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Milestones
Hannah Chelackal
Our religious education
classes also have many
other enrichment
activities. The Bible is
the Word of God. It is
God Himself who speaks
through the Bible. One of
the activities of our CCD
is the Bible Quiz. It
encourages us to read
and understand the Bible
very thoroughly.
“Go, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey all that I
have taught you. (Matthew 28:19)” This command of Jesus is the
very definition of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. Our Sacred Heart Knanaya
Catholic Forane Church that celebrates its tenth anniversary, has been successfully
carrying out this mission in many ways.
One of the most prominent ways that the church has followed this command of
Jesus is by providing the religious education to children. Pope John Paul II once said
that religious education is a sacred duty and right of the church. It is in our religious
education classes that we were taught how to prepare ourselves to receive the sacra-
ments of Holy Communion, Reconciliation, and Chrismation.
In the Gospel of St. Luke, Jesus taught us the parable of the sower. In this para-
ble, the sower sows the seeds into his field. But not all of them germinated into good,
healthy plants. Some fell on the path, some fell on the rocky ground, some fell among
the thorns, and others fell in the good soil. Without the good soil the seeds could not
grow, therefore, those that fell on bad field withered and died. When we receive bap-
tism, the seeds of our faith are thrown into the field. Without the good soil, we can-
not grow in our faith. Pope Pius X once said: ''by the Catechism, the soil is prepared
for the seed of God." Yes, religious education is the soil that prepares the seeds of our
faith to grow into prosperous plants. Through the religious education, we are build-
ing a strong foundation for our faith to grow. As our faith grows, we come closer to
Jesus and towards our ultimate goal that is Heaven.
In our catechism classes, we learn so much about God and his never ending love
for us. We also learn how to incorporate our lessons in our daily lives. We students
are encouraged to participate in many charitable and religious activities. Doing even
a little good deed can make a big difference. Charities like: ''Feed My Starving
Children", food drives and clothing drives are all very important to our curriculum.
We learn that it is not only our words and prayers that bring us to Heaven, but it is
the good deeds that we do during our life here on earth.
Our religious education classes also have many other enrichment activities. The
Bible is the Word of God. It is God Himself who speaks through the Bible. One of the
activities of our CCD is the Bible Quiz. It encourages us to read and understand the
Bible very thoroughly. The Bible quiz always urges the students to develop a habit of
reading the Bible more often. During the Eucharistic Year, we had an opportunity to
study the Holy Qurbana in depth. As a part of the Jubilee Year of Mercy, we are learn-
ing about the saints of mercy and how we can be merciful like them. The retreats coor-
dinated by our religious education school have greatly impacted us on our faith jour-
ney. They assist us on developing a strong, personal relationship with God.
We live in a society that is turning away from God. Our church and religious edu-
cation prepares us to face the world and defend our faith. I am confident that what we
learn in our classes will definitely help us to grow in our faith, despite the challenges
of this world. Our religious education classes will guide us to become good role mod-
els for the younger generation. Through our classes and the grace of God from the
sacraments, let us all grow in wisdom, age and in favor with God and men, just like
Jesus.
As we conclude the tenth anniversary of our parish, let us use this as an opportu-
nity to thank God for all the blessings that He has bestowed on our parish. I am very
thankful to all the priests who have served our parish, all the dedicated teachers, and
the DREs for guiding us on our faith journey. Our church is truly following the com-
mand of Jesus by instructing us to be good disciples of Jesus.
ZihÕc kvarXn 431