Saint Michael Parish Newsletter — December 2021

What’s Inside: 2 Christmastime Stewardship

How We Can Bring His

Son to the World 3

Stewardship Possibilities are Endless at Christmas

4 Catechesis of the Good Shepherd: Helping

Children Grow in their

Own Natural Spirituality 6

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The Origin and Beauty of the Nativity Scene The Evangelical Catholic Transforming Our Community Through Discipleship, Prayer and Evangelization

DECEMBER 2021

The Giving Tree:

A SPIRIT AND TRADITION OF GENEROSITY

T

he Christmas season is filled with many traditions and exciting events.

From decorating cookies to Christmas parties, there is never a shortage of joyful, memory-making moments. At Saint Michael Parish, there is a great tradition of generosity that has been taking place for over two decades — the Giving Tree, which helps support veterans and children in the community to make sure that everyone has a gift at Christmas.

Parishioner Rich Pallechio has been involved in coordinating this ministry since it began.

“We get the requests from the families in the Tumwater School District and put together tags like you would see on a Giving Tree,” Rich says. “We give a Mass announcement the first weekend and we hand them out.

Then, we stand back and watch our parishioners do their thing. I have never

had any tags left over after the second weekend.

“What stands out to me year after year is the generosity of our Saint Michael Parish community,” he adds.

“Thinking about it nearly makes me tear up and talking about it almost always does. The first few years I did it, I’d make a sign-up sheet where people would record their names and continued on back cover

CHRISTMASTIME STEWARDSHIP How We Can Bring His Son to the World

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t is not uncommon to give gifts during Advent and Christmas, but it is never enough just to leave it at that. True, Jesus gave Himself to us at the first Christmas. And, as always, we should strive to imitate Him by giving of ourselves in some way as we celebrate the anniversary of His birth. But there is a way to give even more than just ourselves — by giving the gift of Christ to others. The seasons of Advent and Christmas are perfect opportunities to share the love and message of Jesus with others in a beautiful way.

Of course, giving of ourselves in imitation of Jesus is a beautiful thing. But it is just as important to remember that, as human beings, we bear the likeness of God. As Christians, Jesus Himself inhabits our very souls. As Catholics, our Lord literally dwells within us when we receive Him in the Eucharist.

Based upon this logic, we do so much more than imitate Jesus when we selflessly give of ourselves to others. Indeed, just as Mary carried Christ in her womb when she visited her cousin, Elizabeth, and just as she brought Him in her arms to Simeon as a newborn child, we can also literally bring Jesus Christ to the world.

What a profound task Our Lord has laid out for us this season! As He grew in Mary’s womb, Jesus could only go where Mary chose to take Him. Of course, He couldn’t do anything — He couldn’t even speak. Mary became His hands and feet, and even His voice. Mary could have stayed at home during her pregnancy, resting and preparing for life with a newborn, as most mothers do. But instead, the Blessed Mother helped her Son begin His mission by bringing Him to her cousin, Elizabeth. Today, in much the same way, Christ invites us to share Him with the rest of the world.

He chooses to make His presence known through us. And so, as the spiritual writer Caryll Houselander beautifully stated, “We must carry Jesus in our hearts wherever He wants us to go, and there are many

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places to which He may never go unless we take Him to them.”

How do we bring Jesus to those in our parish and community? There are many ways. We might visit with a sick parishioner over the holidays, providing fellowship and support in their time of need. We may consider serving a local soup kitchen or food bank, and doing our part to make sure that the hungry are fed. We can sing Christmas carols for our neighbors, bringing true joy and love to their homes. Perhaps we could help a tired friend clean her house, making her life a little bit easier during this busy season. Or we can share the Good News of Jesus Christ with others. We might even try going to work with a cheery disposition, or donating money so that a starving child in a poor country can have something to eat.

These are just a few examples of how we can practice stewardship.

We may sometimes feel as if our efforts are in vain — especially when it is hard to see the effects of our evangelization. This temptation is particularly strong when we offer our treasure as a gift to God. The positive effects of monetary gifts aren’t always as visible as gifts of time or talent. But when we give of our treasure, the love of Jesus can travel to places we could never go. While our gift may not directly affect someone in a positive way, it very well may enable someone else to do it for us. Sometimes, God doesn’t just ask us to be His hands and feet, but to enable someone else to be them, as well.

Advent and Christmas give us the opportunity to reflect on Jesus’ call to live as stewards and disciples of His Word. God has put us in a particular place, given us a certain amount of time, and asked us to perform particular tasks and selflessly share a portion of our gifts. This is all for a singular purpose — to bring His Son into the world, and make Christ’s presence just as real as when He first became man more than 2,000 years ago.

A Letter From Our Pastor

Stewardship Possibilities are Endless at Christmas My dear sisters and brothers,

W

hen I think of December, the first thing that comes to my mind is Christmas. While that may seem obvious, there are several other possibilities. I could think of Advent, which prepares us for Christmas.

I could think of the Immaculate Conception, a Holy Day of Obligation, and the patronal festival of the United States. I could think of Our Lady of Guadalupe, whose popularity has spread far beyond the Hispanic community. December also brings the end of the secular calendar year, which means getting my financials together for the upcoming income tax season.

But instead, I think of Christmas — one of the greatest feasts of the Christian year, along with Easter and Pentecost. The basic truth of Christmas, celebrating the birth of Jesus the Messiah, God Incarnate, is plenty of reason for us all to rejoice and worship. But we’ve piled so much extra baggage on our Christmas observance, and worship is often almost lost in the shuffle.

We send Christmas cards to people we contact at no other time of the year. We put up wreaths, Christmas trees, and lights. We host parties for family and friends. We visit relatives. We plan and prepare Christmas meals. And we have Christmas gifts to buy.

No wonder the Christ Mass becomes an afterthought!

Maybe, though, we can combine our Christmas activities with our stewardship commitments.

Treasure is the simplest. Shouldn’t the most expensive Christmas present we give be the one to Jesus whose birthday we’re celebrating? Risen and glorified, He needs nothing we have. But His Body — the Church — continues Jesus’ mission here on earth and always needs additional resources.

Time and Talent may be a little more complicated, but can’t we spend a little more of our time in worship

and prayer? Stop by the church for a visit to the Christmas Crib and offer a prayer of thanks for the gift of God’s Son. Attend Mass each day of the Christmas Octave. Gather your family for prayers together in the morning or at dinner in preparation for Christmas Day and through the Christmas season.

And Talent? There are lots of possibilities. Sing in the choir for the Christmas Masses. Help decorate the Church. Cook or bake for someone who is homebound. Invite someone who will be alone to share Christmas dinner with your family. Offer to work in a soup kitchen if you will be alone.

The possibilities are endless.

Yes, December means Christmas. But with some planning, we can make this hectic time a real blessing both for ourselves and others. Pray for me that I can keep Christmas properly, and I’ll pray for you. And by the way, have a Merry Christmas!

In Christ, through the intercession of Blessed Pier Giorgio, I love you.

Fr. Jim

We ask our parish community to support Fr. Jim during this difficult time by spending an hour in Adoration each week, by praying a weekly Rosary, or by helping someone in need. Thank you for continued support and prayers.

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CATECHESIS OF THE GOOD

Helping Child

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Each Atrium has an altar where children can reflect on the materials and pray.

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd allows children to develop their own individual spiritual lives and relationships with God.

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rom the youngest age, it’s never too early to start building a strong faith foundation in our children. Here at Saint Michael Parish, the Montessori-based Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) program gives children a hands-on approach to learning the building blocks of the faith and allows them to develop their own spiritual lives and relationships with God. “Catechesis of the Good Shepherd really focuses on the spirituality of the child — the assumption that children have their own spiritual life and connection with God,” says Elizabeth Lyons. “It uses a hands-on method that works well with children and allows them to share what is happening in their spiritual life. It also takes Doctrine and Scripture and presents it to the child in a way that they can grasp, so they can understand it and it becomes real to them. It uses all the methods that Maria Montessori observed that worked well for children and is rooted in sacraments, Scriptures, liturgy, prayer, and faith.”

CGS takes place in a prepared environment called the Atrium, which includes furniture and materials at the child’s level, much like a Montessori classroom. The Atrium is designed to be a quiet place where children can work in an environment that allows them to pray and hear God’s voice. CGS catechists undergo 60 hours of training for qualification to teach each age level — ages 3-5, ages 6-8, and ages 9-12.

“We are taught theology, as well as how to present these stories to the children, and the developmental process of the child at each stage,” Elizabeth says. “Our catechists have said that they have learned so much going through the training, and have grown in their own faith, so this has been a re-education for them, as well.”

CGS sessions take place on Sunday through Thursday, and each age group has its own Atrium, designed for up to 12 children at a time. Each child will attend a CGS session once a week.

Elizabeth, whose educational background is in theology with a concentration in catechesis, was drawn to CGS because it mirrors the incarnational way in which God passes the faith onto us.

“One of the things we talked about when I was studying theology was how God passes on the faith to us in an incarnational way — the Mass itself is incarnational, we use our body to pray, and we use all the sensory modalities to communicate with God,” she

SHEPHERD

dren Grow in their Own Natural Spirituality says. “The prayers we say, the readings we listen to, all of that teaches us about God without a lot of further explanation. CGS does the same thing.

“From the earliest age, the child is presented with Scripture directly from the Bible — we don’t use children’s Bibles,” she adds. “We start off with the smallest, simplest passages that the child is able to grasp, and we use materials that they can touch, hold and move to accompany the Scriptures. For example, the Good Shepherd is the focal piece for the youngest age group, and the material is a pasture with sheep that the child can move. They can latch onto these concrete images, and it helps them to understand the idea behind them. There is also an overwhelming sense of wonder and joy in the child, and we let them wonder about the answers to our questions instead of giving them the answers outright.”

Over the years, Elizabeth has seen how this approach allows the children to truly develop their own understanding of the faith.

“It’s been amazing to see their retention of the Scriptures, and how it becomes a part of them,” she says. “For example, we tell them that Jesus is the Good Shepherd, but we don’t say outright who the sheep are.

But a couple of years down the road, if you ask them, they will say and understand that we are the sheep.”

“Catechesis of the Good Shepherd really focuses on the spirituality of the child — the assumption that children have their own spiritual life and connection with God. It uses a hands-on method that works well with children, and allows them to share what is happening in their spiritual life. It also takes Doctrine and Scripture and presents it to the child in a way that they can grasp, so they can understand it and it becomes real to them.”

— ELIZABETH LYONS

Children work with the Good Shepherd material, designed for ages 3-6.

Children work with the Blue Unity Strip, a work that explains salvation history, designed for ages 6-9.

All parish children are encouraged to participate in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, and the program is always looking for more catechists, aides, and volunteers to prepare the environment and make materials.

For more information, please contact Elizabeth Lyons at 360-292-7119 or elyons@saintmichaelparish.org.

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The W

Origin and Beauty

of the

ith all the commercialism surrounding Christmastime, it’s far too easy for us to lose sight of the true reason behind the season. Overwhelmed by our endless to-do lists and the hustle and bustle of last-minute shopping, our focus quickly shifts away from the Christ Child’s birth. And yet, hidden amongst the holly wreaths and garlands, the Christmas Nativity remains a tangible reminder of the Incarnation, pulling us back into time for a moment as we reflect upon the incredible gift of Christ’s birth.

Interestingly, it was circumstances much like our own today which first led St. Francis of Assisi to recreate the Nativity scene nearly 800 years ago.

Frustrated with the growing materialism and greed that seemed to pervade 13th century Italy, St. Francis wanted a way to visually remind people of Christ’s humble beginnings — to show them that Christmas isn’t about pomp and circumstance or material goods, but rather about unselfish love. Describing the idea to his friend Giovanni, St. Francis wrote, “I want to do something that will recall the memory of that child who was born in Bethlehem, to see with bodily eyes the inconveniences of his infancy, how he lay in the manger...”

And so St. Francis’ idea took form on Christmas

Nativity Scene

Eve in 1223. This original Nativity scene was a living one, even including live animals. Villagers were deeply moved by the silent display of humble beauty, and the Nativity tradition soon spread throughout Italy and surrounding Europe. It is a tradition that remains today in nearly every Christian church and in many homes. In fact, it’s hard to imagine Christmas without a Nativity scene somewhere.

Coming in various sizes and styles, each Nativity replica continues to focus our hearts on the true meaning of Christmas — to help us remember that Christmas isn’t about the amount of gifts under the tree or the festive decorations, but rather about celebrating Christ’s birth. Many families have a tradition of hiding the Infant Jesus, only placing Him in the crib on Christmas morning. This helps build anticipation during the Advent season as we anxiously await the Divine’s birth. Others go a step further, actually wrapping up the Christ Child to be opened as the very first gift of Christmas.

Yet, whatever your family’s particular traditions, we hope that the Christmas Nativity continues to draw your heart heavenward this Christmas season — to center us all on the greatest gift ever given, our Incarnate Lord.

Coming in various sizes and styles, each Nativity replica continues to focus our hearts on the true meaning of Christmas — to help us remember that Christmas isn’t about the amount of gifts under the tree or the festive decorations, but rather about celebrating Christ’s birth.

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The Evangelical Catholic

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Transforming Our Community Through Discipleship, Prayer and Evangelization

or the last two years, Saint Michael Parish leaders and staff have been diving into deeper faith formation. By cultivating disciples, our parish is bringing the Gospel to life in a new way and serving the Church more effectively.

Through a 12-week program by the Evangelical Catholic, SMP is slowly but surely transforming our community through discipleship, prayer, and evangelization.

When Michaela Moreau attended a four-day workshop through the Evangelical Catholic, she immediately knew that this was something that fit right in with the mission of our parish. She shared the idea with Fr. Jim and he agreed that if the parish leaders and volunteers had more formation and understood how to serve as missionary disciples, then everything the parish offered would benefit.

The 12-week formation course involves a group of 10-12 parishioners who meet weekly for an hour and a half, then meet one-on-one with the facilitator for an hour.

Throughout the program, participants have guided daily prayer, watch videos, and read Scripture, the Catechism, and encyclicals for group discussions. The formation combines personal growth with a focus on one’s prayer life, with real skills necessary to walk with others on their faith journey.

Many of the parishioners who completed the program have been using what they learned in their small groups.

Jill McAuley was new to the Evangelical Catholic when

she first helped as a facilitator. However, she took what she learned and has since applied it as a small-group leader.

“It has helped me to be more intentional,” Jill says.

“I feel like our conversations and discussions are really spirit-led. It has been really neat to see the fruit that has come out of small groups.”

Before introducing the Evangelical Catholic, smallgroup leaders received a two-hour training and were given materials to incorporate in small groups. Now, small-group leaders have the chance to really develop their prayer lives. By diving deeper into prayer, leaders open themselves to the movement of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer can make big things happen.

Jill found that the formation in developing one-on-one relationships and learning how to walk with her fellow Catholics in faith has served her well in her small group.

“What appealed to me is the need to grow in friendship and relationship with people that we share the same faith with, to make our faith become more vibrant, to talk about it and support each other,” Jill says.

As we look to the future, we can be sure that our leaders who have been formed through the Evangelical Catholic will do great things for our parish, rejuvenate the faith, and spread the Gospel, all while following the example of Christ’s own disciples.

Cultivating disciples, bringing the Gospel to life in a new way and serving the Church more effectively

(From left) John Hipp, Jill McAuley, Michaela Moreau, Fr. Jim.

If you would like more information about the Evangelical Catholic, please contact Michaela Moreau at 360-292-7104 or mmoreau@saintmichaelparish.org.

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PO Box 766 | Olympia, WA 98507-0766 (360) 754-4667 | saintmichaelparish.org facebook.com/saintmichaelparish @smp.olympia saintmichaelparish youtube.com/c/saintmichaelparish

The Giving Tree

continued from front cover

phone numbers and the tag number they took, so I could make sure I accounted for all of them. After a few years, I stopped doing this because everyone who participated was very good about returning the tag with the gift.”

For over 25 years, this was our Giving Tree process — however, last year, things changed. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event shifted from personalized gifts to requesting gift cards to give to the families.

“Starting last year, and continuing this year, we are asking parishioners to donate gift cards which will be given to our partner organizations to distribute,” says Kellie Patton, Steward for Community Outreach. “We partner with Catholic Community Services, Drexel House, and Tumwater Lions Club. We provide them with gift cards to distribute to children and veterans in need.”

This year, the parish has a goal of collecting 500 gift cards in the amount of $25 each. The gift cards requested are for Target, Amazon, or Fred Meyer.

“We have seen a huge increase in our community of children whose families are financially stressed,” Kellie says.

“The Giving Tree is a special way to ensure that 500 children and veterans in our community receive a gift at Christmas.”

The spirit and tradition of the parish in the past have encouraged everyone that the goals will be met.

“Truthfully, seeing how our parishioners respond makes me very proud to be a member of Saint Michael Parish,” Rich says.

Gift Cards can either be brought to the reception window or mailed to the parish office at:

Saint Michael Parish Attn: Giving Tree PO Box 766 Olympia, WA 98507 The deadline is Dec 12.

WEEKEND MASS SCHEDULE Saturday: Vigil 5pm | Sunday: 7:30am, 9:30am, 11:30am & 5pm