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Resources for Parents/Guardians
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Theme for 2024-25:
Resilience: Growing our Roots of Faith
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Programs and Support
Family Times Newsletter: Monthly newsletter with articles, links, family activities, and news on upcoming events. It is delivered via email or hard copies in the church vestibule.
Family Center: Located in corner of the church vestibule, the center has Mass bags, books and coloring pages for young children to use during the liturgy. In addition, there are children's bulletins for older kids and other family resources!
Children's Bulletins: Stories and activities related to the readings of the week as well as announcements. New issues each week. Available in the Family Center.
Children's Faith Formation: OLG school children receive faith formation in their school curriculum. For those attending public schools we offer Sunday morning small groups for children 4 years old through 6th grade. For seventh graders and older, see our youth ministry programs. For details on our Sunday morning program, see below.
Family Faith Sundays: Families with children in kindergarten through fourth grade explore their faith together through whole group and individual family activities. Older and younger children are welcome and often find the activities meaningful as well. Sessions are held the first Sunday of the month October through May. (Due to Thanksgiving weekend, December's session will be the 8th this year.)
Family Focused Liturgy: On Family Faith Sunday datesChildren's Liturgy of the Word: During the 11:00 Mass, children ages 5-10 are invited to hear and discuss the readings of the day on their level. Children sit in the front pew at the beginning of Mass and are dismissed by Father. They process with their adult leaders to the Juan Diego room and return to sit with their families at the offertory.
Young Families Gatherings: Families with young children gather together for social events with time to learn and share parenting ideas for growing faith as a family.
Lending Library: Books are available for children, for families, and for adults in the library in the church vestibule.
Parenting Support Workshops/Information: Raising a child/children is often the best hardest thing we do. This year we are offering support through in-person, online, and asynchronous workshops. More details will be posted soon.
Reflecting on the Word as a Family: Check this webpage for weekly links to ways to read and talk about the weekly readings.
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Sunday Morning Children's Groups and Familiy Faith Sundays
Sunday morning small groups for children 4 years old through 6th grade focus on building hearts and minds of faith through whole group activities and small groups. We meet in the School Hall (9:30-9:45 gathering and Bible videos; 9:45 official start). OLG School children receive this instruction during their school day but are welcome if they would like to participate. For seventh graders and older, see our youth ministry programs. Click these links for our calendar and to register.
Registration New Families Registration Returning Families
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Family times: monthly Family Newsletter
Family Times at OLG is our monthly newsletter designed to offer parents and guardians fun activities that relate to our Catholic faith, the readings for the month and an overview of the activities from Family Faith Sunday, which meets once a month. To receive our newsletter electronically, please contact Molly Berger [email protected]
CLICK HERE for this month's Family Times at OLG
CLICK HERE for past issues
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Reflecting on the Word as a Family
Taking time to reflect on the Sunday readings as a family is a way to bring the Liturgy into our daily lives. Loyola Press gives wonderful insight on the readings for the family.
Sunday Connection | Loyola Press
Consider also discussing these simple questions with your children.- What? Clarify what is happening and said in the readings.
- So what? Why is this important in our lives as a family and as individuals?
- Now what? What message do the readings give us for how we should live our faith?
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Family Activities, Prayers, Mass materials and more!
Download materials from our programs!
Find additional ideas for faith and family on our Families Sharing Ideas site.
http://bit.ly/OLGFamilies
The Mass: Mass Booklet; Mass Card, What's on the Altar?; Actions of the Mass; The First Eucharist and Eucharist Past and Present; Listening and Participating, Why We Sing; Liturgical Scavenger Hunt
Respect for Life Discussion Guide
Learning to Pray from the Our Father
Learning about Prayer-Types of Prayer
Scripture Connections on Prayer
OLG Family on the Road
Create a Family Media Plan
Learning from the Life of Mary
Five Fingers of Prayer
Confirmation
Fifty Ways to Pray
Lenten Action Cards
Marian Treasure Hunt
Mary Says "Yes" to God
Fourth of July: American Saints
Advent Actions Handout -
Our mission is to “work in partnership with parents/guardians to create an atmosphere of Catholic Christian values that permeates home, church, and community for all children in our parish, broadening our outreach beyond OLG School. We develop and support a variety of programs and activities that help to deepen our children’s relationship with Jesus Christ and the Church, to strengthen our families, and to provide opportunities to serve others.” Parent/Guardian support and partnership is essential not only to the success of our programs, but more importantly, to your child’s faith life. The Second Vatican Council taught, “Since parents have conferred life on their children, they have a most solemn obligation to educate their offspring. Hence, parents must be acknowledged as the first and foremost educators of their children.” Our parish is committed to bring our best efforts and resources to assist you in this most important task.