MONTHLY HOME ACTIVITY |
Hello faith formation families and parishioners! The family activity is for all grades Pre-K through 10th and is open to all parish members. We invite you to share your finished activity photos with us by email at reo@sjbrh.org. By sharing your photos with us, you give permission for us to post photos on our website, and social media pages.
APRIL 2021 ACTIVITY- Creating a Paschal Candle: Easter April 4, 2021
Creating A Paschal Candle
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The Paschal candle represents Christ, the Light of the World. The pure beeswax of which the candle is made represents the sinless Christ who was formed in the womb of His Mother. The wick signifies His humanity, the flame, His Divine Nature, both soul and body.
Five grains of incense inserted into the candle in the form of a cross recall the aromatic spices with which His Sacred Body was prepared for the tomb, and of the five wounds in His hands, feet, and side. During the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday night the priest or deacon carries the candle in procession into the dark church. A new fire, symbolizing our eternal life in Christ, is kindled which lights the candle. The candle, representing Christ himself, is blessed by the priest who then inscribes in it a cross, the first letters and last of the Greek alphabet, (Alpha and Omega `the beginning and the end') and the current year, as he chants the prayer below; then affixes the five grains of incense. The Easter candle is lighted each day during Mass throughout the Paschal season until Ascension Thursday. |
The Paschal Candle ExplainedNote to families: Below are two options for creating a Paschal candle. You can chose either one or both. The goal is to work together as a family and share in this special time of Easter. Enjoy! |
OPTION 1
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Suggested Supplies:
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Instructions:
1. Using your scissors, cut your fabric to size. It should wrap once around the candle jar. Hot glue gun the fabric to the jar. 2. Create your cross design using buttons, sequins, gems or whatever inspires you. We used buttons from our stash. Glue buttons, etc. onto the candle jar. DONE! |
OPTION 2
OPTION 2
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Suggested Supplies:
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Instructions:
1. Using your scissors, cut your fabric to size. It should wrap once around the candle jar. Hot glue gun the fabric to the jar. 2. Create your cross design using buttons, sequins, gems or whatever inspires you. We used buttons from our stash. Glue buttons, etc. onto the candle jar. DONE! |
MARCH 2021 ACTIVITY- LENT IN A BAG
Lent In A Bag!
The Goal: To collect six (6) small items, noted below, and place in a bag (cloth, paper, or zip lock) to be used as symbols to focus, at home, on individual, family or group prayer and conversations during the Season of Lent.
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In the recent packet of Lenten materials that you picked up from church, you received a white paper bag with a picture of a cross on the front. This is your Lent in a Bag! You can color and decorate the bag anyway you want. You will be collecting symbols of the season of Lent to put in your bag to help you have prayer and discussion about what the symbols represent. The symbols are listed under the picture to the right of the page. You can find these items at home, outside, hand-made, borrow, etc.
Each symbol represents something to think and pray about during Lent and will help to bring you closer to Jesus. Choose to pray with other people or on your own and pick one of the items out of the bag each week for reflection as you make your way through the season of lent. Lent is a time to connect with God in special ways, through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving (being of service). May these prayer items encourage you to deepen your relationship with God: and remember you can connect with God, anywhere, anytime! Have fun! |
The 6 symbols you will be collecting are as follows:
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Descriptions of the Lent Symbols
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FEBRUARY 2021 ACTIVITY- PREPARING A FAMILY PRAYER CENTER
The Goal: To create a warm, inviting, and quiet place to pray individually and as a family.
- A Lenten Prayer Space (read passage)
- Creating a Family Prayer Center (watch video with Kelly Henderschedt, Director of Catechesis for Archdiocese of Hartford)
A Family Prayer Center
For the month of February, we will be preparing a Family Prayer Center, which is a quite and special place to pray, individually or as a family during the lenten season. February 17, 2021 begins lent, which is a special time in our faith. Some items that you may want to put on your prayer table are;
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All photos with children have been posted to our website with the permission of parents and/or legal guardians.
The Thankful Pumpkin Home Activity
The Christmas Manger Home Activity
Creating a Family Cross
Home Activity February 2021-Creating a Family Prayer Center
March Activity - Lent In a Bag
April Activity - Making a Paschal Candle
Archived Home Activity By Month
November Activity - The Thankful Pumpkin!
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Let us start a new family tradition that will teach your kids about thankfulness. Every night for the month of November, gather as a family, and add a message, passage, name, or prayer on your Thankful Pumpkin! It can be a real pumpkin, a personal hand-crafted pumpkin, or non-perishable store bought pumpkin.
Remember, family can be mom, dad, aunt, uncle, grandparents, cousins, god-parents and grown-ups! Be creative and have fun! You will have a beautiful, thoughtful Thanksgiving decoration! Scroll down to view completed activity photos. |
Say A Prayer At Thanksgiving Dinner
A Prayer of Thanksgiving and Gratitude
by Gretchen Filz
Father in Heaven, Creator of all, and source of all goodness and love, please look kindly upon us and receive our heartfelt gratitude in this time of giving thanks. Thank you for all the graces and blessings you have bestowed upon us, spiritual and temporal: our faith and religious heritage, our food and shelter, our health, the love we have for one another, our family and friends. Dear Father, in Your infinite generosity, please grant us continued graces and blessing throughout the coming year. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
Amen.
A Prayer of Thanksgiving and Gratitude
by Gretchen Filz
Father in Heaven, Creator of all, and source of all goodness and love, please look kindly upon us and receive our heartfelt gratitude in this time of giving thanks. Thank you for all the graces and blessings you have bestowed upon us, spiritual and temporal: our faith and religious heritage, our food and shelter, our health, the love we have for one another, our family and friends. Dear Father, in Your infinite generosity, please grant us continued graces and blessing throughout the coming year. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
Amen.
DECEMBER ACTIVITY- THE CHRISTMAS MANGER & ADVENT WREATH
THE GOAL: MAKE A HOME-MADE NATIVITY SET FROM SCRATCH
The Christmas Manger Activity
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A Christmas Manger is a tradition that focuses on preparing for Jesus' birth through acts of kindness and service to others. During Advent, a piece of straw (or other material like hay, yarn, paper, ribbon, etc...) is placed in the manger for each kind deed or act of service performed. You can use your existing manger from your family's creche, make a simple crib, or use a coloring page to color or glue on. On Christmas Day, the Baby Jesus is placed in the manger, cradled by your family's love and kindness. As your family works together to serve others, your hearts and home will be filled with Christmas joy, hope and faith.
NOTE: Please find items around your home (construction paper, glue, toothpicks, etc.), or outside (branches, sticks, leaves) to build your manger and baby Jesus; we do not want families to incur any cost. |
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Listen to the Video: The Giving Manger Audio Book Read
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Mrs. Lori Gosselin, our Prek-1 Faith Formation teacher reads us the book "The Giving Manger", which is what our December monthly activity is based upon. Please watch with your children and enjoy during this special Advent season.
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HOME ADVENT RESOURCES AND ADDITIONAL ACTIVITY (Optional)
WEEK 1 HOPE
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WEEK 2 LOVE
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WEEK 3 JOY
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WEEK 4 PEACE
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Beginning the Church's liturgical year, Advent (from, "ad-venire" in Latin or "to come to") is the season encompassing the four Sundays (and weekdays) leading up to the celebration of Christmas.
The Advent season is a time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds to Christ’s second coming at the end of time and also to the anniversary of the Lord’s birth on Christmas. The final days of Advent, from December 17 to December 24, focus particularly on our preparation for the celebrations of the Nativity of our Lord (Christmas). Advent devotions including the Advent wreath, remind us of the meaning of the season. The Advent calendar below can help you fully enter in to the season with daily activity and prayer suggestions to prepare you spiritually for the birth of Jesus Christ.
The Advent season is a time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds to Christ’s second coming at the end of time and also to the anniversary of the Lord’s birth on Christmas. The final days of Advent, from December 17 to December 24, focus particularly on our preparation for the celebrations of the Nativity of our Lord (Christmas). Advent devotions including the Advent wreath, remind us of the meaning of the season. The Advent calendar below can help you fully enter in to the season with daily activity and prayer suggestions to prepare you spiritually for the birth of Jesus Christ.
Advent Wreath-The Path to Christmas
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JANUARY 2021 ACTIVITY- CREATING A FAMILY CROSS
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The Goal: Create a home-made cross as a family to display in a special place.
To begin our journey this month, we will be creating a Family Cross as our Home Activity. The cross is a powerful and immediately recognizable symbol of our Catholic faith and Christianity. Crosses are in our churches, in our homes and the homes of our family members, in books and movies and even around our necks as jewelry! We encourage you to share with your children the stories about the crosses in your home and in your family so they can learn about the faith shared as a gift or special family treasure.
When creating your Family Cross, we ask you to make it meaningful and personal for your family. Use the special talents of those around you, like wood working, drawing, painting. sewing or arts & crafts. Include special symbols of meaningful traditions, events, vacations, or relatives. Make it as simple or elaborate as you like. But most importantly, be sure each person in your family works together and provides input into the finished product so it has meaning for everyone in your family.
As in previous months, please take a picture of your Family Cross. Please submit your pictures to your child's catechist or to reo@sjbrh.org to be included in our monthly photo collage. The following pictures and items listed below can be used as a guide and for inspiration.
When creating your Family Cross, we ask you to make it meaningful and personal for your family. Use the special talents of those around you, like wood working, drawing, painting. sewing or arts & crafts. Include special symbols of meaningful traditions, events, vacations, or relatives. Make it as simple or elaborate as you like. But most importantly, be sure each person in your family works together and provides input into the finished product so it has meaning for everyone in your family.
As in previous months, please take a picture of your Family Cross. Please submit your pictures to your child's catechist or to reo@sjbrh.org to be included in our monthly photo collage. The following pictures and items listed below can be used as a guide and for inspiration.
The Story of the Cross
Please watch the video below called The Story of the Cross that teaches the importance of the cross in our Catholic faith. Enjoy learning this song with your children!
The archived home activity is separated by each month's activity. It provides the description and outline of what the family activity was for that particular month so if a student wasn't able to complete it at that time, they have the option to use this archive to find the class and complete the home activity.