News as of Thursday, January 4, 2001

Well, it's 2001! Happy New Year...may all your resolutions be met and all your hopes for the new year come true.

Resuming our weekly e-mail to you all let's just jump into what's happening this week and what is planned in the week's ahead:

• The topic for this week's Thursday meeting is the beginning of a series of meetings on the Sacraments. This week we will cover Baptism and Reconciliation. We encourage you to join us if you can.
• Please contact your candidate / catechumen (C/C) and tell them we want to take a picture of them for our booklet. RCIA team member, Greg Hunter, will be taking these photos this week Thursday.
• Mark your calendar, the next sponsor's meeting will be on Thursday, January 18th. We would like all sponsors to attend. It will be held at the same time as the regularly scheduled RCIA meeting (most likely in one of the breakout meeting rooms in Monsignor Wade Hall).

Please let Pat Kramer, Marie Egolf or me know if there are specific issues you want to discuss at this meeting. We will attempt to address these topics, if possible.

As always, should you have any questions please contact Marie, Pat or me.  Take care.

Marie Egolf, Pat Kramer and Hans Bruhn

News as of Thursday, January 11, 2001

Last week we covered the Sacraments of initiation - Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation.  The prior week, we covered the Liturgical year.

Here is some background information / questions on these sacraments that may assist you in discussions with your candidate/catechumen:

BAPTISM -  we are each a member of a family.

• What's involved in that?
• What do I have to bring to my own family?
• ... to my church family?
• What do I feel I want to experience in this family called church?  (family of God)
• What calls me into a deeper level of family?

• How am I being fed?
• How do I limit what happens ?
• What draws me to continually come back and receive?

MANDATORY SPONSORS MEETING:  Reminder that NEXT Thursday, 1/18/01 at 7:15pm we will be having a mandatory sponsors meeting.  It will be in the Monsignor Wade Hall (in one of break-out meeting rooms).  The regular RCIA  meeting will be going on at the same time.

Please send us any concerns, questions, issues you would like to discuss so that we can include those in the meeting.  We do not anticipate it being a long meeting but again it is important that we get together as a group to see how the process is proceeding and to ensure we correct any problems that may be developing.  In general e-mails can only go so far.  Nothing like a meeting!

STAY IN TOUCH:  We are now beginning to really get into specific topics related to being a member or the Catholic Church.  Also the candidates are going to hopefully have more questions.   They need your support.  Attending the weekly meetings (Thursday) with your candidate / catechumen is a good way to keep in touch.

It is VERY important that you are in contact with your candidate / catechumen on a WEEKLY basis.  If this is posing a problem please contact anyone on the RCIA team. 

Take care everyone.  God bless.

Pat Kramer, Marie Egolf and Hans Bruhn

News as of Thursday, January 18, 2001

Hello Sponsors!

Thank you for attending the meeting last week. It was nice to see all of you and to hear your suggestions for the program. Pat and I discussed some of them with the RCIA team later that night. We are sorry that we did not have a chance to join the rest of the group and hear Fr. Joyce's presentation.

For those that did not attend, we need to hear from each of you.

• please send us a note on how your partnership with your candidate /catechumen (C/C) is going.
• We really need to know if you are doing ok,
• you are seeing your C/C on a regular basis (talking with each other weekly at a minimum),
• praying together (contact me so I can send you the prayers we handed out)/
• overall, are you walking with them during their faith journey.
• We also want to know how your faith journey is going. Let us know if there are any high points to motivate otheres or of course problems that we can help resolve.
• And finally, are there any suggestions for the program.

Marie Egolf, Pat Kramer and me (Hans)

News as of Thursday, January 25, 2001

Dear Sponsors;

Hang on, January is flying by!  Hope all is well.  Here are the scoops for the week:

* The topic for this week's meeting is Sacrament of Vocations, presented by Fr. Brian Joyce. 

* The following week (2/8/01) the topic will be Call, Service and Social Justice with Fr. Brian Joyce again.

* The next sponsors meeting will be March 1st at 7:15pm.  This will be a short meeting but we will have information for you of substance.  Please mark your calendars.  PLEASE SEND TOPICS TO US THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS.  After the meeting we will let you join the rest of the group (promise).

* If any sponsors are out there that did not get the calendar, roster of RCIA participants, sponsors, and team members please let us know, we will have these available at the Thursday meetings for a few weeks so you can get them there (or ask your candidate / catecumen to get you a copy).

Take care,  let us know if we can assist you.

Marie Egolf, Pat Kramer and Hans Bruhn

            Hello Everyone - Great News!

This is the information regarding the new addition to the RCIA family.  Sara and Eddy Altamirano are the proud new parents of Edward Blake, born Feb. 2 at 6:41 p.m., 7 lb 4 oz, 20 1/2 inches, golden blonde hair.  Sara (aka, Mom) is a participant in the RCIA program this year.

Please pass this information on to your candidate /catecumen.

To inquire about the RCIA, call MARIE EGOLF @ 925-687-6478 or PARISH HOUSE @  925-682-2486.

We'd like to hear from you.
Send us an e-mail.