GLVN Bulletin
News for GLVN Volunteers (Thông Tin cho ThẦy Cô GLVN)
October 26, 2016
Pointing to Heaven
Dear Catechists and TAs:
This week c.Tuyết shared with me something that happened in her class that made me smile all week, and so I want to pass along the joy to all of you.
In Lớp 7A there is a student named Lana who is not Catholic, but her parents have enrolled her in our GLVN program because they like the Vietnamese language portion of our program. This past Sunday, lớp 7A had a quiz, and Lana had finished with 10 minutes to spare. To keep her occupied during the wait for everyone else to finish, c.Tuyết asked Lana to draw a picture of Jesus on the whiteboard.
Her image of Jesus was simply amazing! See the image with this post.
c.Tuyết asked the class: “Whose picture is on the board?”
Student 1: It’s Moses!
Student 2: It’s Abraham
Student 3: It’s Jesus
c.Tuyết asked: “How do you know it’s Jesus?”
Student 3: His finger is pointing to Heaven!
What a blessing Lana is to her peers! Her drawing made them think, drew them to Jesus, and hopefully inspired them to look toward where Jesus is pointing.
There's so much we can learn from our students, and I hope that each of you have already discovered something inspiring in your student in the short time that school has been in session. While the quizzes and lectures and homework are important components of our teaching time with the students, nothing is more valuable than these impromptu moments when they share Christ with us.
That is the encounter with Jesus that we should all be striving to help our youth have. Please take those precious moments and turn them into those into teachable moments, even if it means that you end up with less lecture time than planned or that you have to push your entire prepared lesson plan to the next week. It's ok to let that go and just encounter Christ with our students in that moment.
I look forward to hearing more stories like this with your students as the year goes on!
In Christ,
Chi
All Saints Day Celebrations (Sunday, Oct. 30)
Here's the plan for Sunday, 10/30, so that you can prepare your lesson day appropriately.
10:00-11:15 – Blessing in the Classrooms
Please be prepared to take short break from your regular teaching time as Cha stops by your class for the blessing of your saint image, crucifix and class. This will take about 2-3 minutes per class, and Cha will begin at 10:00 with VL1 first and ending with L11 by the break time. He will also bless the GLVN office and Teacher’s Lounge and Student Lounge at the end (possibly during the break time), so join us if you can for our own blessing.
Below is the list of Saints for each class. Visit http://www.catholic.org/saints/ for more information about these Saints.
11:45-1:00 – All School All Saints Activity (Guest Presentation)
- 11:45 – students meet in their classrooms as normal after break
- 11:50 – teachers bring their classes to the gym (please be prompt so the program can start on time)
- 12:00 – entertainment program begins
All students must remain in the gym for the entire presentation. We appreciate your help in monitoring your class and the hallyways, if you are able.
The parish Family Ministry program will also be inviting parents to come and enjoy the entertainment program and learn with their children.
Your Class Saint & Adopt-A-Room Funds
The Saint for your class was chosen because of their unique stories, lives and virtues that we thought were relevant and perfect for your students' ages. Here's a list of the Saints that each classroom is named after. Please take time to find other info about your Saint to share with your students throughout the year. This is a really great resource for information about the Saints: http://www.catholic.org/saints/
Through the Adopt-A-Room fundraiser campaign, we were able to purchase the Saint image that will be displayed outside the door to your classroom. We had such generous donors that there is also an extra money for each class to purchase additional learning resources or other inspirational gifts or items related to your Saint if you would like. In the coming weeks we will let each of you know how much your class has to spend (it's different for each class based on the amount the sponsors donated).
Resources About the Saints
10 Saints Who Encourage Us to Reach for Heaven
9 Saints that Were Superheroes in Their Free Time (And Their Great Captain!)
“Not all superheroes wear capes, mine wears a cross.” (Anonymous)
Speaking to children about Jesus can be difficult, but it’s vital that we share who He is and how much He loves them. A great way to do so is to teach them about the lives of the saints, who, although they don't have x-ray vision or shoot cobwebs out of their hands, they do receive divine gifts. To a child’s eye – and let’s admit that to ours as well – can be pretty darn cool: the holy stigmata, the capacity to be in two places at the same time, levitate and others. View this fun infographic by Catholic Link about 9 Saint superheroes (and their great captain)...
Videos About Saints & Becoming Saints
Holy Door Pilgrimage (Saturday, November 5)
As the Year of Mercy comes to a close, we want to take the opportunity to go on a mini-pilgrimage with our GLVN Ban Dieu Hanh, catechists and TAs and your families!
We will be taking a second bus!! There are just a few spots left, so let Chi know ASAP if you'd like one of the spots.
We look forward to a day of faith, fun and friendship!
Why: Read more about the Year of Mercy.
Who: Open to all GLVN catechists/TAs/Lớp 11/volunteers & Huynh Truong TNTT (and their families)
When: Saturday, November 5 from approximately 8 am until 4:30 pm
Where: Holy Door stops in Southern MN (Winona & Rochester)
What: Saturday, Nov. 5:
- 8 a.m. departure from our church
- Assisi Heights Our Lady of Lourdes Chapel in Rochester, MN
- Sacred Heart Cathedral of Winona, MN
- 4:30 arrival back at our church
Cha Phó will be coming with us and will be available for Confession for anyone that wants to receive the Sacrament.
Transportation: Free!! We will be taking a school bus together there.
Lunch: Free!! Lunch will be provided.
RSVP: Please contact Chi via email or phone (763-639-4566)
Advent Retreat (Saturday, December 3)
To help our students and catechists prepare their hearts to welcome Baby Jesus this Christmas, we have invited Frère Phong to come to our parish for our Advent Retreat.
Please mark this date and times on your calendar. Teachers/TAs for L3-L10, we ask that you be present during the youth retreat time to support your students.
- L3-L10 Youth Retreat – Saturday, December 3 from 9:30 am until 1 pm
- Catechists, TAs, Lớp 11, Huynh Truong/HTIT – Saturday, December 3 from 5-9 pm
Thank you for your extra time and commitment! It will be a wonderful day together! More details to come!
About Frère Phong
Năm nay chương trình Giáo Lý Việt Ngữ hân hạnh được Frère Phong thuộc dòng La San về giảng tĩnh tâm cho các em. Frère Phong là một thuyết trình viên đầy nhiệt huyết và khiêm tốn đã đánh động tâm hồn rất nhiều các bạn trẻ và ngay cả người lớn. Với tính tình khôi hài, năng động và hiền lành, Frère Phong chắc chắn sẽ đem lại cho các em học sinh những nụ cười, kiến thức, suy tư và nguyện cầu giữa những biến chuyển của cuộc sống.
We are excited to share that Frère Phong will be our guest speaker for both the student and the catechist retreat. Frère Phong is a Brother of the De La Salle Christian Brothers. He is a passionate, humble servant of God who has touched the hearts of many youth and adults alike through his talks. Funny, energetic, and down to earth, Frère Phong will surely make our students laugh, learn, think and pray as he takes them on a road where spirituality intersects with true life experiences.
Prayers for One Another
Morning Prayer Together
Don't forget to join us exactly at 9:45 a.m. each Sunday morning in the Teacher's Lounge for morning prayer together. It will be brief (2-3 minutes) so that you can get to your classrooms before 10. Whether there are 30 of us or just 2 of us -- this brief prayer time will take place every Sunday, so please join in to offer up our day to Jesus!
All-School Prayer for 2016-2017
KINH NHẬT TỤNG THÁNH TÔ-MA AQUI-NÔ
Lạy Thiên Chúa của con, xin cho con một trí tuệ để nhận biết Chúa, một trái tim để tìm kiếm Chúa, sự khôn ngoan để gặp gỡ Chúa, mọi hành động được đẹp lòng Chúa một lòng kiên trì chờ đợi Chúa, và sau cùng là niềm hy vọng sẽ được ôm chặt lấy Chúa. Amen.
St. Thomas Aquinas Daily Prayer
Grant me, O Lord my God, a mind to know you, a heart to seek you, wisdom to find you, conduct pleasing to you, faithful perseverance in waiting for you, and a hope of finally embracing you. Amen.
Important GLVN Documents & Forms
New updates to the calendar below as of 10/25/16. See blue & pink highlights.
- First Review and Exam dates have been moved to January
- Parent/Teacher conferences have been moved to February
- Ephata Confirmation retreat is now scheduled for Feb. 3-5
Chuong Trinh Giao Ly Viet Ngu
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Email: chipham.sasjhparish@gmail.com
Website: www.gxannagiusehien.net
Phone: 00000000