CTK Religious Education

The long awaited revisions of the English translation of the Roman Liturgy are here! We will use the translation to meditate upon our deep and inspiring response to, and adoration of, God in the dialog of the Holy Mass. All areas of religious education at Christ the King in 2011-2012 will be concentrated around our worship in the Sacred Liturgy. This focus is the reason that we have used the image at right to emphasize the Paschal Mystery and the whole life of Christ as central to every Holy Mass celebrated every day in the Catholic Church.

Religious Education at Christ the King provides you the opportunity to develop your relationship with God in the context of a Catholic community. Religious Education at Christ the King is for everyone from the "cradle to the grave". The progams provide opportunities for everyone to grow deeper in the Faith and push forward the mission of the parish and the wider Church.

Religious education also includes our help for those who are not Catholic but are interested in pursuing a relationship with the Roman Catholic Church. We do that through evangelism, the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults and Children, and by helping new Catholics get deeper into our parish life, (the Neophyte year).

In addition to programs for non-Catholics, religious education includes opportunities for enthusiastic young adults to pursue their Catholic life in a stronger and deeper way ("Theology on Tap," and other young adult opportunities). Brad Schmidt (bschmidt@ctkcc.net) will be responsible for our young adult offerings. Brad is also the youth minister for Christ the King and there he takes care of grades 9-12 through evangelism, catechesis and social and outreach opportunities.

Religous Education also encompasses grades 1-8 with substantive and vibrant First Penance, First Eucharist and Confirmation programs. We provide Liturgy of the Word for Children on Sundays for ages 3-5 and grades K-2. Religious Education at CTK also includes the Baptism preparation for the parents of infants. Plans are underway for more catechesis for teens and offerings for parents of children through 12th grade and preparation for participation in the evangelistic mission of the parish.

For more information about a particular program or age group, click the appropriate link below:

Liturgy of the Word with Children (LWC)

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (Atrium)

Grades 1-6

Confirmation

Catechist Certification

Professor Barbara Morgan has recently come back to Christ the King to serve as the Director of Religious Education (DRE). Barbara was DRE at Christ the King thirty years ago when it became a parish. She left to finish a Masters degree in Catechetics from the Notre Dame Institute in for Catechetics in Arlington, VA. There, she received her Advanced Apostolic Catechetical Diploma. After finishing her studies, Barbara founded the Catechetics program at the Franciscan University of Steubenville where she taught from 1994-2005.

In addition to her work at FUS, Barbara has authored and co-authored several books on Catechetics. She retired from FUS in 2005 and moved back to Ann Arbor to be closer to her children and grandchildren. Christ the King is blessed to have her back as the Director of Religious Education after a long absence and we look forward to seeing what improvements she will bring to our religious education programs.

Please pray for the team members and the people they serve.

Barbara Morgan, Director of Religious Education
bmorgan@ctkcc.net, 734-929-0981

Maryn Hasey, Barbara Morgan's Assistant
mhasey@ctkcc.net

Clare Kosmalski and Emily Allis, Atrium Coordinators
734-482-4063 (Clare), 734-482-5866 (Emily)

Brad Schmidt, Coordinator of Youth Ministry
bschmidt@ctkcc.net, 734-929-0977

In this painting, the central figure is Christ crucified but not on a traditional cross. The cross here is of many branches and sprouting from them are small, circular depictions of the Life of Christ. The images begin chronologically in the lower left-hand corner with the Annunciation, Visitation and Nativity and then continue upwards and to the right with later images of Christ's early life and ministry. On the twelfth branch is the image of "Cristus fons vitae" or "Christ the Fountain of Life" which is the central reality of every day in every Holy Mass celebrated throughout the Church.

The images continue near the top of the painting ending with the Crucifixion, Christ's Ascension and Christ enthroned in Heaven. Crowning the cross are figures of heaven; God the Father, Mary, angels and many Saints. Also at the base of the cross we see the mound of Calvary with a figure inside of a Franciscan monk holding a book who is most likely St. Bonaventure.

St. Bonaventure's book, "Tree of Life," is the main inspiration for the imagery in this painting. To the left and right of St. Bonaventure are scenes of Creation and Adam and Eve's expulsion from the Garden. And above those scenes but under the cross are four figures holding scrolls (left to right) Moses, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Clare and St. John the Evangelist.

""Suppose next that from the trunk of this tree there spring forth twelve branches, adorned with leaves, flowers, and fruits. […] Let there be twelve fruits, endowed with all delights and conforming to every taste, offered to God’s servants as a food they may eat forever, being fed but never sated. This is the Fruit born of the virginal womb, and ripened on the
tree of the cross to delectable maturity by the midday heat of the Eternal Sun, that is, by Christ’s love. It is the Fruit that is placed in the heavenly garden of Eden—God’s table—as food for those who long for Him."
--St. Bonaventure (from Tree of Life)

The artist, Pacino di Bonaguida, was a Florentine painter who specialized in religious works such as altarpieces and illuminated manuscripts (illustrations and decorations for holy books.) He is credited with the invention of miniaturism, a style of painting that divides the image into many small-scale scenes, of which this image "Tree of Life" is a remarkably detailed example.

~ Description by Art Historian Lindsay Carpenter

All content copyright Christ the King Catholic Church of Ann Arbor 2004-2008.
Design & programming by stauffer.

A Blessed Year to Focus on Our Love & Reverance for God in the Liturgy The long awaited revisions of the English translation of the Roman Liturgy are here! We will use the translation to meditate upon our deep and inspiring response to, and adoration of, God in the dialog of the Holy Mass. All areas of religious education at Christ the King in 2011-2012 will be concentrated around our worship in the Sacred Liturgy. This focus is the reason that we have used the image at right to emphasize the Paschal Mystery and the whole life of Christ as central to every Holy Mass celebrated every day in the Catholic Church. Religious Education at Christ the King provides you the opportunity to develop your relationship with God in the context of a Catholic community. Religious Education at Christ the King is for everyone from the "cradle to the grave". The progams provide opportunities for everyone to grow deeper in the Faith and push forward the mission of the parish and the wider Church. Religious education also includes our help for those who are not Catholic but are interested in pursuing a relationship with the Roman Catholic Church. We do that through evangelism, the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults and Children, and by helping new Catholics get deeper into our parish life, (the Neophyte year). In addition to programs for non-Catholics, religious education includes opportunities for enthusiastic young adults to pursue their Catholic life in a stronger and deeper way ("Theology on Tap," and other young adult opportunities). Brad Schmidt (bschmidt@ctkcc.net) will be responsible for our young adult offerings. Brad is also the youth minister for Christ the King and there he takes care of grades 9-12 through evangelism, catechesis and social and outreach opportunities. Religous Education also encompasses grades 1-8 with substantive and vibrant First Penance, First Eucharist and Confirmation programs. We provide Liturgy of the Word for Children on Sundays for ages 3-5 and grades K-2. Religious Education at CTK also includes the Baptism preparation for the parents of infants. Plans are underway for more catechesis for teens and offerings for parents of children through 12th grade and preparation for participation in the evangelistic mission of the parish. For more information about a particular program or age group, click the appropriate link below: Liturgy of the Word with Children (LWC) Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (Atrium) Grades 1-6 Confirmation Catechist Certification Barbara Morgan, Director of Religious Education Professor Barbara Morgan has recently come back to Christ the King to serve as the Director of Religious Education (DRE). Barbara was DRE at Christ the King thirty years ago when it became a parish. She left to finish a Masters degree in Catechetics from the Notre Dame Institute in for Catechetics in Arlington, VA. There, she received her Advanced Apostolic Catechetical Diploma. After finishing her studies, Barbara founded the Catechetics program at the Franciscan University of Steubenville where she taught from 1994-2005. In addition to her work at FUS, Barbara has authored and co-authored several books on Catechetics. She retired from FUS in 2005 and moved back to Ann Arbor to be closer to her children and grandchildren. Christ the King is blessed to have her back as the Director of Religious Education after a long absence and we look forward to seeing what improvements she will bring to our religious education programs. Religious Education Contact Information Please pray for the team members and the people they serve. Barbara Morgan, Director of Religious Education bmorgan@ctkcc.net, 734-929-0981 Maryn Hasey, Barbara Morgan's Assistant mhasey@ctkcc.net Clare Kosmalski and Emily Allis, Atrium Coordinators 734-482-4063 (Clare), 734-482-5866 (Emily) Brad Schmidt, Coordinator of Youth Ministry bschmidt@ctkcc.net, 734-929-0977	"Tree of Life" by Pacino di Bonaguida In this painting, the central figure is Christ crucified but not on a traditional cross. The cross here is of many branches and sprouting from them are small, circular depictions of the Life of Christ. The images begin chronologically in the lower left-hand corner with the Annunciation, Visitation and Nativity and then continue upwards and to the right with later images of Christ's early life and ministry. On the twelfth branch is the image of "Cristus fons vitae" or "Christ the Fountain of Life" which is the central reality of every day in every Holy Mass celebrated throughout the Church. The images continue near the top of the painting ending with the Crucifixion, Christ's Ascension and Christ enthroned in Heaven. Crowning the cross are figures of heaven; God the Father, Mary, angels and many Saints. Also at the base of the cross we see the mound of Calvary with a figure inside of a Franciscan monk holding a book who is most likely St. Bonaventure. St. Bonaventure's book, "Tree of Life," is the main inspiration for the imagery in this painting. To the left and right of St. Bonaventure are scenes of Creation and Adam and Eve's expulsion from the Garden. And above those scenes but under the cross are four figures holding scrolls (left to right) Moses, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Clare and St. John the Evangelist. ""Suppose next that from the trunk of this tree there spring forth twelve branches, adorned with leaves, flowers, and fruits. […] Let there be twelve fruits, endowed with all delights and conforming to every taste, offered to God’s servants as a food they may eat forever, being fed but never sated. This is the Fruit born of the virginal womb, and ripened on the tree of the cross to delectable maturity by the midday heat of the Eternal Sun, that is, by Christ’s love. It is the Fruit that is placed in the heavenly garden of Eden—God’s table—as food for those who long for Him." --St. Bonaventure (from Tree of Life) The artist, Pacino di Bonaguida, was a Florentine painter who specialized in religious works such as altarpieces and illuminated manuscripts (illustrations and decorations for holy books.) He is credited with the invention of miniaturism, a style of painting that divides the image into many small-scale scenes, of which this image "Tree of Life" is a remarkably detailed example. ~ Description by Art Historian Lindsay Carpenter