Catching up post: Our Last Supper Paraliturgy on Palm Sunday

Hi everyone,

I'm catching up with some blog updates that I missed earlier in the year.  Want to share as much information and photos as possible with our parents!

This post is about our Last Supper Paraliturgy, which we held with the children on Palm Sunday (March 20, 2016). 

We (parents, children, catechists and junior helpers) met in our room number 1, outside the PAR, and each child was given a name tag that listed the name of  one of Jesus' disciples.  They will play the role of Jesus' disciples at our Last Supper Paraliturgy later.  Each child also collected the paper hand "palms" they made last week, which will they will carry during our procession.  Father Gabriel blessed the palms in the PAR and all of the congregation began processing out of the PAR, around the school building and into the narthex of the church.  Our group followed the rest of the congregation in the procession.  Here are a few photos of the children getting ready for the procession, and then processing out of the PAR and into the church. (Remember, the names you see are NOT the children's actual names, but the name of the disciple they will play during our paraliturgy.)

 Here are the children processing outside.

 After we left the parents in the church, we went back down to the atrium and sang songs, while I worked with our junior helpers to practice for our Last Supper paraliturgy.  We set up room 3 with a low table covered with a white tablecloth, and a side table held a paten, matzo bread, chalice, grape juice, candles, and crucifix.  The room was dark except for one lamp -- was trying to recreate the atmosphere that it might have been in the Cenacle, where Jesus held the last supper. 

After the junior helpers had rehearsed their parts, we brought all the children into room 3 and I explained to the children what they saw in the room and what they were about to see.   Then our junior helpers acted out the Last Supper:

- Lizzie and Jenny were our narrators, telling the story
- Patrick was Jesus
- Calista and Maria were Peter and John
- Anna was an additional helper (Mary Magdalene)

Lizzie and Jenny shared how Jesus (played by Patrick) called Peter and John (Calista and Maria), and asked them to find the special room and prepare it for their special meal.  So Peter and John went to the far side of the room and set up the table with the paten, matzo, chalice, grape juice and towel.  Then they returned to Jesus, and Lizzie and Jenny told how in the evening Jesus and his followers returned to the special room.  They moved to the table, then I invited the children to sit around the table too.   Jesus said "This is My Body" and the paten with matzo was passed around.  Each child broke off a small piece and handed it to the next child until everyone had a piece.  Then Jesus said "This is My Blood" and sipped from the chalice filled with grape juice, then demonstrated how to use the towel to wipe it off before passing it on to the next person.  And it was passed around to every child.  They had the option to sip or just pretend to sip, wipe it off and then pass it on. 

After this, Jesus, Peter and John and Mary Magdalene left singing "Amen".  Then I said to the children.  "So Jesus celebrated this special meal with his followers and friends, and then went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray.  But the story wasn't over then.  The next day, He died."  (I put a crucifix on the table where Jesus was sitting.)  But that isn't the end of the story, because in three days He rose from the dead."  (I light two candles and put them on the table near the crucifix.)   I gave them a few minutes to ponder this and to watch the flame of the candles, and then we sang "Amen" and processed into the other room for snack time.

I wish I had photos of this!  Perhaps next year.  I hesitate to take photos during the paraliturgy as it may distract the children from the solemn, meditative environment. But perhaps I can capture some photos with the children around the low table after the event next year.

 It was such a wonderful experience -- the children's intense concentration during the "This is My Body" and "This is My Blood," and their quietness as they passed around the bread and wine to share with each other.     When they see this in church, it will now begin to mean much more to them.   The careful way they held the paten and sipped from the chalice -- they've seen all of you do that many times when you go to communion!   This is such a deeply moving experience.  Even our antsy kids sit still during most of this paraliturgy!

And THANK YOU to our junior helpers -- Lizzie, Jenny, Patrick, Maria, Calista and Anna -- who did a MARVELOUS job acting out this special last supper that Jesus held with his apostles!   (Parents of junior helpers -- will you give your children my HUGE thanks and let them know how proud I am of them.  They really made this moment real for the children!)

Afterwards, I asked a few children if we should do this every year, and they enthusiastically said "YES!"   Please feel free to drop me a note with anything your child shares about this paraliturgy, and if you feel it affected them in a deep way.  Sometimes it may not be obvious at first, but with time...

Our last CGS session for the year this Sunday! Please turn in your registrations for next year!

Hi everyone,

My surgeon has given me the "okay" to go ahead and slowly resume normal activities (except no lifting for four weeks).  Yeah!  I'm feeling more energetic these days too Just in time to celebrate our Pentecost Paraliturgy!

Hard to believe that this Sunday is our last CGS session for the year!  I'm sure the catechists and junior helpers will agree with me when I say that the year flew by!  We all enjoyed getting to know your children and working with them as they build a personal relationship with the Good Shepherd!

REGISTRATION FOR NEXT YEAR DUE THIS SUNDAY

IMPORTANT -- if you plan to register for CGS next year, please turn in your registration forms THIS SUNDAY if you have not yet!  I am giving first priority to current families.  I have limited space so want to make sure that any existing family who would like to continue the program next year, gets into the program.   After this Sunday, I will begin promoting the program to the entire parish and open the program up to others who were not able to participate this year.  So after Sunday, it becomes "first come, first served."  Please avoid disappointment by getting your registrations in on Sunday!   We have registrations forms at the check in table if you don't have a copy of the packet I emailed to you a few weeks ago.  Last year, I had to turn away families since we had reached capacity.

Incidentally, wanted to emphasize that if the tuition fee will be a hardship for you, please don't let that hold you back.   I will work with you; just drop me a note.  I want to give as many children as possible the chance to experience this wonderful program (within the capacity of the room and availability of catechists and materials).  The fees are slightly higher this year because I am applying those funds to pay for training for catechists who would like to continue with the program.  (To become a catechist with this program, you need to take a 90 hour training course, which can be expensive.  So I'm hoping to pay the course fees for those who would like to become a CGS catechist here at SJA.)  Everyone who works with this program is a volunteer and no one is paid; thought that paying for their training would be a way to say "thank you" for giving up their Sundays to bring this program to SJA's preschoolers.

THIS SUNDAY'S AGENDA
This Sunday, we will be celebrating a "Pentecost Paraliturgy."   It is a very symbolic ceremony that helps the children understand what happened after Jesus died, rose from the dead, and ascended to heaven, and how He sent the Holy Spirit to help the apostles spread the good news.  We talk about the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the children have an opportunity to  pick a gift of the Holy Spirit.  We light 7 tapers and each one is designated a gift (piety, fortitude, etc.)  The children pick one that they would like to receive for the year, then we light a votive candle from the appropriate taper.  In the end, the prayer table area is filled with beautiful red flickering votives.  It is so beautiful and meaningful! Any parents that would like to participate in this are welcome to do so (although you will miss Mass.) 

After Mass, we're looking into having donuts, juice and coffee for all the parents and children in the open part of the PAR.  Margaret McConnell is working on this.  If you can help her with donut, juice donations, etc., or in setting up, please contact her at margaret.mcconnell@yahoo.com   Margaret, do you need anything from me?

BLOG
I am so behind on the blog -- but I promise to catch up with 'lots of photos for the last few weeks.  Ms. Christy has been kindly taking photos; just haven't had much energy to work on the blog.  But as soon as it is updated, I'll email all of you.  Thank you for your patience!

If you have any questions, please drop me a note!

Blessings,
Cheryl

Information about our Palm Sunday session this Sunday -- please read; very important!

Hi everyone,

I wanted to give some details on next Sunday, since we will be doing things a little differently with the CGS program.

Father Gabriel has asked us to participate in the 9:30 a.m. Palm Sunday Mass processional up to church.  Because the rest of the congregation will also be meeting in the PAR for prayers before the processional, there may be a large group in the PAR.  So I’m asking parents to follow these procedures:

Processional procedures

1) Bring their children into one of our regular rooms;  Ms. Elise, catechists and junior helpers will direct you to the correct room.

2) Please check in your child using the check-in sheet, but your child does not need his/her name tag.  Each child will be given a name tag with the name of one of Jesus’ disciples.  (This is something we will be using when we return to our rooms after the processional.) 

3) Those children who were at last Sunday’s session will have a palm  (made out of their handprint, which we traced last Sunday) to carry. 

IF YOUR CHILD WAS NOT AT LAST SUNDAY’S SESSION, PLEASE WORK WITH YOUR CHILD TO MAKE A ‘HANDPRINT PALM’  FOLLOWING THE DIRECTIONS HERE:

http://tillerytimes.blogspot.com/2012/04/palm-sunday-2012.html 

(Please take a few moments to do this; I want to make sure no child feels left out because s/he doesn't have a palm to carry.) 

3) We’ll wait in the room and then move into the larger section of the PAR when the prayers begin.  I would like all the CGS families to stay together at the end of the processional  line.  This will make it easier for the catechists and junior helpers to collect your children when we reach the narthex.  We will process to the far side of the narthex near the entrance to the cry room.  At this point,  you can enter the church and we’ll take the group of children downstairs back to the PAR.  If you think your child might suffer a bit of separation anxiety, please feel free to walk back with us.

This week’s CGS session

I originally planned to do a small “Liturgy of the Light” celebration with the children, but this would be a bit difficult with the processional starting the PAR.  Instead, we are going to do the Last Supper Paraliturgy, which is basically a re-enacting of the Last Supper.  Last Sunday in the atrium I used a small diorama and wood peg people to  tell the story of Jesus’ Last Supper,  so this will reinforce the message of that lesson.  .

We will sit around a long low table that has been placed on the floor and the junior helpers will act out the Last Supper for us.  We pass around matzo (unleavened bread) on a paten to share (each person is invited to break off a piece) and grape juice in a chalice (sipping the juice is optional).  After singing some songs, we then enjoy a snack of matzo bread and grape juice (juice in individual cups).  

IF THERE ARE ANY ALLERGIES TO MATZO BREAD OR GRAPE JUICE PLEASE LET ME KNOW.  

We will wait for you to pick  us up in our atrium room using the usual pick-up procedure.  (The poster board with the index cards and name tags will be back in the larger PAR room when you return.)

This is such a wonderful, memorable celebration for the children!  At the other CGS atria where I’ve been a catechist, the children love this paraliturgy because it makes this important moment more real for them.   Every year as we would draw close to Palm Sunday, they would ask “are we going to act out the Last Supper again this year?”  

If you have any questions, please drop me an email.

Blessings,
Cheryl

Recap from Sunday, February 21, 2016

I'm a bit behind on everything this week--not just the recap of last Sunday's CGS session!  My husband began a year-long field assignment out of state, so I now I'm playing the role of single mom to two very active teens (in other words, lots of chauffeuring to school, sports, dance and other activities).  We're all adjusting not to having husband and dad around the house!  

As usual, I have some photos to share from last week.  We've moved from the "white" season of the feast into the "purple" season of preparation for Easter.  I told the kids that this season is also called "Lent."  We have all new works for them, some which include matching wood letters to spell out the word "Lent" or copying the word "Lent."  

(Photo below) A six year old girl in the class did such a cute thing.  She made this sign for a three  year old girl in the class.  "It's a gift for her," she told me, as she put it down next to the three year old.  The "gift" was made so spontaneously and randomly; I just love the thoughtfulness of these children!

(Photo below).  These two boys proudly display the prayer table they are setting up for our prayer time.  They wanted to be sure that we put the "Lent" sign on the prayer table, along with a photo of little children standing by a mustard tree.  Right before this, they had heard Jesus' parable about the mustard seed, and we discussed how amazing it is that a seed no bigger than a speck of dust can become such a huge tree.    So the boys wanted to include this photo on the prayer table, as a reminder of the amazing things that God can do!

(Photo below) Such a look of intense concentration on her face!

(Photo above)  We introduced some new practical works this week, including ribbon weaving through a wire coated basket.  An activity that helps them build concentration skills.

(Photo below)  Busy at work on sorting purple items and drawing!

(Photo below)  He is so proud of his rainbow drawing!  After each presentation, I always encourage the children to take a little time to draw something we have talked about.

(Photo above)  Learning to spell the word "Lent."  He's matching the wood letters on a card to the wood letters that were in the little box.   He's one of our youngest children, yet spent quite a bit of focused time on this work.

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This Sunday (tomorrow, February 28, 2016) I'll give another parable presentation -- The Good Shepherd -- using wood pieces of the Good Shepherd, sheep, and the sheepfold.  I bet you will hear about this on the way home!   

One suggestion, based on the recommendations of Sofia Cavalletti, the Roman Catholic Biblical scholar who created and perfected this program over the past 50+ years:  please do not tell the children that the Good Shepherd represents Jesus.  Let them discover it for themselves.  Some may get it right away; others may take a bit longer.  But the total joy that spreads over their whole being, when they realize this by themselves, is truly marvelous and remarkable! 

*******************

I'm revising the schedule of presentations a bit, to better reflect what we can reasonably do during our 50-60 minute class, and also based on the childrens' readiness for some of the presentations that are more lengthy.  For example, I originally planned to do the "City of Jerusalem" presentation recounting Jesus' last few days on earth.  However, it is a longer presentation that has to be handled slowly and carefully, since we're dealing with the subject of Jesus' death.  (A rather scary thing for a young child.)   I want to give them more time to absorb the happiness, comfort and love they will feel as they contemplate the Good Shepherd over the next few weeks.   So we'll hold off that presentation for another year, so we can spend a bit more time thinking about the Good Shepherd.

I'll email you a revised schedule of presentations for your reference, or you can find a copy of it in the "files" section of our Facebook Groups page:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SeekingtheShepherd/

Blessings to all of you, the world's greatest parents!

Warmly,
Cheryl

Sharing a video from our 2/7/16 CGS session

Hi everyone!

This week, thought I would share some insights into our schedule for each CGS session.

1) Singing faith-based songs while we wait for everyone to arrive.
 Ms. Mary leads us in singing songs like:  The Liturgical Colors Song, Rise and Shine, He's Got the Whole World in His Hands, Amen, and the Butterfly Song.  Our last song we sing together is Jesus Love is Bubbling Over.  Here is a short video of the children singing part of the song:

2) What we're doing today
I briefly share with the children what we are doing today.  We might also talk about the color of the liturgical season, if it is a feast or saint day, feast days that are coming up.   We select the child who will carry the processional cross today, and the two children who will help set  up our prayer table.

3) Silence Game
Ms. Christy leads us in playing the "Silence Game" where we sit very quiet and try to hear the smallest noises around the room.

4) Catechesis of the Good Shepherd faith Presentation
Depending on the specific presentation, I will sometimes give the presentation to the whole group, or to smaller groups.

5) Individual Work Time
The children are given the option to pick various works around the room.  Some of the works help them appreciate and understand Mass (like the articles of the Mass work), some help them reinforce various passages in the Bible (like the Annunciation diorama, where they work with a small diorama of Mary's home, a figure of Mary, and a figure of the Angel Gabriel, to "re-enact" the scene where Mary was visited by the Angel Gabriel.)  Other works help them develop small motor skills and concentration skills.  They also learn practical skills that help them keep our atrium beautiful -- like how to fold the prayer cloths, arrange flowers for our prayer table, etc.

During this time, two children help me set up our prayer table with the appropriately colored prayer cloth, the Good Shepherd statue, a Bible, candles, and a picture or two of their choosing.  As we move into spring, they will also add flowers to the prayer table.

6) Ring the Chime and Process to Prayer Corner
The two children who helped me set up the prayer table ring the chime, which signals that it is the end of our individual work time and time to clean up. After the children clean up, they find a place on the tape line that surrounds our rugs.  The child who is leading the line carries our processional cross at the beginning of the line.  We sing "We are Walking on the Line" to encourage the children to focus on the tape line while walking (building their concentration and large motor skills.)  Now that the children are familiar with this, we are transitioning away from this song, and singing "Christ is Light" as we walk the line and process into our prayer room.

7) Prayer Corner
We light the candles, dim the lights and begin our prayer corner time, which consists of a song to help us still our bodies (Be Still and Know That I am God).  Then we sing a song to thank God for the many gifts He has given us (Thank You Lord).  The children have an opportunity to suggest people and things they are thankful for during this period.  Eventually, as the children's level of concentration increases, we will add more time to our prayer corner, and different types of prayer.

8) Process back to Atrium Room, and Snack Time
After prayer time is over, we go back to our atrium room for Goldfish crackers.

About this time, you start arriving to pick up your children.  And that's our typical session!

A note about release times:
I generally try to finish up the session by 10:40-10:45 a.m.   I realize that sometimes Mass runs shorter, but we usually won't release the children until snack time. (It's very important that they participate in prayer corner.)  However, if there is a week when you need to take your child earlier than 10:40 (perhaps due to another commitment that morning), please let me know and we'll work with you to ensure your child is released earlier than 10:40 a.m.   Depending on the time, we will have your child meet you immediately after prayer corner, or before we start prayer corner (approximately 10:25-10:30).   I try to work out earlier releases so they don't distract the rest of the children.

Hope that gives you another peek inside our atrium.

Blessings,
Cheryl

P.S.  A reminder:  No Session This Sunday (2/14/16) due to the Presidents' Weekend Holiday.  We'll be back in session next week (2/21/16), and go every week through Palm Sunday. 

Fundraiser for CGS this Wednesday -- January 27, from 5-8 p.m.

Hi everyone!



Kevin Walz is a freshman at Benet Academy who is working on his Eagle Project for Boy Scouts.  He has kindly volunteered to make little chockies   for us (like the one pictured to the left)  to use in the atrium, and a cart to hold them all.  This will be a wonderful gift.  As you can see from many of the photos I post, the children love drawing, coloring, pasting but sometimes it is difficult to do those things directly on the floor.  The little tables will be is a wonderful addition and I know they will be very popular!

He is raising funds to purchase the wood and other supplies for the chockies and cart.  Would you support him in his efforts by visiting Culver's on Wednesday, January 27 from 5-8 p.m.?  10% of all purchases during that time will be donated back to Kevin for use in building these tables for us.

I've uploaded a flyer with more details to my Google Drive.  You can find it here:

http://tinyurl.com/CGS-fundraiser

Please bring this flyer with you and give it to the cashier at Culver's so they can track what receipts should be applied to the chockie building project.

Thank you very much!

Warmly,
Cheryl