Dear Family of St. Ann Church,
 Welcome
to St. Ann Parish! We are a loving, caring,
sharing faith community in Lansing, Illinois
who strive to live the Gospel of Jesus and to
foster a future full of hope. As you navigate
through our website, I encourage you to read
our parish history to know where we have been,
where we are today, and where we are going.
If you are not a member of St. Ann, I invite
you to visit our Church at Mass and I promise
you that we will make you feel welcomed and
right at home. Members of our faith family are
diverse and welcoming people from Lansing and
the surrounding communities. We look forward
to welcoming you in person when you join us
at Mass.
We are a vibrant community of believers and
are blest with a top-notch Catholic School.
Our principal, teachers, and support staff are
ardent in their commitment to Catholic education
and our students. If you are a parent or know
someone who has children searching for an excellent
Catholic education, please call our school to
schedule a visit or to learn more about Catholic
education and why you should send your child
to St. Ann School.
Our parish is also blest with a robust Religious
Education program (RE). What is the function
of the Religious Education program? It is more
than just teaching kids the prayers all Catholic
should know. For some people it's simply about
"character education"; for Catholics
the core of Religious Education is theological
literacy. That sounds pretty impressive!
What does that mean? Our school and RE program
emphasize theological literacy to ensure all
students have substantial knowledge and understanding
of the Catholic theological tradition. As a
consequence, pupils will be able to engage critically
with the "big questions" about doctrine,
religious practice, the interpretation of scriptures
and other church documents, as well as wrestling
with the ethical questions about which the Catholic
tradition has something important to say. Catholic
education (from school and RE) must teach Catholic
doctrine: Creation, the Incarnation, Redemption.
If religious education is meant to be a study
of the Catholic theological tradition in all
its breadth and richness, then our students
must be invited to engage with these big doctrinal
questions too. All too often for many of us
Catholics, education in our faith ends when
we are confirmed or graduate from high school.
Religious education is an important component
of our overall education and should be treated
with equal respect and importance as the other
"real school" subjects.
Finally, if you ever had an inclination to
teach catechism - now is your chance! Do not
worry about the training; the parish will take
responsibility for helping you! There will be
plenty of support and resources for you to draw
on. If you are interested in becoming a catechist,
the DRE would be happy to interview you to ensure
a good fit. If you or someone you know want
to talk about the possibility of teaching catechism
please contact the DRE, Ms. Sandra Bustamante.
I wish all of you a Blessed year ahead.
Fr. Mark Kalema, Pastor
|
