Happy Catholic Schools Week! This week's newsletter includes a timely update from our school principals regarding Into the Deep and what they're working on in this time of transition. We are also excited to open the voting period for you to weigh in on name ideas for our new parish.
As we enter into February, Lent is just around the corner. The Ash Wednesday Mass schedule and more Lenten resources are shared below!
- Fr. Joe and the Pastorate 18 Staff
Parish Name Voting
As we shared in our special edition of this newsletter last week, we have narrowed our name ideas for the pastorate down to a list of 6.
- St. Dominic Savio
- St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
- Pope St. John Paul II
- St. Maximilian Kolbe
- St. Monica
- Stella Maris
If you want to revisit the bios and descriptions of the names, click here. Everyone in Pastorate 18 is welcome to share their feedback on one or two of their favorite names before February 11th.
Family Based Formation
As we look ahead to the fall, our Pastorate is planning a transition to more family centered forms of ongoing formation, as well as sacramental preparation for our youth. We wanted to tell you about a few core principles driving us toward these changes.
Formation in the Church is a lifelong pursuit, from baptism until death.
When we are made children of God at baptism, we begin our earthly journey that has its hoped for end in heaven. The gifts and graces received in the sacrament of baptism are a great help on that journey, but the fruitful reception of the sacraments and the life of faith requires cooperation and participation. We likely have heard that this participation includes regular attendance at Mass, frequent reception of the sacraments, and regular prayer. What may be less known and explored is the idea that cooperating with the Lord in the life of faith as a Catholic also means growing closer to him through learning and study. Ideally, learning about the faith is a journey that begins in the home when children are babies and ends only when we are called from this life. As we enter into Lent, now is an opportune time to think about yourself and the members of your family, considering in what ways you can take your ongoing formation in the faith more seriously.
Formation of adults is at the heart of the Church’s catechetical mission.
In order for the Church to carry out her saving mission, adult Catholics must be well formed as missionary disciples, so as to be able to share deeply in the work of evangelization - helping others come to know the life changing, good news of the gospel that our faith is built upon. Just as our children are to never stop learning and growing in the faith, so too, for adults. As we transition to more family centered forms of faith formation in our pastorate, parents are going to receive their own formation alongside of their children - for their own benefit, to grow in knowledge of the faith, but also to be able to better hand it on to their kids.
In Pastorate 18, we’re working on building a culture of formation that supports lifelong, ongoing formation in the faith, taking seriously the call from the Church to evangelize, catechize and form adults! If you have any questions about these new models or would like to learn more, please reach out to Lindsay Finn, Pastorate 18’s Director of Mission and Catholic Identity.
Into the Deep School Work
The principals of our Pastorate 18 schools, Alicia and Kalee, have been spending intentional time together over the past six months growing in relationship and collaboration. Together, they have untied the schools for Mass and fellowship among the students, helped introduce teachers to one another across similar grade levels and subjects, and have visited and observed at the other's school. Guided by Into the Deep they have been assessing school buildings, working on finances, dreaming about the bright future of Catholic schools in our pastorate, and collaborating on the mission and vision for our schools.
Lenten Resolution Ideas
During Lent, all Catholics are asked to enter into the season through the traditional practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, in addition to observing the fasting days (Ash Wednesday and Good Friday) and abstaining from meat on Fridays. Now is the perfect time to consider how the Lord might be asking you to grow closer to him through those Lenten practices.
If you are looking for some ideas for Lenten resolutions, consider the following. Videos from Called to More with Fr. Columba, CFR are linked below to inspire you along with each idea.
- Talk to others in your life more often about Jesus and your faith.
- Commit to rebuilding your prayer life.
- Pursue moderation in all things.
- Kick the devil out of your life.
HS Teen Lenten Series
Dates for the spring series of High School formation are here! Any high schoolers are welcome to join on the following dates this spring. The Teen Series takes place on Sundays in the parish office/rectory living room from 11:30am - 1:00pm.
During Lent, our series will focus on some of the big questions about life: Who am I? Why a God? Am I saved?
- February 18 - Lent
- February 25 - Lent
- March 3 - Lent
- March 10 - Lent
- March 17 - Lent
- March 24 - Lent
- April 7
- May 5
Return - Lenten Book Study
All adults in Pastorate 18 are welcome to a small group study and discussion with the book Return by Fr. John Burns on Tuesday mornings during the season of Lent this year. Return is a book that will help you reorient your mind and heart this Lent so you can more fully experience the joy of Easter - Christ's victory over sin and death. For more information, contact Eileen Daley.
Gathering Room at Saint John the Baptist Church
Tuesdays, February 13 - April 2
Tuesdays, February 13 - April 2
9:15 - 10:00am
Any interested adults from Pastorate 18 are welcome to join in our ongoing study of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
This study takes place on Sundays from 11:45am - 1:15pm in the school library in Waunakee. To get to the library, enter through the cafeteria doors (the eastern entrance on 3rd St.).
The next two classes on Sacraments with Lindsay Finn will be:
- Sunday, February 4th - Born, Strengthened, and Fed
- Sunday, February 11th - Sacraments in Everyday Life
We would love for everyone in Pastorate 18 to keep our awesome schools, teachers, staff, and students in your prayers in the midst of this Catholic Schools Week!
St. John the Baptist school enrollment is open to current school families. New family enrollment opens on February 18th. Reach out to Principal Kalee Kozinski to learn more!
Blessed Trinity enrollment will be opening soon. Keep an eye on future newsletters for more information.
- Attention, ladies! It’s a New Year and the perfect time to consider a membership in the CCW at St. John the Baptist! We offer an outlet for your talents, a chance to share your spirituality with other women, and an opportunity to foster new friendships. Check us out! You are cordially invited to attend our next membership meeting on Tuesday, Feb.13 at 6:30pm in the Gathering Room. (Optional Social at 6:00pm.) Learn what the CCW is all about. Everyone is welcome!
- The Diocese of Madison Annual Young Adult Retreat is coming up this Lent. The retreat will be at Camp Gray from Friday March 22nd at 6:30pm to Sunday March 24th at 11:00am and is open to all young adults in their 20s and 30s. The theme for the retreat is Death to Life and will be focused on how to enter into and prepare your heart for each day of Holy Week. The Young Adult Retreat is a beautiful weekend of prayer, community, and spiritual growth for young adults! To register, Young Adults can visit https://madisondiocese.org/yaretreats. Registration will close on Friday March 8th , 2024.
- The St. Ambrose Boys Varsity Basketball team invites you to their upcoming PARTY (Priest And Religious Thank You) NIGHT! Monday, February 5th, come on out at 7:00pm to cheer on the team at St. Maria Goretti in Madison as they face Hustisford. Bishop Hying, Fr. Enan, and Fr. Simon will be in attendance! Get more details on the St. Ambrose website.
To get in touch with someone in the pastorate or submit something for a future newsletter, send us an e-mail and we will make sure it gets to the right person or someone who can best answer your question.
Lent is a time of profound truth, which brings conversion, restores hope and, by putting everything back in its proper place, brings peace and optimism. Lent is a time that makes us think about our relationship with “Our Father”; it re-establishes the order that should reign between brothers and sisters.
- Pope St. John Paul II