1995 Sept 3 – 22nd Sun. Ord (Bulletin Letters)

1995 Sept 3 – 22nd Sun. Ord (Bulletin Letters)

Dear Friends;

Parish Religious Education Programs

The first days of Sept. are upon us and our young people find themselves back in school. In the life of Holy Trinity of S.E. Warren Co. Parish, we are also gearing up for the new school year. Roseanna Dittmer, our Director of Religious Education is busy lining up the needed teachers and materials to start our Parish Religious Education program for grade school age children. Their first session will be right after school, Wednesday. Sept. 20 in Lacona. I urge all parents of grade school age children to register  their children for this program as soon as possible.

I also want to thank Chris Merfeld, Cindy Burgin, Fay Putz and Kathy Schurman for volunteering to take on the Jr. High and Senior High Religious Education programs. The Jr. High and Senior High programs also start Wednesday, Sept. 20 at 7:00 p.m. in Lacona. They will be meeting on a biweekly bases – see Fall schedule in last  bulletin.

There are few more important obligations for Catholic parents than the obligation and duty to pass on the basics and essentials of our Catholic Faith to their children. Many of us older folks were lucky to receive the bulk of this training in Catholic schools. This is no longer the case for us in S.E. Warren Co. Nor does the Church have the abundance of priest and sisters, it once had, to instruct our children. These days, the obligation and duty to instruct our children in the ways of our Catholic Faith rest squarely on the shoulders of their parents and the religious education programs of our parishes.

I am really grateful to discover a long standing commitment on the part of the people of  Holy Trinity Parish of S.E. Warren Co. to instruct our children in the basics and essentials of our Catholic Faith. We are lucky to have in the person of Roseanna Dittmer a qualified and seasoned Director of Religious Education. I am looking forward to working closely with Roseanna and other lay teachers in our Religious Education Program.

RCIA in Indianola

Fr. Don Bruck of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Indianola has generously offered to accept any adults from Holy Trinity of S.E. Warren Co. Parish into their Rite of Christian Initiation (RCIA) Program. Their weekly program starts on Thursday Sept. 7 at 7:00 p.m. at St. Thomas. The Program will run through to Easter. This program is mainly for people who are interested in joining the Catholic Church. It can also serve as a refresher course for any Catholic wanting to up date themselves on their own Faith. If you or anyone else you know is in this situation, give a call Fr. Bruck at  961-3026.  We will not have a RCIA program of our own this year.

First Friday Observance

This past  Friday was the first Friday of the month. We started doing something special after the 8:00 a.m. Mass. We had coffee and rolls. We hope to do this after the morning Mass on every First Friday of the month, alternating between Lacona and Milo.

First Friday observations were started by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in France in the 1,600’s as a special devotion to Our Lord’s Sacred Heart.

Our weekday Mass community is made up primarily of our older and retired parishioners. I have found them to be a very strong Faith community with a deep and aiding love for the Eucharist. Most have been active members in our Catholic communities their entire life.  In a very real sense, they represent the best of what we are as a Catholics in S.E. Warren Co. It is only fitting that we try to highlight and lift up this special community within the larger community by honoring the Sacred Heart of Jesus and observing the First Fridays of every month with coffee and roles after our 8:00 a.m. Masses. All are welcome!