SEAS Faith Formation

April 21, 2023

Note from the DRE

Happy Easter and Happy April!

I pray you have had a wonderful few weeks and a huge thank you to our staff and volunteers who continue to help your children grow closer to God!

Because we are still in the Easter season, I wanted to share with you that FORMED has a great video called Easter Special- Laugh and Grow Bible for Kids. It is a wonderful cartoon about the Easter season. If you have not subscribed to FORMED the directions are below in this newsletter.

The following was taken from the Archdiocese pastoral ministry department. Being a retired teacher, former middle school VB and cheer coach and working alongside teens for ACTS and Lifeteen, I unfortunately had many occasions of being an outcry witness. Please take some time to discuss Child Abuse prevention with your children, and please keep the children who are victims and survivors in your prayers.

Child Abuse Awareness Month

In April, we bring awareness to child abuse in our communities. We further education about how to identify and report warning signs and communicate with children about grooming or uncomfortable situations. We ask for the grace of protection and care for all vulnerable, those who care for them, and those who have been affected by abuse. Learn more about Child Abuse Prevention and discover resources from the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops.

Once again, thank you for all your support of our SEAS Faith Formation Program. Continue to pray for us as we continue to pray for you! See you on Sunday and in the Eucharist!

God Bless,

Mrs, Driskill

Here are the songs for Children’s Church-

Easter Songs

April 23rd and 30th

Gathering Hymn

This is the Day

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cccJhMVFrLs

Presentation of the Gifts

New Hope

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqYaZsW9XgY

Communion

Jesus is a Alive It's a Happy Day

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UJYcXBqJ1o

Sending Forth

Jesus is Alive

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JpZJ-39IT1k

Parent Handbook - Protecting all of God's Children

This parent handbook is from the Office of Victim Assistance & Safe Environment
at the Archdiocese of San Antonio.

Get FORMED for free!

Go to FORMED.org and sign up as a parishioner to gain access to free Catholic content. Search for SEAS by typing in our zip code (78255).

Partners in Faith - April Issue

Read the April issue of our monthly Partners in Faith issue

April Partners in Faith.pdf

drive.google.com

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The Good Shepherd Atrium

The children dug up their Alleluias! Since we do not sing or proclaim the Alleluia during Lent, the Good Shepherd students physically bury a colored copy of the word Alleluia as a reminder and tangible experience of Lent. Since we are now in the Easter season, the Alleluia has been resurrected! The children loved to find their own Alleluia and be able to sing this praise once again.

Please see the below Parent Pages to learn more.

The Alleluia - Parent Page

The Risen Life of Jesus - Parent Page

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Elementary Faith Formation

Happy Easter! He is risen!

Easter is a beautiful and joyous season in our church. There are so many great things you can do together as a family to celebrate. If you need some ideas, check out the website called Look to Him and be Radiant. The author, Katie Bogner, shares 50 ways to celebrate the 50 days of Easter.

You can find the link below:

https://www.looktohimandberadiant.com/2021/04/50-ways-to-celebrate-50-days-of-easter.html

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Edge- Middle School

The Edge students started a series called, Microscope, which is all about why the Eucharist is important. This past week, the group started with what took place at the Last Supper and how Jesus instituted the Eucharist. We then broke into smaller groups to talk about how we can prepare ourselves to receive this Sacrament at Mass.

We also prayed a Chaplet of Divine Mercy since this past week was Divine Mercy Sunday.

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Life Teen- High School

Our Life Teen students have been diving into the Ten Commandments. We spoke about how the first three commandments are all about our relationship with God, while the last seven are about our relationships with each other. So Christianity is all about relationship!

We were also reminded what Jesus told his disciples when asked about the greatest commandment. Matthew 22:37-39 tells us, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.

This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

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Confirmation

Please pray for our high school teens who will be receiving their Sacrament of Confirmation on May 4, 2023. This week in class, we began with a reflection on the gospel of John 3:7-15 where Christ reminds us that we must be born again in the spirit. In our baptism, each of us was claimed as a son or daughter of the Father. The Sacrament of Confirmation confirms that identity, seals and strengthens us with the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Our class continued with a candlelight Agape meal with bread and grapes. During the meal, we explained that in the early Church, the faithful gathered not only to share in the body and blood of Christ, but to share their experiences and encounters with Christ. Once we have encountered Christ, we have no choice but to share Him with others. And the way that you love those around you — through service, friendship, and giving — is the main way that you can share Him.

As our closing prayer, our volunteer leaders shared a little about their faith journey and how their relationship with Christ has made a difference in their life. Our teens also shared either something they have learned from class, something they began doing different, or something they would like to do different.