Dear Annunciation Families,
We all are adjusting to the changes in our lives as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Both my husband and I were furloughed for nearly the past two months while our two daughters were considered part-time essential workers - one working at a grocery store and one at a dry cleaner. This was an interesting time for my husband and me, as we watched our daughters head out to work to face potential infection while we stayed home. Many families are experiencing dramatic changes in both their professional and personal lives. For some, this is a time of increased family closeness while for others it is a very isolating time and the uncertainty is causing a lot of anxiety for many (including myself). But, for the faithful, we have a Mighty God to turn to for support. Let us remember to...
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
Thankfully, my furlough has ended (my husband's has not) so I wanted to reach out and let you all know that even though I have been out of touch the past several weeks, you have all remained in my prayers. But not just mine, the entire parish staff has continued to pray for our families!
So, what about the rest of this year?
- All events on our calendar have been canceled. We do not know when we can meet again or when public Mass will resume.
- We hope that families will continue to work on their Family Formation packets. The May packets (as well as March and April packets for families that did not pick them up) are available in totes by the school gym door. Please stop by and grab your May packet! Our goal is NOT to overburden already stressed families. We hope you will find materials in these packets that are fun and spiritually fulfilling - not burdensome. It is up to you, the parent, to decide how much or how little you do together as a family. There are no grades, just spiritual enrichment.
- Family Formation families should still be working on their family scrapbooks. Can you imagine years from now looking through your scrapbook from 2019-2020? What a great way to document this time for your family. While our end of the year celebration is canceled, I hope to have a celebration as soon as it is safe, where we can share them.
- EDGE students, please continue to work on your online class. Many of you are finished... congratulations!!
- 1st Eucharist students, please be sure to complete the online retreat. Thanks to the 12 students that completed it already... nice work!! Here is the link if you still need to take it: https://forms.gle/qYecTQkXWVa6Ra6v8. Once that is done, it will simply be a waiting game until we can celebrate the Sacrament together. Most likely it will be re-scheduled in the fall, per diocesan recommendations.
- Confirmation (10th-grade students) please pull out your red Confirmation folder and make sure you are working on the requirements, as far as we know all of the requirements and dates are still accurate. If you cannot find it, CLICK HERE to print out a new one. Several of the requirements are simple and should take just a bit of research and writing (choosing your sponsor, picking a Saint Name, etc.) but some of the requirements will take planning ahead, especially getting a letter from your sponsor's home parish. Given everything that is happening, it would be in your best interest to get that piece done as soon as possible. Also, we will be more lenient with some of the service hour requirements. Just do your best, but know we will certainly understand if some hours will be difficult to get, especially for those of you who were counting on the parish picnic for hours.
- YDISCIPLE GROUPS (High School): Students should have attended a minimum of 10 classes this year. If you still have a couple left or just need to make up a missed session, you can do so by attending a Virtual Youth Group being hosted by Project YM Live every Sunday night from 8:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Simply log in to PROJECTYM.COM/WATCH. You will need a parent email to sign in. Then watch along and listen to engaging talks from national youth speakers, geared towards teens. Parents, feel free to watch along, too! Simply keep track of which dates you participated and what the topic of the talk was to get credit. Each Virtual Youth Group will replace 1 YDisciple Session. You must keep track of the dates and talk subjects for credit, your goal is to have "attended" a combination of 10 YD or Virtual Youth Group sessions over the course of the year, although you are more than welcome to continue to enjoy the Virtual Youth Group as long as you'd like. Please let your mentor (or Colton) know what sessions you attended virtually and what the topic was so they can update your attendance record and make sure you have at least 10.
During my time on furlough, I have tried to envision what next year will look like for us. What will change for our family program? Will the teens be able to continue to meet together in their small groups? Will we be able to have normal-size classes? What will the Sacraments look like (especially our 1st Eucharist and Confirmation students)? And, unfortunately, no one can answer these questions. Only time will tell.
I am also sure that regardless of what the official policy is, families will likely have very different comfort levels with social interactions. Some families may be ready to get back to "normal" while other families may still be hesitant in social situations.
Whatever we plan for next year, I promise to take into consideration the spectrum of feelings. I am sure that no single option will meet the wishes of every family but our program will strive to be flexible and offer options - both gathered and online - so families can participate in ways that they are comfortable with. What we can say about next year is that we hope to use the same resources we used this year (Family Formation, EDGE/Catechismclass, and YDisciple) - the only unknown is how we will deliver this to you (in person or online or a mix). Our goal is to support families, not overburden them. We want to be your happy place!
Thank you for your patience as we adapt and try out a variety of approaches, seeking to find the right balance as together we educate your children and address their social-emotional needs while trying to avoid making any of this too burdensome. Thank you for supporting this effort at home — we know that it has not been easy.
In Christ,
Melissa Weisenburg