Hello all,
I hope this email finds you in the midst of a wonderful Tuesday & the start to a fantastic week! I have a little sign near my desk that I added for 2016 and it says “Today is a perfect day for a perfect day!” All it takes is for us to decide that no matter what comes our way, today is still the perfect day for a perfect day.
Reminder: CLASSES RESUME THIS WEEK: TOMORROW, Wednesday, January 13 & Thursday, January 14. The teachers, volunteers and I all look forward to welcoming everyone back for the New Year and from our break.
Upcoming events:
First Confession Service: Saturday, January 23rd
- 9:30am-10:30am Thursday RE year 2 Communion classes & SLDM school
- 11:30am-12:30pm -Wednesday RE year 2 Communion classes
- Please be in the church by 9:15am and 11:15am (depending on time of service)
- Dress: It is not necessary to be dressed in their Sunday best but, not sloppy either.
- Parents & siblings are welcome to go to confession after the children have gone
- Children can leave once they have completed confession and their penance
- Please contact kelly@sldm.org ASAP with any questions or conflicts.
Chapel to Church ½ Marathon Run/Walk: Saturday, January 30, 2016. You can register at active.com and for more information go to: chapeltochurch.com This run/walk will benefit Catholic Charities of Santa Maria Valley.
Lenten Parish Mission: Mark your calendars for February 1st, 2nd & 3rd at 10:00am and 7:00pm in the church. You won’t want to miss hearing Fr. Aidan Peter (our Pastor) speak to us about Mercy and the Mass. (attending one of the talks counts as a Faith Growth opportunity for RE parents of year 1 & year 2 Communion students.) ALL are welcome to attend!
Year of Mercy: Month by month. Each month has a specific focus and theme during the year of mercy. You can view the monthly theme as well as many details about the year of mercy here: http://sldm.org/year-of-mercy/
Benefit BBQ for Lexi Brown (SLDM School student & Jr High group member): On Sunday, January 24th there is a Chicken BBQ from 11:00am to 3:00pm at the Elks Lodge at 1309 N Bradley Rd. The dinner includes BBQ chicken, beans, salad, bread and drink for $10.00. I have tickets available for advance purchase here in the Religious Education office during any of our weekly class times. You can also purchase a meal onsite at the BBQ. There will be a bake sale & raffle items available the day of the BBQ. The BBQ is being held to help the family defray the costs of cancer treatment and other expenses. For more information or to purchase tickets, email: kelly@sldm.org or stop by the office.
Bald for Lexi 2016: St. Louis de Montfort Parish & School has an effort underway to CONQUER CHILDHOOD CANCER! One of our parishioners, Jr High group member & SLDM School student, Lexi Brown, was diagnosed with cancer over 18 months ago & is about to undergo chemo treatment #3. Worldwide a child is diagnosed with cancer every 3 minutes. Only 4% of US Federal funding is solely dedicated to childhood cancer research. The St. Baldrick’s Foundation exists to fill the funding gap. The organization does ONE thing, fund childhood cancer research!
Last year we launched the first Bald for Lexi because Lexi and her parents wanted to help make a difference for all kids with cancer. Our goal was to raise $5,000 at the first event. We didn’t reach our goal….we SMASHED our goal and raised $18, 203!! Help us make our 2nd event as amazing as the first.
A person can help in 1 of 3 ways….1. shave in solidarity 2. donate $$$ to a person shaving their head or a volunteer or 3. sign up to volunteer at the event. Feel free to contact me anytime with questions or assistance with signing up or navigating the event webpage.
The direct link to the event on March 19th is: https://www.stbaldricks.org/events/baldforlexi2016 This link will make it easier for you to join our event.
There is a Facebook page as well: https://www.facebook.com/baldforLexi/?fref=ts Please like the page and share it with other people to help spread the word.
Parish website: Our parish has a website and efforts are currently underway to improve the website. I have begun to work with our webmaster to boost the Religious Education section of the website. The weekly updates and calendar are posted in the RE section of the website. You can access it directly at: http://sldm.org/re/ Check it out anytime. There is also a link to the Facebook page for Religious Education on the website. https://www.facebook.com/SLDMReligiousEd/
Thought for the week: “Let go of the people who dull your shine, poison your spirit, and bring you drama. Cancel your subscription to their issues.” –Dr. Steve Maraboli
Tip of the week: I read a great blog post recently that I wanted to share with you. An excerpt from it says… How many situations am I dealing with each day when I’m doing only what I want? How many times am I sticking God and my faith away in a “rarely used folder” in my mind and in my heart? http://www.reallifeathome.com/rarely-used-file/
I hope you enjoy the post.
Many blessings,
Kelly
Kelly McLoughlin
Director of Religious Education
Junior High Ministry
St. Louis de Montfort Catholic Church
Proud member of NACYML www.nacyml.org
And NCCL www.nccl.org
