Dear Parishioners:
Summer is quickly passing in these August days! As the great English Catholic novelist Evelyn Waugh said: "If it could only be like this always! Always summer!" Alas, it cannot be, and so we must prepare for the arrival of the fall.
Our OLM Faith Formation Program is preparing for another year. Registration for the First Communion and Confirmation Programs is now available online at the parish website. Ms. Julia Anthon, who served as the Directress of Faith Formation for Communion and Adults, has moved on from OLM for new endeavors out of state. We wish her well and thank her for her service to OLM.
We are truly grateful to Mr. Jeremy Long, our OLM Middle School Theology Teacher, for his willingness to direct both programs. He has directed the Confirmation Faith Formation Program for a few years. He is a tremendous Catholic gentleman and an outstanding, talented teacher who holds advanced degrees in theology and philosophy.
Our First Communion Faith Formation Program begins in the first grade for those students not enrolled at OLM School. It continues in the second grade for both public and private schools, as well as the OLM School second-grade students. The Sacrament of First Communion is celebrated annually on the Saturday before Mother's Day, followed by the beautiful May Crowning Ceremony on Mother's Day.
All students in the program must be registered at OLM Parish or receive permission from the pastor at the parish where they are presently registered. Classes meet once a month on Sundays following the 9:00 am Mass and begin in October. We are grateful to our volunteer teachers who assist with the first and second grade classes. We have some returning veteran teachers and a few new teachers this year. It promises to be a great year of faith formation for these children as they prepare to receive the forgiveness of the Lord in the Sacrament of Confession and also to receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist for the very first time.
The Confirmation Faith Formation Program is for all eighth-grade students in public, private, and OLM School. Mr. Long teaches the classes, which are held monthly on Sunday evenings following the 5:00 pm Mass. The program also includes service projects and a Confirmation Retreat. The eighth-grade students receive the Sacrament of Confirmation in the fall of their ninth grade as they begin high school, a time when they truly need the grace of the sacrament.
Before the reception of the sacraments, all the students in the First Communion and Confirmation Program are interviewed by Fr. Brodeur and me. These interviews help ensure the students truly understand what the sacraments are and how important they are in their faith lives as Catholic disciples.
The success of our program depends solely upon the cooperation of the students' parents, as they are the primary teachers of the faith for the children. It is the promise they publicly proclaimed to God and the Church on the day of their child's baptism into the faith. We hope and pray that parents zealously ensure their children attend classes and attend Mass faithfully. We also include a few classes for parents so that they better understand their role as the primary teachers of the faith in the home.
My experience has taught me that without faithful attendance at both formation classes and Sunday Mass, our program is undermined and the students' faith formation lacks a solid foundation. Please pray for all our families in the Faith Formation Program that they truly strive to be faithful to the program and to attending Sunday Mass together as a family.
Fr. Brodeur is working on organizing the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA) Program. This Faith Formation Program is for non-Catholic adults who seek to join the Catholic Church and also baptized adult Catholics who have not yet received the Sacraments of Communion and/or Confirmation. If you or someone you know is interested in being fully initiated into the Catholic Church, contact Fr. Brodeur at 884-4968 or by email at assocpastor@olmparish.org
Be well. Do good. God Bless. Go Sox! Enjoy these summer days while they last!!