An
adult understanding of Christmas
The second in our series of Coffee and Conversations on Saturday mornings will take place this coming Saturday at 8:30, lasting roughly an hour. This month’s topic, as listed above, will take a look at the Christmas narratives, and unlock for us the messages and purpose regarding Christ and his earthly mission that are to be found there. Here is an opportunity to grow in your understanding of what it is that we are celebrating when it comes to the feast of the nativity.
Included n the discussion will be a presentation of the historical developments of the feast and its traditions, the layers of messages contained in the scriptural accounts of Saints Matthew and Luke, as well as the theological understandings associated with them. Our time together, while hopefully an informative one, is carried out in a relaxed and open manner. So why not join us for some coffee, pastries and conversation as a start to your day.
Christmas
prep day for the children
With the increased numbers involved in Faith First the Christmas prep day has had to be divided over two days. This compulsory portion of the program will therefore be organized in the following manner…
Grades 3 and up… as previously planned will have their prep day on Saturday, December 13th from 10:00 a.m. until noon.
Grades 1 and 2… will have their prep day take place after Mass on Sunday, December 14th. Please watch for more information in the bulletin next weekend.
New information center
To aid you in finding information on Faith First, the bulletin board and
pamphlet rack in the main vestibule have been set-aside for this purpose.
You are invited to peruse the bulletin board in order to keep up with
the latest Faith First news.
Changes to the program
There will be some
structural changes to the Faith First program for next year. It is hoped that these will aid the families in Faith First,
as well as bring our parish in closer alignment with the methods employed in
other parishes in the West Island. While
each parish develops the implementation of Faith First in a manner unique to
itself, some level of harmony between the different communities of faith in our
region of the diocese, by the very nature of co-operation, can only be of aid to
one and all.
>The elimination of the monthly evening meeting for children not
receiving a sacrament that year.
>The further development of the seasonal Saturday morning activities that began last year.
The preparation day for Christmas
The Ash Wednesday celebration for children
The preparation day for Easter.
With the ending of the monthly evening meetings the compulsory nature of
the Saturdays will be more strongly emphasized.
>An increased preparation process for the direct catechesis for those
children receiving either first Eucharist or Confirmation.
This continues the process begun over the past two years wherein the
classes leading to the sacraments of Reconciliation, Eucharist, and Confirmation
have increased in number. Parents had found that the immediate formation of the
children for these important moments in their lives needed to be enhanced.
>The development of workshops and meetings through which parents of children in Faith First will receive help and instruction in their faith. In the rite of Baptism it is declared that the parents are the first teachers in of their children in the ways of the faith. Corpus Christi wishes to support the parents by providing ways through which they can better fulfill that role. Toward this end, there a base level of participation (four meetings per year) in the activities and meetings geared to the parents will be required. It is felt however that these requirements will prove themselves to be reasonable and the choices in meeting them to be ample.
There will be more detailed information on these new directions for Faith First as September nears.
Faith
First and how it has grown…
Every
year, a parish must report to the chancery office on different aspects of parish
life.
These
are the statistics that have been reported over the last five years as to the
children enrolled in the program as of the end of the year.
2003…...35
2004…...48
2005…...76
2006….102
While
the exact count of children in the program has not been calculated at this time,
the total for this year should be somewhere between 120 and 130.
This
should lead our community to seek out ways we can better respond to the pastoral
needs of the young. Those who
animate the Faith First program have undertaken this role. Musings have even
occurred as to the possibility of an activity that would take place in the
summer. All this, however, requires the involvement of the parish as
a whole, and individuals coming forth from the broader community to assume roles
of leadership and action.
Such
activity, however, must not come at the expense of our obligation to care for
those in the parish whose needs lie elsewhere. To be able to be responsive and
involved in parish building, we all need to be prepared to offer input and
concrete action. If you should have
some ideas as to how we may fulfill our role of bringing life to the whole of
our parish and its needs, please help us be putting forward your observations
and suggestions. This will allow Father Joe, the Wardens and the Parish Council
to better consider where our parish is headed.
As well, should you have a talent or interest that you would be willing
to advance as a vehicle of service, your willingness to get involved would
likewise be appreciated.
Registered in Faith First?
If you would like to register your child in the Faith First Program click
here
General Information
For General Information relating to
Corpus Christi please click here
Other Information
For more announcements and other information please click here
Mass Times
For schedule of mass times click here