Parish School of Religion

PSR Classes begin September 17th. These classes will be held on the first and third Sundays of each month. PSR classes will be after the 10:30 Mass. PSR classes will end promptly at 1:30 pm. The complete schedule of class dates is available at the link below.

Lunch will be provided in the Parish Center after Mass for PSR students and family members. Lunch will be served on the first floor. After lunch PSR staff will guide students to their 2nd floor classrooms.

Classes last until 1:30 pm. Family members are encouraged to stay after Mass for lunch and fellowship. If you are not able to stay during the class time, please pick up promptly at 1:30 pm those for whom you are responsible.

First communion preparation will be part of the PSR classes for 2nd and 3rd grades. First communion preparation classes will be held at the regular PSR times.

Confirmation classes will be held on the 3rd Sunday of the month at the regular PSR times in the Parish Center.

A list of class groups and teachers is available at the link below.

A registration form is available at the link below. IF you have not pre-registered, please complete one form for each child you are registering.

Registration Form for PSR, first communion, and confirmation

Schedule for PSR Classes and Youth Masses

Teacher list for PSR, first communion and Confirmation

Holy Spirit PSR Watchful Wednesday, May 8th, 2024

Holy Spirit PSR Watchful Wednesday Meditation.

As we move into the final days of the Easter Season, we continue to experience the blessings by God promised for the Messianic Age. We continue to celebrate the Spirit of God at work both past and present. We at Holy Spirit Church had the privilege of celebrating the joy of confirmation this week with four of our young members. We will celebrate the Ascension of our Lord and Mother’s Day this Sunday. The following Sunday is the Feast of Pentecost. Let us take a little time to reflect on how God’s Spirit has moved throughout salvation history especially as regards The Messiah.

When Isaiah prophesied the coming Messianic Age (Isaiah 11:1), he proclaimed that the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon the Messiah. The Messiah will have a spirit of wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, strength, and fear of the Lord. The Messiah will rule with peace and justice. He will lift the downtrodden, restore the remnant of Israel, and be a signal to the nations.

As Jesus approached the end of his earthly ministry, he promised his followers that he would not leave them orphans. He said he would ask the Father, and the Father would send a “paraclete” or an “advocate” (Jn 14:15). He promised this advocate would be a Spirit of Truth.

Paul talked about the gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 12:1) as spiritual gifts for the common good and the carrying on Jesus’s mission which had been entrusted to the faithful. He enumerates the gifts of wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miraculous powers, discernment, prophecy, gifts of tongues, and interpretation of tongues.

Throughout Church history, people of faith discussed how the sacrament of confirmation imparts the gifts of the Holy Spirits. These gifts are spoke of as wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of God.

Now today, how are we to put these gifts of the Holy Spirit to work so we can continue the mission Jesus has given us? I was privileged to hear a presentation recently on how the faithful can be people of healing. This presenter, Luke Brown,LPCC was talking about healing in mental health, but the concepts closely apply to all areas of healing. Professor Brown reported that research shows that clients attributed 90% of healing to how the helper connected to the client. The effective healer connected with the person seeking help by listening, respecting, welcoming, encouraging and showing understanding to the client. Only 10% of progress came from the helper having innovative ideas or other strategies on what the client should do.

The presenter gave the example of when Jesus encountered a blind man (Lk 18:35) This man was sitting by the side of the road and shouted out, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me.” The blind man addressed Jesus by his Messianic title, “Son of David.”  Jesus’s first response was to connect to this person and listen. Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?”  Even though Jesus was the Messiah, he took time to give the man the power to speak of what he wanted from this encounter.

Two words that convey the idea of connecting with others when we are performing our Christian mission are “welcome” and “nurture.”  In the mission statement for Holy Spirit Church, we include that we are a welcoming community. In a recent discussion by PSR staff we stressed that we conduct our mission by operating with a nurturing spirit. To welcome another means that the person is accepted, appreciated, approved of, and treated in a way that shows we are grateful to be with them. To nurture another means the person is cherished, encouraged, supported, or sustained.

As we complete these final days of our Easter Season let us pray that The Holy Spirit will fill us again. May the Spirit enable us to connect with those we encounter. May the Spirit guide us to use our gifts in a way that is welcoming and nurturing.

This year’s PSR school year has concluded. This will be the last Watchful Wednesday Meditation until the PSR classes begin in the fall. Thank you for taking time to consider these meditations. Thank you for your encouraging responses. Hope to see you in the fall.