Hello Faith Formation Families!

Happy Back to School Week! All you students and families and teachers out there are at the top of my prayer list this week!

Scroll on through this Flocknote for some back-to-school prayers and some reminders about this weekend's backpack blessing, next weekend's "Back in the Swing of Things" events, and registration information for this year's Faith Formation!

PRAYERS FOR A NEW SCHOOL YEAR

Here's a simple little prayer from the Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers book that you can use every day as your child heads off to school.

Place your hand on your child's head and say:

May the Lord bless you and keep you.

Amen.

May the Lord's face shine upon you,

and be gracious to you.

Amen.

May the Lord look upon you with kindness,

and give you peace.

Amen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Several years ago, I saved this blog post about praying for your children's friendships, and I've used it and shared it many times since then. I think we all worry to some degree or another about our children's friendships, so as we embark on this new school year, let's all take a moment to pray for these intentions.

5 Ways to Pray for Your Kids' Friendships

BACKPACK BLESSING

THIS WEEKEND!

Students of all ages, and teachers, too! Bring your backpacks to Mass THIS WEEKEND for a special backpack blessing, and take home one of our cool backpack tags! And while our backpacks are being blessed, let's take a moment to bless others! Bring in a school supply or two to share with a child in need!

FAITH FORMATION:

"THE BIG REVEAL"

It's coming...

Join us in the Parish Center on Sunday mornings from 9:45-10:45 (between the masses).

PreK and kindergarten classes follow a program based on the Sunday lectionary cycle, exploring the weekly gospel through song, art, drama, and dress-up.

First and second graders meet in individual classes and use the Loyola Press Finding God series as the foundation for reception of the sacraments in second grade.

Third, fourth, and fifth graders meet all together in a large group, exploring God's Big Reveal and how they can grow in their faith.

MASKS

At Blessed Sacrament, we follow the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services guidelines for Coronavirus recommendations to keep our children and parishioners safe.

As of July 2021, with the recent surge of Delta variant Coronavirus cases, MDHHS and the CDC are recommending “universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status.” Therefore, as we begin our Faith Formation year, we will be requiring all catechists, aides, and students in our programs to wear masks while indoors, whether or not they have been vaccinated. We appreciate your understanding, and we ask for your prayers as we continue into another unusual year!

REGISTRATION

You have lots of ways to register for Faith Formation for 2021-2022!

1. Return the pre-filled form you received in the mail (for those registered in 2019-2020)

2. Saturday, August 28, 6:00, at the Faith Formation table at "Back in the Swing of Things."

3. Sunday, August 29, 9:00-1:00, at the Faith Formation table at "Coffee and Donuts"

4. On the parish website

Click here to register on the parish website!

VOLUNTEER

We need volunteers to make it all happen! Is God calling you to this important ministry? We're on the lookout for volunteers to serve as:

1. Catechists and catechist aides for grades PreK-2

2. Table leaders and assistants for grades 3-5

3. Substitute catechists and table leaders

Training will be provided for all volunteer roles.

Do you have another talent you would like to share? Let me know!

BACK IN THE SWING OF THINGS

Join us after 5:00 Mass on August 28 for a "Back in the Swing of Things" picnic! The Faith Formation team will have a table set up with registration materials, and we'll be happy to answer any questions for you about the upcoming Faith Formation year.

If you're a golfer, sign up for Blessed Sacrament's first ever golf event on Sunday afternoon, 8/29. Check out the parish website for more details.

Peace and joy to you as you begin this new school year this week!

Corinne

corinnec@blessed-midland.org