Diocese of Paisley

Dear fellow Parents and Guardians, we know that our Catholic schools have wonderful and dedicated teachers who provide great education and formation, but you are still the most important teachers in your children’s lives. You are fundamental and irreplaceable as their first teachers, especially in faith and love. This periodic newsletter from the Diocese of Paisley Marriage and Family Office hopes to share how our Catholic faith is being taught and practised in school, and how we can complement this at home. Whether our children accept our faith themselves depends most of all on our example and encouragement. This is a big responsibility and it may sound a bit scary, but it is our personal mission from God so it’s definitely mission possible!  Most of our teaching is by example but it is also important that we practise and talk about our faith together as a family. Every effort we make here will be well rewarded. Even though we will often be less than perfect in this mission, we can always turn to God and pray with confidence that He will make up for our limitations.

Return to School and the Eucharist                           
When we celebrate Mass, Jesus Himself is present to us as if we were there with Him at the Last Supper. The Eucharist is so important that Jesus would not undertake His Passion, death and resurrection until He had given us this Sacrament. When we are able to receive Holy Communion we really do receive Jesus Himself in His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. Many Eucharistic miracles have been documented which show that this is truly His Body. (The Science of Recent Eucharistic Miracles: A Message from Heaven?  (ascensionpress.com)  We have just celebrated the feast of Corpus Christi (The Body and Blood of Christ) which reminds us that God loves us so much that He offers Himself to us in His very Body. Mass and Eucharistic Adoration are available again as part of the faith life of our schools. It’s good to encourage our children to make use of these opportunities and try to bring them to Mass on Sundays once again, as this is the greatest source of grace for our life of faith.

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is traditional in June. The Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus which we celebrate on June 11^th helps us increase our faith and reliance on Jesus’ burning love for each and every person on earth. In the Eucharistic miracles noted above medical examination has shown that this tissue is from the human heart. When we adore and receive Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament it is His Sacred Heart we adore and receive. There are many prayers and devotions which will help us in doing this including this short prayer;

 ‘O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in You’.

We hope you found something to encourage you in your mission as teachers in this newsletter, and that you have some fun and relaxation over the holidays, even with the kids at home! Let’s keep teaching our children the ways of faith and love while school’s out. May our good Lord God protect and bless all our families as we journey towards Him this summer.

Diocese of Paisley | Marriage & Family | Paisley, UK (rcdop.org.uk)