Holy Family Cluster holds family rally to kick-off year

By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff reporter
September 25, 2002

Throughout the diocese religious education programs have started for the year, but the Holy Family Cluster in Sioux City started a little differently. For their opening session, parents were invited to come and participate with their children in a family rally on Sept. 17 in the St. Joseph School gym. This is the first year that the cluster has incorporated an activity with parents into their opening. About 260 people attended the event.

The Holy Family religious education's focus this year is on family. The cluster includes Cathedral of the Epiphany, St. Joseph and St. Boniface in Sioux City. During the school year they will continue to involve the parents and the rest of the family in the religious education process with an activity of some sort each month.

"We are going to be focusing on families," said Kathryn Keane, director of religious education for the cluster. "Family is the domestic church. We need to nourish our families so we can go out and be examples for other people to see our love for God."

The families were in groups of 12. They did an activity where they traced their own handprint on a piece of paper and wrote their name on the hand.

One finger listed what parish they belong to, another was their favorite family fun event and another was a hobby. If the person was an adult, they put their occupation for one finger. If the hand was a student's, they wrote down their grade. The last finger they colored a color that represented how they felt about God. They then shared what they put on their hand with the group.

"It was families sharing," said Keane. "Sometimes you don't always know how your own child feels about things. It gave them the opportunity to share within their own family, but also families shared with other families. It was a really neat experience. I was amazed at how the families did share. People want to unite with other people in their parish, and sometimes we just don't have that opportunity to do that."

After the families shared their thoughts and handprints with their group, there was a prayer service. The prayer service included a Gospel reading, music and within their groups everyone held hands to say the Our Father. The last song was We are the Church.

Representatives from each circle brought their poster of hands to the front to be lined up around the stage.

"In our own families we are the domestic church, but we are connected to the bigger church and universal church and communion of saints," said Keane.

At the end of the prayer service, the students split from their parents to meet in their individual classes. The students met with their teacher and class for a little while and then rejoined their parents for an ice cream social.

"Sometimes we don't do enough things with our families, and having a program that centers on families allows for interacting with their own family and other families," she added. "They are getting to know the other people from their parish and, in our situation, our cluster. I wanted people to get to know each other."

Events that families are encouraged to attend with their children for the rest of the year include the Thanksgiving Mass, Reconciliation, Peace Pledge Family Rally, Ash Wednesday Mass, Stations of the Cross, Holy Week Family Prayer Service and Spring Family Rally.

"I think it was a big success," said Keane. "We had a good majority of our families come. The gym was packed. I was amazed at how everybody was sharing within their group. They wanted to participate. It really felt like a community."

For more information or to ask questions call Keane at (712) 258-4962.