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SERVICE | PRAYER | RETREATS | STUDENT MINISTRY | WORSHIP TEAM
PASTORAL MINISTRY - HOME
Diane Mercadante
Director of Pastoral Ministry
630-668-5800, x148
E-mail at dmercadante@sfhsnet.org
PASTORAL MINISTRY
Like St. Francis of Assisi , we, the people of the St. Francis High School community, seek to live the call of Jesus as disciples, changing the world by loving God and loving others.
Pastoral Ministry seeks to :
- Build and maintain a distinctive Christian culture within the community that embodies the Gospel values of loving God and others
- Strengthen and celebrate the community’s relationship with Jesus through prayer and liturgical experiences
- Develop a heart for justice and service as disciples of Jesus, by motivating, providing and reflecting on opportunities to share faith through actions to those in need
- Provide opportunities for young people to personally encounter Jesus and begin to form their own faith identity and grow in Christian community
- Form, support, and equip students to lead and minister
SERVICE - service program link | service opportunities link
In keeping with the mission of Jesus Christ and the Church to love and serve one another, St. Francis High School requires our students to participate in a Christian Service Program. By completing at least 60 service hours prior to graduation, our hope is that students will make service to others, especially those in need, the very foundation of their lives.
We believe it is important that we begin everything we do with prayer. Community morning prayer is said as a community over the intercom system at the beginning of the school day. Classroom Prayer starts each class period.
Recognizing the developmental nature of the faith experience, the Pastoral Ministry Program seeks to support each student's growth through the coordination of a required three-year retreat program and a highly recommended fourth year program. Pastoral ministers, religion teachers, and other faculty members actively participate in these retreats as leaders and chaperones. Within the four-year program, students experience a variety of retreat formats including large and small groups, one day and overnight opportunities.
Freshman Orientation : Freshman year is a new beginning for students and St. Francis welcomes the new students with a day of orientation and acclimation. Faculty and student leaders work together to welcome every Freshman into the St. Francis Family. Activities include introductions to homerooms, schedules, tours of the building and a learning of the Spartan Fight Song!
Freshman Retreat: Freshmen participate in a half-day retreat at St. Francis led by our senior Peer Ministers. The theme for the day is ‘Identity in Christ’ and the activities include games, songs, small group sharing and prayer.
Sophomore Retreat: Sophomores participate in a one day retreat held at St. Francis and this day long event is also typically hosted by our Peer Ministers, as well as dynamic retreat leaders such as AllAccess and the NET team ministries. Students are once again encouraged to develop their relationship with Christ in a personal way.
Junior Retreat: Juniors at St. Francis participate in an overnight retreat held at LaSalle Manor in Plano , Illinois . Students engage in one of four choices of retreat dates, with approximately 45 students attending at one time. The focus is on prayer, self-reflection and community building. Students choose their first and second choice at registration and preference is given to those who return their forms in a timely manner.
LINKS TO FORMS IN PDF FORMAT :
Link to Junior Retreat Information Letter
Link to Junior Retreat Permission Form
Link to Junior Retreat Information Sheet
Link to Junior Retreat Medical Release Form
Senior Retreat: KairosSeniors have the option to attend a three-day, off-campus retreat focusing on the powerful experience of God's love through personal witness stories, liturgy, song, prayer, and small group discussion. Four retreats are offered yearly (two male and two female). To continue the Kairos experience and grow in faith, Fourth Day is offered on a quarterly basis. It is a gathering of students and staff who have experienced Kairos, and it involves small group activities and the celebration of the Mass.
Faculty and Staff Day of Renewal : Because we value time spent away with prayer and community, each year the faculty and staff participate in a day which focuses on the spiritual/emotional dimension of life for us as a faculty and staff.
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SERVICE | PRAYER | RETREATS | STUDENT MINISTRY | WORSHIP TEAM
STUDENT Ministry: STUDENT MINISTRY LINK
Student Ministry is about:
- having a relationship with Christ
- a willingness to share your faith with other teens
- consistent commitment to meetings
- a commitment to daily prayer
- a lifestyle free from serious wrong-doing
- Student Ministers are not perfect people but they are leaders. With that leadership comes a responsibility to be a consistent role model. Peer Ministers refrain from the use of alcohol, drugs, sex, profanity, negative talk and gossip
- supporting the mission of St. Francis High School in word and deed
Being a Student Minister is a commitment to live the talk and walk with Christ by loving God and loving others. People will be watching and following YOU!
Worship Team : WORSHIP TEAM LINK
This community of St. Francis staff and students are committed to planning and involving the community in lively and uplifting worship. Students and staff work together to plan all aspects of our school liturgies, considering Scripture, Hospitality, Music, Ministry of Eucharist, and Art and Environment. This aspect of the Pastoral Ministry Program provides a link to the wider Church community through training for liturgical leadership. By providing students with the skills for ministry, as well as the opportunity to practice what they have learned, a foundation is laid for their future involvement within the Church and the community
Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist are members of the community who are prepared through formation and training to distribute the Body and Blood of Christ to those who gather for worship. Student EMs must be at least 16 years old and fully initiated into the church.
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