Parish School of Religion (PSR)
Dear Parents,
By enrolling your child in the St. Luke Parish School of Religion, you are taking an important step forward in the truth that the family is the domestic church. Pope St. John Paul II said the seeds of our faith are planted in the family. Your moral responsibility as parents is to see that your children are trained in the faith and teachings of the Church. In sum, your role is to get your children to heaven. The clergy and lay instructors never replace your role, nor relieve you of this high calling you have received. Parents must oversee the spiritual growth of their child in the area of faith and morals.
Frequent reception of the sacraments by Sunday Mass (and daily Mass where possible) and frequent confession are cornerstones of a healthy spiritual life. Along with daily prayer and reading scripture, they keep our interior life going. These practices show with our actions where our hearts lie – in the passing things of this world, or in the God who loves us, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
An old cliché says, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Pope St. John Paul II remarked that an image that stood out in his youth was getting up in the middle of the night and seeing his father on his knees praying (his mother had died years before). The saint said that experience of his youth was his first seminary. Once again, my dear parents, God’s plan is that you take care very well of the faith of your family. The one thing necessary is making disciples of Christ. Our children are also the future of the Church. Let’s give our next generation of Catholics the tools necessary to know and defend their faith and become saints.
I extend my priestly blessing to you all, and with warm regards,
Fr. Matt