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Education and Evangelization Ministries
Virtus training sessions, which take only one evening, teach adults how to protect children from sexual abuse. Training builds awareness of the signs of child sexual abuse, methods by which offenders commit abuse, and five easy steps to prevent it. Awareness and education can be major steps in identifying potential abuse and can help in minimizing its long-term effects. Our diocese requires that all who work in ministries dealing with children, complete this training, which is offered frequently at our parish.
Those interested in becoming Catholic receive instruction in the faith from a team of clergy, religious, and laity. Sessions are scheduled on Tuesday evenings from September through Pentecost. The first part of the program, called "Inquiry," lasts 12 weeks. Then participants go through a process of discernment to determine if they are to continue with the process, and those who do, participate in the Rite of Acceptance and then continue the process until Easter. During the Holy Saturday Vigil Liturgy, they finally become full members of our church and parish community. All of us who are members of St. Margaret Mary Parish are called upon to pray for the candidates, and to help them to feel like part of our parish family. Located adjacent to the Conference Room in the Parish Activity Center, the self-service Library contains over 9000 items including 3000 faith formation materials from the former Clarksburg and Parkersburg Vicariate Pastoral Liaison offices. Books, Video/DVDs and Audio/CDs have been organized into 16 Vicariate and 27 Parish categories. The Library features a special Children’s section, an area of free books and “Need One, Take One; Have Some, Leave Some” sections. The library is open Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings and any other time the PAC is open. Check the bulletin, especially on the second page where events for the week are listed. For more information visit the parish web site at www.stmmdwc.org/library. Do you want to learn more about your faith? You can fulfill this desire through short courses that are presented from time to time, in the evening and on weekends, at various parishes throughout our state. Topics include the sacraments, the Trinity, Sacred Scripture, prayer, morality, and the history of the Church. This program is called "Koinonia" (a Greek word for "fellowship"), and is offered by the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. It's a valuable way to deepen your faith experience, or to develop skills in Lay Ministry. The website for this program opens with this assertion: "We are entering a period of new vitality for the Church, a period in which adult Catholic laity will play a pivotal leadership role in fulfilling the Christian mission of evangelizing and transforming society." Check it out: http://koinonia.dwc.org. How important it is for us to grow in our faith! St. Margaret Mary has begun a program of classes for adults on Sunday mornings at 9:30 -- between the two morning Masses, while the children attend their classes. These Sunday classes deal with the basics of the Catholic faith, and are a great “refresher course” for adults, taught by a fully educated theologian. Evening classes for members of all area parishes are held every Lent on Monday evenings at 7:15. Also, each summer during the week after Fathers’ Day, local parishes collaborate to present special adult classes from 6 until 8 pm. It is hoped that many will take advantage of these opportunities to deepen faith! If you'd prefer to study your faith from home, you can learn about Catholic beliefs, Church history, Jesus, the Bible, Mary, and other topics through the Virtual Learning Community for Faith Formation. You'll access instructional materials online, and take part in interactive, informal discussion groups. Courses are provided by the University of Dayton in partnership with the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston; the diocese pays half the cost, making the fee for parish members only $15-20 per course. For all the details, see the website: https://vlc.udayton.edu/. This program, presented by Wheeling Jesuit University along with our diocese, provides an opportunity for adults to develop skills in ministering to others, while having fun working with teens on service and leadership projects. The lay ministry aspect is just one part of the "Timely" program, described under Youth Ministries. P.C.H.S. is a college-preparatory high school that blends academic standards, strong moral values, and genuine concern for every individual. The school's objective is to help students become active, competent, contributing members of the future. The academic program consistently enables students to reach their fullest intellectual potential, and the no-cut athletic programs frequently generate championship-caliber teams in 11 Varsity sports. Students' religious and service work teaches personal responsibility and a compassion for others that last a lifetime. See website for more information - www.pchs1.com P.C.E.S. enrolls students from grades pre-school through six. The school has an active Parent/Teacher Organization, which welcomes volunteer involvement in the school (e.g., lunch aides, teacher aides, library aides). Grades one through six are located in the main building at the corner of 9th and Juliana Streets, while the pre-school and kindergarten classes are held in a building on Fairview Avenue near P.C.H.S A small group of parishioners is responsible for taping one homily each Sunday morning, making copies of the homily, and coordinating the distribution of these tapes (along with parish bulletins) to those unable to attend Mass. If you, or someone you know, would like to receive a copy of the tape, please call the Contact Person. |
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