First Communion Classes
This is one of the prep classes for our First Holy Communion students. We celebrated this Sacrament with 5 of our 2nd graders on May 5, 2019. The First Communion classes were held for 8 weeks. Each week we worked with the children preparing for their First Communion. We used a workbook, COMMUNION, A Bible Study workbook for Kids. which consisted of 8 lessons. We covered one lesson once a week. They were taught the steps they needed to understand about receiving their first communion. We worked with the children on different prayers such as signing themselves the correct way. The Our Father and others. We discussed how to be kind and loving throughout the week to their families as well as at their school. We also had a ½ day retreat with the children where we discussed how to have their First Confession. One of our priests came at the end of the retreat and had confessions with each of them. We also worked with the children and helped them to prepare the Prayers of the Faithful that we shared at Mass on their special day.
RCIA Classes – Milwaukee, Wisconsin
This is a group picture of our collaborative group of 7 Milwaukee urban churches. This group studied for seven months, once a week preparing to become fully imitated into the Catholic Church. This picture was taken at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, with our Archbishop. We went to the Cathedral to have the Rite of Election and the call to continuing conversion with the larger Milwaukee Diocese. The group was presented to the Bishop during Lent. After this special occasion of the Rite of Election we will break off into our individual parishes as each of the 7 parishes will share Holy Week with these newly elected members who were welcomed into the Catholic faith as our newest members on Easter Vigil. We will come back together the Monday after Easter to have a potluck dinner and share all the experiences of Holy Week including their Easter Vigil. We will then start the journey of 5 weeks of Mystagogy. This group was an exciting group with whom to minister. They are from all walks of life, different ages with all types of wisdom. It was a blessing to have such a group who shared their journey of faith together.
Confirmation Classes
We had a six-month program for teenagers who were preparing for the sacrament of Confirmation. These students were all high school students. Our program ran once a month with an overnight retreat. This activity was our service work project. We went as a group to a church that serves dinner meals to people in our community. This meal is open to everyone, no requirements, just a huge gathering of people for dinner. Our students served the meal to all the people who came and helped them with seating as a large number of these guests have small children. One of the requirements of this service was to serve the people and then sat down and shared the meal. This was a gratifying service. It showed our teens that these people having a meal were moms and dads, older seniors, people from all walks of life with very interesting stories to share. As the guests left bread, warm clothing such as gloves, hats, jackets and blankets were handed out by our confirmation group. The students shared that it was a humbling experience that they would like to do again as a service project.
Easter Vigil Service – SMDP, Milwaukee
This is our Easter Vigil Service at St. Martin de Porres. The service started at 8:15 P.M. Outside with a fire, songs and prayers and open to our neighborhood. As one of our pastors led us through this Rite, we lit our candles from the fire and then processed back into the church with the lights out, singing, with only the light of the candles. We listened to the reading of that night and prayed. There was joy in the pews as we welcomed our new members to the Table for Holy
