St. Paul Religious Education News: November 2007

1. St. Paul Religious Education News Volume 9, No. 1 November, 2007 Christian One-liners “Don’t let your worries get the best of you. Remember, Moses started out as a basket case!” A warm autumn welcome to our 500 families and especially all of our students! Our 2007/2008 enrollment is high and we have over 60 teachers who heard the call to share the faith with your youngsters this year. Our first newsletter was delayed a bit by our ambitious hope that we would be able to provide it to you electronically via our newly designed website, but since that project is taking just a bit longer than expected, we wanted to reach out to you in the “traditional” way before the year gets away from us! We thank you for your patience. This year is indeed turning out to be both a quick one and a busy one. Operation Christmas child is already in full swing and this month we provide a little more detail on that program for our newer families who might not know about this tremendous effort. Our eighth grade students are continuing to create culinary soup creations each week to help feed the elders of the parish, while our high school students are finishing up their grade-level retreats this month. Our “Fluff” collection is already over 25 jars large, to be donated to the Hingham Interfaith Food Pantry. Finally, we continue to collect small, hotel-sized personal care items for Father Bill’s place. So not to worry…our computer delays, aside, we have much to be thankful for – and all of the many volunteers who make all these projects work are at the top of our list!! Operation Christmas Child Update • This year’s collection will wrap up in the middle of the month. Some reminders about your boxes: • Use an empty shoe box or a small plastic container. You can wrap the box if you’d like (lid separately) but wrapping is not required. • Some of the best gifts include: toys, school supplies, hygiene items such as toothbrushes or combs, hard candy and lollipops (please double-bag all candy), mints, gum, socks, ball caps (Go Sox!!) , sunglasses,etc. • If you’d like, include a personal note or photos of your family. • Don’ts: Please don’t include: used or damaged items, war-related items such as toy guns, knives, or military figures, chocolate or food, liquids of any kind, or breakable items • Thank you as always for your support!!! Key Dates in November • 4th: - Families in Worship, 8:30 am Liturgy • Upper Church, Grade 5 special guests • - ½ of Grade 10 attends Confirmation • retreat at Glastonbury Abbey • 7th:Grade 1 meets • 12th:Veterans Day observed, no classes • 14th: Grade 6 Extended Session: 6:30 pm • pick-up • 18th: ½ of Grade 10 attends Confirmation • retreat at Glastonbury Abbey (11-4) • 21st:Hingham Public School 1/2 day K-12, • No Religious Ed Classes • 22th:Happy Thanksgiving!!! • 28th: Grade 1 meets

2. Religious Education Calendar: November, 2007 Staff Pastor: Very Reverend James Rafferty Director of Religious Education: Judy Tetreault Murphy Coordinator High School Faith Formation: Caren Shea Administrative Assistants Debbie Donofrio (Mondays and Tuesdays) Diane St. Laurent (Wednesdays and Thursdays) High School Assistant: Judy Collins Need to Reach Us? All Saints Day Class: Gr.2, 4 Office Hours: Mon: 9:30 am - 8:00 pm Tues – Thurs: 9:30 am - 5:00 pm Fridays: Closed Tel: 749-5568 Look for our newly designed website coming soon: www.stpaulreligioused.org Gr 5 Liturgy, 8:30 Upper Church Gr 9, 10 class Class: Gr 3, 4 & 5 Gr 7 & 8 Class: Gr. 3, 5 Class: Gr. 4, 6 Gr 1. meets Class: Gr.2, 4 No Classes Veterans Day Class: Gr. 3, 5 Class: Gr. 4 Extended class Gr 6 til 6:30 pm Class: Gr.2, 4 Gr 9,10 class Gr 2 Parents Meeting 7 pm Class: Gr 3, 4 & 5 Gr 7 & 8 Class: Gr. 3, 5 Thanksgiving Recess - No Classes Class: Gr 3, 4 & 5 Gr 7 & 8 Class: Gr. 3, 5 Class: Gr. 4, 6 Gr. 1 meets Class: Gr. 2, 4 Operation Christmas Child All across the world, children are suffering. Whether they are refugees of civil war, survivors of a natural disaster, or victims of extreme poverty, these little ones need to know that they are precious to God. That’s the motivation behind Operation Christmas Child the unique project of Samaritan's Purse that enables caring people to share God’s love with hurting girls and boys in the far corners of the globe. Take an ordinary shoe box, fill it with toys and gifts and you have an extraordinary gift for a child in need of joy and hope. Most important, these shoe boxes provide opportunities for local believers to tell children about Jesus Christ. Remember to pray for the boy or girl who will receive your shoe box. Through the power of a simple gift, you can bless a child’s life – and make a world of difference! High School Faith Formation Greetings from St. Paul’s High School Faith Formation Our year has gotten off to a terrific start! We are blessed once again with a wonderful incoming 9th grade class. On October 30th all 9th grade students participated in their annual half day retreat at St. Paul’s School. The theme of the day was “service”. Under the guidance of our new Youth Minister, Bill Mezzetti, all students left with a new appreciation of the importance of doing service in our community. Our 10th grade class is well on their way to being fully prepared for their up and coming Sacrament of Confirmation Ceremonies at the beginning of February. All students are in the process of attending on two different dates, an all day retreat at Glastonbury Abbey. Fr. Tom O’Connor of the Abbey is facilitating these events which include a “witness” speech as well as Liturgy. With all 140 students required to do at least 6 hours of community service, this group should have an important impact on our community in the coming weeks. A wonderful Thanksgiving to you all! Caren Shea Faith Formation Coordinator Stars of the Month!! This month we’d like to honor three stars who assist us in communicating: Frank Donofrio, Stephen Bedrin and Meredith Branagan. Frank and Stephen have been creating our new website. Frank’s design and Stephen’s coding have allowed us to step into the Technological age with style and a format that is easy to use, and will allow us to carry up-to-date information. Meredith is the creative mind behind our newsletter, and her time and expertise is always appreciated! Our three stars have made Religious Education sparkle and we are grateful. Kudos to all! • Lend a hand! This month we need: • Donations of Marshmallow Fluff • Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes • Personal sized soaps, toothbrushes, toothpaste, razors, and shaving cream for Father Bill’s Place