Ascension Church Tuesday Grades 7/8 Religious Education

Greetings everyone! The fully lit Advent wreath inside Ascension Church In our most recent class, nearing the celebration of Christ's Birth on Christmas Day, we took a closer look at Old Testament prophecies about the coming of the Messiah, which are specifically listed below my signature. Just as we wait for so many things throughout our livers, so the people of Israel waited for a long time for the coming of the Messiah, the Anointed One Who is our Savior. We are off from class on December 27 and January 3. During our break, as the Church, we will celebrate the Christmas Season, extending from Christmas Day, December 25, 2022, until January 9, 2023.  There are several feasts during this season, including Epiphany and the Baptism of the Lord, each of which is a celebration of how God revealed Himself to us through Christ.   We resume class on January 10, and the plan is to take a closer look at the revelations celebrated in those feasts. At the end of class this week, ev...

Advent Greetings Everyone! When we met this past Tuesday, we spent a little bit of time in class focusing on topics of Advent and Christmas, including special feasts that happen in December, like the joyful meaning of Gaudete Sunday (the Third Sunday of Advent), the Feast of La Virgen de Guadalupe, and the Feast of St. Lucy/Lucia. Then we went to the annual Religious Education Pageant. We meet once more, on December 20, before we go on break. The weekly activity is listening to an Advent Inspiration from Relevant Radio. These are 1-minute soundbites with a variety of topics about Advent and Christmas Seasons. Go to this link and play any of the soundbites. Then, in the form at this link , submit a reflection of at least 1 sentence about what stood out to you. This activity is due by class time on December 20. If you listen to all the soundbites, you can get extra credit.  If you choose this option, note that in your submission and then, in your reflection, share which one you like...

Advent Greetings Everyone! In our most recent class, we started class with Mary, the Blessed Mother, with the Feast of the Immaculate Conception this week on December 8. Next, I took time to share my story of faith in my life. Then, we considered Bishop Barron's insights into why God allows suffering, with a short clip from  this homily  by Bishop Barron in which he discusses why there is suffering in this world that God created.  From about 8:00-11:40, he tells a story about his dog when he was growing up.  It's a great story, and, parents, it's well worth your time to listen to the story in that segment. And then we learned more about the Trinity, which is the subject of chapter 6 in the green book, Christ Reveals God's Mystery. In celebration of the very special Feast day this week, the weekly activity is an opportunity for you to explore the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, in Washington, D.C.  (I highly recommend visiting there ...