April- Family Formation

Feeding your Famliy’s Soul Book
 Chapter 24, The Sacrament of Baptism , Page 85-87  Baptism is the entrance to our Faith and becoming a child of God.
The Easter vigil celebration is centered  on the resurrection of Christ and the Sacrament of Baptism.

FORMED
Kids:
Brother Francis: He Is Risen! The Power of the Resurrection

 

 Teens and Parents: 
The Search Continues: Why is there a Pope?
The Search Continues: What is The Mass?

 

  Feast days to Celebrate:

Easter is the highest Solemnity that we celebrate as a church!  And Easter season lasts for 50 days until Pentecost.
Easter Vigil Mass is April 3rd at 9pm, Easter Sunday Masses are April 4th at 9am and 1pm Spanish.  Kids can color the 50 days of Easter Calendar.  Make an Easter candle at home for your prayer table, here is link
Divine Mercy Sunday is Sunday April 11th.  Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet with your family. (The “how to” sheet is in your notebooks.)  Kids can color the Diving Mercy coloring sheet.

 

St Catherine of Siena—Have a black and white dessert to celebrate since she was a third order Dominican.  Here is link to learn more about this amazing saints: St Catherine of Siena

 

March- Family Formation

Feeding your Famliy’s Soul Book
  Chapter 24, The Sacrament of Penance , Page 98-101  St Bartholomew is hosting a Penance Service March 14th at 1-3pm

FORMED
Kids:
Patrick: Brave Shepherd of the Emerald Isle
Brother Francis: The Rosary: A Special Way to Pray

 

Teens and Parents: 
The Search Continues: What are the Sacraments?
The Search Continues: What is Heaven/

 

 Feast days to Celebrate:

St Patrick  March 17th-  Watch the FORMED video on St Patrick and have an Irish Meal. Great day to talk about the Trinity using the shamrock!
St Joseph March 19th.  Plan a special dessert. Suggestion to have ice cream Sundays with Sawdust topping. (Crushed vanilla
wafers.  Remind kids that St Joseph was a carpenter.  Since this Solemnity lands on a Friday in Lent, we do not have to abstain form meat because it is a special day!
The Annunciation March 25th: Pray the Joyful Mysteries on this special day to remember that the Angel Gabriel came to Mary and Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Palm Sunday (Beginning Holy week) March 28th  Attend Mass weave Palm branches into crosses.

 

 

February- Family Formation

Feeding your Famliy’s Soul Book
Chapter 9 Page 33-36 on “Learning Obedience from St Joseph” This is the year of St Joseph.
This is a short lesson meant to be read at one family dinner during the month.

FORMED
Kids: Brother Francis -Let’s Learn about Lent
Lukas Storyteller: Saint Valentine

Teens and Parents: The Search Part 7
Find a Saint Movie on FORMED to watch.

Celebrate St Blaise on February 3rd and St Valentine on February 14th (Color sheet)

Ash Wednesday is on February 17th. Masses are at 9am and 6pm.

Lent– kids can color the Lent calendar and teens can fill out their Lenten Plan worksheet.
Lots of great ideas for Young children who may like to follow the Holy Heroes Lenten Adventures
that you can sign up here: https://www.holyheroes.com/Lenten-Adventure-s/37.htm

Alleluia during Lent: Point out that during the season of Lent, we do not sing the word “Alleluia” at Mass because it is considered an Easter word and that by not using it for 40 days, perhaps we will come to appreciate more just how joyful this acclamation is.
So have your children color the “Alleluia sign” then roll it up with a bow to be opened and hung up at Easter.

Stations of the Cross: It is a good practice to pray the Stations of the Cross on Fridays during Lent. Let the youngers kids color and cut out the stations of the cross pictures. You can display the 14 pictures of each station and move a candle in front of each one as you pray. You can follow a devotional video or pray the written prayers aloud together taking turns for each station.
If you are adventurous, you can visit our outdoor Stations of the Cross.
Devotional Video on FORMED: https://watch.formed.org/videos/way-of-the-cross
Written prayer to read: https://www.foryourmarriage.org/stations-of-the-cross-for-marriages-and-families/ For young kids written and pictures: https://reply.osv.com/Stations

 

 

January- Family Formation

Feeding your Famliy’s Soul Book
Chapter 16 Page 53-65 on “Being Virtus” This is a short lesson meant to be read at one family dinner during the month. Parent should pre-read the 4 pages.

FORMED
Kids: Skiff and AJ’s Fantastic Voyage

Francis: The Knight of Assisi

Teens and Parents: The Search Part 5 and 6
 Part 5 Who is Jesus
 Part 6 Am I Saved?

Extra Credit: On St John Bosco’s Feast day , January 31st, watch the movie about his life on Formed:
Don Bosco: The True Story of the Apostle of Youth:

  1. Epiphany is on January 3rd:
    The feast of the Epiphany, when the wise men (or Magi, whom tradition names as Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar), brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the infant Jesus. This is a good day to make Star cookies to remember how the wisemen followed the Star. Also, it is a day to do a home blessing, the directions are on the Epiphany worksheet. Remember to keep your Christmas decorations up until the last day of Christmas Season, which is Epiphany!  Epiphany House Blessing Sheet
  2. Baptism of the Lord is January 10th:
    Read in the Bible : Matthew 3:13-17 and pray a decade of the Rosary meditating on the Mystery of The Baptism of Jesus. Younger kids can color the worksheet.
  3. Lego Challenge:
    Build a scene from the Bible out of Legos. (Can be other building materials) This can be a family or individual project. Send a Picture of your creation to Lkoester@stbart-stjoe.org. by February 1st. Gift Card Prizes awarded to the top two in each category: Family, teens, 12-8, and 7 & younger.
  4. Teens learn about St Thomas Aquinas and discuss the 5 proof for God’s Existence. See worksheet and check out this video: https://youtu.be/pvqriM4gU7U

 

December – Family Formation

  1. Feeding your Famliy’s Soul Book
     Chapter 13 Page 50-53 on Learning to love the Blessed Mother from JP2
    This is a short lesson meant to be read at one family dinner during the month.  Parent should pre-read the 4 pages.
  2. FORMED
    Kids: Nicholas: the boy who became Santa
    Juan Diego: Messenger of GuadalupeTeens and Parents:The Search Part 3 and Part 4
    Extra Credit: The Chosen Special Christmas Episode
    https://youtu.be/paOjgZZDads

 

3. Advent Candles:
Each night your family can light the advent wreath and say the Prayer On the back of the Advent wreath coloring page. (The coloring sheet can be hung up and use a candle you have at home) Here is an advent candle resource that is great: https://www.toadilyhandmadebeeswaxcandles.com/advent-candles/    They have kits that kids can make the candles!

4. Jesse Tree Ornaments:
decorate the Jesse Tree Ornaments worksheets.  Each night as you light the Advent Wreath,  Hang one Jesse tree ornament and read the Scripture readings that go with the ornament.
Here is a link to craft no-sew Jesse Tree Ornaments: https://www.showerofrosesblog.com/2011/11/the-jesse-tree-no-sew-picture-tutorial.html

5. The Immaculate Conception
is on December 8th and is a day to go to Mass. Have your child color the worksheet and talk about Mother Mary, who is the Immaculate Conception!

6. Our Lady of Guadalupe
is on December 12th. Watch the children’s movie and enjoy a Mexican dinner. Extra Credit: go to the Spanish Mass at 6pm!

7. Daily Advent Reflections via Email:
Teens and Adults: https://www.dynamiccatholic.com/advent/best-advent-ever.html
Kids: https://www.holyheroes.com/Holy-Heroes-Advent-Adventure-s/48.htm
Or for the whole Family: https://advent.augustineinstitute.org/

 


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November – Family Formation

  1. Feeding your Famliy’s Soul Book
    Chapter 39 Page 161-163 on Learning about the prayer from the Saints.
    This is a short lesson meant to be read at one family dinner during the month.  Parent should pre-read the 4 pages.

  2. FORMED
    Kids: Brother Francis on Prayer

     St Francis Xavier
    Teens and Parents: The Search Part 2

  3. Christ the King is Celebrated on November 22th
    The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, was established by Pope Pius XI in 1925 as an antidote to secularism, a way of life which leaves God out of Man’s thinking and living and organizes his life as if God did not exist. The feast is intended to proclaim in a striking and effective manner Christ’s royalty over individuals, families , society, governments, and nations. Please have your younger children colored the worksheet of Christ the King.
  4. This is the last day of the Liturgical year, please have your child color the liturgical Calendar worksheet. Advent begins the new church year. A picture of how it should be colored will be on the website Faith Formation Lessons at Home.

 

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October – Family Formation

  1. Feeding your Famliy’s Soul Book
     Chapter 4 Page 14-17 on The Communion of Saints
    This is a short lesson meant to be read at one family dinner during the month.
    (Parent should pre-read the 4 pages.)
  2. FORMED
    Kids: The day the Sun Danced
    Teens and Parents: The Search part one

To access FORMED for free go to formed.org
Click “sign up”
Click “I belong to a parish or organization”
Type in “St Bartholomew, Newaygo, Mi
Put your name and email and you are set to watch content.

Or Download the Formed app from you app store.

 

  1. All Saints Day is on Sunday November 1st
    A. Your children (Pre K –7th) are invited to come to 9am Mass dressed as their favorite saint.  We will have an outdoor Saint treasure hunt.
    B. Take time to research the saint that your child would like to dress up as and complete the “All about Saint”  worksheet.
    C. Any Teens can learn about the newest “Blessed” in the Church,  Blessed Carlo Acutis.  First millennial and patron of the internet.  He also created a website about Eucharistic Miracles!      When he was eleven!