Family Formation Lenten Resources

Stop by the Sacred Heart Parish Center after Masses on Saturday, March 1st and Sunday, March 2nd to pick up wonderful information and Lenten resources for adults and children and special Lenten activities!

Can you find this stained glass window in the church that represents the Agony in the Garden? Click on the stained glass window to find out more! 

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14

 Adoration is an important part of our faith journey.  It is a quiet time to be with the Lord and reflect and meditate with Him.  There are so few quiet times and places in our lives today, and it is good for you, body and soul.  Meditation can reduce stress, promote emotional health, increase positive feelings, and lengthen attention span!

 Here are two short videos about Adoration: what it is, what to expect, what to do.

What is Adoration? A how to video presented by St. Ann's Launch Children's Ministry - Bing video (3:33 min) 

What To Do in Adoration? - Bing video (6 min) 

 A guided meditation is handy to have for the readers in your family. These are two guided meditations from www.guidedchildrensadoration.com that are great for adults, too.  (Please check out this website it has a wealth of information and activities about Adoration and prayer.)

my_time_with_jesus_first.pdf (guidedchildrensadoration.com)
my_time_with_jesus_1_short_version.pdf (guidedchildrensadoration.com)

 Don’t be intimidated by Adoration.  Come for five, fifteen, or 30 minutes.  As parents you know how long to stay with your family.  Lent is a great time to introduce Adoration to your family and literally be with Jesus on our 40 day journey.

After Jesus died and rose from the dead many of the first Catholics made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to walk the path He walked on Good Friday.  This pilgrimage became what we now know today as the Stations of the Cross.  On Fridays during Lent we walk the 14 station devotion commemorating Jesus’ last day on Earth.

 This year during Lent, Stations of the Cross are Fridays in the Church at 5:30 (English) and 7pm (Spanish). Check out the Sacred Heart Church WDM - YouTube channel to stream the stations.

 There are many resources online. Brother Francis has a picture and activity book about the Stations:

Here is a link to a free printable: Stations-Of-The-Cross-Guide-Children.pdf (catechismangel.com)

 Friday Stations of the Cross are a great way to come together as a community and walk the path Jesus walked.

 

Sacred Heart's own Stations of the Cross Coloring Book! Check out this fun, printable coloring book of our beautiful Stations of the Cross from right here at Sacred Heart! Printed coloring books are also available in the Gathering Space in the church.

The Sacred Heart Library has many books to check out and they have an online catalog! Sacredheartwdm's books | LibraryThing  Once there click Tags on the upper menu bar, then click Genres and select Children’s Books (200) to preview what is available at Sacred Heart.

This week, we recommend: 

       

Super Heroes Storybook   Carolyn Larsen

           

Looking to stream a story? Check out Bible Heros of Faith animated Bible stories for kids. They average about 10 minutes.  Here is a link to the first episode:
Joshua into the Promised Land | Animated Bible Story for Kids | Bible Heroes of Faith [Episode 1] - Bing video 

Looking to stream a story in Spanish? Check out Superlibro - En el Principio -Temporada 1 Episodio 1 - Episodio Completo (Versión HD Oficial) - YouTube

There are many, many craft ideas online. Here are a few to check out:

60 Outstanding Lenten Arts and Crafts Ideas - FeltMagnet

 Make your own resurrection eggs and tell the story of Jesus’ passion: DIY Resurrection Eggs for Holy Week | Faithward.org

These two words together strike fear into the hearts of children and adults alike.    If a whole day is too daunting, try a few hours or an evening.  Some things to try:

• Board games

• Card games

• Go to the library

• Write a positive message on your driveway in sidewalk chalk for people to read when they walk by.

• Look at family photo albums or old photos together

There are many places in our homes for many different things. We cook on the stove. We sleep in a bed. We eat at a table. Do we have a place for God? A prayer place can be anywhere: a centerpiece on the table, on a shelf, a top a bookcase, on top of a dresser. Anywhere we can see it to remind us of the importance of prayer in our lives.  Here are a few from families in our parish:

                                         
                                

Prayer spaces usually have:

• a cross

• a candle

• a bible

• a rosary

• color of the liturgical season.

• sacred items that important to your family

Yours can have some or all of these things. It can be on a table, a shelf, a dresser, or even a plant stand. Send a photo of your prayer space to [email protected]. We would love to add it to our photo collection.

Pope Pius X said that the Rosary is the most beautiful of all prayers that touches the Heart of Mary the Mother of God.  One Hail Mary is so powerful. Check out this video The Rosary Series: The Power of One Hail Mary https://youtu.be/utFFt0qiYtU  (2 min)

Have you ever wanted to pray the Rosary and thought, “I don’t have time’ or ‘My family does not have the attention span.’ Don’t despair here are a few things to try.

The Color As You Go Rosary  is a great way to introduce this prayer meditation. Color each bead as you complete a prayer in the Rosary. Even if you only say a few prayers a day, your family can chart your progress through the Rosary.  Post it on the refrigerator or at your prayer space. Celebrate when the Rosary is completed!

Color As You Go Rosary in English
Color As You Go Rosary in Spanish

Praying a whole Rosary takes usually takes less than a half hour.  There are many online instructions on how to pray the Rosary.  The US Council of Bishops has instructions on how to pray the rosary along with a video How to Pray the Rosary | USCCB.  There are many podcasts like A Rosary Companion on Apple Podcasts. At Sacred Heart we pray the Rosary together on Mondays through Friday at 7:30 am and Mondays at 6:30 in the church.
Is the Color As You Go not enough but a whole rosary is too much?  Pray a decade of the rosary a day.  A decade consists of one Our Father, a mystery of the rosary, 10 Hail Mary prayers, a Glory Be, and ending in the Fatima prayer.

The Blessed Rosary is a powerful prayer meditation with so many blessings and graces to those who pray it.

The Sacred Heart Library has many saint books to check out, too. Check the online catalog Sacredheartwdm's books | LibraryThing  Once there click Tags on the upper menu bar, then click Genres and select Children’s Books (200) to preview what is available at Sacred Heart.

This week we recommend: 



Book of Saints for Children Fr. Daniel Lord







Do you want to stream a story about a saint? Check out Stories of Saints for Kids animated stories of saints. They average about 5 or so minutes.  Here is a link to the first episode:⁴
Saint Peter's Faith (Episode 1) | Stories of Saints for Kids! - Bing video    

Videos!

 Sacred Heart has a few DVDs to check out.  We recommend:

 Brother Francis presents The Saints Our Heavenly Friends 

 El Hermano Francisco presenta Los Santos Nuestros Amigos Celestiales


E-mail [email protected] to check out a copy of the St. Francis DVD.