Heidi Cain didn’t quite know what she was getting herself into three years ago when she mentioned that “if they couldn’t find anyone else” she would direct the first-ever Vacation Bible School (VBS) at St. Faustina. She could never have imagined how much joy and fulfillment this ministry would bring to her. God has taken her “yes” and used it to inspire hundreds of children, volunteers, and parents in their faith.
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It’s hard to believe it, but stores are already stocking school supplies and many of our parish youth will be back in the classroom in August. The Back-To-School craziness puts everyone in an active mood and that can be both good and bad. Some of us are really looking forward to a new school year, while others mourn the loss of summer. Even folks who have no children or none currently living at home can sense the seasons change as Back-To-School displays and commercials fill our sights.
The door to the ransacked church opened slowly, and a timid little girl with straight pitch-black hair and deep brown almond-shaped eyes poked her head through nervously, searching for guards before entering. Quiet as a mouse, she made her way up the center aisle, approaching the sanctuary where the Eucharist lay strewn across the floor. Heavy boot prints filled the sanctuary, marking where the Communist soldiers had trampled the sacred Host in an act of defilement. Life was not easy, or safe, for Catholics in Communist China.
‘Twas the Day Before Thanksgiving… Jane was dreading her family’s Thanksgiving dinner. A few weeks ago she and her older sister, Becky, had gotten into an argument. It started out innocent enough, but quickly escalated, and before they knew it they were drumming up grievances from the past, even digging into childhood offenses in order to bolster their own positions. It got to the point that their husbands got involved. Jane herself had said some pretty offensive things. Becky had called Jane some fairly colorful names.
“What these [Greek Christian Fathers] meant was that the entire purpose of the Christian life was to make us, not simply better people, ethically upright, but to make us divine, to conform us to a participation in the life of the Trinity. Being holy, burning with the fire of God’s own life, is the point.” The Strangest Way, page 29.
The Smith family has enjoyed being a part of parish life at St. Faustina. Getting involved in multiple parish ministries and events has helped them solidify a sense of community in the parish, and helped parents Dan and MaryAnn, to pass the Faith on to their children. After moving to Texas from California, the family knew that they would get more out of Mass if they spent time building community beyond Sunday Mass.