Denver Catholic

B3 DENVER CATHOLIC | NOVEMBER 14-27, 2015 Christmas Gift Fair Saturday, November 28: 3:00–8:00pm and Sunday, November 29: 8:00am–3:00pm St. Thomas More Parish, McCallin Hall 8035 S. Quebec St. in Centennial Come meet and visit with local Catholic ar sans and authors. Products from ten monasteries will be available. Door prizes – Unique gi ideas – Fun for everyone! Sponsored by the St. Thomas More Gi Shop Illustration by Kyle Malone REDEMPTION IS THE GREATEST GIFT OF ALL HealthONE F A M I L Y P R O D U C T I O N DENVERCENTER.ORG 303.893.4100 • GROUPS: 303.446.4829 THEATRE COMPANY SEASON SPONSORS PRODUCING PARTNERS Singleton Family Foundation Dr. Reginald & Mrs. Faye Washington SUPPORTING SPONSOR SHOW SPONSOR A CHRISTMAS CAROL By Charles Dickens Adapted by Richard Hellesen Music by David de Berry NOV 27 – DEC 27 FAMILY DAY • DEC 6 Tickets include on-site activities for kids 6+ • 4 tickets for $140 with code FAMILYDAY Community 3:30pm 1:30pm 80211 Jewelry, gift those life! below easy! www.eternal-lite-candles.com/home Candles C harged with helping to prepare a 7-year-old girl for her fi rst Com- munion, Benedictine Sister Immaculata Bertolli's fi rst lesson was less than successful. "At one point she said, 'I'm bored,'" Sister Immaculata, 33, recalled, laughing. The nun, who serves as head cook at the Abbey of St. Walburga in Virginia Dale, Colo., added: "I don't like failure. I thought, 'How am I going to get through to her?' I really wanted to share the beauty of the sacrament." Realizing the child was a hands-on learner, the nun put together a book with 18 refl ections, lessons and hands-on activ- ities to keep her engaged in the learning process. The girl loved the book so much, she shared it with others. Rave reviews and requests from Sister Immaculata's abbess, a priest chaplain, homeschoolers and a local Catholic school convinced her to publish the work, Jesus in My Heart: Pre- paring for First Holy Communion. The 46-page hardback book ($20), which was written and illustrated by Sister Immac- ulata, aims to prepare a child for their fi rst Communion by fostering a loving friend- ship with Jesus. It includes lessons gleaned from the n un's monastic formation, from her experience praying the Divine O' ce, and from her work in the abbey kitchen. Every lesson is paired with an activity a child can do with a parent using common household items. For example, the activ- ity for the lesson "My Child, Give Me Your Heart," is making a pizza wherein the stretchiness of the dough serves as a model for making one's heart bigger. "The book involves a lot of participation from a parent; I did that intentionally," Sister Immaculata said. "As our Holy Father says and as we hear throughout the Church, the fi rst church is the home, that's where children fi rst learn the faith. I fi nd that so essential—for a child to have the experience of the communion of the Eucharist in the home." A labor of love, the book is beautifully illustrated with colorful pastel drawings ranging from pastoral scenes—including the dome-topped Abbey of St. Walburga surrounded by rolling hills—to stained- glass windows, Jesus and Eucharistic scenes. When fi nished by a child, the book will include their prayers, drawings, photo- graphs and their answers to the lessons' questions. "I wanted it to be a keepsake for the child," explained Sister Immaculata. Her desire is that the book helps chil- dren to know the deep love Jesus has for them and impels a longing to return that love and start a relationship with him. "Their hearts are so soft when they're young—so open and ready to receive the good news," she added. "It's the perfect time to plant that seed in them. If they really fall in love with Jesus they won't fall out of love so easily. That's the goal." Placing Jesus in children's hearts BY ROXANNE KING 720-771-3394 editor_king@icloud.com www.twitter.com/RoxanneIKing "JESUS IN MY HEART" Cost:µ$20 Purchase: online atµwww. walburga. org; call 970- 472-0612; emailµabbey@ walburga.org. Discounts available by emailingµsrimmaculataosb@gmail.com. i Benedictine Sister Immaculata Bertolli

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