Family Morning of Recollection

This is our third blog post in regards to our 2019 “Meet Jesus” themed Lent. Our focus now turns to the March Morning of Recollection on Saturday, March 16. We have hosted two mornings of Recollection thus far, one in September and the other December. The first two were for men and women respectively and focused on prayer. Our upcoming March morning of recollection will be for families, one of the first family initiatives in our parish that allows for parents and children to interact together.

The focus for our March Morning of Recollection is “Meet Jesus as a Family”. Marriage and family life is a vocational calling from God, one of the seven sacraments. He calls and equips you to this great sacrament. As a sacrament marriage, and families become the primary means for members to grow closer to Jesus and reach their ultimate destination of Heaven. In short, families can grow together, not separately or independently. Most Catholic initiatives focus on how Catholics can grow individually in their relationship with Jesus, but very few focus on how families can do that together. This recollection will help the whole family.

The event starts at 10 AM with doors opening at 9:45 AM. We will have a family activity to start which focuses on how you currently pray as a family. This serves as a catalyst for parents and children to talk together about faith and prayer. For those who have infants or toddlers, childcare is available to you for the entirety of the recollection. You have the option to bring your young one to childcare at the beginning of the morning or you can keep them with you during the initial activity, your choice.

Once the family conversation is complete, next will be breakout sessions for all of our participants. Adults will have a talk; Spanish will be available in the Church Sanctuary and English in the Church basement. Adults will get a chance to hear a talk from other parents in the parish discussing their own family prayer experiences and offering practical steps to take in developing your own family prayer.

Teenagers will have a breakout session in the multi-purpose room of the school. We will break up elementary school students into 3rd-5th grade and K-2ndgrade. They will meet in a classroom in the school.

Once the breakout sessions are complete, families will gather in the gym. Another family activity will begin, this time a conversation on how to implement prayer as a family. Once this is complete, we will end our recollection with lunch. An optional time for games and fellowship will be available for families to participate in at the conclusion of lunch. Bring your own board and card games.

Lent is always a great opportunity to dedicate more of ourselves to Jesus. We encourage your family to take full advantage of that opportunity and join us for the Family Morning of Recollection. The cost is free. We do ask that you register ahead of time so we can make plans accordingly for breakout sessions and lunch. You can register on our

website: https://www.stjohncatholic.com/events/family-morning-of-recollection. You can also register on our Facebook page. If you have any questions, you can email Attila Valentiny at avaleninty@stjohncatholic.com. God Bless and see you on March 16!