Weekly Resources: May 5, 2020

For Adults / Youth: Night Prayer

Reflection / Discussion Questions

1. What habits of prayer are most helpful for you?
2. How has your personal prayer changed or grown during this stay-at-home order?
3. What ways does prayer impact our lives and the lives of others? How can we challenge ourselves to rejuvenate our prayer right now?

Resources for Home Prayer

• iBreviary app for iPhones and iPads: is an app that includes 1) the full texts of the Liturgy of the Hours, formatted just as they appear in the printed version of the Breviary. 2) the complete daily missal to follow for Mass; and 3) complete texts of Catholic prayers and rituals.
• https://divineoffice.org/ is a website that offers the Liturgy of the Hours in text and accompanying audio, including music.
• Free resources from the Liturgical Press including access to the Give Us this Day App, the and Give Us This Day digital edition. Give Us This Day includes 1) Daily inspiration from the lives of saintly witnesses; 2) Insightful, relevant reflections on Scripture; and 3) Simplified daily prayer for morning and evening.
• Magnificat offers daily prayer books for adults and Magnifikid for children. They currently have some special offers on their print and online products.
• Find more curated resources for home prayer and spiritual development on our website. We have a list for Families here: https://taocatholic.com/resources/ and a list for Adults here: https://taocatholic.com/resources-for-adults/

Important Administrative Notes

• Families will be returning to community participation at speeds appropriate to their situations. TAOCatholic will support you as you choose what’s best for your family.
• Congratulations 2020 High School Graduates! Go to  www.taocatholic.com/2020grads or look for a postcard in the mail inviting you to submit information about your graduate for video tributes on our website and social media!  Filling out the form also puts your family on the mailing list should the option of in-person celebrations become possible.  Please submit your responses by May 20 to be included. We are very proud of you! 
• If your family would have been celebrating First Communion or Confirmation in spring of 2020, please be sure to join the Remind groups to receive updates on rescheduling plans.
  • First Communion 2020, text @taofc2020 to the number 81010 or click: https://www.remind.com/join/taofc2020
  • Confirmation 2020, text @sppmjsas to 81010 or click: https://www.remind.com/join/sppmjsas  

Liturgy Support for Families with Children

Gospel Background and home lessons at Loyola Sunday Connection

Markkula Center for Applied Ethics — Link to lesson of the week.

Visual Gospel Reading & Reflection: JN 14:1-12

Online Catholic Youth Group

Project YM live allows teens to log in for games, teachings and music from top Catholic Youth speakers across the country. Sessions go live from 7-8pm on Wednesday nights. More information here.

Sharing a Story: Growing Up at St. Peter’s

When I was a little girl at St. Peter’s Church, the neighborhood kids gathered on Saturday morning for choir practice. I was one of the younger kids in the neighborhood, so I went along because all the big kids were going! The song I’m sharing today [below] was one of my favorites because of the ACTIONS! Our choir director had cards she would flip with pictures of the animals on them. I couldn’t read yet, so I appreciated the way the pictures helped me follow along!

Here’s a picture of the Children’s Choir at St. Peter’s from the St. Peter Church 50th Anniversary celebration book. The green arrow is pointing to me, and the blue arrow points to my older brother, Tim. We think the picture showed my class in grade 2, so it’s from approximately 1986.

That year we released balloons [as a sign of new life?] after our First Communion in the field across from the church. The Quonset hut would still have been in use as a gym and lunchroom on the corner of the property, and the school children played in the lot between the school and the Quonset for recess. Without playground equipment, our games included jump rope, kick-ball, and tag. Some kids also stood and talked, but I always thought that was BORING!

Many of the grades at St. Peter’s at that time had three sections, and they were labeled with numbers, so we would have had classes named 1-1, 1-2, and 1-3. The recess monitor called us to lunch by class. One of the recess monitors had a strong Minnesota accent, so that when he called my class, 3-3, it sounded more like “tree-tree.” A fond memory!

Do you have stories or pictures to share from one of our TAO Catholic parishes? I’d love to share them with our whole community – call at 320-281-9541 or email Lisa at lisac78@gmail.com.

Sharing a Song: If I Were A Butterfly

by Brian Howard

Share the song with your children or send it on to your grandchildren! Maybe you can tell a story about this song too, and how it shaped your faith life. Sharing our stories, (and our songs!) is one way that we can maintain connection even though we are physically apart.

Verse 1:
If I were a butterfly,
I’d thank you, Lord, for giving me wings;
And if I were a robin in a tree,
I’d thank you Lord, that I could sing;
And if I were a fish in the sea,
I’d wiggle my tail and I’d giggle with glee;
But I just Thank You Father, for making me – ME!

Refrain:
’Cause you gave me a heart and
You gave me a smile
You gave me Jesus, and
You made me His Child
And I just Thank You, Father
For making me – ME!

Verse 2:
If I were an elephant,
I’d thank you, Lord, by raising my trunk;
And if I were a kangaroo,
I’d hop, hop, hop, right up to you;
And if I were an octopus,
I’d thank you, Lord, for my good looks;
But I just Thank You, Father, for making me – ME!

Verse 3:
If I were a wiggly worm,
I’d thank you, Lord, that I could squirm;
And if I were a crocodile,
I’d thank you, Lord, for my big smile;
And if I were a fuzzy-wuzzy bear,
I’d thank you, Lord, for my fuzzy-wuzzy hair;
But I just Thank You, Father, for making me – ME!

God bless and “see” you next week! – Lisa