2018-08-24 Post: GSCS Service Project for Haiti
Dear Good Shepherd Catholic Community,
One of our GSCS school families is organizing a service project to help families in need in Haiti. The project is called Pac-Haiti. Here is the link for more information:
We are collecting new and gently used backpacks for this project. These backpacks are sometimes the most valuable possession a family has. Families of 3 or greater can only afford 1 backpack to share for the whole family, if they can afford even that. Children travel several miles to go to school. If they finish school they stand a much higher chance of breaking out of the cycle of extreme poverty. If you would like to donate a new or gently used backpack, you may drop it off at the front entrance of the school.
Thank you for your support!
Mrs. Girten
6:00 PM – September 8, 2018 – Trivia Night
Your 2018 Trivia Night Winners:
Assumption of Mary – August 15, 2018
St. Francis – Blessing of the Animals – October 6, 2018
Bring your dogs, cats, ferrets, guinea pigs, monkeys, and goldfish- all of God’s creatures are welcome! We’ll have a blessing of the animals in honor of St. Francis, Saturday, October 6th at 10:00 AM by the picnic table outside of church. We hope you will join us!
Forming Intentional Disciples
The following are two opportunities to enhance the formation of intentional disciples in our parish.
CALLED AND GIFTED FACILITATOR AND INTERVIEWER TRAINING WORKSHOP
- If you have attended a Called and Gifted workshop in the past, please consider attending the Called and Gifted Facilitator and Interviewer Training workshop being held September 21, 22 and 23 at the Catholic Center. This is a time-intensive workshop for those who will be prepared to conduct Called and Gifted on the parish level using the newly developed video component being released in the Fall by the Siena Institute. Participants must have attended Called and Gifted, taken the Charism assessment, participated in an interview and the discernment in-depth process.
- Training Workshop Details: Friday, September 21, 6-8:30, Saturday, September 22, 9-8 pm, Sunday, September 23, noon to 5:00 pm. All times are central. Attendees must attend the entire training session. There is a voluntary fee of up to $150.00.
CALLED AND GIFTED WORKSHOP
- October 27, 2018, 8:30-4:30 (central) $40.00 inclusive of interview fee
- This opportunity is for those persons seeking to go deeper in their faith life. It reviews the understanding of vocation, call, the ministry of the layperson and charisms. Participants will use an assessment tool to determine their charisms. This workshop prepares the person to identify and use their charism to live out faith wherever they are. This is empowerment for evangelization and intentional discipleship. Those who have attended this workshop in the past have found it to be a rich and life-giving experience.
Kathy Gallo, Ed.D.
Director of Catechesis
Bishops’ Call to Prayer for Life, Marriage and Religious Liberty
Bishop Siegel is encouraging all parishioners to participate in the Call to Prayer for Life, Marriage and Religious Liberty. Participants will join in a weekly moment of prayer from early August to late September 2018 for the legal protection of human life. You can sign up at www.usccb.org/pray for this and the continuing Call to Prayer opportunities.
More details are included in the following attachment:
For Better and For Ever Marriage Preparation Resources
Good Shepherd Catholic Parish believes that For Better and For Ever Marriage Preparation Resources are an effective way to help couples prepare for marriage. The following link https://marriagepreparation.com/ contains valuable information for:
Singles
Dating Couples
Engaged Couples
Married Couples
Clergy
Marriage Educators
Father Zach Etienne is looking for additional Mentor Couples who are willing to assist our engaged couples as they prepare for a life long sacramental marriage together. This is a great way for our current married couples to volunteer their time and experience assisting others in our extended parish community. If you are willing to help, please contact Father Zach, and he will ensure you receive proper training to get started.
Below is a link to the USCCB page, For Your Marriage, and provides resources for those who are dating, married and those raising families.
As married persons, we are called to serve in a special way through our marriages. This is a noble endeavor and yet is not without its own unique set of challenges. For helpful resources, go to www.foryourmarriage.org or contact Eric Girten, Coordinator of Family & Life Programs, at egirten@evdio.org for additional resources or information.
Adult Formation Possibilities
The links below give information about two programs from Ascension Press – “Unlocking the Mystery of the Bible” and “The Bible Timeline-Story of Salvation.”
Is this something parishioners would like to see offered at Good Shepherd Catholic Parish this year?
Another formation possibility we could offer for parishioners is Formed on Demand. To learn more about this option, follow this link:
https://formed.org/
50th Anniversary of Humanae Vitae: Resources
Wednesday, 07/25/2018, was the 50th anniversary of Pope Paul VI’s encyclical, Humanae Vitae: http://w2.vatican.va/content/
Here are several videos produced by the Archdiocese of Baltimore re: various aspects of natural fertility awareness/natural family planning https://www.youtube.com/
There are other videos to be utilized here https://www.
Who can use this information?
- Diocesan staff who work with couples
- Health professionals
- All married couples in the diocese
- Couples engaged to be married
- College students who feel called to a future marriage vocations
- Other school age youth? (I will defer to our diocesan educators)
Natural Fertility Awareness is a spiritually and physically healthy resource for our families. For more information, feel free to contact me.
Christ’s Peace,
Eric Girten LSW, MPS
Coordinator, Family/Life Programs
Catholic Charities
Diocese of Evansville