JMJ

 

Dear Parents & Friends of CK101,   

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Praised be Jesus Christ! 

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One sunny day I was sitting in the Eucharistic Adoration Chapel which is located in the center of the beautiful town where I live. I was thinking about an article I had read that claimed just one-third of Catholics in the United States agree with the Church that the Holy Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.

 

Surprised? I actually was. I knew it was bad but I didn't think it was that bad. At one point I remember asking Jesus if there was anything I could do to help Him remedy this. It was during my time with Him that day in the Eucharistic Adoration Chapel that I believe He inspired me with the thought: "Catholic Kids 101: kids telling kids about Jesus!"

 

It took a little time to figure out what that might look like. After many prayers from family and friends, lively discussions with trusted collaborators and letters back and forth from "my Carmelite nuns" (Mother ended up being my editor), Catholic Kids 101 began to take shape. It has continued to grow and evolve over time with additions such as the "Rosary 4 Kids" section. We have just completed the video and plan for how to begin guided Eucharistic Holy Hours for children! We hope these will be an encouragement, especially for priests, to help begin guided Eucharistic Holy Hours for children in parishes and schools.

 

I'm often asked about the amazing children featured on the "CK101 Kids Pages." They are amazing, aren't they? The "CK101 kids" that are featured on the pages of this website are a compilation of the hundreds and hundreds of truly amazing Catholic children I have met over the years when I was producing original Catholic music for children, coordinating Catholic Vacation Bible Schools and then working as the Elementary Director of Religious Education at a vibrant parish.

 

It was a child preparing for her First Holy Communion who not only told me what the word "transubstantiation" means but then, to my great surprise, proceeded to spell the word perfectly for me too (The Story of Ming and the Gift of Jesus). The boy who proudly explained that "Christmas" really means "Christ's Mass" (CK101 Kid: Nicholas). The child who unabashedly announced to the group of 80 children getting ready to make their visit with Jesus to pray for a school friend with cancer because Jesus was going to make her well again. They did and He did (CK101 Kid: Poppy). The group of little ones who spontaneously waved to Jesus and blew Him kisses when we walked by the Church because they knew He was really there in the tabernacle (CK101 Kid: Isabel). The ones who offered Our Lord little sacrifices of love because their friend, Saint Therese, had showed them her Little Way (Our CK101 Patron Saint). "The Story of Saint Anthony and the Donkey" (CK101 Kid: Anthony), the question of what happens when my grandpa dies (CK101 Kid: Lily), singing "You are My Sunshine" to Jesus in the Adoration chapel (CK101 Kid: Danielle), all these incidents and so many more! that I personally experienced over the years are woven into these Catholic Kids 101 pages. These are the real life children that the CK101 kids represent. These are the children who are the "kids telling kids about Jesus." And these are the children, along with every single child who visits this site and learns that Jesus, our Lord God, Savior and Best Friend, is really and truly present, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, that "Catholic Kids 101" is lovingly dedicated to.

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United with you in the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus,