue and pray together! We often make Lent about our own journey, “What do ‘I’ need to do? Why do ‘I’ keep messing up? Why did ‘I’ give that up?, etc.” It is important to remember that WE are a part of a family and community. Jesus Himself had several close friends, family members and followers to journey with Him. If nothing else, find ways to make the remainder of Lent about your walk with our friend Jesus. Be a child who is dependent on the Love of the Father, look to Him for all your needs. As we begin to wind down another year or RE, we ask God to watch over us and bless His domestic Church, you, the Family.
Upcoming Events and Retreats:
LOVE BEGINS HERE! This summer Saint Raphael will be hosting a week of Love Begins Here, modeled after Saint Teresa of Calcutta, for middle schoolers July 10–13 in Oshkosh. Cost is $100 for the week if you sign up before April. If you do not sign up by April, our Parish spots are no longer guaranteed, but you may still sign up as spots allow. Come as you are and make the most of your summer!
LBH for HIGH SCHOOLERS, we will be taking a group to Antigo June 26–30. Cost is $125 per student with only 8 spots reserved for High Schoolers. Sign up before April to guarantee your spot.
There will also be other opportunities throughout the diocese for high school students, and middle schoolers to attend at alternate LBH locations. Contact the parish or myself for more information or register your child here: https://www.gbresources.org/lbhregistration.html
Other retreat resources:
TEC in Green Bay, anchorofhopetec.org
High School Aftershock every Sunday night start with 5 pm Mass, 6:15 pm dinner, followed by games, prayer, and community until 8 pm. Open to all high school students—receive a prize for bringing a new friend!
Follow us on instagram (aftershock_ym_straph) for more updates and to stay connected to what's happening with our High School Aftershock.
Blessed Carlo Acutis…Pray for us!
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Some content in this section may be from FORMED, a Catholic content digital platform that provides 24/7 access to video-based study programs, feature films, audio presentations, and eBooks. St. Raphael has a parish-wide subscription, so sign up for your FREE account by visiting formed.org/signup and searching for St. Raphael the Archangel in Oshkosh, WI.
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Formed video
Join Brother Francis as he follows our Lord on his way to the Cross.
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YouTube video
Fr. Casey explains why the Tridumm is the “Greatest Show on Earth.”
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YouTube video
Holy Week is the biggest week of the Catholic liturgical year so we have a few tips on how to make it count. Drew and Katie Taylor share their favorite ways to celebrate Holy Week.
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Check the youth page on the St. Raphael website for calendar updates.
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Religious Education
920 233 8044
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