lenratajczyk

1 Year Anniversary:  This summer is my one-year Anniversary of Deacon Ordination. I think this anniversary gives a good time for reflection and gratitude for spiritual moments. From the last year, a moment that stands out was Confirmation night for our Youth at St Clare Parish.  It was a privilege and inspiring to stand alongside […]

CHRISTMAS SEASON: During the Christmas Season (Dec. 25 until Jan 6th.) St Clare Church is beautifully decorated with several Christmas trees and red Poinsettias. Further joy is added to the atmosphere from the many people that attended the Christmas Services.  All this created a beautiful environment to celebrate the birth of our Savior.  For New

SUMMER 2023: With Deacon Formation over, I have begun providing services in the following ministries. Preaching, it is really enjoyable writing and delivering a homily or sermon for weekend Mass. I have also been performing Communion Services for parishioners in assisted living communities.  I have really enjoyed getting to know them better and learn more

PENTECOST CELEBRATION: The Sunday before Ordination was the Pentecost Celebration at our home parish, St Clare of Assisi in O’Fallon, Illinois.  The parish community provided a wonderful pre-Ordination celebration, and my family was so very grateful for the support, hospitality and generosity we received.  The memories created will be cherished and remain with us for

APRIL/MAY CLASS: The last two months of formation were focused on the study of Catholic Sexual Morality teaching.  We learned how to better understand, dialogue and respond to the many cultural challenges to the Christian view of sexuality.  The course discussed how many sexual images appear in our society, but it is rare to find

MARCH CLASS: We visited Saint Meinrad Monastery in Indiana and finished study on the Holy Trinity.  We learned about how the early Church struggled with defining the identity of Jesus Christ.  For example, there was significant debate on whether Jesus was created by God and perhaps divine but still less than God.  Ultimately, the debate

CLASS SUMMARY:  For January, the focus was on learning to minister in the role of Deacon at Baptisms, Weddings, and Funerals.  In the Christian life, these are some of the most memorable moments in our lives.  To help us perform these correctly, we had a classroom portion on the established Catholic Rite for Baptism, Weddings

CLASS SUMMARY:  For November & December, we studied Canon Law or what might be called the “legal system” of the Catholic Church.  We covered areas of Canon Law history, theological background for Law, obligations of the Christian faithful and the valid celebration and reception of the Sacraments.  A special emphasis was given to areas related

RECENT CLASS SUMMARY — In September and October, the topic for study was Moral Theology.  We referenced the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) for much of our class discussion.   The CCC is the compilation of Catholic Church teachings and is the go-to resource for teaching the Catholic Faith.  For centuries, Theologians guided by the

RECENT CLASS SUMMARY — After a short summer break, we are back for our 5th and final year.  Earlier this month, we spent a full week at Saint Meinrad Seminary in Indiana.  It was a privilege to spend time in daily prayer with the Benedictine Monks that live at Saint Meinrad.  The topic for our