“Living Mercy” Rally at Trinity Catholic High School on September 16

REAP Team Leads Retreat Day for Junior High Students from

8 Northeast Deanery Schools and Parishes

On Friday, September 16 Trinity Catholic High School’s gymnasium (1720 Redman Road, 63138) will be filled with music and over 250 kids and adults in colorful t-shirts as Northeast Deanery junior high students come together for the 10^th Annual Northeast Deanery Confirmation Rally with the theme “Living Mercy.” This opportunity to praise and worship God while interacting with their peers from other schools and parishes will help them grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ as they journey through their junior high years and prepare to receive the sacrament of Confirmation in the spring. Students from the following schools and parish PSR programs will be in attendance: Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, Christ Light of the Nations, Sacred Heart, St. Angela Merici, St. Ferdinand, St. Norbert, St. Rose Philippine Duchesne and St. Sabina.

The REAP Team, led by Paul Masek and Rachel Leininger, will facilitate the day, which begins at 9:00 a.m. with a fun icebreaker activity, “Musical Hot Potato.” Then, Paul and Rachel will present “10 Ways to Ruin Your Confirmation,” followed by small group discussion facilitated by adult leaders. Before lunch, the group will split for “Girls and Guys” sessions. The afternoon has a new format this year, with three breakout sessions that small groups will be rotating through. In the gymnasium, Dr. Jonathan Smith, Special Assistant to the President for Diversity and Community Engagement at Saint Louis University will speak on Peace & Justice. In the chapel, Paul and Rachel will present about the healing power of Reconciliation. And in the cafeteria Fr. Chris Martin, Director of Vocations for the Archdiocese of St. Louis, will invite teens to begin thinking and praying about what God wants them to do with their lives. After the breakout sessions, everyone will return to the gymnasium for Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and preparation for the closing mass at 3:00 p.m., celebrated by Fr. Martin.

This is the 10^th year that Deacon Bill Twellmann from St. Norbert has organized the Confirmation Rally for all Northeast Deanery parishes and schools. “It’s a great experience for the kids,” said Deacon Bill. “They receive some excellent faith formation from the REAP Team and have an opportunity to get to know one another and realize they are not alone in their faith journey, that hundreds of other kids are right here with them in their community.”

The confirmation rally is a collaborative program of the Federation of Catholic Schools. This year partial funding for the rally was provided through a grant from The Koch Foundation, a Catholic foundation committed to supporting a variety of evangelization efforts.

The pastors and principals from the eight Catholic elementary schools and 10 parishes of the Northeast Deanery of the Archdiocese of St. Louis have been collaborating as the Federation of Catholic Schools since 2010. To learn more about the programs and goals of the Federation, please visit www.FederationofCatholicSchools.org.