By Ruth Pera, Faith Formation Coordinator
School is letting out, everyone is talking about travel plans, and spring is maturing into summer. We all know what that looks like in a school setting, but what does that look like at our parish? What programs will continue over the summer, and what will take a break? Obviously Masses continue each week, but will they look the same? I’m here to tell all:
Masses and Saturday Reconciliation will continue on an uninterrupted schedule, of course, which means that all of our Liturgical ministers will continue to follow their schedules as usual. You might notice the strength of our choir diminish a bit during July as choir members take a break to refresh, but beyond that, your Sunday worship experiences will be largely unchanged during the summer months.
After this weekend, our Children’s Liturgy of the Word program will take a break until August. Though the kids won’t be dismissed for their own worship time downstairs, the Children’s Bulletins will continue to be available throughout the summer on the back radiators. They are a little challenging for our youngest parishioners, but with parent help they can track their way through the Mass, trace the words to the Psalm, and engage with the Gospel through drawings. If your children benefit from these programs, please consider signing up to volunteer next year – we need more adult supports!
Sunday Morning Donuts will continue through the whole summer by popular request. And that means we need more help with setup and cleanup. Sign up for a Sunday or two at 10am via our sign-up sheet, or call the rectory at 314-776-0363 to volunteer for another date and time.
School is out, but our fabulous Parish Coordinator of Religious Education (CRE) Gwen Cataldo will be hosting Summer Socials for children ages 3-14 throughout the summer. These are short, drop-in opportunities for children to stay connected to friends and faith. You can view the summer schedule here. Gwen and our Children’s Liturgy of the Word program are also teaming up to host St. Margaret’s first Vacation Bible School in August. Plans are underway, so stay tuned for more information.
Following their service trip to Champaign, IL June 11-17, the Youth Ministry program will also break for the summer. That means no Bible studies, Formation Nights, Youth Masses, or regular service opportunities. You can, however, join Youth Ministry for some Summer Socials – look for the first one on June 25.
Our Young Adults & Professionals will continue to meet weekly on Thursdays for either Bible Study or a Happy Hour with Father John throughout the summer. Many of our Living Justice Ministries Issue Teams, Respect Life, SVDP, and other major ministries will continue to meet on their own schedules, as well.
Our Third Tuesdays program is discontinuing for the summer, though you won’t be without adult prayer and formation opportunities. Look for presentations from Anna Bushlack on Sunday, June 11 from 11:30am – 1:00pm and Tuesday, August 8 from 6:30pm – 8:00pm to discuss the global synod, Enlarge the Space of Your Tent. Join one or both of these summer sessions to learn about the global synod, what it means to be a synodal church, how we can rethink women’s roles together, and to prepare for St. Phoebe Day (a 1st century female leader in the Christian Church) in September. You are also invited to join our Centering Prayer community each Wednesday morning from 8:30-9:30am in the Canmore Room, or to come pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament on Thursdays between 7am-3pm in the St. Vincent DePaul Chapel. If you or someone you know is discerning joining the Catholic Church next year, or are an adult Catholic who would like to receive one or more Sacraments, there will also be formation opportunities specific for you through RCIA. Reach out to me (ffc@stmargaretstl.org) so that we can connect and find the right Sacramental path forward for you. Lastly, I want to invite all adults to keep an eye out for the opportunity to provide some feedback about the types of prayer and community opportunities that you would like to participate in in the future.
One final note – the parish staff bulletin column will also look different through the summer. For the next nine weeks, a different parish ministry will be taking over this column each week, and highlighting an aspect of their ministry to write about. Stay tuned to the weekly bulletin for these special articles.