Faith Formation Family News for

September 5, 2013 CONTENTS:

* “Little Ones” Cartoons *

1. New Catechist Orientation is Next Wednesday [Want to check it out?] 2. Who will Your Child’s Catechist Be this Year? 3. Sunday School Open House 4. Prayer of the Week – Blessing of Workers 5. Articles for Parents from At Home with Our Faith

Body Language

6. Get Involved In Your Parish (Upcoming Activities)

First Friday Nocturnal Adoration Society – Fri. Sept. 6

St. Gabriel’s Women’s Club Fall Potluck – Tues. Sept. 10

Knights of Columbus Meeting – Tues. Sept. 10

An Invitation from Fr. Ralph Goman Altar Server Training

7. Rediscover: Faith How should I prepare for the Eucharist?

Registration is now open for “Rediscover:Catholic Celebration”

8. Two from Pope Francis Papal Prayer Intentions for September

Pope Francis Announces a Day of Prayer & Fasting for Syria

9. Godlike Thinking: A One-Minute Meditation 10. News from The Catholic Spirit 11. Videos With a Message

In Every Age

Kindergarteners Answer Questions About God

Andrea Bocelli Sings Ave Maria

And at the end of this email : 12. Awesome Animal Pictures

1. NEW CATECHIST ORIENTATION IS NEXT WEDNESAY

Next Wednesday, September 11 from 7 to 9pm.

Please meet in the Community Room at St. John’s Campus.

This session is for NEW Catechists, those who are thinking

about it, veteran catechists who want a quick review, and

anyone else who wants to find out about the Ministry of

Catechesis.

We will cover these basic topics:

CREATING THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

NURTURING THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT

USING CREATIVE ACTIVITIES

PLANNING THE CATECHETICAL SESSION

Do you want to check out what being a Catechist is all about . . . . without

making a commitment? Just come to this session.

COME AND SEE!

2. WHO WILL YOUR CHILD’S CATECHIST BE THIS YEAR?

These students in last year’s 4th grade Faith Formation class are wondering who will be teaching 5th Grade for then this year. All the other grade levels are curious to find out who their new catechist will be, too. Maybe it’s YOU! It doesn’t happen by magic – someone actually has to step forward and accept the call. Contact Chuck Romportl this week. The kids are waiting!

3. SUNDAY SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE

Did you realize we have 2 options for Sunday Morning Preschool?

You can choose between the:

8:30am Mass at St. Joseph Campus and the

10:30am Mass at St. John's Campus.

Most people are aware of our Sunday School during

10:30am Mass at the St. John’s campus.

For those who would like to find out more about our 8:30am option at the St. Joseph

campus, please come to our:

OPEN HOUSE for Sunday School at our St. Joseph Campus!

Come and visit on Sunday, September 22nd AFTER the 8:30am Mass! Look around, see our beautiful space and ask any questions you might have! Our Pre-School of Religion begins on Sunday, Oct. 6th. This open house is for the 8:30am Mass option only. We want to make sure we have 3 or more children registered for this time slot, since it's best for them to be with 3 or more classmates. [If we don't have 3 or more registered

for the 8:30 am Mass time Class, we will have the Sunday School only during the 10:30 am Mass at our St. John's Campus.] Any questions? Contact Kathleen Esh, kmeyesh@yahoo.com or 952-933-7610. If you already know which time slot and which campus you want to sign your child up for, please sign up NOW!

Nursery for Infants and Toddlers

We also offer a Nursery for children under the age of 3 at the 10:30am Mass at St. John’s. We ask parents who sign up for this service to also assist in the Nursery one Sunday each month.

4. PRAYER OF THE WEEK.

Blessing of Workers:

Blessed are you, Lord our God,

Creator of the universe and Father of Humanity. We praise you for your mighty works and for the wonders of your love. Hear our prayers today and grant your blessings to all workers. Let our work contribute to the good of all member of this community and to your glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Blessings and Prayers for Home and Family

5. ARTICLES FOR PARENTS from

BODY LANGUAGE

Dealing with: Our Catholic heritage is rich with gesture and action in our way of prayer.

The background on some of our most basic gestures and actions.

When our now 7-year-old foster daughter first came to live

with us a year and a half ago, whenever she didn’t like

something Bill or I said to her, she’d cross her arms over her

chest.

“Please put away your toys.” Arms crossed.

“Please share that with Jamie.” Arms crossed, shoulder

shrug. Teenasia was able to communicate perfectly

without uttering a syllable.

Bill and I finally decided that we would no longer allow Teenasia to cross her

arms. We reasoned that arm crossing was a defiant gesture that spoke just as

loudly as any back-talk.

As we worked with her to change her habit, we noticed that when she stopped

the gesture of defiance, her attitude followed suit. She became more

agreeable to our requests, as if her mind followed the direction of her body.

We communicate a great deal with our bodies—a handshake of hello, a wave

goodbye. It comes as no surprise, then, that the Mass requires movement; the

postures and gestures of our bodies at Mass can help us to become more

prayerful. Gestures also are a way to show unity among those gathered.

Sign of the Cross: Arguably Christianity’s most recognizable prayer, we

don’t even need to say the words as we mark ourselves with this sign of our

faith. At Mass we make the Sign of the Cross with holy water as we come in and

leave; as the Mass begins and at the final blessing; at the beginning and end of

our silent prayer when we kneel. At home try making the sign of the cross when

you leave home for the day or to begin car trips and family meal and bedtime

prayers.

Genuflecting: “You wouldn’t go into somebody’s home without saying

hello, and I was taught you shouldn’t do that in church either,” says Maria,

mother of two young teens. “When you come into church, genuflecting is the

act of preparing and readying yourself for the presence of God.” Genuflect

comes from the Latin “to bend the knee.” During the liturgy, the priest

genuflects three times—after lifting up both the bread and the cup and before

Communion. The congregation genuflects before the Blessed Sacrament in

the tabernacle, usually when we enter and leave church, as a sign of

reverence to the presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

...continued next week

By Annemarie Scobey, from the pages of At Home with Our Faith, Claretian Publications’ print

newsletter for parents on nurturing spirituality in the home. Winner of the Best in Class award in 2013

from the Associated Church Press, as well as a First Place General Excellence award from the

Catholic Press Association for the past four years running.

6. GET INVOLVED IN YOUR PARISH

Upcoming Activities for YOU!

FIRST FRIDAY NOCTURNAL ADORATION SOCIETY

This Friday, September 6, in the Church at the St. Joseph’s Campus.

Can you spend an hour in prayer with our Lord?

Come at 8:00, 9:00, 10:00 or 11:00pm.

ST. GABRIEL THE ARCHANGEL COUNCIL OF CATHOLIC WOMEN

Ladies: Welcome Fall Potluck on Tuesday, September 10 at 6:30pm in St. John’s Campus Community Room. Please “bring a dish to share”. All women in the Parish are invited.

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

Meeting is next Tuesday, September 10, 2013 at 7:00pm at St. John campus, Leo’s Den. All Knights are welcome! If you would like more information about the Knights of Columbus, please call Grand Knight Wade Dunkley at (952)543-0937 or Chancellor Ricardo Cases at (952) 922-2905. Serving Hopkins since 1921.

INVITATION FROM FATHER RALPH GOMAN Please join me in celebrating the 50th Anniversary of my ordination as a priest SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2013 at the 10:30am MASS St. John the Evangelist Campus of St. Gabriel Parish Reception will follow. If you are not able to be with us for this celebration, please pray for me and my classmates, and know that I pray for you always. Father Ralph Goman To help us plan for your attendance, please email goman50th@gmail.com this week.

ALTAR SERVER TRAINING

If your child is a 5th grader or older and would like to become an Altar Server please contact Deacon Darrel & Chris Branch at (952) 929-8695 or email sweetbranc@aol.com as soon as possible. We will schedule a time for training.

7. REDISCOVER: FAITH

Want to learn more about

your faith? Check out http://rediscover-faith.org/ for their large collection of answers to

questions of importance to all of us.

Here’s a sample of a short answer to the question:

How Should I Prepare for the Eucharist? http://rediscover.archspm.org/belonging/topic.php?id=7297

Registration is Now Open for

Rediscover:Catholic Celebration

2013 Rediscover: Catholic Celebration with Archbishop Nienstedt, Matthew Kelly, Fr. Robert Barron, and George Weigel

Saturday, October 12, 2013

$15

Register online today!*

Listen now: Matthew Kelly and Fr. Robert Barron invite you to join us for the 2013 Rediscover: Catholic Celebration on October 12. Event programming: 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

8. TWO FROM POPE FRANCIS

Papal Prayer Intentions for

September

General Intention: Value of Silence That people today, often overwhelmed by noise, may rediscover the value of

silence and listen to the voice of God and their brothers and sisters.

Mission Intention: Persecuted Christians That Christians suffering persecution in many parts of the world may by their

witness be prophets of Christ’s love.

Pope Francis Announces Day of Prayer & Fasting for Syria

Pope Francis is asking people to join him this weekend in a day of fasting for peace in Syria.

Francis invited people of all faiths to join him Saturday evening,

September 7, in St. Peter’s Square to invoke the “gift” of peace for

Syria, the rest of the Middle East and worldwide where there is

conflict.

Declaring “no more war,” Francis spoke to tens of thousands of

people gathered in the square on Sunday. He says the “world needs

to see gestures of peace and hear words of peace.” He says that

only dialogue, and not armed intervention, can end Syria’s civil war. The five-hour-long prayer

vigil in the square Saturday, September 7, will last until midnight. The AP release can be found

at Pope Announces Day of Fasting. The text of the Pope’s remarks can be found at Plea for

Peace.

9. GODLIKE THINKING: A One-Minute

Meditation

The answer to personality problems is found in a quiet return to Godlike thinking.

--Science of Mind magazine

When we're edgy and critical or perhaps feeling inadequate or depressed, we've lost our attunement with God. And when acting the way God would have us act is no longer our priority, our character defects once again emerge and, in time, grow ever more numerous. We can make the simple decision to always check out our proposed behavior against the behavior we know is from God. When we remember to think of God first before proceeding, we avoid unnecessary conflicts; we refrain from consciously hurting anyone; we manage to take our experiences restfully, moment by moment. There's really no mystery to having a rewarding and peaceful life. Those we notice who do have likely made a more frequent companion of God than we. The decision to work more on our own friendship with God is an easy one to make. I will act according to God's wishes today and, in the process, strengthen our friendship. You are reading an adaptation from the Hazelden book:

In God’s Care by Karen Casey

10. NEWS FROM

The August 30 edition:

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l0EPYrZ9Fsc_Z1u6TLQoQM3azIxrSdkB0qXadAKsNlW48DVn04Z_79yBILuTbU-

imsgCrGUi_t8QF_Nc0kk_YmdyCU3a9szn58ea-81-

VKyWx98w058U5DYS6IvWQoPLrxzfcATx2ABlWSvgYlt8HUVp4IlMlCPjEOh_alwQ%3D%3D

11. VIDEOS WITH A MESSAGE

IN EVERY AGE

(A “between Sundays” reflection from THE FIVE LOAVES.)

The scriptures tell us "Great crowds were traveling with Jesus." What were they seeking? As a

powerful teacher, Jesus captured their attention and opened their ears and eyes to the new

covenant.

We focus this week on Seeking the Teachings - the fourth of Five Spiritual Practices that

shaped the lives of the early disciples (Acts 2:42), and which animate our ministry at The Five

Loaves. Our visio divina features Janet Sullivan Whitaker's powerful setting of Psalm 90: In

Every Age:

In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.

In every age, you have been our hope.

7 minute video: http://www.thefiveloaves.com/

[The video changes each week, in preparation for the upcoming Sunday’s readings. In order to

see this particular video AFTER this Sunday, click the Playlist tab to view videos from previous

weeks.]

Kindergarteners Answer Questions

About God These children were given (without any preparation) a question to answer:

Who is God?

Their honest and faithful responses will warm your hearts and inspire you.

Watch this 4:30 minute video at Who is God?

Andrea Bocelli Sings Ave Maria Andrea Bocelli was blessed with a beautiful voice - a wonderful gift from

God.

Listen to him glorify God with this five (5) minute recording of Ave

Maria.

12. AWESOME ANIMAL PICTURES

Please go back to the original email to see this photo collage.