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July 2010
First Reconciliation and Communion Parent Update issued in July 2010
in Adobe Reader (pdf - 250 KB)
Welcome to St Giles Parish Sacrament Preparation for First Reconciliation /Eucharist. This is a most special time for your family and our parish community. It is the goal of the Sacrament Preparation program to support parents in the preparation process for their child to celebrate the reception of their First Reconciliation and First Eucharist.
This webpage is provided to keep parents informed with the most up to date information on the events and activities that encompass the coming year. Please be sure to bookmark this page and refer to it often. Updates are posted monthly and families will receive an email containing a direct link to this page.
We ask that you contact the Religious Education office over the summer and provide us with an email address that is the most regularly viewed by one or both parents. Please send a message to zrideaux@stgilesparish.org with the subject line: FIRST REC/EUC 2011. This will be saved in our database and provide the RE office with a reliable communication link to you.
Whether your child attends our parish school or parish religious education program our entire parish celebrates with each of you.
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For many families this preparation process may be completely foreign. For those who may have had older children celebrate these Sacraments please note the process below.
On this webpage parents will receive monthly updates with upcoming events or tasks that need to be attended or completed.
The preparation for the Sacrament of Reconciliation will begin in October with our Harvestfest Potluck. Invitations for this event will be sent our in early September and is for the child preparing for the sacrament and parents only. There will be also be a parent workshop in October to assist parents with preparing their child at home. Sacrament children and parents will also participate in a retreat in November as part of the preparation process. The Sacrament of First Reconciliation will be celebrated the first weekend in December and is intended to be a family celebration.
Details will following in upcoming parent updates.
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The preparation for the Sacrament of First Eucharist will in January with our Enrollment mass, which will be celebrated on the fourth Sunday of the month, our tradition Faith and Family Mass, formerly Children/Family Liturgy.
Again, in preparation for this sacrament there will be a workshop for parents to deepen their faith understanding of the Eucharist, this will occur in February. In March we will hold our sacrament child/parent retreat with celebrations of First Eucharist to follow in late April / early May.
Please be aware that the bulk of the sacrament preparation process occurs at home! Our parish school and parish religious education program provide the support with faith knowledge, but it is up to families to mentor how to put that faith knowledge into everyday life.
The parish community is here to support your efforts in handing on the faith to your children through their prayers and example.
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SHOW THEM HOW TO LIVE THE FAITH:
- Attend mass weekly
- Pray as a family before meals
- Pray with your child before bed
- Bless each other before leaving the house
- Read them stories from a children’s bible or lives of the saints
BE A FAMILY OF DISCIPLES IN SERVICE TO OTHERS:
- Volunteer at the Animal Care League once a month
- Collect food for the food pantry and deliver it together
- Create a card or work of art of a neighbor who is ill or elderly and drop if off with some cookies
- Help a neighbor in need of friendship
- Volunteer at the Greater Chicago Food Depository’s Kid Days Events
Don’t let the suggestion above limit your creativity. You know your family best and what will assist your family in the preparation process.
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Please know that you may contact the Religious Education office at anytime with concerns or questions regarding the preparation process.
Take some time and look through our Sacrament Page on this parish website, it is full of information that may be helpful to you and your family.
June 2010
First Reconciliation and Communion Parent Update issued in June 2010
in Adobe Reader (pdf - 499 KB)
| FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION - 2010-2011 Siena Center Season |
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“For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received…” wrote St. Paul. But tradition is not merely a recollection of the past, it is a way of living toward the future. So, how does a faith tradition survive over time? How might it grow, develop, and retain continuity - across history and within a single person’s lifetime?
Drawing on the expertise of parents and theologians, educators and sociologists, religious leaders and cultural critics, the 2010-2011 Siena Center season examines the meaning of faith moving from generation to generation.
All adults of Saint Giles Parish are encouraged to participate in the Siena Center programs during the coming year. The Siena Center is housed at the Dominican Priory located at Harlem and Division Streets in River Forest. It is truly a hidden gem in our community.
See their website for more information at http://www.dom.edu/siena/events.html.
To be posted!!!
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