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A Parent’s Prayer... O Heavenly Father, make me a better parent. Teach me to understand my children, to listen patiently to what they have to say, and to answer all their questions kindly. Keep me from interrupting them or contradicting them. Make me as courteous to them as I would have them be to me. Forbid that I should ever laugh at their mistakes or resort to shame or ridicule when they displease me. May I never punish them for my own selfish satisfaction or to show my power. Let me not tempt my children to lie or steal. And guide me hour by hour that I may demonstrate by all that I say and do that honesty produces happiness. When I’m out of sorts, help me, O Lord, to hold my tongue. May I ever be mindful that my children are children and I should not expect of theme the judgments of adults. Let me not rob them of the opportunity to wait on themselves and to make decisions. Bless me with the bigness to grant them all their reasonable requests and the courage to deny them privileges I know will do them harm. Make me fair and just and kind and fit, O Lord, to be loved and respected and imitated by my children. Amen. |
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September Newsletter...arriving soon HERE.
email your student's full name & grade if you wish to be on our contact list!
email your student's full name & grade if you wish to be on our contact list!
September Religious Ed News
News for ALL Religious Education Families:
September is the month devoted to Our Lady of SorrowsMary is Our Lady of Sorrows. Sorrow is a sadness full of love. Mary loved her Son, our Lord, more than we could ever imagine. The sorrows of her life are:
You’ll see that her sorrows are not tragedies. They certainly are difficult struggles, but because Mary was and is so close to God, anything that happened in her life could not ruin her. Her son was crucified, died, and was buried. But, He rose again!
The love of God sustained Mary through her sorrows as the love of God sustains those who trust and believe in Him. As Christians, we should remember that when we look at the crucifix we should never see it without remembering the Resurrection. When the world trips us up or sadness floods into your life, we should remember Noah’s rainbow and think of God’s promises.
Look forward to eternal life in heaven with all your might, offering even the sorrows of this life to God! September 15th is the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, one of Mary’s many titles. Make a genuine effort to attend Mass, pray with her Seven Sorrows, or both.
September Reflection Questions
1. What sorrows are in your life and how can you see God’s love sustaining you in them?
2. What title would you give to Mary in addition to the ones she already has?
3. How can you help people in your life who need help turning sadness and struggles into a love-filled sorrow and perhaps even an unexplainable joy?
4. Who can you share the Seven Sorrows of Mary prayer with?
5. How do you pray in times of sorrow?
(From https://catholic-link.org/september-seven-sorrows-of-mary/)
Religious Education 2023-2024: REGISTRATION is OPEN!
Reminder: you’ll need to register every year. *including SMSA 9th, 10th, & 11th graders! Parents, there are a minimum of two forms to submit; you’ll get the link to register each individual child once you submit your family registration form.
Service EVENTS for all Religious Ed FAMILIES and Students click here
- Looking for High School Teens interested in LEADERSHIP and with a willingness to dive in deeper to their faith lives, and also to help organize the Middle School Youth Group events! Click here
- St. Matthew Fall Festival Sep. 17th!
- Coffee House - CLICK HERE To help
Help Needed:
Parents, your help is essential for our Rel Ed programs to continue! Please consider helping in one of the above ways!
High School RE News
Mission Trip News
We had an outstanding time with the Alive in You Mission Trip this Summer. The theme was Ascend and discussed the virtue of Fortitude. Watch for Announcements about Alive in You SUMMER 2024 to go live this Fall. (We're anticipating spots will fill by October 2023 this year!) Location will likely be Knoxville, TN or possibly a suburb of Chicago, IL TBD!
We do group fundraising (2 in person events that make this trip VERY affordable, even occasionally free, for any 9th-12th grader interested!) Please reach out to Anna Kraus if looking for details.
Elementary/ Middle RE News
Watch for Middle School Youth Group events starting in October - calendar on the website. We're always looking for High School Teens & adult SEE trained help! here
Our first night of classes is Monday, September 18 or Wednesday, September 20.
We will begin with parents and children together in church each evening at 6:15. After prayer, students will be going with their respective teachers; parents will continue to meet with Dawn Doll for a little longer after classes begin. Looking forward to seeing all of you!
Monday nights: At Shepherd of the Hills drop-off and pick-up will be as follows: enter Shepherd of the Hills from the east entrance (Mercury Lane) and go west through the parking lot. Please stop to unload/pick-up in front of the school entrance. Please ask your children to wait in the gym for opening prayer before class. Doors will open at 5:45 pm and close again at 6:30 pm for Safe Environment reasons. They will open again at 7:15 pm for pickup. Parents of 1st & 2nd graders, please come inside to pick up your child. If you need to get into the building between these times, please call my cell at 920.322.5066. Thank you! - Dawn
Parents, please be sure that your child is wearing gym-appropriate shoes to Rel Ed if they plan to wait/play in the gym before classes at all on Monday nights. We’ve had a lot of scuffing on the gym floor from boots in years past, and it causes a lot of extra work for our maintenance staff. Thank you!
Wednesday nights: At St. Matthew, drop off and pick-up at the west school entrance just past the carport for classes. Please ask your children to wait in the cafeteria for opening prayer before class. Doors will open at 6pm and then be locked at 6:30 pm for Safe Environment reasons. They will open again at 7:15pm for pickup. Parents of 1st & 2nd graders, please come inside to pick up your child. If you need to get into the building between these times, please call my cell at 920.322.5066. Thank you. - Dawn
REMINDER: Students entering 8th grade this year can begin turning in service hours toward Confirmation already! You can find the location to sign up for and turn-in service hours here: https://www.myreligioused.com/service-hours--events.html
2nd grade Sacramental Parent Meeting:
On Monday, October 2 or Wednesday, October 4, the Parent Meeting for all 2nd grade parents will be held in the church at 6:20 pm. At least 1 parent from each family of 2nd graders must attend one of the meetings. Please contact me if you have questions or concerns. Rel Ed 2nd grade students will be in class at that time.
Family Faith Points:
Thank you to all who participated last Rel Ed year! It’s coming back again this year, with added bonuses and fun activities! Looking forward to seeing what your family does to participate!
News for ALL Religious Education Families:
September is the month devoted to Our Lady of SorrowsMary is Our Lady of Sorrows. Sorrow is a sadness full of love. Mary loved her Son, our Lord, more than we could ever imagine. The sorrows of her life are:
- The Prophecy of Simeon and Anna
- The Flight into Egypt
- The Loss of the Child Jesus
- The Condemnation of Jesus
- The Crucifixion of Jesus
- The Retrieval of Jesus' Body
- The Burial of Jesus
You’ll see that her sorrows are not tragedies. They certainly are difficult struggles, but because Mary was and is so close to God, anything that happened in her life could not ruin her. Her son was crucified, died, and was buried. But, He rose again!
The love of God sustained Mary through her sorrows as the love of God sustains those who trust and believe in Him. As Christians, we should remember that when we look at the crucifix we should never see it without remembering the Resurrection. When the world trips us up or sadness floods into your life, we should remember Noah’s rainbow and think of God’s promises.
Look forward to eternal life in heaven with all your might, offering even the sorrows of this life to God! September 15th is the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, one of Mary’s many titles. Make a genuine effort to attend Mass, pray with her Seven Sorrows, or both.
September Reflection Questions
1. What sorrows are in your life and how can you see God’s love sustaining you in them?
2. What title would you give to Mary in addition to the ones she already has?
3. How can you help people in your life who need help turning sadness and struggles into a love-filled sorrow and perhaps even an unexplainable joy?
4. Who can you share the Seven Sorrows of Mary prayer with?
5. How do you pray in times of sorrow?
(From https://catholic-link.org/september-seven-sorrows-of-mary/)
Religious Education 2023-2024: REGISTRATION is OPEN!
Reminder: you’ll need to register every year. *including SMSA 9th, 10th, & 11th graders! Parents, there are a minimum of two forms to submit; you’ll get the link to register each individual child once you submit your family registration form.
Service EVENTS for all Religious Ed FAMILIES and Students click here
- Looking for High School Teens interested in LEADERSHIP and with a willingness to dive in deeper to their faith lives, and also to help organize the Middle School Youth Group events! Click here
- St. Matthew Fall Festival Sep. 17th!
- Coffee House - CLICK HERE To help
Help Needed:
Parents, your help is essential for our Rel Ed programs to continue! Please consider helping in one of the above ways!
High School RE News
- ALL you need to know about High School RE is found HERE: https://www.myreligioused.com/high-school-homepage.html
- High School OPEN HOUSE was August 27th. It covered some logistics about the overall program, but all specifics can be found in our 2324 handbook and our website. Please, contact Anna Kraus with questions about our program for teens if you have any concerns. Anna gave a heartfelt pump up for the year with a few stats about Gen Z, and how we wish to BEST SUPPORT and help and inspire them by being genuinely invested in their lives.
- Gen Z NEED 5 positive adults in their lives to help them best thrive, and we don’t take it lightly that we might be one of those adults for your teen.
- Rel. Ed department is here to also help Y-O-U as parents dive into your Faith lives deeper. Dawn and Anna wish to help you experience an event where you are set on fire and re energized yourself.
- PLEASE, ask us about upcoming conferences, retreats, or FORMED where you can possibly reignite or prioritize your personal mental and spiritual health too, but finding a new or fresh way to talk to Jesus from home if that is all you have energy for at this moment or season.
- We all have so much going on, and we as a department would love to hear from you about WHAT specifically we can pray about for you, for your family, and truly we know it’s so countercultural to amidst the chaos or business of life add intentional God time, but it’s going to absolutely help in EVERY aspect of your life if you do.
- Trust we are praying for you, please pray for us.
- Let us help you model for your teen how to get invested in your faith life, and let’s make all we encounter ask us what changed about us and why are we different, joyfilled, more at peace etc.
- Let Anna know via email any sports or club schedules for your teen. She’d love to attend some events to see teens in the places they are spending a MAJORITY of their time ie bowling, football, dance, hockey, 4h (saw a few this summer)
- We recognise their GOD Given talents and their efforts and dedication to these activities in their lives, and we wish to show them that the Church VALUES them sharing their talents! We want them to have “BOTH AND” meaning both team bonding and dedication AND Faith bonding and dedication THEY GO TOGETHER not separate.
- Look at the High School Session Calendar, and MAKE High School Sessions a priority. Your TEEN is missed when they do not attend, and small group conversations are not the same without them. You are WELCOME to help provide the “hospitality/Snacks” for our Social Time following the 9AM Mass Sep. 10th! REACH OUT to Anna at akraus@sothparish.org let her know you want to help with Sep 10th hospitality!
- Plan on being actively part of our programming with the teens’ Sessions START on Sep. 10th MASS at St. Matthew at 9AM please sit as a family wherever in the Church that you choose!
- Congratulations to ZACH Zimdahl (and family) on winning the $50 Gas Card. Thank you for registering online BEFORE the Aug. 27th meeting and being in attendance.
- Get ready to SERVE via online link to our service page 8th grade-11th graders can submit any service hours (30 hours by winter of 11th grade's Confirmation & a short yearly service reflection paper each December of High School!)
Mission Trip News
We had an outstanding time with the Alive in You Mission Trip this Summer. The theme was Ascend and discussed the virtue of Fortitude. Watch for Announcements about Alive in You SUMMER 2024 to go live this Fall. (We're anticipating spots will fill by October 2023 this year!) Location will likely be Knoxville, TN or possibly a suburb of Chicago, IL TBD!
We do group fundraising (2 in person events that make this trip VERY affordable, even occasionally free, for any 9th-12th grader interested!) Please reach out to Anna Kraus if looking for details.
Elementary/ Middle RE News
Watch for Middle School Youth Group events starting in October - calendar on the website. We're always looking for High School Teens & adult SEE trained help! here
Our first night of classes is Monday, September 18 or Wednesday, September 20.
We will begin with parents and children together in church each evening at 6:15. After prayer, students will be going with their respective teachers; parents will continue to meet with Dawn Doll for a little longer after classes begin. Looking forward to seeing all of you!
Monday nights: At Shepherd of the Hills drop-off and pick-up will be as follows: enter Shepherd of the Hills from the east entrance (Mercury Lane) and go west through the parking lot. Please stop to unload/pick-up in front of the school entrance. Please ask your children to wait in the gym for opening prayer before class. Doors will open at 5:45 pm and close again at 6:30 pm for Safe Environment reasons. They will open again at 7:15 pm for pickup. Parents of 1st & 2nd graders, please come inside to pick up your child. If you need to get into the building between these times, please call my cell at 920.322.5066. Thank you! - Dawn
Parents, please be sure that your child is wearing gym-appropriate shoes to Rel Ed if they plan to wait/play in the gym before classes at all on Monday nights. We’ve had a lot of scuffing on the gym floor from boots in years past, and it causes a lot of extra work for our maintenance staff. Thank you!
Wednesday nights: At St. Matthew, drop off and pick-up at the west school entrance just past the carport for classes. Please ask your children to wait in the cafeteria for opening prayer before class. Doors will open at 6pm and then be locked at 6:30 pm for Safe Environment reasons. They will open again at 7:15pm for pickup. Parents of 1st & 2nd graders, please come inside to pick up your child. If you need to get into the building between these times, please call my cell at 920.322.5066. Thank you. - Dawn
REMINDER: Students entering 8th grade this year can begin turning in service hours toward Confirmation already! You can find the location to sign up for and turn-in service hours here: https://www.myreligioused.com/service-hours--events.html
2nd grade Sacramental Parent Meeting:
On Monday, October 2 or Wednesday, October 4, the Parent Meeting for all 2nd grade parents will be held in the church at 6:20 pm. At least 1 parent from each family of 2nd graders must attend one of the meetings. Please contact me if you have questions or concerns. Rel Ed 2nd grade students will be in class at that time.
Family Faith Points:
Thank you to all who participated last Rel Ed year! It’s coming back again this year, with added bonuses and fun activities! Looking forward to seeing what your family does to participate!
