Summer FF Newsletter SCHEDULE
This newsletter will be published on a monthly basis during the summer.
Look for it June 30, July 31 & August 31!
A letter from our Youth Minister:
Hello everyone!
Chelsea here to introduce our June 30th St. John the Baptist Faith Formation Newsletter and share a prayer to get started.
If you are like me, you may have had a June full of LEARNING! I feel like I have learned more in the month of June about my community and about racial justice issues than I have in years. For that I am both grateful and embarrassed.
So much of the education I have received in the last few weeks with regard to racial justice is information that I wish I would have learned in my youth! Histories and experiences have been shared with me through friends, family, community leaders and activists, artists, and more. One of the most important things I've learned this past month is that it is not the responsibility of someone who is marginalized to go out of their way to educate everybody who is not marginalized on their experience of that marginalization. That can be exhausting for people! Instead of relying on my marginalized friends to go out of their way to educate me, I should be making use of the incredible wealth of knowledge and resources that are already at my fingertips through writings, documentaries, books, etc, and take it upon myself to act by seeking out this knowledge and paying attention! That being said, I've been trying to do that as much as possible this month and am so glad to be in the process of a greater education that can and will guide my prayers and actions as time moves forward.
My hope this month with this newsletter is that those of you who want more education about racial justice also feel empowered to take your education into your own hands and make use of the resources that we have made available here. Of course, there is more than racial justice resources in the newsletter this month, but, there is a lot of opportunity for both spiritual and education growth when it comes to racial justice issues available here and I wanted to directly point it out.
Love to you all,
Chelsea Wilde
A Prayer for Racial Justice
When our eyes do not see the gravity of racial injustice,
Shake us from our slumber and open our eyes, O Lord.
When out of fear we are frozen into inaction,
Give us a spirit of bravery, O Lord.
When we try our best but say the wrong things,
Give us a spirit of humility, O Lord.
When the chaos of this dies down,
Give us a lasting spirit of solidarity, O Lord.
When it becomes easier to point fingers outward,
Help us to examine our own hearts, O Lord.
God of truth, in your wisdom, Enlighten Us.
God of love, in your mercy, Forgive Us.
God of hope in your kindness, Heal Us.
Creator of All People, in your generosity, Guide Us.
Racism breaks your heart,
break our hearts for what breaks yours, O Lord.
Shake us from our slumber and open our eyes, O Lord.
When out of fear we are frozen into inaction,
Give us a spirit of bravery, O Lord.
When we try our best but say the wrong things,
Give us a spirit of humility, O Lord.
When the chaos of this dies down,
Give us a lasting spirit of solidarity, O Lord.
When it becomes easier to point fingers outward,
Help us to examine our own hearts, O Lord.
God of truth, in your wisdom, Enlighten Us.
God of love, in your mercy, Forgive Us.
God of hope in your kindness, Heal Us.
Creator of All People, in your generosity, Guide Us.
Racism breaks your heart,
break our hearts for what breaks yours, O Lord.
Ever present God, you called us to be in relationship with one another and promised to dwell wherever two or three are gathered. In our community, we are many different people; we come from many different places, have many different cultures. Open our hearts that we may be bold in finding the riches of inclusion and the treasures of diversity among us. We pray in faith.
-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.-
ADULT FORMATION
FREE JustFaith Ministries presentation on
racial justice by Dr. Lewis Brogdon
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Dr. Lewis Brogdon, Visiting Professor of Preaching and Black Church Studies at the Baptist Seminary of Kentucky
Dr. Brogdon’s recommendations for other voices to listen to:
- Rev. Dr. William J Barber II
- Rev. Dr. Lindsey Callahan
- Yvett Carnell, Podcast “Breaking Brown”
- Antonio Moore, Podcast “Tonetalks”
- Rev. Dr. Kevin W Cosby, President of Simmons College in Kentucky and Senior Pastor of St. Stephen Church in Louisville, Kentucky
- Dr. Lewis Brogdon, Lewis Brogdon YouTube channel
This free presentation, by Dr. Lewis Brogdon, is informative and motivating. JustFaith Ministries is also providing a free link to the presentation's power point slides HERE if you want to follow along.
Below the video you can find more resources from JustFaith Ministries!
MORE JustFaith Ministries tools & resources available to you:
1) Program Invitation: Now is also the perfect time to start one of our racial justice programs (or other programs). We’re offering tips and tools for facilitating all of our current programs through videoconferencing, including tutorials on how to use Zoom. It is critical now, more than ever, that communities engage in these conversations.
2) One-on-One support: If you need one-on-one support in order to start a JFM program virtually, I am here to help! Contact me at (502) 429-0865 & press 3 or leila@justfaith.org.
3) Join the FREE JustFaith Ministries Network: Joining the network gives you access to our weekly resource and the private JustFaith Ministries Facebook group, and, of course, we never share your information. Click here to become a member today.
Read Archbishop Etienne's call to address racism in this pastoral letter to the Archdiocese of Seattle
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A CALL TO ADDRESS RACISM IN OUR HEARTS AND IN OUR COMMUNITY
May 29, 2020 - The Catholic bishops of the United States recently issued a pastoral letter against racism entitled Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love. In this instruction, we call for a conversion of hearts, minds and institutions to address the evils of racism that still exist in our country and communities.... READ MORE
Read the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops pastoral letter against racism
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OPEN WIDE OUR HEARTS;
THE ENDURING CALL TO LOVE
THE ENDURING CALL TO LOVE
A Pastoral Letter Against Racism
"Holy Scripture boldly proclaims, “See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are” (1 Jn 3:1). This love “comes from God and unites us to God; through this unifying process it makes us a ‘we’ which transcends our divisions and makes us one, until in the end God is ‘all in all’ (1 Cor 15:28).” 1 By the work of the Holy Spirit, the Church is called to share with all the world this gift of love. As Pope Francis points out, “The salvation which God has wrought, and the Church joyfully proclaims, is for everyone. God has found a way to unite himself to every human being in every age.” ... READ MORE
Parish and School Resources (by grade level) from the USCCB on racism
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The USCCB has a large collection of resources for adults, teenagers, and children that you can find on their Human Life & Dignity section of the website here:
To jump to the age-specific resources visit
Book Recommendation
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THE WOUNDED HEALER
MINISTRY IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY
by Henri Nouwen (You can buy it HERE)
A hope-filled and profoundly simple book that speaks directly to those who want to be of service in their church or community, but have found the traditional ways often threatening and ineffective.
In this book, Henri Nouwen combines creative case studies of ministry with stories from diverse cultures and religious traditions in preparing a new model for ministry. Weaving keen cultural analysis with his psychological and religious insights, Nouwen has come up with a balanced and creative theology of service that .... READ MORE
Liturgy of the Hours
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After completing her Ph.D. in Russian literature at UC Berkeley, Cameron Bellm traded academics for the contemplative life, informed by Ignatian spirituality and Catholic social teaching. The Seattle-based writer and her husband have two young sons and she seeks each day to find God in all things, most frequently in Legos and microwaved coffee.
PRAY THE LITURGY OF THE HOURS AT HOME
Time spent in prayer is an indispensable part of the spiritual life of a Christian disciple. Find out how to celebrate the Liturgy of the Hours at home!
You Are Invited!
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JOIN THE ST. JOHN ALL PARISH ZOOM GATHERINGS
Saturday Mornings at 10am via Zoom
Alternate: Sunday at 12pm via Zoom
We meet together digitally and break into small groups based on which Mass times we usually attend. Expect to go through this week's readings and have a great group discussion! Each group is moderated by a volunteer or staff member and we welcome all new-comers!
To get a link to the meeting, email JoanW@SJTBCC.org
ELEMENTARY
-Preschool thru 4th Grades-
Hi Elementary Parents/Guardians,
Summer Gospel Weeklies: Free, fun and engaging lessons to prepare for Sunday mass. Find age appropriate formation around our Sunday gospel readings by going to GospelWeeklies.com.
Login: Amyb@sjtbcc.org
PW: Faith2020
VBS 2020: Vacation Bible School has been cancelled due to virus restrictions.
4th Graders: Due to the virus restrictions, we were unable to give you the send off to Youth Group this year. But have no fear, Chelsea our fantastic Youth Minister, will be connecting with you about all things Youth Group!
Faith Formation 2020-2021: We are in the planning phases right now. Look for information to be coming home over the summer with registration and class details.
May your summer be filled with many wonderful blessings.
You all are kept in my prayers.
-Amy-
GREAT RESOURCE FOR PARENTS!
The epidemic of bullying and disrespecting others fills the news each day. In this excellent and important book, Kevin Dowd offers catechists and parents practical and prayerful ways to help our children learn about and deal with issues of respect, bullying, and prejudice. Among the topics he explores are caring for family, friends, classmates, teachers, people in other countries, people who are different, immigrants and refugees, the sick, and more.
Kevin Dowd is a Ph.D. candidate in theology and education at Boston College. He speaks at conferences throughout the U.S. on many topics, including bullying in schools.
MIDDLE SCHOOL
-5th-8th grades-
Hello families,
It is safe to say that, between virus worries and social distancing mandates, we will all be spending a lot of time outside this summer. The blog post linked here has a great option for a nature scavenger hunt that also incorporates scripture. You can download the ready-made printables or just copy them from the text of the blog post! This is a great way to get outside, stay safe, and connect with God and family through scripture and nature!
Love and miss you all!
Love and miss you all!
-Chelsea
High School
-9th-12th grades-
Yup, we know that summer 2020 is going to be a weird one... click the image above to read a fun blog post from Lifeteen.com with ideas on how to make it count!
SUMMER BIBLE BASICS with Chelsea :)
Do you feel overwhelmed when you think of the Bible? Don't know where to even start, yet, you don't want to be one of those Christians who has never read it, right?? Everyone in high school (including those going into 9th grade this upcoming year) is welcome to join my Bible Basics tutorial series this July! Come get knowledge and make personally navigating the Bible so much easier! We will dive in to it together and I will set you up for future Bible literacy success!
-Chelsea
Session 1 & 2: BIBLE UP FAM
Session 1: July 7, 12pm
Session 2: July 8, 12pm
Zoom Meeting ID: 828 1216 7512
We will meet via zoom over lunch a couple of times to get
you jump-started into Bible literacy.
Learn:
- The sometimes crazy epic history of how the Bible came to be.
- How to navigate the whole system with ease
(like what the heck does 1Cor 10:2 ESV even mean??) - What all these different translation are and how to pick one!
- Catholic vs Non-Catholic Bible info (there's a difference?)
- Bible apps to make life easier (because you deserve the best!)
- How to start and ACTUALLY finish reading the Bible lol...
Session 3 & 4: LEAN IN
Session 3: July 14, 12pm
Session 4: July 15, 12pm
Zoom Meeting ID: 828 1216 7512
We will meet via zoom a couple of more times to
familiarize you with Bible specifics.
Learn:
- About contradictions in the Bible
- How science and the Bible can (and should) coexist
- How to dive deeper into scripture by knowing how to find out the specific author, language, and time/history of what you are reading
- Cool things hidden in the Bible
- How the Bible has changed over the years
- How Scripture has been used as a weapon and as a peacemaker
- About how woke Jesus was and how that made a lot of people angry- red text
Faith in Action
Did you know that our Parish has a full time staff member who is in charge of Social Outreach and Advocacy? Her name is Andrea Mendoza! Recently, she has created an online document with a plethora of resources to help our parishioners grow toward Active Anti-Raicsm.
"This document provides a compilation of resources that allow for prayer, education, and action so that together we can work towards a world where racism will be truly eradicated."
The document includes resources categorized by:
- Prayer
- Pastoral Letters
- Statements
- Articles
- Videos
- Compilations
To explore this rich collection, visit the SJTBCC website using the button below:
ENTERTAINMENT
POEMS BY PARISHIONER SHARON SULLIVAN
A huge thanks to Sharon Sullivan for contributing this original work to share in the FF newsletter this month!
View the video below to hear her her original poems.
PARISHIONER MYKE SMITH PRESENTS
The Living God by Sebastian Temple
Bring back the spirit of the folk Mass with SJTB musician Myke Smith's recording of The Living God by Sebastian Temple for this past Trinity Sunday. Thanks Myke!
SJTBCC YOUTH MINISTER CHELSEA PRESENTS:
We Never Walk Alone by ChelseaHasHope
(an original worship song) Scroll down to read the lyrics!
We Never Walk Alone by ChelseaHasHope Music
Lyrics:
In your darkest hour He will lift you up and surround you with His people of peace. In your darkest hour we will lift you up.
Look around you, see the people of peace.
Even on your farthest journey you will not be alone! Oh His power is in freedom so we roll away that stone... Ohh ohhh ohh we never walk alone Ohhh ohhhh we never walk alone ohh ohhh ohhh we never walk alone Ohhh ohhhh peaceful powerful freedom!
When you’re running, fleeing exhausted from so much work, sitting up all night, you’re still close to His throne. When you’re striving, straining fighting for your life. He will lift your burden, He is under control.
Free from the flowing tears Free from all the chains
Free from burning anger Free from all the pain
Ohh ohhh ohh we never walk alone Ohhh ohhhh we never walk alone ohh ohhh ohhh we never walk alone
Ohhh ohhhh peaceful powerful freedom!
Check out Chelsea's entire collection of songs here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbIXV5qF5yYofWIKd8C4UaA
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbIXV5qF5yYofWIKd8C4UaA
CELEBRATE MASS!
WEEKEND MASS with Fr. Jim Coyne
St. John the Baptist
www.sjtbcc.org
DAILY MASS with Archbishop Etienne
St. James Cathedral
https://vimeo.com/archdioceseofseattle
STAY CONNECTED!
FAITH FORMATION STAFF
JOAN WILLIAMSON Faith Formation and Sacramental Prep
253-630-0701
CHELSEA WILDE Youth Ministry and Confirmation
ChelseaW@sjtbcc.org
Text: 248-385-3567
AMY BONTE Elementary and First Sacraments
AmyB@sjtbcc.org
Text: 214-684-1881