October 20-27 Update

Greetings everyone,

We started off class with "Baba Yetu", the Lord's Prayer sung in Swahili, which Paul heard on the day he graduated from Valparaiso University.  Here's the video if you want to watch it again:

Then, we heard from our special guest speaker, Mrs. Baer, an Ascension parishioner.  She talked about what faith means to her in life and in her work as a special education teacher at OPRFHS.  She also shared about her trip to Israel a few months ago, including photos.

Subsequently, we spent time on Scripture.  We looked at the Gospel reading for this coming Sunday, Matthew 22:34-40.  We also briefly looked at Deuteronomy 6:4-5, which Jesus mentions in the Gospel reading.

The activity for this week is an opportunity for you to spend time reflecting on Scripture.

Here's the link for the submission form, which includes the instructions for what options you have.

It is due by class time on October 27.  Please be sure to complete it by then so you don't fall behind with these activities.

Also, if you haven't had the chance yet, you can still sign-up to help out with the Coat Drive.  Here's the sign-up link.

Thanks to those of you who volunteered last weekend, especially on the rainy Sunday.

Here is a link to the Ascension Parish Confirmation webpage.

If you click on the header entitled "Calendar, Online Forms, Documents", in the drop-down menu will appear the link "Activity Online Submissions" that goes to a form for logging faith boosters and service hours.

We look forward to seeing you in class this coming Tuesday.  As usual, the Zoom access info, which was sent to your parents, remains the same.

We pray your week is blessed as you open yourselves up to encountering God's presence.

Today, October 22, is the Feast of Pope St. John Paul II, who was installed as Pope on October 22, 1978.  Throughout his ministry from the priesthood to the papacy, he cared deeply about young people, wanting to encourage them in faith, and in an effort to do so, one initiative he started was World Youth Day.  May he intercede for you, so that you grow strong in faith.

This past weekend, Paul visited Five Holy Martyrs Church on Chicago's Southwest Side, where Pope St. John Paul II celebrated Mass when he visited Chicago in October 1979.  The altar for that outdoor parking lot Mass is still there, as you can see in the photo below, and includes a phrase from the Bible which he became famous for saying: "Do not be afraid!"

We all remain connected:

Mita Kuye Oyasin,

All my relations,

Debbie Lopez

Paul Rubio

P.S. From our class on October 13, some of you wanted to know more about Christian schools.

Here is a list of Christian universities.

Here is a list of Roman Catholic universities.

Here again are the answers to the exit slip questions from October 13.

Will we have to complete any worksheets during class?

The activities during the week will be more reflective, rather than answering rote questions about content.

Is the Holy Spirit the essence of belief?

I'm not fully sure what this means, but the Holy Spirit is the presence of God within us that makes real all that we believe.

How many service hours are we doing?

10 hours

When are we being confirmed?

Confirmation is scheduled for Saturday, February 6, 2021, at 10:30 AM for RE students.

Is the parade with Pope Francis still a thing?

Outside of a pandemic, he has motorcade rides in St. Peter’s Square, and special rides to greet the crowds in cities he visits.

What do you like on your pizza?

I, Paul, like ground beef or Italian beef with green peppers, kind of like a sandwich on pizza.  That's what I had recently from DiNico's to celebrate the 15th Anniversary of my Confirmation, as is shown in the photo below.

The exit slip questions from October 20 will be addressed in our upcoming class.

October 13-20 Update: Weekly Activity, Trinity, Coat Drive

Greetings everyone,

It was great gathering with you all in class this past Tuesday.  Thanks for your patience as we work with the technology to facilitate class.

To recap, at the beginning of class, we heard from Paul's fellow World Youth Day pilgrim Paige, who is serving as a FOCUS missionary at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, MO.  She shared about why faith is important in her life, and how she got involved with FOCUS, and what she has been doing in the first couple of months as a FOCUS missionary.

If you're interested in knowing more about the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, FOCUS, here is their website.

We then did a recap of the Creed from our in-person gathering on October 6.

One question from October 6 was why it took so long for the Roman Empire to legalize Christianity. The Roman religion was so well-established in their society, so that even the emperor was considered divine, a son of god.  Christians were tolerated at first, but then circumstances were more problematic for them when they professed belief in the authority of God and His Son, instead of acknowledging the Roman emperor's authority.

To reinforce some of the principles addressed in the Creed, we did hand motions to act out the story of God's work of salvation throughout history.  Here is a video that shows Paul acting them out.

The Creed addresses the Three Persons of the Trinity, Who form One God.  The Trinity is a great mystery of our faith, and can be hard to understand, but we recognize how the Trinity is real in how God reveals Himself around us.

The activity for this week is an opportunity to see how God is present all around us.

Here is the link with the instructions and the form for submitting your activity for the week.

It should probably only take about 5-10 minutes to complete.  It is due class time on October 20.

There isn't a grade given for these activities, but we will keep track of which ones you complete and don't complete.  Thanks to those of you who have submitted your reflection for this activity already.

There is a great service opportunity this coming weekend and the following weekend, to help out with the coat drive, and we can see use plenty of more people.  

Here is the link to sign up to help.

Thanks to those of you who have already signed up to help.  There's a good chance you will see Paul at Church at some point when you come to help.

As usual, please feel free to contact us with questions, etc.

We look forward to seeing you at our next class on October 20.  We have another guest speaker lined up, so you'll want to be there at 7 PM.

The log-in information for class will remain the same each week, and it was sent to all the parents.

Today, as I, Paul, mark the 15th Anniversary of my Confirmation at Ascension, on Saturday, October 15, 2005, I am grateful to God for the ways the Holy Spirit has worked in my life before that day and since, even giving me the opportunity to be your co-catechist/teacher for this class.

Thank you all, and thanks be to God.

We pray your week is blessed.

Remember, just as our God is Three Persons Who are One, so are we all connected:

Mita Kuye Oyasin--All my relations,

Debbie Lopez and Paul Rubio

P.S. Here's the video we watched at the beginning of class as a prayer, the song written for WYD 1993 in Denver, CO:

The closing prayer is the 2nd reading for this weekend's liturgy, from 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5.

Recently, Paul passed through Trinidad, CO, on the Amtrak train.  Trinidad is Spanish for Trinity.  You can see a sign for the city on the height above the city.  Perhaps it could be said there are three sides to that height, just like a triangle has three sides, and so is a fitting symbol for the Trinity.

Update for First Week: the Creed, Coat Drive, and Guidelines for Virtual Class

Greetings Everyone!

We thank you for coming this past Tuesday evening for our first gathering of 8th grade RE class.  It was great to meet so many of you and to spend time together learning about the Creed.

It was great reading over what the students had to share about themselves and their interests.

We appreciate the feedback we got from the parents in the survey, and the feedback and comments from everyone in the exit slips.

There were multiple comments about problems hearing clearly in the church: Please pardon us for those sound issues.

We plan to revisit aspects of the Creed in the coming weeks, as we look more closely at God's story of salvation and what the Church is.

There is no assignment to do for our upcoming class on October 13, but you, students, are welcome to read the creed again.  If you were absent from class, please be sure to get your materials from the parish, which includes an envelope with a matching activity for the Creed, on its history and components.

To recap, the Nicene Creed was composed by a group of church leaders gathered at a council.  Part of their motivation was to respond to heresies.

There are four major parts to the Nicene Creed: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, and the Church.  Most of the creed focuses on Jesus Christ, because there were many controversies about Who He is.  The section on the Church lists the Four Marks.

At the end of class, Paul led a prayer reading from the Gospel of St. John 7:37-39, which records Jesus talking about the Holy Spirit while celebrating the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles.  In addition to reading it again in a print Bible, you can view it on this website.  Please be sure to scroll down to verse 37.

In the coming weekends, there is a great service opportunity available.

Ascension Parish is hosting a coat drive, sponsored in large part by the Knights of Columbus Council at Ascension, of which Paul is a Knight.  The Knights are looking for 8th graders to assist with taking coats and other donated items from parishioners who drop them off at Mass, as well as for 8th graders to take them from the church over to the sorting area in the school.

Here is the sign-up form.

Please contact Paul if you have questions about the coat drive.

For our upcoming virtual class on Tuesday, October 13, from 7-8 PM, we ask you, students, to please remember these guidelines for class:

We ask everyone to log-in by 6:55 so we're ready to start on time, especially since this week, we have a guest speaker scheduled to join us for the first part of class.

If you're going to be absent, please have your parents notify Debbie or Paul a couple of hours in advance.  If something last-minute arises, please notify us as soon as possible.

Please remain muted until we grant permission for you to speak.  Debbie will monitor the chat box and the hand signals so we know when you want to speak.

Please keep your camera on, and use your first name so Debbie can mark you present for attendance purposes.  If you have a preferred name that is different from your birth name, please let us know.

It's best to join class using a Chromebook versus a smartphone.  Please use a space that will help you stay focused, present, and engaged for the entirety of class.  We suggest joining class from whatever space you use for participating in virtual classes for school.

We also ask you to have handy the notebook you received when you came for class on October 6.

Inside your red folder is a San Damiano cross.  Please feel free to put it on display while you are participating in RE class to help enter into a prayerful spirit.

We will give you an electronic form for exit slips at the conclusion of class, so please don't leave until you have taken a moment to complete an exit slip.

Above all, please remember that respect governs everything we do in this class:  Respect us your catechist/teachers, respect your fellow classmates, and we will respect you.

Also remember that there are no dumb questions in class, so long as you're asking with a genuine intent to better understand faith.  You are welcome to ask questions in class, or on your exit slips.

The access information for the class has been sent to your parents via e-mail.

If you have any technical issues joining class, please have your parents text Debbie or Paul.  We will have our phones ready to respond to any issues that arise.

And again, it's important that you visit this website on a regular basis so you are aware of what's happening class and what you should do during the week outside of class. Your parents will be notified when an update is posted, usually by Friday, or, at the very latest, Saturday.

We look forward to seeing everyone in class on Tuesday.

God's Blessings,

Debbie Lopez

Paul Rubio