Faith Activities

  Teresa Hartnett’s Inspirational Retreat Message Recently we had the pleasure of having Teresa Hartnett (M.R.E.), the Director of Family Ministry for the Diocese of Hamilton, join us to lead us in our first Advent Retreat for all parents across the province. As one of our pillars of OAPCE, we provide Faith formation to all our parents. We share this wonderful message from T. Hartnett to all: It was a joy to spend time with the many members of the OAPCE who joined together to share an Advent retreat and prepare for Christ’s coming at Christmas. The retreat was meant to let us all pause and remind ourselves of the reason for the season. Together, we took a brief period of time to spend some time with God during Advent. God sent his son to be with us, knowing he would pay the price for our sins and his sacrifice opened eternity with God for each of us. Christmas is a time to rejoice and show gratitude During the retreat, we reflected on the Holy Family, who, by example, model for every family how to live a life steeped in faith in God. Both Mary and Joseph said yes to God’s request to become active participants in Jesus’ life: Mary to carry him in her womb and Joseph to support both Mary and Jesus. From the start, they trusted in God’s plan and, despite times of fear and unknown, they continued to find joy in the birth of their son and his growth into childhood and eventually adulthood. They knew his purpose, but they focused on their faith in God and the joy they felt in being parents, like all of us, the first and foremost educators of the child Jesus. The gift of life we have each received is something to cherish during the Christmas season when we focus on the birth of Christ. We sometimes fail to see the gifts that first Christmas brought to us and continues to bring to us each time we celebrate. What are the gifts? Love – God created us to love and loves us. He taught us that love comes at a price, but it is a gift – it fills us and sustains us. Life – the gift given to us by God, who asks us to share it with others, and he gives us eternal life. Joy – God’s love and gift of life brings us joy and a sense of peace. All these gifts are given to us freely with no price, but are priceless. The decorations we use at Christmas are reminders of the original Christmas, yet we do not often make the connections. God’s LOVE is expressed at Christmas in our nativity scene, red bows, giving gifts, and serving one another. The gift of LIFE, which is now open to eternity, is expressed at Christmas in evergreen trees, wreaths, lights, and candles. The gift is JOY, a sense of well-being apart from life circumstances, expressed in music, angels, and bright colors. Take the time as you decorate and plug in the lights, as you sing and light candles to take a moment to thank God for these gifts of Christmas. To thank God for the gift of the Eucharist that continues to feed us and for the gift of eternity, which will be ours when we live with faith, trust and obedience to God, who loves us beyond measure, in the same way as Mary and Joseph. Merry Christmas to all!

Isaiah 9:6-7 A child is born to us! A son is given to us! And he will be our ruler. He will be called, “Wonderful Counselor,” “Mighty God,” “Eternal Father,” “Prince of Peace.” His royal power will continue to grow; his kingdom will always be at peace.   He will rule as King David’s successor, basing his power on right and justice,  from now until the end of time.  The Lord Almighty is determined to do all this. Christmas is a time that is filled with celebrations with family and friends. Getting caught up in the fun that Christmas and the holiday season brings can also mean that we can forget what it is all about: Christ. Check out these faith-based activities that will help ensure that your family prioritizes Jesus as the center of the most wonderful time of the year! CHARACTER CARDS: Create birthday cards for Jesus as a “gift” to Him. Brainstorm situations and actions that strengthen patience, love, self-control, forgiveness etc, and write these ideas on the cards. On Christmas Eve, place the cards in a stocking to be opened and shared by the family on Christmas morning. Each child can then celebrate the birth of Jesus in a personal way, becoming “doers” of the Word and growing in strength of character. NAMES OF JESUS STARS: Cut out stars from cardstock paper and write “Jesus” on each one. Then, write words that describe Jesus such as “Savior,” “Emmanuel,” and “Prince of Peace.” Use the stars to decorate the house to engage kids in remembering the character of Jesus. FINDING THE BABY JESUS: Set up a nativity scene. Hide the baby Jesus in various locations in the household and ask your kids to locate Jesus. As Christmas approaches, move the figure closer to the nativity scene. On Christmas morning, place the baby Jesus in the manger. THE CHRISTMAS CANDY CANE STORY: You will need: two red-and-white candy canes for each child. The Christmas Candy Cane Story: Say, “According to legend, a long time ago, a candymaker made the Christmas candy cane to tell the real Christmas story. He chose pure white candy for the virgin birth and to remind us that Jesus is sinless. He made the candy hard so it would remind us that Jesus is the solid rock and that all God’s promises are solid. The candymaker made the candy in the shape of a “J” to remind us of Jesus who came to Earth as a baby and became our Saviour. He added stripes. Real candy canes have stripes for the blood Jesus shed for us on the cross to give us eternal life.” Give out the two candy canes. Say: “Jesus came at Christmas to make a way for us to go to heaven to be with him forever. Keep one candy cane, and give the other one to someone else and share the story of the candy cane.”

March Break in Ontario is a time when families look forward to the possibility of a vacation to spend time in a warmer climate or just take a breather at home with a staycation. As Catholics, we are observing Lent and preparing for the blessings of Easter, and March Break is a great opportunity to continue to include faith as part of the week’s activities. If you are spending March Break with your family away from home: Wherever you are traveling, consider adding a visit to a shrine, cathedral, or other Catholic site to your itinerary. Search online to find a Catholic shrine or historic church near your vacation destination, and add it to your trip events. On your family’s trip, have faith-based music to listen to in the car or even on the beach! Invite the whole family to make up a playlist that contains both Christian and secular music. Pack faith-based books as well. Bless It—No matter where you eat, remember to bless your food. If you are spending March Break with your family at home: Put on a play based on a favorite Bible story—Read a story from the Bible to your kids, and have them dress up or put on a puppet show to bring it to life. Bring the Bible into the kitchen—Pick a story from the Bible that involves food and find a recipe that goes along with it. You can bake a loaf of bread (excellent with honey, a food item mentioned over 60 times in the Bible!). Get outside—Go for a walk or hike and be more aware of the beautiful creation that surrounds you. At this time of year, for example, there are many local maple syrup festivals happening, which is a great opportunity to see a maple syrup demonstration, taste some sweet treats, and thank God for our plentiful and giving forests.