Follow with us through the Jubilee Year. The first of 5 Holy Doors were opened in Rome by Pope Francis on December 24, marking the official start of the Jubilee. The theme for the Jubilee in our universal church is Pilgrims of Hope. We will be sharing ideas all year long to help you bring the message of hope and the promise of the Jubilee to those you minister to! In this edition, we share a resource from publisher RCL Benziger. Be sure to visit the link below to find fantastic resources for each month of the year that you can share with families in your program! This resource looks to be setting its sites on connecting with the special weekends of the jubilee and creating opportunities for us to apply those celebrations to our daily family life and experiences as Catholics out in the world!

Here is the official prayer of the Jubilee! One of the best ways you can engage your parish in this meaningful year is to pray this with your community every time you gather and bring the message of hope to the forefront of your thoughts for the world! Below is a PDF with the prayer in both English and Spanish!

The month of February is devoted to the Holy Family. The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph models for us what family life should exemplify. In a family, love and forgiveness are given freely and without self-interest. Pope John Paul II said: "The family, more than any other human reality, is the place in which the person is loved for himself and in which he learns to live the sincere gift of self." Encourage families to celebrate the blessings of their family lives during February and affirm the hard work of parents in your program.

1. Pray the Rosary together as a family.

2. Keep the Sabbath holy by attending Mass together and then enjoying some unplugged family time.

3. Celebrate family time joyfully by allowing each member to choose a special activity throughout the month.

4. Invite families to share special family stories.

5. Design a ritual of forgiveness and open communication for the household.

The Holy Family would most likely have had a mezuzah at the door to their home. This is a small box with a paper scroll of scripture inside. Jewish families touch the mezuzah as they enter and exit their home and say the prayer: "May God keep my going out and coming in from now and forevermore." This shows reverence to God each time they enter and exit their home. Encourage families to create a ritual of remembering God each time they exit and enter their home. This could happen through writing a special prayer, hanging a sign with scripture at the front door, placing a crucifix near the entrance of their home or offering a small bowl of holy water to bless themselves as they come and go.

If your parish subscribes to FORMED, here is a page of resources to use during the month of February:

This is a fantastic webinar from Franciscan at Home to help you discover meaningful and engaging ways to share the stories of our faith. Click on the paragraph below to connect you to the webinar.

Sessions in the month of February are a great time to think about Christian love and what it means to love our neighbor. While children may not be able to do a "service" project focused on peace, a class devoted to learning and thinking about neighbors in difficult neighborhoods, families, or dangerous communities and then praying for peace in their lives can be a very meaningful way to teach young people about loving others. Use the slide show below to direct the activities of your session and combine it with a prayer service or rosary for peace, and a craft that will remind them to be people of peace in their homes.

The Diocese of Rochester

Debtor in Possession

Email: leslie.barkin@dor.org
Website: oec.dor.org
Phone: (585)328-3210