FaIth

Faith is an inherent part of who we are and it is our Faith that is at the root of all that we do. Each person on the staff or faculty at BSCS is walking their own faith journey with Jesus Christ based off of the teachings of the Catholic Church. Regular Mass attendance, tithing, and living a strong moral life are things that we look for when hiring someone to join our team. You can be confident that the very people who are teaching about Jesus and the Catholic faith at BSCS are led by the Holy Spirit to share Jesus Christ with your children every day. To this end, we invite all parents and families to join in the walk with us.

At the helm of our religious education is Fr. Jeff Wilborn. Fr. Jeff is available at any time to meet with families to talk about any questions regarding the faith or any concerns that may rise as you journey towards your personal encounter with Christ. In addition to the all school weekly Mass on Wednesdays, students see Fr. Jeff in the hallways and classrooms on a regular basis. As they prepare for and after receiving the sacraments, students will spend more time in church. Many, if not all, will have the opportunity to participate in liturgies, Stations of the Cross, the Christmas Pageant, the choir, or on the team of altar servers.

Religious statues and crucifixes can been seen in the hallways and thoughout the classrooms at Blessed Sacrament Catholic School. These visible reminders of our faith call all of us to be like Christ and have hearts of faith everyday. And that is something we don’t take lightly. We are proud to be Catholic and blessed to be part of the Archdiocese of Denver Catholic Schools.

Students in all grades at Blessed Sacrament Catholic School are taught in the Catholic Faith. In keeping with the philosophy and mission of Catholic schools, students will participate in a religious program consisting of the following:

Weekly Mass (K-8th Grade)
- Please join us on Wednesday mornings at 8AM for this liturgy
Daily prayer in classrooms and during announcements
- Students compose their own prayers in addition to learning prayers of our Catholic faith
Religion Classes (Preschool)
- This learning experience teaches little ones that Jesus loves them, and shows them all about what they can find in the church
Religious Classes (K – 8th Grade)
- Children learn more about religion and the history of the Catholic Church
Sacramental Preperation
- First Reconciliation (Confession)
- Confirmation
- First Communion
Stations of the Cross During Lent
- Every Friday during Lent a different class leads the Stations of the Cross.

Mass Schedule

All School Weekly Mass
Students in Kindergarten – 8th grade gather for Mass every Wednesday at 8:00AM. Mass Uniforms, including red embroidered shirts, are required as we gather in God’s house.

Students participate in readings, sing in the choir, serve as altar servers, and bring up the gifts. Parents are welcome and encouraged to attend and are invited to sit with their children if they wish, or to sit in the back of the church with other members of the congregation.

Weekend Mass At Blessed Sacrament Church
Students and their parents are encouraged to attend one of the weekend Masses at Blessed Sacrament Church,. Families are encouraged to become parishioners of Blessed Sacrament and to fully participate in the community. Families are especially welcome if they are attendees at other local churches or do not yet have a home parish.

Mass times are as follows:
Saturday – 4:30PM
Sunday – 8:00AM and 10:00AM

Restored Order of the Sacraments

Denver Archbishop Samuel Aquila is restoring the Sacraments of Initiation to the original order in the Archdiocese of Denver. In the coming years, the sacrament of Confirmation will be received in third grade during the same liturgy as First Holy Communion.

These changes will indeed raise questions for many, but there is great confidence that the answers to those questions will help to deepen and enrich your own experience of the sacraments.

Archbishop Aquila wants every Catholic in the archdiocese to understand the pastoral reasons for this decision.To that end, you are all invited to visit the Archdiocese webpage where you will find:

the archbishop’s pastoral letter, “Saints Among Us,”
answers to frequently asked questions regarding the upcoming changes,
in-depth examination videos.

For Blessed Sacrament Catholic School, the following is the schedule for the sacraments in future years. A minimum of 2 years of preparation in religious education is offered before students receive the sacraments.

	2015/16	2016/17	2017/18
8th Grade
7th Grade	Confirmation
6th Grade	Confirmation	Confirmation	Confirmation
5th Grade
4th Grade
3rd Grade			Confirm/Euch
2nd Grade	Rec/Euch	Reconciliation	Reconciliation
1st Grade

Celebrations

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Every year, we celebrate the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to Juan Diego, an Aztec, in the 1500’s and asked him to have achurch built in her honor on Tepeyac Hill, near what is now Mexico City. In order to help him convince the bishop that he had truly spoken to Mary, the Mother of God, Mary gave Juan Diego special roses as proof. When Diego presented the roses to the bishop they left a miraculous image of Our Lady imprinted on his tilma (cloak). Soon after, a church was built in her honor and the tilma was hung above the altar.

During the annual Our Lady of Guadalupe Prayer Service, students process into the church with the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the congregation sing songs in honor of Mary. The miraculous story is presented by students to the congregation through a reenactment, and the Hail Mary in sung in Spanish.

Las Posadas

Every year BSCS celebrates Posada. Students take time to stop and reflect on the reason for the season during morning prayer service. Las Posadas is a nine day traditional commenoration begun by Saint Ignatius Loyola in which Joseph and Mary’s search for shelter in Bethlehem. Students dressed as Joseph, Mary and shepherds knock on the doors of every classroom asking for a place to stay for the night. Each time an “Innkeeper” will turn them away. At last, they knock on the doors of the church where the “Innkeepers” throw open the doors and the congregation welcomes Mary and Joseph inside – providing a safe haven for the birth of Jesus. To celebrate, we sing many traditional carols in English and in Spanish and then exit the church, joyfully singing Go Tell it on the Mountain – all of us eager for Christmas Day and the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Stewardship

As Catholics we are called to use our time, talent and treasures in service to our church and school.

As you become part of the Blessed Sacrament family, please consider donating time to the church, in addition to the volunteer hours you provide the school. Maybe you have a special talent that would be welcomed in one of the ministries that is offered to the community. By tithing to the church, you are indirectly helping the school educate the precious children who attend Blessed Sacrament Catholic School.