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SEPTEMBER 2015 edition of The Domestic Church publication
Send E-mails to: struchan@diokzoo.org
 
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'Outside of God nothing is durable. We exchange life for death, health for sickness, honor for shame, riches for poverty. All things change and pass away.' - St. Catherine of Siena
 

18 Questions to Ask on Back to School Night

     Students heading to school this year may be the most technically savvy, media-aware bunch ever. YouTube, Minecraft, and even MythBusters are being used to engage kids in class, while Instagram, WhatsApp, and Netflix occupy kids at home. Not only that, Common Core standards requiring the use of technology in the classroom are being implemented across the U.S. This year at Back to School Night, it’s a good bet that media and technology -- both in and out of school -- will be hot topics.

     How will your kids' schools use technology to teach, motivate, and promote digital citizenship? There's only one way to find out: Ask! Of course, you only get so much time with the teacher and administrators on Back to School Night, so here's how to find out what you need to know, whether you have five, 10, or 15 minutes.

Read more at Common Sense link: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/18-questions-to-ask-on-back-to-school-night

"Chastity can only be thought of in association with the virtue of love."
- St. Pope John Paul II

What is God's intention for marriage?

Then the LORD God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him." Gen 2:18 (ESV) Just as the Triune God dwells in eternal community with himself, so too he created mankind to live in community. This community was first expressed in the marital relationship of Adam and Eve. God designed marriage as a covenantal relationship that reflects his nature to the world (expressed in the unity of both the masculine and the feminine) and as a way to complete or to cover the weaknesses of each gender. God also designed marriage for our enjoyment, as a means to make us holy and as the vehicle by which the human race is continued through child-bearing. In the New Testament, we see another layer added: marriage is a representation of Christ's loving relationship with the Church (Ephesians 5:22-33)
 

     "Through work, the family is cared for and children are provided with a dignified life. So too the common good is served, as witnessed by the example of so many fathers and mothers who teach their children the value of work for family life and society. The Scriptures speak of this in the Holy Family, describing Jesus as the son of a carpenter and a carpenter himself.

     As Christians we know that work and the spiritual life are not opposed, but in harmony, as work expresses the dignity of the person, created in God’s image. When we engage in work, we share in creation by caring for the earth and cultivating it. If, however, we reduce work to profit and disregard its effects on humanity and the world, the environment and our lives suffer. This especially hurts the poor and families. God has given Christian families the challenge and mission to make present the foundations of his creation: a true understanding of the identity of man and woman and the bond they share, their call to bring children into the world, and the gift of work in making the world ever more fruitful and hospitable.

     May God help us to embrace this call in joy and hope, especially admist the many challenges we face today."
Reference: General audience with Pope Francis on Family Life - Work - August 19th 

Are you a widower?
Join other widowed men for a night of fellowship and discussion on how to start a support group for widowed men in your parish and community...
DATE: Wednesday, September 9, 2015
TIME: 7 to 8:30 pm
LOCATION: Crowley Center (by St. Augustine Cathedral)

Questions? Please call Fr. Don Klingler at 269-254-8138 or Socorro at 269-903-0199

 

September 15, 2015 - February 15, 2016

The Diocese of Kalamazoo in collaboration with the Knights of Columbus, invite students grades 4th—12th to submit original art, prose, poetry, musical compositions and videos; all reflecting the theme “The Merciful Family ”.

The work should display their God-given talents and convey how we live our call to be merciful within our families and in our communities.

We will accept works from students in Catholic schools, public schools and home schools (who attend faith-formation catechetical classes).
Following are the contest rules:

- Contest Criteria

- Contest Cover Sheet

- Contest Bilingual Flyer

Send in entries between September 15, 2015 and February 15, 2016 to be eligible for a number of great prizes.

Mail to: National Student Contest, Diocese of Kalamazoo, 215 N. Westnedge Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI 49007
Questions? write to Socorro at struchan@diokzoo.org

O My God,
When I look into the future, I am frightened,
But why plunge into the future?
Only the present moment is precious to me,
As the future may never enter my soul at all.

It is no longer in my power to change, correct or add to the past;
For neither sages nor prophets could do that.
And so what the past has embraced I must entrust to God.

O present moment, you belong to me, whole and entire.
I desire to use you as best I can.
And although I am weak and small,
You grant me the grace of Your omnipotence.

And so, trusting in Your mercy,
I walk through life like a little child,
Offering You each day this heart
Burning with love for Your greater Glory.

From St. Faustina's Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul, Notebook 1 (1)
 

Celebrating Families in Kalamazoo
For families who will not be attending the WMF in Philadelphia in September 2015...we are excited to be gathering with +Bishop Bradley, and joining together with a Diocese of Kalamazoo celebration.
EVERYONE is INVITED!!!
Saturday, September 26, 2015
MASS with +Bishop Bradley at 9:15 am - followed by songs of praise, praying the Rosary as families, and a live-stream presentation of Pope Francis as he visits the United States

LOCATION: St. Catherine of Siena Church

(1150 W Centre Ave, Portage, MI 49024)
COST: FREE
 
For more information, please contact Socorro Truchan via phone: 269-903-0199 or email: struchan@diokzoo.org
As images of God, married couples are to "be fruitful and multiply." (See Gen. 1:28.) Created in God's image and likeness, we are called to act as God acts. In other words, we are called to love as God loves. But before we can love as God loves, we need to know how He loves. Christ shows us how God loves because Christ is God and He came to reveal how God loves.

The Domestic Church Newsletter SPANISH edition is now available! A wonderful resource for Spanish-speaking (reading) families. To subscribe please contact Socorro at 269-903-0199 or via e-mail struchan@diokzoo.org
 

Joy Filled Marriage Weekends for the Engaged for 2016
 
 We are excited to announce the 2016 schedule for this new marriage preparation program in the Diocese of Kalamazoo. Please visit the website to view the dates in 2016. The weekends with registration openings in 2015 are September 19-20, and November 14-15. To register for a weekend, please visit our website here: http://www.diokzoo.org/marriage-preparation or contact Socorro at: struchan@diokzoo.org via phone at: 269-903-0199
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