June 7: VBS Crew Leader/Station Help Training for both sessions, Gym; 6:30 pm
June 11-15: Sky VBS; 9 am- 12 noon
June 18- 22: Sky VBS; 9 am- 12 noon
Classes begin on Aug. 21/22nd!
Please register now to get your first
choice of day and time. See Registration link at left for forms and
information.
Congratulations
to Doree Kathol 'Catechist of the Year' and
Dawn Kane 'R.E. Volunteer of the Year'
Board of Education
Catechist and Volunteer of the Year awards for
2011-12 were presented to Doree
Kathol and Dawn Kane by BOE president Jeanne Meyer,
BOE member Shannon Calpin and Fr. Jim Tiegs, pastor.
Doree Kathol has been honored as ‘Catechist of the Year’ for
2011-2012. Doree has been a catechist for many years and has taught children in
nearly every grade. Her daughter (Amanda), son (Trevor) and niece (Anna Kathol)
have followed in Doree’s footsteps and are now catechists, too.
Dawn Kane has been recognized as ‘R.E. Volunteer of the Year’ for
her many years of dedicated service as a volunteer. Dawn is one of the behind
the scenes volunteers who cheerfully serves by opening doors for catechists and
anything else that is asked of her. Dawn’s dedication
and joyous spirit brighten the day of all she meets.
Both
Dawn and Doree were honored with personal plaque from the BOE, a Project Hope
certificate for $50 and their names are now included with the names of previous
winners on
the permanent plaques that hang in the School Commons.
Dawn Kane and Doree Kathol are just two of the many volunteers we rely on each
week.
Our thanks to Doree, Dawn and all of the wonderful catechists and volunteers who
are the heart of our program!
2012-13 Registration and catechist
sign-up
New this year-
there will be a $300 family cap, so total tuition for a family with more than
two children enrolled in Religious Education will not exceed $300.
(Sacrament preparation and late fees, and additional fees for non-parishioners,
are not included in the family cap.)
See the Registration link
at left for registration forms and information.
If
you have any questions about registration or about St. Stephen's R.E. program, please contact us
by phone at 402-896-5683 or by email
R.E. Office
Interested
in sharing your faith with parish children and youth? We need you!
We are currently signing up catechists for 2012-13 R.E. classes.
Our catechists teach in teams of two with a class of 15 students. All lesson
plans and materials are provided for you and tuition is waived for your
children. We even have child care for your younger children. Please call or
stop by the Religious Education Office to see what opportunities are available.
We can help you choose the grade that is best for you!
Sky
Totally Catholic
Vacation Bible School
For more information, see the VBS link at left!
Preview 'Sky Totally Catholic VBS'
at Our Sunday Visitor
Weather
Announcements and Cancellations

Should icy or snowy weather occur, the Religious Education
program observes the school closing policies of the Millard School District.
If Millard Public Schools cancel classes or evening activities due to
inclement weather, we will not hold Religious Education classes that evening.
Occasionally, because of deteriorating weather conditions during the day, we
will need to cancel R.E. classes late in the afternoon or early evening, even
when Millard has held classes. Cancellations and plans for re-scheduling
activities will be published on the
‘Weather Information’
page of the parish web-site.
Parents should use their discretion as to whether it is safe for
their children to attend class. The safety of our children is our
always our primary concern.
 Advent
Prayer Services and Baby Shower for Mary
R.E. students participated in weekly Prayer Services during Advent and
celebrated with a ‘Baby Shower for Mary’ on the last night of classes, Dec.
20/21st. Students donated more than a thousand items to Essential
Pregnancy Service (EPS) to assist mothers and babies in need.
During Advent, elementary
students performed good deeds and spent extra time in prayer and
wrote them on paper 'straw' to warm the manger of Baby Jesus.
Special
thanks to Kaitlin Kueny for developing the Advent prayer activities and services
as her high school senior project at Westside High School. The Catholic
Voice ran an article about Kaitlin's Advent lessons (link below).
Our thanks to everyone who participated in this very special Advent at St.
Stephen's.
Catholic Voice-
Jan. 6, 2012; 'High School student's project teaches children the importance of
Advent.'


Thank you for allowing us to be part of your family’s faith formation!
New students are
welcomed all year. We can help new children catch up on missed sacraments and
become part of our faith community.
Tuition
assistance is available due to the generosity of many
individuals and organizations in our parish. Registration information and
forms are available on our Registration Information page (link at left). We offer Religious Education for
children
age 3 through High School. If
you have questions or need additional help,
please contact the R.E. Office.
Parent Handbook
2011- 2012
8th Grade Master Servers
We are excited to have several of our 8th grade R.E. students being
commissioned as Master Servers: Laura Ecklund, Jakob Fontana, Madison
Kalvoda, Trevor Kathol, Sarah Kreber, Erica Little, William Marble, Conrad
Sandoz and Mary Ellen Turgeon. We also have 9th graders who will be
commissioned as new Senior Servers: Kellie Ecklund, Kaitlyn Malesker,
Taylor Novotny and Katie Schulz. We are so proud of these servers and
their willingness to serve our parish through liturgies and mentoring younger
servers.
Catholics Come
Home
Have you or someone you
know been away from the Catholic Church?
Catholics Come Home can help Catholics who have left the Church find their way
back home, answer questions for those who are seeking to know God better and
welcome those who are interested in becoming Catholic to the Church.
Please
visit Catholics Come Home
or contact Deacon Denny Dethlefs
at 896-9675 or d.dethlefs@stephen.org.
Is
God calling you to get your family more involved in the Church?
There are many
ways for children to be involved at St. Stephen’s. We offer a wonderful
middle-school youth ministry (the Edge) that meets Tuesdays from 6:30 – 8 pm in
the Dining Room. Children can also sing in the Children’s Choir, serve as altar
servers at Mass, participate in Vacation Bible School and Parish Athletic League
sports, as well as other family activities. For high school youth, we have a
very active (and awesome!) Life Teen group that meets Sundays at 7 pm in the
Parish Center. Please see the parish home page and
Youth Ministry sites for upcoming
activities and events.
R.E. Registration
We have new students join us
throughout the year! If you are new to our community or just feel it is
time to get your children involved in Religious Education, we are here to help.
In
addition to providing religious education for our elementary students, we have a
wonderful Sunday School program for children age 3-5, as well as a fabulous Life
Teen program for our high school students.
We also have two multi-age classes for our
Special Needs students. Registration
information and forms are available on the Registration
page of the website. Tuition
assistance is also available due to the generosity of
many individuals and organizations in our parish.
Thank you for allowing us to be part of your family’s faith formation!
If
you have questions or need additional help,
please contact the R.E. Office.
Life Teen
Life Teen meets on Sundays
from
7:15- 8:45 pm in the Parish Center. To find out more about what is happening,
visit the
Youth Ministry section of our website.
And for more
information about Life Teen, visit
www.lifeteen.com.
Check out 'the Bible Geek' while you are there!
Take Stock in Youth!!
Find out some of the many wonderful things our youth are doing in our
parish and community, and how you can help support their growing faith and good
works.
Take Stock in Youth

Other websites to visit:
Catholics Come Home:
http://www.catholicscomehome.org/
'Life Teen' and 'the Bible Geek'!
www.lifeteen.com
Christopher
West's Articles on 'Theology of the Body'
U.S.C.C.B.:
Laity, Marriage, Family Life
and Youth
Information/activities for families:
www.catholic.org,
www.americancatholic.org
Information on the Bible,
Catechism, current events: www.usccb.org
Daily Scripture Readings:
www.usccb.org/nab
Saints:
www.catholic.org/saints
Vatican-Vatican-
Official Website
Vatican Museums and
Art- Vatican Art
Archdiocese of Omaha:
www.archomaha.com
Vocations-Archdiocese
of Omaha:
Vocations
KVSS Catholic Radio:
KVSS- Spirit Catholic Radio
"Call to Faith":
www.harcourtreligion.com
Adult Formation:
St. Cecilia
Institute for Laity Formation
For more information, please call or
email the Religious Education office.
Phone: (402) 896-5683
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