December 6, 2022, Class Update: Mary, Faith, Trinity

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 the next time you are in the D.C. Metro Area.)

Please go to this website to go on a virtual tour.

There are many chapels inside this basilica.  Pick one, and then, at this link, write at least 1 sentence about what you noticed in the chapel.

You can get extra credit if you select and write about more than one chapel in your submission.

Some additional enhanced extra credit opportunities are listed below my signature.

Next week, on Tuesday, December 13, is the Religious Education community pageant.

We will start in class as usual at 6:45, and then go to the Pine Room at 7:15.

All 7th and 8th grade families are asked to bring a pack of juice boxes.

We meet again on December 20, our final class before Advent-Christmas-Epiphany Break.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions, etc.

God's blessings on the Advent Journey ahead.
We remain connected as One Church:
All my relations,

Paul

The exterior of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception



The Advent Wreath is getting brighter and brighter.

P.S. The opening prayer for class was the song "Be Born in Me" performed by Francesca Battistelli.



Our closing prayer was a prayer for the Virgin of Guadalupe, la Virgen, who appeared to San Juan Diego in Mexico in 1531.

Enhanced Extra Credit Opportunities:

Attend Evening Prayer at Ascension, held each week on Wednesday at 6:30 PM, about 30 minutes long.

Watch the archived video of the December monthly Taize prayer at Ascension.

Watch the livestream of Advent Vespers at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., at 3 PM CST on Sunday, December 4, and all Sunday of Advent.

A link to view is here, including a link to a program booklet.  It lasts about 30 minutes.  You may also view archived videos after it happens on the Shrine's YouTube channel--it starts after about 10-15 minutes in the video.

If you select one of these options, please go to this link to submit a reflection of at least 1 sentence about what stood out to you.

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

Introduction and Welcome to the New RE Year

Image
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 ...
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