APYM Gathering 12/6/17- "Standing on Common Ground: Rooted in the Domestic Church" with Tim Janiszewski

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​December 6, 2017 at St. Joseph, Eldersburg
Introductions, including overview of Servant Team roles
Icebreaker – Rudy led us in a “Secret St. Nick” sharing & game

• Each person filled out a sheet with the answers to five questions & shared in a table group
• Everyone pulled a different person’s and chose an imaginary gift for the unknown person (budget $150)

Prayer – Rena – Intercession

• Began with the Lord’s Prayer (God is a parent – Our Father)
• Story of St. Nicholas throwing bags of gold coins into home to save 3 daughters’ reputations
• Gold coin chocolates – for each one, plan an intentional action for a parent or set of parents (in your ministry, parish, community, etc.) & share with the table
• Shared intentions for prayer
• Prayed through list of intercessions for parents (document will be linked).

Tim Janisewski (Keynote) – Rooted in the Domestic Church

• Who Is Tim?
  • Husband of Laura, his high school dream girl (though they never dated in college). Married 22 years, still can’t believe he’s got to marry her.
  • Dad of Luke and Jake.
  • Used to be an engineer, felt a call for “something else” – now in ministry for 21 years.
• Family Tradition on the Feast of St. Nicholas – Write a letter to Baby Jesus.
  • Two parts:
    1. How did you past year go?
    2. What are your hopes for this upcoming year?
  • When Tim was a kid, the would put them in pie tins outside and St. Nick would come get them and leave a treat. 😊 (Some traditions use shoes.)
• Everybody’s Domestic Church is different. Some are faithful, some not as much, but they shape all of us in faith one way or another.
  • Shared stories of his parents – His father discerned religious if quite seriously. “If it wasn’t for my dad’s hemorrhoids, I wouldn’t be here.” (seriously – check the video!)
  • Triptych with Our Lady of Czestochowa and feast days Saints for every family member.
  • Dinner by candlelight (I thought everybody did this!)
  • Family Prayer plaque – prayed together as a family at the end of every dinner. I hated it!
  • Family never missed Mass. “We are Janisewskis, we go to Mass.”
  • Father blessed them every night, hand on his children’s heads, with “The Lord bless you and keep you…” Even now, Tim blesses his sons from afar (hands raised pointing in the appropriate direction)
  • Dad’s Motto: In His Will, Our Peace.
  • Dad’s Books – it was normal to have faith books around the house
  • Arch Books – stories of OT and NT, etc. All the pictures from those books became the images for those passages in Tim’s adult life.
  • Mom’s prayer chair – she would sit there in the mornings, with scripture, and the kids knew not to interrupt her.
  • Visits to the Grotto in Emmitsburg.
  • When family would come to visit DC, they always started at the Basilica.
  • Always pray the Rosary during the months of May and October. Tim hated this too! Dad would always chant his parts, which drove brother and sister crazy, so Tim would do it too.
  • Went to Catholic school at St. Jane’s. Dad was an elementary school teacher, Mom was at home (also an elementary school teacher), so it was a stretch but an important part of his faith development.
    1. Some parents see Catholic school as their key to not having to do faith stuff at home, and this doesn’t work!
  • Wait – St. Nick put treats in the pie plates! 😊
  • Advent Wreath
  • Advent Calendar
  • If you do only one thing for Advent, do the Jesse Tree! – He had no idea that he was learning Salvation History every Advent!
  • Nativity Set – hid Baby Jesus until Christmas Day. Mom’s ceramic one was off limits, but there was a wooden one to play with.
  • Tim “was a sadistic weird little kid” and combined Noah’s Ark with the Nativity scene. Jesus and the donkey survived, obviously.
  • Christmas Gifts – small gifts at Christmas, bigger gifts are some other time of the year.
  • Lent – Stations of the Cross at home, with candles. Tim’s Dad made a simple wooden Stations set, w/ only spots for 12 candles, so that when the last candle goes out it lines up with Jesus’ death.
  • Sacrament Cloth – went out on the table for Baptisms and First Communions
  • Did First Communions in their own house!
  • Kids’ bible – “I don’t know if I actually read it, but I definitely looked at the pictures.”
  • Confirmation – no one had the nerve to say that his Dad (who happened to be dying) couldn’t be his sponsor.
  • Dad – “I forgave you before you did it.” (Like Jesus!)
  • Conscience is the most important voice, but it has to be educated.
  • Was this normal??? Likely not, but it wasn’t abnormal in a weird/isolated way.
  • Tim’s Mom, Kay Janisewski, is here!
  • Mom taught him to put his name on things so he can stand by his words (Kellie does it too).
  • At home, Tim’s family celebrates their Baptism days. They get books for each anniversary of Baptism, starting with children’s books.
  • They do family pilgrimages.

 

• Advice for parents who are nervous or self-conscious:
  • “Anything you do that’s faith related, let them know you do it!!!!”
  • Be vulnerable with your kids! It’s okay to not be perfect.
  • Make the Sign of the Cross on their forehead when you say goodnight.
  • Give them something they can follow, a guide, including conversations about it, and challenge them (give them someone to “blame.”)
  • Kay’s big takeaway/most important thing to pass on to kids: Prayer! In all forms.
  • Tangible, non-intimidating, and concrete suggestions are important for families we minister to/with.
  • Tim’s Advent calendar is his house when the boys were little – notes with actions, which when completed were replaced with special candy. “Live in tune with the Spirit and enjoy the fruits!”
  • From Mary Conney: Blog resources for celebrating faith within the family:
    1. Carrots for Michaelmas
    2. Catholic All Year