We want to see your flat Jesus pictures!

Flat Jesus

This is from Susan Breton…a fun summer adventure!

What is Flat Jesus?

Flat Jesus is based on Flat Stanley, the star of a book by Jeff Brown, who wakes up one day and finds he is flattened to half-an-inch thick. Stanley has amazing adventures as he travels around the world. Jesus is the center of our lives! I encourage you to bring Flat Jesus on your amazing summer adventures and photograph him doing fun things with you.

How to create your own Flat Jesus and share your photos?

• Print, color and cut out Flat Jesus: Print just the first page of this Flat Jesus PDF
• Email photos to: religioused@stmichaelparish.org

Read more about the fun things you can do with Flat Jesus!

Celebrate Pentecost!

The Feast of Pentecost is this Sunday May 31st. Here is a great post from Susan Breton about how to celebrate with your family at home!

The Birthday of the Church: Pentecost
Pentecost falls fifty days after Easter, and is the celebration of the Holy Spirit coming upon the Apostles, Mary, and the first followers of Jesus, who were gathered together in the Upper Room. A “strong, driving” wind filled the room where they were gathered, and tongues of fire came to rest on their heads, allowing them to speak in different languages. The Holy Spirit gave the apostles the gifts and fruits necessary to fulfill the great commission – to go out and preach the Gospel to all nations.The disciples began to tell others about Jesus, and that he died for us and rose to new life. On this day, the gift of the Spirit allowed the disciples to communicate even with those who spoke different languages. 

Read More to find out how to celebrate at home!

Happy 100th Birthday Pope John Paul II!

A post from Susan Breton!

 

Happy 100th Birthday Pope Saint John Paul II

Pope Saint John Paul II was born Karol Wojtyla, in Wadowice, Poland on May 18, 1920. During World War II, when the Nazis invaded Poland, Karol secretly studied for the priesthood in an underground seminary and was ordained in 1946. He was elected Pope on October 16, 1978. Pope Saint John Paul II was the first non-Italian pope in 455 years and served as Pope for 27 years. He is the second longest serving pope and the most traveled in history with 104 international trips! Pope Saint John Paul II began his papacy by telling the world, “Be not afraid”! He loved kids, started World Youth Day and enjoyed skiing, soccer and hiking. Pope Saint John Paul II died April 2, 2005, and he was declared blessed on May 1, 2011. He was declared a saint on April 27, 2014 and his feast day is October 22.

As a family celebrate this great man and ask him to pray for you! 

Sanity And Sanctity While Schooling At Home

Written By Tom’s Mom

The Canadian Museum of History was crowded that day, a bit chaotic for a pair of energetic four-year-olds. Their older brother and sister were (quietly) enthralled with the sights and sounds, with the dioramas, the longhouses, the wildlife. Tom and Matt, though, kept pursuing a more hands-on approach to the exhibits.

Our Lady of Fatima

Today, May 13th, is the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima. Susan Breton has provided a great post to learn more and ways to celebrate at home!

Our Lady of Fatima
On May 13, 1917, in Fatima, Portugal, Mary appeared to three young children: Francisco (10), Jacinta (9), and Lucia (7). As was the custom, these children were tending their family’s sheep when “a Lady all in white, more brilliant than the sun… indescribably beautiful,” standing above a bush, appeared to them. From May through October 1917, the Lady appeared and spoke to the children on the 13th day of each month. Mary appeared six times to the children, she told the children to say the Rosary every day to bring peace to the world and an end to war. This is why Our Lady of Fatima is also called Our Lady of the Rosary. She requested us to pray the following prayer at the end of each mystery or decade of the Rosary: “O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of Thy mercy. Amen.”

Pope St. John Paul II added May 13th, Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, to the liturgical calendar. On May 13, 1981, St. John Paul II survived an attempt on his life in St. Peter’s Square. John Paul II credited his survival to the intervention of Our Lady of Fatima. The assassin’s bullet that narrowly missed the pope is now inserted in a crown of Our Lady, at the Fatima shrine. It is estimated that 4-5 million people visit Fatima each year. 

Read More to learn how to celebrate Our Lady of Fatima at home

Tips for Mass at Home with your Family

A Post from Susan Breton…

Mass at home as a family is a great opportunity to grow in faith. Fr. Marc, Fr. Bart, Deacon Eric and the music ministry have been exceptional. The live streamed masses are excellent and the church looks beautiful, yet, for young children Mass on a screen can be a challenge. Parents can have a hard time keeping kids engaged when physically present and many kids are accustomed to attending Team Jesus each week. Here are a few tips to help engage kids each Sunday.

 

Wyldlife for Middle Schoolers

Hello everyone! I hope you are staying healthy and safe. We miss seeing you all in person, but we are blessed to be able to connect through Zoom! We are going to be offering Wyldlife for Middle schoolers every Thursday at 8pm on Zoom!

We will alternate between Wyldlife Club, and Wyldlife Bible Study. Wyldlife Club is basically a big hang out with fun games, and social time! The Bible study will be fun as well, but we will also dive into the life of Jesus through the Bible and discuss together. 🙂

Feel free to join us whenever you can! Email Sammie for the Zoom links at youth.stmarynh@gmail.com

Below is the upcoming schedule

Justice and Salvation History

Check out this great video about the virtue of justice and salvation history. Great for middle school and older.

Divine Mercy Sunday- Jesus I trust in you!

A post from Susan Breton

This is the image that was revealed to St. Faustina.

We celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday on the second Sunday of Easter, April 19th. Divine Mercy arose from Jesus’ appearance to Saint Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938), a humble, Polish sister of the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. According to her diary an image was revealed to her of the risen Lord, from whose heart shone two rays, one red (representing blood) and the other “pale” (symbolizing water), with the words “Jesus, I trust in you” at the bottom. It had been Jesus’ own wish, she wrote, to establish a feast day: “I [Jesus] desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls. . . . I am giving them the last hope of salvation; that is, the Feast of My Mercy.” 

St Faustina was canonized on April 30, 2000, by Pope John Paul II, he proclaimed that the Second Sunday of Easter would be known as Divine Mercy Sunday. On that day, Pope John Paul II said “This is the happiest day of my life.” In his writings and homilies, he has described Divine Mercy as the answer to the world’s problems and the message of the third millennium. 

Read on for ideas on how to celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday, this Sunday April 19th 2020!

Praying the Stations of the Cross

One of our St. Michael families made these for an at home stations of the cross! They used Popsicle sticks and images of the stations.

A post from Susan Breton

Praying Stations of the Cross during Lent, and especially on Good Friday between the hours of 12pm-3pm when Jesus hung on the cross, is a way to introduce your children to Jesus’ Passion (his suffering and death). The Stations are more than the re-telling of a story: it is a prayerful participation in the events that lie at the heart of Christianity. Why meditate on Jesus’ suffering? Circumstances in our lives today present a perfect opportunity to meditate on Jesus’ suffering. Christ accompanies us in our suffering and asks us to walk with Him. A cross has been placed across our lives and the Lord draws nearer to us because he loves us. 

Read on for how to pray the stations at home