Introduction and Welcome to the New RE Year

Greetings Students and Families!



I am Paul Rubio, the catechist-teacher for the combined grades 7 and 8 Religious Education (RE) class for the 2022-23 RE year on Tuesday evenings.

 I am excited to welcome you to this new year.

I am a long-time Ascension parishioner, since about 2000, after attending St. Giles Family Mass Community for several years.  I attended Ascension’s RE program as a student during grades 7 and 8.  I am now starting my 10th year as a middle school RE teacher.  I am a lifelong Oak Parker, having lived here for 30 years, as of this coming November.  While growing up in Oak Park, I attended local public schools: I am Irving Class of 2002, Julian Class of 2005, and OPRFHS Class of 2009.

I graduated in May 2016 with a Master's degree in Library and Information Science from Dominican University.  After working at the Oak Park Public Library for nearly 2 ½ years, I started my current job as a cataloger in the Technical Services department at the Orland Park Public Library.  I feel my work as a librarian aligns well with that of being a catechist, since in both positions, I am helping people find the knowledge they need to live fully.

I lector and serve as Eucharistic minister at Mass.  I also am a Knight of Columbus in Ascension's Council, and I was part of the charter group when the Council started in August 2018.  (Dads, if you’re interested in joining this prestigious group, it’s easier than ever.  Please feel free to contact me for more info.)

I will use this website to post information about class and include links to resources.  It will also include information about activities to do outside of class time.  I will update it after every class, usually once a week.  I will notify the parents each time there is an update.  Please be sure to share with your daughter/son.

Parents, regarding attendance, if your daughter/son will be absent from class, please notify me as far in advance as possible via the e-mail I used to send you the link to this website.  I usually check my e-mail before class, so if you send me an attendance-related message, I can guarantee I will see it if you send it before 5:30 PM on Tuesday.  I will do my best to respond and acknowledge your e-mail messages before class about attendance-related matters.

If circumstances arise and prevent your daughter/son from attending class regularly, please don't hesitate to reach out to me and we can make arrangements to help your daughter/son still stay connected to class.

If your daughter/son is absent, s/he should visit the updates on this website to stay aware of what's happening in class.

We are planning to have a high schooler named Gabby join us as our class aide.

I am eager to meet everyone in our first class on September 13, and accompany your daughters and sons on their faith journey in the coming months to Confirmation and beyond.

God’s blessings,
Paul Rubio



A fun fact about me is that I thoroughly enjoy traveling the USA, especially onboard Amtrak trains--and I aim to connect my travels to what we learn about faith in class this year.  

My Dad took the above photo of me during a family vacation to the Washington, D.C. area. where my brother and his wife live with their dog.  In the photo, I'm at the View of DC in Arlington, almost 30 floors up.  Just to the right of my left shoulder, off in the distance is my favorite place in the world to visit: the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, marked by a dome and a tower.  I highly recommend visiting there whenever you're in the DC area.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

January 17, 2023, Class Update: Social Justice and Living Faith

Image
Greetings everyone! In our most recent class, we started by reflecting on the life and legacy of Pastor Martin Luther King, Jr. And we also reflected on what it means to be a disciple, a follower, of Jesus Christ. Then, we had a very special guest star join us, my uncle, Bernie Rupe.  He is the executive director of Chicago Voyagers , a not-for-profit organization that helps inner-city youth from troubled homes and neighborhoods by taking them on nature outings. My Uncle Bernie shared about what CV does in meeting the needs of the youth they serve.  He also discussed what social justice is. The big takeaway from class is that Christ has brought light into our world and into our lives.  We're called to share that Light with others. For this week, there is nothing to submit for the activity.  Instead, everyone got to take home two items: The first is a slip of paper with the traditional Epiphany household blessing: 20 + C + M + B + 23 Please tape it up somewhere to re...
Read more

September 13, 2022: 1st Class Update: The Journey and the Ocean

Image
Greetings everyone! It was great to gather for our first class this past week. Thanks to Bill Wilson who's serving as our class aide while we wait for Gabby to join us as our aide, scheduled for next month. To recap, we gathered with all the other students in the Pine Room, and Mrs. Monaco led a prayer of blessing over our books.  Then, in our classroom, we had the chance to get to know one another. I played this music video of " Baba Yetu ", which is the Lord's Prayer in Swahili, which I heard at the Baccalaureate Service on the morning I graduated from college. One major point I emphasized is that even though God is mysterious and hard to take in, like the ocean, He reveals Himself to us in various ways so that we can get to know Him:  It's like He gives us floating devices so we can swim in the ocean.  I, as your catchiest, have the role of teaching you how to swim.   Throughout our journey, our faith helps us see how God is all around us, beyond our time at Ma...
Read more