We recently watched Dr. Ray’s DVD entitled “You’re a better parent than you think.”  We laughed until we cried.  If you are like me and you don’t watch parenting videos, this should be an exception.   (Recommended by gharne).

“16. The blessing of offspring, however, is not completed by the mere begetting of them, but something else must be added, namely the proper education of the offspring. For the most wise God would have failed to make sufficient provision for children that had been born, and so for the whole human race, if He had not given to those to whom He had entrusted the power and right to beget them, the power also and the right to educate them. For no one can fail to see that children are incapable of providing wholly for themselves, even in matters pertaining to their natural life, and much less in those pertaining to the supernatural, but require for many years to be helped, instructed, and educated by others. Now it is certain that both by the law of nature and of God this right and duty of educating their offspring belongs in the first place to those who began the work of nature by giving them birth, and they are indeed forbidden to leave unfinished this work and so expose it to certain ruin. But in matrimony provision has been made in the best possible way for this education of children that is so necessary, for, since the parents are bound together by an indissoluble bond, the care and mutual help of each is always at hand.”

 NextWave Faithful ”is a new outreach from Family Life Center International. ‘Through an online community, conferences, publications, and radio shows, they seek to encourage and equip the next generation to answer the call of Christ. The site provides in-depth information on all of these avenues of outreach, as well as many online resources. The articles deal with topics important to youth, and the online community is vibrant. Of special note is a detailed list of positive Christian music alternatives to secular artists which is indexed both by type of music and specific artists. This is an excellent outreach from an excellent Catholic organization.” (Description from CatholicCulture.org)

There will be an exciting conference for Catholic men on March 15th 2008 in St. Louis. A group of men from Holy Childhood of Jesus will be attending. Watch for posters around the parish and notices in the bulletin. For details, visit: http://www.catholicmenforchrist.com/site/

From S. Anderson:
Mark your calendars for Saturday, March 8 and Sunday, March 9, 2008. Holy Childhood will be hosting the Vatican International Exhibition of Eucharistic Miracles of the World.

Jesus Christ is present in a ‘unique and incomparable way’ in the Holy Eucharist. This exhibit includes the stories of 126 miracles associated with faith in and worship of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Eucharistic miracles inspire in us a deeper awareness and more ardent love of our Lord’s Real Presence.

The exhibition will take place on Saturday, March 8 from 2:00-7:00pm and Sunday, March 9 from 8:00am – 1:00pm in the Parish Center.

Please join us for this museum-style walk through exhibit of Eucharistic miracles. Read it at your own pace.

The Real Presence Association, founded by the late Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J., is a nationally focused apostolate promoting perpetual adoration. Archbishop Raymond Burke is a member of the Board of The Real Presence Association and approves of this exhibit.

The Exhibit is hosted by The Body of Christ Outreach, Incorporated of St. Peters, MO. Visit their website at www.bodyofchristoutreach.org

Volunteers are needed to help set-up, tear-down, and to stay with the exhibit during public viewing times for a shift. If interested please contact the parish office or post a comment here.

Through a story in our most recent “Faith & Family” magazine, I found a website featuring a magazine for Catholic teens called “Our Faith in Action: Connecting Faith to Current Events.” Remembering our recent mission by Doug Brummel, who encouraged us to “connect!” our faith with the rest of our lives, it seemed as if this magazine might be just the sort of resource that Doug would recommend. It appears to be a short magazine that focuses on one particular topic from a variety of perspectives and looks as though it could be used within the context of a Catholic Youth Organization or a Parish School of Religion or perhaps even in our parish school itself. A free, sample issue is available online.

“Only by praying together with their children can a father and mother penetrate the innermost depths of their children’s hearts and leave an impression that the future events in their lives will not be able to effface.” (John Paul the Great, writing in Familiaris Consortio).

Recently, a number of families in the parish have been getting together to pray the rosary. This usually takes about twenty minutes and then we have some snacks while the children play. Its been good for the kids as well as the adults. We would love to have more families join us. (We have “cheat sheets” with the prayers and can share some of our extra rosaries.) To find out more about where we will be meeting next and when, call the parish office and ask Mickey about the family rosary.