Welcome to our atrium. Take a look around!
Featured Atrium Presentation:
SUNDAY, MAY 19 WAS THE FEAST OF PENTECOST AND THE BIRTHDAY OF THE CHURCH!
We marked the special day by a group procession into the atrium to set the prayer table with a red cloth for the celebration. We learned two new songs— “Come, come, Holy Spirit” (in English and Spanish) and “Holy Spirit, Come”—which we sang during our procession and during our work “The Celebration of Pentecost.”
The Pentecost work begins by recalling the events of (and after) the Last Supper at the Cenacle (“the upper room”). We talked about what the disciples must have been feeling at Jesus’ death and then compared that to how they must have felt at his resurrection and ascension.
After a solemn reading of Acts 2:1-4, we wondered together about what it must have looked and felt like for the Holy Spirit to come upon the disciples. We imagined how they must have reacted! The level II children in particular discussed the significance of the Holy Spirit giving the disciples the ability to speak in different tongues.
The Celebration of Pentecost
Wisdom: to know the greatness of God & be able to share it with others
Piety/Delight in the Lord: to love God with our whole self, mind & body
Knowledge: to know the character of God & recognize him as as our very best friend
Counsel: the gift of knowing what to do & how to do it
Fear of the Lord: to be amazed by God’s greatness & recognize how small we are in comparison
Understanding: to know God’s ways & to follow them
Strength/Fortitude: to have a strong relationship with God & to be strong against evil.
As I read the names and descriptions of the gifts, I used the Paschal candle to light seven red candles. After we discussed the meaning of the words, we talked about how we are now entering into a season of Growing (“Ordinary Time”) that will last until Advent in November. This is a wonderful opportunity to choose a gift that we want more of in our lives and ask the Holy Spirit to help us grow more in that particular gift.
One by one, the kids took an individual candle and lit it by the candle that represented the gift they wanted to grow in. We took a moment to pray silently for ourselves and each other, that the Holy Spirit would grant our desire and grow these gifts in our lives. John 16:23-24 says, “In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” This celebration was a pleasure to share together: it was joyfully and genuinely received by all children in both levels. If your child participated, they should have come home with a red card featuring the gift they chose as well as a handwritten note sharing my observations of your child in the atrium this year (featuring original art by your child of the works they enjoyed most in the atrium this year!).
Our atrium is now closed for Summer break, but we look forward to welcoming back students in August for another wonderful year of contemplating God and growing our love for the Good Shepherd alongside one another.
Then we read Isaiah 11:2-3—the passage from which we derive our seven gifts of the Holy Spirit for the atrium work:
