Coordinator of Catechesis

Mrs. Mary Ellen Lynch

  Religious Education Office

  708-425-7697

“Sowing the Seeds of God’s Peace”
 

St. Bernadette Parish

Office of Catechesis

catechesis_stbernadette @yahoo.com

708-425-7697 

26 April 2010

Dear Parents,

Thank you for sharing the Religious Education of your children with us.  We were blessed to have great Catechists to work with your children.  We thank them for everything they have done this year.

Our Vacation Bible Camp will run from June 21^st-25^th.

I hope your child can join us.  Please return Camp Registration forms to the rectory.  Your kids will have a great time.

Watch the church bulletin for Religious Ed updates.

Registration will be the end of August.  Letters will be sent home over the summer with dates.  If your postman doesn’t deliver one, please call me

Our 1^st Communicants have practice tomorrow.  The Rectory meeting room will be open at 6:30pm.  Practice will start promptly at 7:00pm.  Remember, at least one parent must be present.

Our 7^th grade students have the opportunity to volunteer for Vacation Bible Camp and/or the Garden club.

Please keep our 8^th grade class in your prayers as they move on to High School.  With your prayers and guidance, they will continue to practice their faith.

Please continue to attend Mass regularly.  You do not allow your children to “not eat” over the summer.  Please do not allow them to “not eat” the spiritual food.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions over the summer, don’t hesitate to call.   I will be in most days and will check messages.

Have a great, safe summer.

Have a great week.  Do something special with the family – Go to Mass.

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PLAYING WITH THE PARABLES

VACATION BIBLE CAMP 2010

June 21-25

9:30am-12 noon

The theme of this year’s Vacation Bible Camp is THE PARABLES.  Our focus each day will be on a different Parable.  Our young people will have a chance to search for them in the Bible and to find out how they relate to them today.  Their teams will also write a Modern Parable and act them out for other campers.  The best part of Vacation Bible Camp is that everything is done in a fun atmosphere.    We will play games, work on crafts, and produce plays.  Every year, the “plays” seem to be the favorite part with crafts coming in a close second.

Of course, we will also pray.  Each day begins with a traditional prayer and ends with a prayer written by the campers.  This is a great way for our young people to know that growing in faith can be a pleasant experience.

The camp is intended for our parish school age children Kindergarten through the sixth grade.  7^TH & 8^TH grade students and High School students are encouraged to volunteer as student aides or leaders.  All student campers and volunteers will need to register and have a signed permission form.  We also will need some adult volunteers to supervise activities.

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Children’s Liturgy of the Word

takes place every Sunday at the 9:00am Mass.

RCIA – Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults will begin soon. This process is for:

·        Non-baptized adults who are interested in the possibility of becoming Roman Catholic

·        Adults baptized in a Protestant tradition who are interested in Catholicism

·        Baptized Catholics who would like to complete the Sacraments of Christian Initiation and have not had the benefit of much Catholic education.

IF INTERESTED, please call me.

Marian Catholic High School:

I have a DVD in my office about this school.  If you are interested, you may borrow it.

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SACRAMENTAL DATES

4/22/10      6:30 p.m. – Evening with Jesus --

                                    (parent & students receiving 1^st Eucharist)

4/27/10      1st Eucharist Practice  -- (parent and student)

5/1/10        1st Eucharist Celebration

 Religious Education Parents

In the weeks that follow, children will enter through the double glass doors at the transept. Parents are asked to please follow the traffic pattern of entering through the driveway from 93rd Street and exiting the parking lot via Francisco Avenue. This is designed for everybody’s safety. It only takes one vehicle to cause an accident. Please do not think yourself exempt from the traffic pattern.

St. Bernadette Religious Education Catechists

2009-2010
 

Teacher Aides

Kristie Viravec                      

Catechist’s Prayer

God of all creation,
Sow your seeds of peace in me.
Let them take root and grow so that I,
In turn, can cultivate peace wherever I go.
Make me a doer of your Word,
Enlivened by its hope and grounded in its truth.
Fill my heart with compassion for those on the
margins of life. Make my work as a catechist be a living testimony
 to your goodness  and grace.
I pray this in the name of the Father and of the Son and
of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Have you unwrapped your gifts
from the Holy Spirit?

When you were baptized, made your First Communion, or got confirmed, the Holy Spirit gave you gifts to help you grow in your Catholic faith. Have you unwrapped them yet?

Wisdom: This gift helps us stay focused on God's will and his plan for us.

Understanding: Lets us grasp truths. It means seeing with the heart, not just the mind.

Counsel: Also called "right judgment," counsel enables us to weigh all the alternatives to make the right choice.

Fortitude: The ability to remain firm against all pressures. (Also called courage.)

Knowledge: A person with knowledge sees more than one dimension of an issue to determine the right path.

Piety: Helps us think of ourselves as children of God and be eager to serve him.

Fear of the Lord: The wonder and awe God inspires encourages us to respect him and all his creations.

   Unwrapping these gifts means identifying and using them. Just don't forget to call on the Holy Spirit for guidance as you use them!

Building a Mystery

Don’t let anyone fool you— religious education is TOUGH. It’s a lot of work, and serious work at that; after all, Catholic religious education proposes to do nothing less than help people have a real and true encounter with Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

That goal is certainly the goal of our Religious Education Program at
St. Bernadette as well. Our  Religious Education Program (which is regularly held on Monday nights from 6:30-7:45 in the school building) currently includes doctrinal formation, sacramental formation, and prayer formation for children from Kindergarten through 8th grade— all directed at bringing an encounter with Christ  about through the fullness of the Catholic Faith.

     Of course, providing that encounter with the Son of God still exists in what can seem to be a very ordinary mold. Traffic safety, calendar planning, baptismal certificates and registrations, piles of photocopies and folding letters— the necessities of the task can sometimes be both numerous and tedious! But the PEOPLE are what make it worthwhile, not the work… and Saint Bernadette Parish is blessed with a lot of wonderful families, making it even easier. 

     And if it takes a village to raise a child, it definitely takes a PARISH to immerse them in the Catholic Faith here in Chicago! Both within and without the boundaries of our Religious Education Program itself, we have been repeatedly blessed by the support, generosity, and thoughtfulness of many parishioners and parish groups: the Knights of Columbus, the Manna Program, certainly the ENTIRE parish staff, St. Bernadette School, our athletic programs, special volunteers like the wonderful Fran Wayne— and others too numerous to include!!

     I would like to acknowledge our catechists in a special way.Nearly two
dozen catechists volunteer there time throughout the year to hand on the Catholic faith to the children of our program.They are helped in this work by
several teachers’ aides and substitutes, as well as our resident craft expert,
Kathy Bartosiak. And many other volunteers have blessed us in other
important areas that keep our program going: helping with traffic, helping with
chaperoning at Mass or prayer services,helping in the office, with our yearly
fundraiser, etc., etc.

     Most significantly, though, I would also like to acknowledge every family
in our Religious Education Program. It may be the children being instructed in the classroom, but the Program is made up of families, not children! These families see God as having an important role in their lives; they have made it important to have their children receive catechesis according to the Catholic Faith— and what better time than now to make such a public and very important witness to our nation (and to the world!) that faith IS important! It is precisely with this emphasis on family in our Program that we recently implemented the beginning of what will be a permanent Religious Education Board here in the parish, enabling parents to actively shape the content and the future of our program from here on out.

     All the good things that the Lord has for the future of our Parish is also very contingent upon our families… here in the Religious Education Program, we hope that our commitment to our families now will continue to strengthen the entire parish (and the entire Catholic Church!) far into the future!

Our Religious Education Program

     The best catechist— or ‘teacher of the Faith’— is the Big Guy, Jesus! He really sets the standard for all of us; after all, since He is the one being taught, who would know Him better?

     But Jesus also spent a lot of time training a special group of twelve catechists to hand on the Faith after He ascended to heaven, and their method of teaching is very important too. Scripture tells us that after Peter’s big speech at Pentecost, the many people who wanted to learn more about Christ “devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers” (Acts 2:42). That remains the model for religious education today: not simply to ‘teach religion’, but to actually hand on the Faith— which means living as a parish community, with a special focus on the Sacraments and to prayer (just as that Scripture tells us!).

Here at Saint Bernadette Parish, we try our best to follow that model. Our catechists work closely with their students, trying to hand on the Faith as best they can. As a program we strive to do this not only by teaching in the classroom, but by parish participation and emphasizing the Sacraments and prayer of all kinds. The catechists in our program devote a lot of time and effort to working with their students every week, which means not only preparing lesson plans but also special preparation and participation in the Sacraments during the year, and also mini-prayer services, tours of the church building, guest speakers, crafts to take home, and much more! In addition to all that, we have begun a renewal process in our curriculum to do even more in handing on the Faith to this new generation.

       As time goes on, we hope that our Religious Education Program will continue to bear special fruit in our parish, and also that you will continue your support and especially your prayers for our program and all who participate in it! 

CRAFT SUPPLIES WANTED

     Do you have a bag of craft supplies left over from a project? Is there that box of misc. items you will never use? What about project sheets for some great craft ideas?

     We can always use someone’s left-overs to create a beautiful craft. Projects will be coordinated with the school and Religious Ed. Program for special events, youth projects, and gifts for the homebound. Some items we can use: glue, glue sticks, silk flowers/greenery, miniature clay pots, sea shells, small wreaths, Christmas greens, ribbon, beads, chenille sticks, and felt.

     If you wish to donate any craft supplies, please send them to the Religious Ed. Office at the school or call Kathy Bartosiak at (708) 857-7579 and she will stop by to pick them up. And ’thank you’ in advance!  

Stem Cell Research and Human Cloning

Questions and Answers

From the United States Conference of
 Catholic Bishops

www.usccb.org

What is a stem cell?

A stem cell is a relatively unspecialized cell that, when it divides, can do two things: make another cell like itself, or make any of a number of cells with more specialized functions.  For example, just one kind of stem cell in our blood can make new red blood cells, or white blood cells, or other kinds - depending on what the body needs.  These cells are like the stem of a plant that spreads out in different directions as it grows.

Is the Catholic Church opposed to all stem cell research?

Not at all.  Most stem cell research uses cells obtained from adult tissue, umbilical cord blood, and other sources that pose no moral problem.  Useful stem cells have been found in bone marrow, blood, muscle, fat, nerves, and even in the pulp of baby teeth.  Some of these cells are already being used to treat people with a wide variety of diseases.

Why is the Church opposed to stem cell research using the embryo?

Because harvesting these stem cells kills the living human embryo.  The Church opposes the direct destruction of innocent human life for any purpose, including research.

If some human embryos will remain in frozen storage and ultimately be discarded anyway, why is it wrong to try to get some good out of them?

In the end we will all die anyway, but that gives no one a right to kill us.  In any case, these embryos will not die because they are inherently unable to survive, but because others are choosing to hand them over for destructive research instead of letting them implant in their mother’s womb.  One wrong choice does not justify an additional wrong choice to kill them for research, much less a choice to make taxpayers support such destruction.  The idea of experimenting on human beings because they may die anyway also poses a grave threat to convicted prisoners, terminally ill patients, and others.

Haven’t doctors, scientists, and commentators said that embryonic cell research will lead to the cure of many diseases?

Some have made this claim, but fact this is largely speculation.  Embryonic stem cells have never treated a human patient, and animal trials suggest that they are too genetically unstable and too likely to form lethal tumors to be used for treatment any time soon.  Years ago it was said that stem cells from embryos would be the most useful because they are so fast-growing and versatile, able to make virtually any kind of cell.  But those advantages become disadvantages when these cells make tumors, creating a condition worse than the disease.  Yet many supporters remain wedded to this approach, having invested a great deal of money and effort and hoping they can still make it work.  This kind of exaggerated “promise” has misled researchers and patient groups before – most obviously in the case of fetal tissue from abortions, which a decade ago was said to promise miracle cures and has produced nothing of the kind.

Is the Church telling us to choose the lives of embryos over the lives of suffering patients?

No.  It is calling us to respect both, without discrimination.  We must help those who are suffering, but we may not use a good end to justify an evil means.  Moreover, treatments that do not require destroying any human life are at least as promising – they are already healing some conditions, and are far closer to healing other conditions than nay approach using embryonic stem cells.  The choice is not between science and ethics, but between science that is ethically responsible and science that is not.

Is embryonic stem cell research advancing so slowly because this research is banned in the United States?

No.  Embryonic stem cell research is fully allowed in the United States – there is no federal law (and almost no state law) against it.  The government has only set some limits on the number of embryonic stem cell lines eligible for federal funding.  Supporters disappointed at failures using these cells sometimes blame this stem cell research “ban” (which is not really a ban at all).  But as noted above, the much more serous obstacle lies in the nature of the cells, which are not working out as some predicted.

Did the federal government in 2001 forbid funding any embryonic stem cell research?

No.  In fact, the federal government gave $25 million to human embryonic stem cell research last year.  But on August 9, 2001, President Bush said that federally funded research would use only embryonic stem cells already in existence (obtained by destroying embryos prior to that date).  In this way, he reasoned, federally funds could be used to explore this research, without encouraging researchers to destroy new embryos in order to obtain federal grants.  Some of these existing stem cell samples have been used to create more than 20 cell lines for research, and others remain in storage for possible use in creating new cell lines in the future.  There is no legal limit on the amount of funding that can be used for this avenue; if the total funding for it is relatively small, that is chiefly because researchers are not requesting the funds as they are finding other avenues more promising.

Can stem cells be stored in a bank?

Yes, like donated blood or bone marrow, they can be frozen and banked.  In 2003, for example, Congress approved funds to help create a nationwide umbilical cord blood stem cell bank, in light of the many clinical benefits being discovered from these cells now usually discarded after live births.  Many of the embryonic stem cell samples eligible for federally funded research under the current policy also remain frozen in banks, to be thawed and turned into stem cell lines when needed.

What is a stem cell line?

It is an ongoing, living colony of stem cells in a laboratory, from which cells can be obtained for research or other uses.  Sometimes these are called “immortal” cell lines, but that is misleading because they do eventually deteriorate.  Embryonic stem cells are said to be easier to grow in a stem cell line, but they also tend to develop serious genetic abnormalities associated with cancer.

What are the advantages of harvesting donor cells from the intended recipient of the stem cell therapy?

Because these cells come from the patient, they are exact match and will not be rejected by the body as foreign tissue.  Also, because no foreign substance is placed in the body, there are fewer regulatory barriers to their medical use/

Who is funding stem cell research?  What role is federal funding playing in the determining research priorities?

Many private foundations and for-profit biotechnology companies fund stem cell research, but the federal government (especially through the National Institutes of Health) remains the largest source of funds.  The government’s funding priorities have a large influence on the direction that medical research takes.  Since available research funds began being diverted toward exploring embryonic stem cell research, some very promising adult stem cell avenues for treating juvenile diabetes, spinal cord injury, Parkinson’s disease, etc have been underappreciated and underfunded.  Many advances in these fields have emerged from other countries.

What is human cloning and how is it related to stem cell research?

In human cloning, the DNA from the nucleus of a person’s body cell is inserted into an egg whose own genetic material has been removed, and the egg is then stimulated to begin embryonic development.  The resulting cloned embryo would genetically be an almost identical twin to the person supplying the body cell.  This research overlaps with the stem cell issue.  That is, human cloning might be done to create an embryo who will be destroyed to provide stem cells genetically matched to patient, so  the cells will not be rejected as foreign tissue.  But some cloning research is done for other purposes – for example, to create embryos with devastating illnesses from the body cells of sick patients, to study the early progress of that disease.  Most embryonic stem cell research involves embryos created by vitro fertilization, not cloning.

Why does the Church oppose human cloning?

Cloning is a depersonalized way to reproduce, in which human beings are manufactured in the laboratory to preset specifications.  It is not a worthy way to bring a new human being into the world.  When done for stem cell research, it involves the moral wrong of all embryonic stem cell research (destroying an innocent human life for possible benefit to others) plus an additional wrong: It creates human beings solely in order to kill them for their cells.  This is the ultimate reduction of a fellow human being to a mere means, to an instrument of other people’s wishes.

Does opposition to cloning and embryonic stem cell research come only from one theological or political view?

No.  Serious moral concerns about these practices have been raised by an array of both religious and secular groups, including some who disagree with the Catholic Church about abortion – Friends of the Earth, the United Methodist Church, etc.  The human cloning ban supported by the Church has been approved by the House of Representatives by an overwhelming bipartisan majority.  Many other countries (including Canada, France, Australia, Germany and Norway) have passed similar bans.  Opposition to the idea of treating early human life as a mere object or commodity in the laboratory transcends religious and political divisions.