Novembertime Update

Greetings everyone!

So far, we've focused on God the Father and God the Son in class.

We can encounter God in so many ways, like in the wonders of the world around us.

We encounter God in the most significant way in the Eucharist.

We also acknowledge God's Presence in the Church, the Body of Christ.

We did an activity on the Nicene Creed.  Everyone did a great job putting together the Nicene Creed from strips of paper with parts of it.

The Trinity Dome of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

I played this video of Baba Yetu, the Lord's Prayer in Swahili.

We listened to part of Jonathan Roumie's speech at the National Eucharistic Congress.  This link starts at the moment where we came in, when he offers a dramatic reading of a portion of the Bread of Life discourse in John 6.  Please feel free to scroll back to listen to the entire presentation.

Eucharistic Adoration inside Lucas Oil Stadium during the National Eucharistic Congress, on July 20, 2024

The Eucharist was also a focus during the November special Tuesday session that I hosted.

We watched a video with Eucharistic Prayer 2 to focus on the words in it.

We watched a video about a mysterious metal sound from the Eucharistic Encounters series produced by Relevant Radio.

Catholic themes surface in the Thanksgiving proclamations of both President Washington and President Lincoln, because as Catholics, we are called to acknowledge God's blessings and seek His mercy, which we do at Mass.

So let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

God's blessings,

Paul

Introduction

Greetings 7th and 8th Graders and Families!

I am Paul Rubio, the catechist for the 7th/8th grade class for Tuesday evening Religious Education at Ascension.  This is my 13th year of teaching RE.

I was born on the North Side of Chicago, and I have lived in Oak Park for over 30 years.  I attended local public schools. I am Irving Elementary School Class of 2002, Julian Middle School Class of 2005, and OPRFHS Class of 2009.

After being part of the St. Giles Family Mass Community for many years, my family switched to Ascension.  I attended Religious Education here on Tuesday evenings in grades 7 and 8.

I have a MLIS degree from Dominican University.  I currently work behind the scenes as a cataloger at the Addison Public Library.

My librarian work aligns closely with my role as a catechist, in that I have the enjoyable opportunity to provide information to others that is meaningful.

I look forward to all that we will experience together this year as we encounter God's presence in class and beyond.

On this blog website, I will post links to resources I share in class that supplement the book.

Please feel free to contact me with questions, comments, other feedback, etc.  My e-mail is the best way to reach me and I have provided it to all the parents.  I make a point of responding to any email from a person by the end of the next calendar day.

I am grateful for the opportunity I have to accompany your daughters and sons in RE class this year.

God's blessings,

Paul

Here I am outside Holy Name Cathedral two summers ago when the Marian Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage was in Chicago, photographed by some there at the Cathedral.