EMAIL DETAILS

Dear parents,

On *Sunday, April 26*, the candidates will participate in an all-day
Confirmation retreat. For many, it will be their first retreat
experience. Because this is a significant process in their lives, it is
important that the candidates know that they have a lot of support behind
them in a very tangible way. Therefore, *I invite you to write
a Palanca or affirmation letter to your child for his/her Confirmation
retreat. (Please be sure to read through the new collection guidelines at
the bottom).*

As part of the support of this process, I ask that you please keep this
letter confidential and not leave it where your child may see it and please
do not talk about it in front of your child or their friends.

The word *Palanca* is a Spanish word that means "lever". Just as a lever
enables a person to move something which is beyond normal strength, Palanca,
as used on the Confirmation retreat, empowers the accomplishment of things
which would not be possible without the grace of God.

Palanca, which is one of the most characteristic marks of our retreat, is
effective only when the prayers, sacrifices and works of mercy are done in
conjunction with the presence of the Holy Spirit; allowing God to use us to
serve his people.

Bear in mind that these letters in and of themselves are not Palanca! The
letters are merely a tangible vehicle in which we convey the actual
Palanca being
done. In other words, the effort, thoughts and prayers that go into the
letters are actually the Palanca, not the letters themselves.

During a period of reflection at the end of the retreat day, your child
will receive a personalized bag filled with Palanca. These letters are of
such significance in the retreat experience that every child is assured of
receiving - at minimum - three letters:*one from each parent and the
sponsor*. I also ask the team, catechists and other members of the Holy
Trinity community to write Palanca letters to the candidates.

I also invite and encourage you to ask older siblings, extended family and
friends to write letters to your child. I also encourage you to write to
another child who will also be on retreat as an extension of the love and
support of the Holy Trinity community. *I do ask, however, that you keep
this experience confidential from younger siblings* that may go through the
process in the future.

Your child's* COMPLETE *envelope with the letters are due April 10th.
Remember,
we ask that each child receive at the minimum 3 letters. Please be
attentive to this deadline to assure that your child receives their Palanca on
time. I also suggest you follow up with Sponsors and family members so
that they too observe the April 10th date. Please set an earlier deadline
for them to e-mail or mail you the letters.

*1. Helpful Guidelines for writing Palanca*

- Sample letter attached
- *One letter from each parent/sponsor written with the guidelines
outlined below*.
- Each letter should be brief - *no longer than one typed sheet of paper*
.
- Pray before writing the Palanca and allow the Holy Spirit to guide
your words.
- Think about what kind of Palanca (prayer, sacrifice or work of mercy)
you want to offer to your child during the remainder of this preparation
process and, in particular, on the retreat day such as letting them know
that you will be praying for them every time you have to stop at a red
light, or something like that. They should know it. (And you should be
sure to honor your commitment).
- Positively affirm your child's faith journey and affirm your role as a
supporter of their life long faith journey.
- Reassure your child that you and God will meet him /her right where
he/she is in their faith journey.
- Encourage your child to continue learning about their faith.
- Tell your child that you are praying for them.
- And, finally, while books or other gifts are nice, please leave them
for another time.

*2. Guidelines for sending Palanca:*

*Please note this way of collecting the palanca letters this year. We ask
you to collect ALL the letters and then place them in a catalogue envelope.*

Individual letters from family and friends need to be e-mailed or mailed
directly to you, NOT to me. Once you have your child's complete package,
you can turn them into me.

*A. There are 2 best ways to Turn in the Palanca:*

*Mail* or *Drop off *the Palanca to:

Holy Trinity Catholic Church

3513 N Street, NW Washington, DC 20007

Attn: Palanca for _______

or

*You can also turn in the palanca at the March 25th parent session.*


Don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions!


Peace,

Justin