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Last Sunday, we celebrated the end of the Faith Formation year by taking advantage of the beautiful spring morning outdoors. Before heading outside, we reflected on the lessons we’ve learned over the past year, then made our way to the church to see the Paschal Candle near the altar—a powerful reminder that we are still in the Easter season, continuing to celebrate the risen Christ. It was also the perfect day to plant the seedlings which we started indoors back in March. The students marveled at how those tiny, lifeless seeds had transformed—now full of life, sprouting leaves and roots, and ready to glorify their Creator by bearing much fruit. We look forward to watching the growth of our vegetable plants and sunflowers throughout the summer!
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Last Sunday, the Faith Formation students took part in a beautiful celebration known as the Liturgy of the Light. If you’ve ever attended the Easter Vigil, you may recall that the service begins with the blessing and lighting of the new Paschal Candle, the singing of the Exsultet, and the lighting of individual candles from the Paschal flame. Celebrating the Liturgy of the Light with children offers them a meaningful and age-appropriate way to enter into the joy of the Resurrection and experience the gift of Christ’s light firsthand. Our celebration began in the dimly lit classroom, reflecting the darkness before Christ’s Resurrection. Mother Cameron helped the children prepare the candle and explained the meaning of each symbol before leading a procession upstairs into the bright, sunlit Refectory. The service included portions of the Exsultet—a beautiful proclamation of Christ's resurrection—and a Gospel reading from Mark, recounting the miraculous discovery of the empty tomb. Each child was then invited to have their own candle lit from the Paschal Candle, symbolizing the personal gift of Christ's light shared with all. With song and prayer, we reflected on the meaning of Easter: Christ’s resurrection and the triumph of God’s Light over darkness. The celebration concluded with students processing back to their classrooms, where they decorated their individual candles and reflected on the joy and peace of Christ’s everlasting presence.  This week, we will hear the parable of the Good Shepherd proclaimed at Sunday liturgy. This Fourth Sunday of the Easter Season is lovingly referred to as “Good Shepherd Sunday”. Because Christ is the fullest manifestation of God, we center on the person of Jesus when speaking with the children about God’s love. We focus especially on Jesus as the Good Shepherd and use two parables, in particular. The Parable of the Good Shepherd, John 10: 3b-5, 10b-11, 14-16 The theme of the shepherd who calls and the sheep who are listening to his voice, introduces the child to the reality of the covenant relationship. The covenant theme is central to the Bible: God in search of us and our response to God’s initiative. The element of the parable that most strikes young children is the fact that the shepherd knows and calls each sheep by name. This reveals in an explicit way that the Good Shepherd has a personal relationship with each of us. The Parable of the Found Sheep, Luke 15: 4-6 The image of the shepherd who searches for his sheep that was lost has a great impact on children. For the little child this parable offers yet another proof of the Good Shepherd’s infinite love. In the parable of the found sheep children find the uniquely personal and intimate relationship for which they hunger most. It is especially when children are in a situation of suffering that they identify with the sheep the Good Shepherd embraces in his arms and rests on his shoulders.  Exploring the Parable of the Good Shepherd at Home You might enjoy spending quiet moments together exploring the parable of the Good Shepherd. Consider reading just a few verses each night as part of your family’s evening prayers.
 Source: The United States Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Inc. (2014, May). Parent pages. CGSUSA. https://www.cgsusa.org/parent-pages/
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