PENTECOST: BIRTHDAY OF THE CHURCH!
On Sunday, May 31, we will celebrate the great feast of
Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came down upon Mary and
the Apostles. This happened ten days after the Ascension of
Jesus into heaven. Before Pentecost the Apostles were afraid
and unsure of what to do. After the Holy Spirit filled them
all at Pentecost, they were filled with courage and wisdom!
This was the birth of the Catholic Church. Catholic means
“universal”, which means it’s for everyone and God called the
Apostles to preach about Jesus to the whole world!
How about celebrating the Church’s birthday in a special
way this year by telling someone about our Catholic Faith.
You might even make a birthday cake and invite people over
to celebrate this great feast! Make it a special celebration!
FLAMES ABOVE THEIR HEADS!
Just as the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles in the form of tongues of fire, God would sometimes use flames to
show St. John Bosco which of his students were called to be priests! While hearing the confessions of his students he
would sometimes see flames on the candles in front of the statue of Mary leave the candles and start floating around
the room! After a short while they would settle over those boys called to be priests. Time after time this proved to
be true. You might not see a flame over your head but perhaps God is calling you to be a priest or Sister, too. Ask
the Holy Spirit to help you know what He wants to do in your life and how you can best serve Him.
ST. DOMINIC SAVIO - TEENAGE SAINT!
Can a teenager become a saint? Some people may doubt it but Dominic Savio proved it’s
possible. Dominic, patron saint of boys, was only fourteen years old when he died. That makes him the youngest
canonized saint (except for martyrs)! He is a saint that young boys and teenagers can look up to and try to imitate. If
he became a saint, why can’t I? Well, everyone can and everyone should. God made us to know Him, love Him, serve
Him. If we do so, God will reward us with the joys of heaven forever, with Dominic Savio, Our Blessed Mother, and
all the angels and saints!
When Dominic was thirteen years old Our Blessed Mother appeared to him and told him his mother was very
ill. Dominic was living at St. John Bosco’s school at the time and didn’t hear much news from home. He hurried
home and found his mother in bed with a high fever, just as Mary had told him. Dominic gave his mother a kiss and
placed a Green Scapular of Our Lady around her neck. As soon as Dominic headed back to school his mother’s fever
left her and she was completely cured! A scapular is a sacramental, which is something we can make good use of
during our journey to heaven. See The Question Box for more information about sacramentals. May we always love
and honor our parents as Dominic Savio did. St. Dominic Savio, help us to be holy like you and may we join you in
the glory of heaven one day.
”He who walks honestly walks securely, but he whose ways are crooked will fare badly.” Proverbs 10:9
The Lord tells us, in the 8th Commandment, that we are to be honest and in the 7th Commandment that we are not
to steal, including someone else’s answers on a test. Pope John Paul II tells young people: The Church needs
you. The world needs you, because it needs Christ, and you belong to Christ. Help to spread the Gospel by
your words, and above all, by the example of your lives. You do this by praying, and by being just and honest
and pure. You are called to proclaim, by the conduct of your daily lives, that you really do believe that Jesus Christ is
Lord!”
Lord Jesus, help me to be honest when I am tempted to cheat. Help me to show by my honesty that I really do
believe in Jesus and that He is the Lord of my life. Amen.
THE QUESTION BOX
QUESTION: My name is Chris and I’m 14. I know about the
seven sacraments but what is a sacramental?
ANSWER: Chris, sacramentals are holy things (like medals, rosaries, statues, Brown Scapulars, holy
water, etc.) or holy actions (such as the blessing of a priest or bishop) which obtain grace and temporal favors for us
from God through the prayers of the Church. Holy things become sacramentals after a priest or bishop blesses them.
One sacramental we should use every time we enter or leave a church is holy water. It should remind us of our
Baptism and is a powerful weapon against evil. When we use or wear sacramentals with the right disposition we can
receive many benefits. These benefits include: an increase of God’s life in us (actual grace), the forgiveness of venial
sins, protection from evil spirits, the taking away of temporal punishment due to sin, and other blessings of body and
soul! What great gifts from our loving Father! We must be careful, however, not to treat sacramentals as good luck
charms. That would be superstitious and sinful. Instead, sacramentals should be used with faith, love, and with full
knowledge that all blessings and grace come from God alone.
Let’s make good use of sacramentals since they can help us grow in holiness, which should be the goal of our
lives. Let’s especially make use of the Rosary during this month of Mary. John Bosco’s first vision from heaven occurred when he was only nine years old! He saw himself in a large
field with a group of boys who were playing and laughing. But some of the boys started using filthy language. When
John heard them he ran at them with his fists flying and he shouted at them to stop! At that moment Jesus appeared
and He told John: “You will have to make friends with these boys with kindness- not by hitting them. Show them the
beauty of goodness and the ugliness of sin.”
Our Blessed Mother then appeared and took John’s hand. When he looked back at the boys again they had all
turned into wild animals! Mary told John: “This is where you must work. What you see happen to these animals you
will have to do for my children.” John looked again and the wild animals had all turned into gentle lambs! The vision
ended and in time John understood that he was being called to be a priest who would help young people. What is God
calling you to do in life?
The Rosary is a special prayer that we should say each day.
It honors Holy Mary and helps us on our way.
It leads us into mysteries where we can learn so much.
About Our Blessed Mother and her Son who died for us.
It only takes a short time to say Our Lady’s prayer.
But it should help us focus on the life of Christ found there.
In glory, joy, and sorrow Jesus gave us all His love.
Let’s pray we get to heaven to be with Him up above.
June 19 is the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and
the whole month of June is dedicated to meditating on the
love of that Sacred Heart. The Sacred Heart of Jesus is a
symbol of the unconditional love of Jesus for each of us.
As you might recall, when Jesus died on the Cross a
soldier took a spear and pierced the Heart of Jesus. Jesus
then gave up the last drops of His Sacred Blood for us to
show us that His love for us has no limits.
Jesus appeared to St. Margaret Mary and asked that
people display an image of Him and His Sacred Heart
in their homes. He showed her His Heart and said: “Look
at this Heart that has loved men so much and is loved
so little in return.” As a sign of our love for Jesus He
asks that we receive Holy Communion on the first
Friday of at least nine months in a row to make
reparation for sins against His love.
Let’s tell Jesus often how much we love Him and show
it by the way we live. It makes Jesus so happy when we
receive Him in Holy Communion! Let’s never miss
Holy Mass and Communion on Sundays and Holy
Days and perhaps we can show Jesus our love by
receiving Him even more often, especially on the first
Friday of each month. O Sacred Heart of Jesus, thank
you for Your unconditional love!” SOLVE THE PUZZLE! CIRCLE EVERY THIRD LETTER, STARTING WITH THE FIRST, TO SOLVE THE
THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH FROM ST. FRANCIS DE SALES.
SOLVE THE PUZZLE!
Circle every third letter, starting with the first, to solve the thought for the month from St. Francis De Sales.
E D F V R Y E J K R L O Y Q W V R U I R U C T I T C V O N K R E R Y Y U O E F V
Y U E K J R Q A T W E E W S M W S P E D T E R A E F T T Y I G H O N B N V C I S
E S W D L E R I T H K Y J E M L A M L N M L O I O T L I H U J E K I R L O P P L
R E F E G H C T G I R R O T T U E E S D F G D D E D D M W D A T S D C C D F F E
G G D T H T J K O L K Y H J O T H U D G R E J C H J R H L O S D W N M N H E I G J N
R G H D F E S D A F M V E F E G H N.
THE PRIEST WHO HAD THE WOUNDS OF JESUS! This is the story of an amazing priest who was given the gift of the wounds of Jesus for fifty years! His name
was Blessed Padre Pio (“Padre” means Father). When Father Pio was about thirty years old the wounds Jesus suffered
on the Cross appeared on Father Pio’s hands, feet, and side! These wounds are called the stigmata. Some other saints
have had the stigmata, too, such as St. Francis of Assisi. Padre Pio accepted this suffering as a gift from the Lord, to
help show people what Jesus suffered for us to make up for our sins.
God gave Padre Pio other special gifts, too. One such gift, which St. John Bosco received also, is bi-location.
This means he could sometimes be in two places at the same time! Blessed Pio also had the gifts of healing, prophecy,
and speaking in other languages. Another remarkable gift was that of knowing the sins of people. He used this
special gift in helping people make a good confession.
Padre Pio loved his guardian angel very much and prayed for his angel’s help every day. He also had
a great devotion to St. Michael the Archangel,,/b> the leader of the angels that remained faithful to God. Padre
Pio loved the pope very much, too. He knew that Jesus had chosen Peter to be the first head of His
Church, the first pope. Paul VI was pope during Blessed Pio’s last years and it made him very sad to see that
some Catholics wouldn’t follow the teachings of Jesus as taught by Our Holy Father.
Let’s call on the intercession of Blessed Padre Pio to help us grow in holiness. May we someday join
him and all the saints and angels in the glory of heaven!
ACROSS
1. Dominic Savio’s mother was cured when her
son placed one of these around her neck.
6. Padre Pio was devoted to this great archangel.
9. Jesus appeared to her with His Sacred Heart.
10. Mary has asked us to pray this each day.
DOWN
1. Holy things or actions which obtain grace and
favors.
2. To make up for sins, as Jesus asked by First
Fridays.
3. The birthday of the Church.
4. The Body and Blood of Jesus under the form of
bread and wine.
5. The symbol of the unlimited love of Jesus for
us.
7. The Third Person of the Trinity, who came
down upon Mary and the Apostles at Pentecost.
8. The priest who received the wounds (stigmata)
of Jesus for fifty years.
COMMUNION
HOLINESS
HOLY SPIRIT
HONESTY
MARGARET MARY
MICHAEL
PADRE PIO
PENTECOST
REPARATION
ROSARY
SACRAMENTAL
SACRED HEART
SCAPULAR
STIGMATA
VISION
HONESTY
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT, SO BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU
PRACTICE!
LIONS,WOLVES, AND BEARS!
THE ROSARY
JUNE - THE MONTH OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS
”SET YOUR MINDS ON THINGS ABOVE, NOT ON EARTHLY THINGS.”
PARENT/TEACHER
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For more information on The Young Saints
Club or the Salesians of Don Bosco, contact Mr. Roalef at jroalef@juno.com.
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