Monday Message, August 19, 2024
KNOW
Please use these letters to distribute to parents and invite them to this fall’s meeting with Bishop Caggiano and all parents of Confirmation candidates.
- Fairfield – Deanery F – October 10, 2024
- Wilton – Deanery E – October 24, 2024
- Greenwich – Deanery I – January 8, 2025
- Stamford – Deanery H – January 9, 2025
- Bethel – Deanery D – January 15, 2025
- Shelton – Deanery C – January 22, 2025
- Bridgeport – Deanery A – January 23, 2025
- Stratford – Deanery B – February 19, 2025
- Norwalk – Deanery G – March 6, 2025
If you are having trouble remembering which deanery you are in, please see this handy cheat sheet.
Need Texts?
The generous folks at St. Catherine of Siena in Trumbull have books they would like to give away. See the complete list here. Connect with the parish via email here.
Catechists
We are still waiting for some dates to be confirmed for catechists meetings this fall. All catechists will be invited to hear the bishop’s roll out of revised formation guidelines rooted in The One and the Directory for Catechesis. If you have not yet responded to our request for dates, please email Carmela.
Other Dates
The Fall Forum is September 14th and we have several other great events planned for the fall. Please visit this link for complete details and to register.
Day of Prayer and Laughter
The Institute is inviting all parish administrative staff to enjoy a day of prayer and laughter with Chris Padgett on September 27th. See this link for more information.
Upcoming Events
In case you have not yet seen the updated calendar, please visit this page.
REFLECT
I was in Chicago recently for a symposium on family faith formation. Several researchers gave us reports that confirm what Christian Smith wrote in his 2005 book, Soul Searching. In short, if you want religious teens? You need religious parents. No big surprise there – we get what we are.
What was surprising was the many reports that indicate being blasé about faith, giving your kids choices about when and if to go to Mass, allowing soccer to take over Sunday, and all those ways we give in to today’s culture – collectively are the worst things you can do for children. In short, living in the middle brings more harm than independence, more confusion than clarity, more stress than calm.
Being a parent who says, “Get in the car, we are going to Church,” it turns out, isn’t the worst thing you can do when your kids give you grief. In fact, it might just save their soul.
The question is: how do help the parents who live in the middle?
LAUGH
