Amazing Catechists

Teaching and learning the faith together

An Alphabetical Lenten List

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A List for Lent

Forty days may seem like an eternity to children and young people. We want them to stay focused on Lent and help them pay attention to the season and enter into as fully as possible. Making a list can be an engaging way to remind them of the ways to keep Lent holy. I made one using the alphabet as the guide. You could use the name of your parish, a favorite saint, or use the alphabet too! You can do this all together, in small groups, or in pairs.

A Sample List

Accept the season

Break the chains that hold you from Christ

Cut out what is not necessary in your life

Draw close to Jesus

Embrace the Cross

Fast from being negative

Give of yourself

Help those in need

Ignite your faith

Journal what you learn this Lent

Keep your focus on Christ, not on your sacrifices

Love without expectation

Move closer to God

Nice to others

Obey the Word

Pray each day

Quiet, enter into it

Rest in the Lord

Seek God’s will

Tongue, hold it

United with all Catholics

Violet, the color of Lent

Walk with Mary on Good Friday

(e)Xamine your conscience and go to confession

Yearn for the peace which comes from God

Zap negativity with prayer

 

One of the Six Patron Saints of Europe

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A Swastika on Church Grounds?

On the wall of the Assembly Room in our parish hall, there was a poster made by a student telling the story of St. Edith Stein.  The Nazi swastika on the poster caught my eye.  I wanted to understand why this symbol, obviously drawn by a student, was allowed on church grounds.  After some research, I learned of the amazing story of this great saint.

St. Edith was a German Jew born in 1891.  She was academically gifted, but most importantly, she was curious and unafraid to search for answers.  She rebelled against her Jewish roots and became an atheist early in her teenage years.  She studied nursing to support the injured in World War I.  She then continued her studies in philosophy and received a doctorate in 1916.  In the beginning, her gender was a deterrent in her field of education.  Later, due to the Nazi regime, her Jewish roots prevented her from sharing her knowledge in the classroom.

One Saint Influences Another

During St. Edith’s study of philosophy, she had the opportunity to read the works of St. Teresa of Avila.  This provided a turning point for her.  We all look for truth, and St. Edith found truth in the writings of St. Teresa, so much so that she converted to Catholicism and was baptized in 1922 at the age of 31.  Shortly after her conversion, most of her family immigrated to America except her mother and sister.  By this time, her father was deceased.  Her mother, however, was devastated to learn of her daughter’s conversion and considered this to be a betrayal of her family.  In addition to conversion, St. Edith was determined to enter the Carmelite Order.  This was misunderstood as a way to avoid German persecution.  However, St. Edith did not once consider the convent as a hiding place.  Her goal was to move closer to God, not knowing where He would take her.

A New Name is Given

As a novice in the Carmelite Order in 1934, she received her religious name Teresa Benedicta of the Cross.  Shortly after her mother’s death, her sister also converted and joined her at the convent.  While in the convent, St. Edith was given permission to continue her research and writings.  Previously she had translated a document from St. Thomas Aquinas into German.  The document written while in the convent was a metaphysical book that combined the philosophies of St. Thomas Aquinas and other prominent philosophers.

As the Nazi regime progressed in its hatred of Jews, the Carmelite Order decided to move St. Edith and her sister to a convent in the Netherlands.  During her time in the Netherlands, St. Edith wrote The Studies of John of the Cross:  the Science of the Cross.   In her testament written in 1939, St. Edith wrote, “I beg the Lord to take my life and my death…as atonement for the unbelief of the Jewish people…for the salvation of Germany and the peace of the world, at last for my loved ones, living and dead, and for all God gave to me:  that none of them shall go astray.”  Despite her devotion to our Lord and her Christian faith, conversion did not deter the hatred of the Nazi regime.  In 1942, the Nazi order was to arrest all Jewish converts.  St. Edith did not refuse arrest, although an opportunity for escape presented itself shortly thereafter.  St. Edith, her sister, and over 900 other Jews were deported in August 1942 to Auschwitz, where they died in mass gas chambers.

St. Edith was canonized in 1998 by St. Pope John Paul II and is considered one of the six patron saints of Europe along with St. Benedict of Nursia, Sts. Cyril and Methodius, St. Bridget of Sweden, and St. Catherine of Siena.

Never too old to live for God

I am very intrigued by St. Edith’s courage to search outside the realm of her roots.  I believe that truth is important and in order to find it we must be unafraid to explore all that God has for us.  St. Edith did not let obstacles get in her way.  The first obstacle was her gender.  Then it was her Jewish roots and, finally, her age.  She was a convert at age 31 and entered the convent shortly after.  Most novices were in their late teens, but St. Edith was closer to age 40 when she made this commitment.

The feast day for St. Edith Stein is celebrated on August 9.

The Woman At the Well

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as retold by Tanja Cilia

The woman was looking around her furtively.  She was feeling uncomfortable, knowing that she did not “belong” where she was. This woman was from Samaria, and Samaritans were the mixed race of the Assyrians and the Jews of the former northern kingdom.  So they were neither one, nor the other.

She was a woman at a time when women were treated as second-class citizens.  She was a foreigner, living in a strange country.  She was not married, but she lived with a man, and this meant that the other women looked down upon her.

This is why we find her at the well in the oppressive noon heat, “the sixth hour”.  This well was dug on the plot of ground that Jacob gave His son Joseph.  The other women used to fetch the water in the early morning, or in the evening, when it was cool.  So in order not to meet them, she used to go when the sun beat down mercilessly upon her; but at least she did not have to avoid the eyes of the others, knowing that their malicious whispers were gossip about her.

This story happened when Jesus was traveling to Samaria. Now we must realize that the Jews avoided all contact with the Samaritans, and even with their country, if at all possible.  For a Jew to call another Jew “A Samaritan” was a grave insult – in fact, in the Gospel of John [8:42] we find how during a quarrel, some of His fellow countrymen told Jesus “You are a  Samaritan, and you are possessed by a demon.”

Jesus could have taken another road, skirting past Samaria, but He did not.  He wanted this event to happen. He and the disciples came to a town called Sychar.

So, imagine her surprise when a man comes to the well, and talks to her.  From His clothes, she realized that He was a Jew – and at that time, men just didn’t walk up to women and engage them in conversation – not even if the women were related them and especially so if the women were foreigners.

So it is to be expected, somehow, that the conversation which follows is not one that would have occurred between a Jewish man and a Jewish woman. For instance, there was the quasi-theological discussion about where God prefers to be worshipped – in Jerusalem, or on Mount Gerizim.

Jesus tells her “Believe me; the hour is coming when we will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. Indeed, the hour is already here when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth.”

Jesus, of course, knew all the answers.  But He had a lesson to teach her – and us. That is why when the disciples had gone into the town to buy food, Jesus stayed behind.

He asked the woman to slake His thirst – and she was taken aback.   This would entail her lending Him a cup – and that was unthinkable. “What? You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan!”

The Gospel explains that ‘Jews will not use the same cups or dishes that Samaritans use’, because Jews considered themselves as pure, whereas to them Samaritans were racially impure. Then He told her that He, too, had water, but His water was special because it gave eternal life.

She could not comprehend the deep meaning to His words.  She stated the obvious – that He could not bring up water from the well, because He did not have a bucket.  Perhaps with a bit of sarcasm in her voice, she asked whether He was greater than the forefather Jacob; who, it was said, had constructed the ancestral well, used by generations of people, each father and mother taking the children to it as a necessary part of tradition.

Then, she though better of it.  How much better it would be to have the water that this person would give her, and never thirst again. Oh, this would mean she could steer clear of the well, and she would never, ever, have to see those women again.

Then, something inside her moved, and she realized that Jesus was special.  She told Him, not asked Him, whether He was a prophet. She stated adamantly that she knew the Messiah was coming, and that when He came, He would make known all the things that until then would have been hidden. It is pertinent to note that the conversation between Jesus and the woman takes up nearly 40 verses in the Bible.

At this point, Jesus said the beautiful words that she treasured forever after: “I am He, the One who is speaking to you.”

Can you blame the woman for being so excited?  She dropped everything – and this is an important thing – and ran into the village, telling everyone what had happened.  She begged them to go to the well and meet Jesus. “He told me everything I have ever done!”

Later, when the disciples returned with food for Jesus, He told them He had food they didn’t know about. They assumed the woman had shared her lunch with Him.

Exactly because she was a Samaritan, people from her nation went to look for Jesus, something they might not have done if the Good News had been told by a Jew.

We do not know the name of this woman – but the Eastern Orthodox Church gives her the name Saint Photina (from the word for “light”), and celebrate her feast on February 28. The well is re-named as The Well of Jacob and Jesus.

The woman, like Saint Paul, is honored as an Apostle and as an Evangelist who spread The Good News, and there are apocryphal stories about her that say she went to Carthage and Smyrna in Asia Minor.

This is the hymn sung in her honor:

 

By the well of Jacob, O holy one, thou didst find

The water of eternal and blessed life.

And having partaken thereof,

O wise Photina,

thou went forth proclaiming

Christ, the Anointed One and the light of the world.

Great Photina, equal-to-the-Apostles,

Pray to Christ for the salvation of our souls.

Teen Book Review – Summer at West Castle

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Summer at West Castle by Theresa Linden

 

Review:

Ever since I first read Theresa Linden’s book Anyone But Him, I’ve been a little obsessed with Caitlyn and Jarret. In fact, I’ve read that book numerous times, something I rarely do. There is just something special about this unlikely fictional couple that holds me captive. Summer at West Castle is a bit of a prequel to that novel—a story of how opposites attract. For those who love the West Brothers series, and especially this couple, you will devour this book. It is full of all those magical moments that cause you to say aww…, make you all gooey-eyed, and keep you turning the pages. Thanks, Theresa Linden, for giving us another amazing installment in this fantastic series.

Caitlyn is looking forward to her summer at the West castle. She’s been hired to fill in for the West family’s housekeeper and cook, who is recovering from a recent surgery. None of the West boys will be home, which means she will have plenty of time to herself. While she loves her large, noisy family, this quiet retreat is just what she needs as she contemplates her vocation.

Jarret is set to embark on an archeology trip of a lifetime but suddenly can’t go through with it. Maybe a restful summer at home will give him the perspective he needs to figure out his life.

The last thing either of these at-odds college students expected was having to spend the summer together. They’ve never gotten along, and baggage from the past, which is impossible to forget, makes it hard even to be cordial. When the uncomfortable situation takes an unexpected turn, will they be able to embrace and accept God’s plan—no matter how unlikely it seems?

Don’t miss this captivating tale by master story-teller Theresa Linden. I’m so thankful that the West Brothers series continues with this magical new addition.

 

Summary:

College student Caitlyn Summer arrives at the Wests’ castle-like house to fill in for their live-in maid. After a recent decision blows her vision of the future, this ideal job and the peaceful surroundings are just what she needs to seek God’s will for her life. That is, until Jarret West, not wanting a repeat of past mistakes, backs out of a summer-long field study overseas and returns home. The two have never gotten along, and unforgettable baggage from the past makes it hard even to be cordial. While Jarret’s faults convince Caitlyn he hasn’t changed, she forces herself to offer kindness. Her act of mercy puts them on an unexpected path where Caitlyn is challenged to look beneath the surface and Jarret struggles to trust that God wills good for him.

 

Note: should be read after Anyone but Him to avoid spoilers.

 

Celebrate the Triduum

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The Three Days

The three days of the Triduum are Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. They are considered the holiest days in our Church year. And while attending in person is a wonderful way to celebrate, if you have young children, it can be difficult. And doing some of these activities in your faith formation class can introduce some liturgical aspects of the Triduum to those who may not experience them otherwise.

Adapt these ideas for your group or family as needed. Gather at whatever time of day is best for you. Make the space you gather in special: place candles, a crucifix, if you have holy water, and a bible on a table. Use a white cloth for Holy Thursday and Holy Saturday, red for Good Friday.

Depending on the age of your children, you can read from a children’s bible. If possible, have older children read the passage after practicing. Start each reading with A reading from the Holy Gospel of …” At the end, say, “The Gospel of the Lord” and respond with “Praise to you, Lord Jesus, Christ.”

Holy Thursday

Today is Holy Thursday. It is the day we remember and celebrate Jesus giving us Himself in Holy Communion. The readings for the Mass tell us about the Jewish Passover as Moses, and the people prepared to leave Egypt. The second reading is from St. Paul, and it tells the story of the Last Supper. The Gospel, though, tells us not about the meal but about what Jesus did after the meal for his apostles.

 

Read John 13:1-15; if that’s too long for your family, use verses 4-10; 12-15.

After reading the Gospel passage, have everyone close their eyes as you slowly read the following:

We are going to put ourselves in the room with Jesus and His disciples. Imagine you can see the room and the table and the cushions on the floor. Can you smell the food? Hear them talking? Jesus and his disciples have eaten their meal. They had lamb, bitter herbs, unleavened bread and wine. They sang songs and prayed. Jesus told them that He would be with them always.  You can see them sitting around the table, feeling full and happy after a good meal. And then Jesus gets up and gets ready to wash everyone’s feet. This is strange. Dinner is over. Don’t you wash before dinner, when people first come into the house? Why is Jesus doing this? I think I understand why Peter says not to wash his feet. I would feel weird for someone as holy as Jesus to wash my feet. Jesus tells him that He must do so Peter can have a part in Jesus’ life and what He has in store for him. Okay, I want what Jesus has to give me, so He can wash my feet. Maybe it’s not so much about having clean feet. Jesus tells the apostles why He washed their feet. As an example. Examples are better than words; they help me understand. Jesus wants the apostles to wash other people’s feet just like He washed theirs. Does that mean I should wash other people’s feet? I think it does. Is it really about washing feet, though? Or is it about serving others? Being kind? Helpful? What else is it about? It’s about not thinking you are better than others. If Jesus, who is the Son of God, can wash feet, then I can do what I’m asked to do. That is what Jesus wants us to learn. To take care of others. How can I take care of others?

After a few minutes of quiet, have everyone open their eyes. Discuss with the class/family their feelings and thoughts. Here are a few questions to get started: What would it be like to have Jesus wash your feet? Why does Jesus show his apostles what to do? How can you wash other people’s feet? 4. How can we, as a family, wash each other’s feet?

Song to close: Servant Song

Good Friday

Today we remember the death of Jesus. The Gospel reading we read tells us what happened from Jesus’ arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane all the way to his burial. This mediation will focus on  John 19:16-30.

After reading John 19:16-30, begin the meditation:

Let’s imagine that we are there with Jesus and his apostles. What are we thinking? How do we feel?

It is just one day after the apostles celebrated the Passover with Jesus. They went to the garden to pray, and then Jesus was arrested. The apostles were very afraid for Jesus. (pause) What was going to happen? Jesus had told them He would suffer and die. Was it going to happen now? From far away, they waited and watched. They saw Jesus being beaten and made fun of by soldiers. It was horrible to see. (pause) Why did they hurt Jesus so much? He was always good to everyone. All the people gathered to hear what Pilate would do to Jesus. He gave in to the crowd and told them that Jesus would be crucified. (pause) They gave Jesus a heavy cross to carry. He walked slowly, painfully up to the hill where criminals were crucified. But Jesus wasn’t a criminal. Why didn’t they know that? (pause) Why didn’t they love Jesus? (pause) Many people watched as Jesus walked up to the top of the hill. Some were sad and cried. Others made fun of Him. I don’t think I could watch Jesus like that. It would hurt too much. (pause) At the top of the hill, the soldiers laid Jesus on the cross He had carried and nailed him to it. The pain was horrible. But Jesus said nothing. How did He do that? Because His Father was with him. (pause) They put the cross up; all the people could see Jesus up on the cross. His mother, Mary, her sister, her cousin, Mary Magdalen and his apostle John stood at the cross, looking at Jesus. Praying. Crying. (pause) There was nothing they could do. Yet they stayed there until he died. That must have been very hard, but they loved Him so much they stayed. They were very brave and trusted on God to help them. (pause) Jesus told Mary that John would be her son now and told John that Mary was his mother now. Even as He was dying, He was taking care of those He loved. (pause) Jesus asked for a drink, and then, taking a last breath, He said, “It is finished,” and he died. (pause and then pray)

Let’s kneel down now and say a prayer, thanking Jesus for dying for us: Dear Jesus, you gave up Your life for me. You did that out of love. Help me to love you every day, remembering what you did for me. (Add your own prayers from family too now) Ask, “is there anything you want to say to Jesus?”

Close your prayer time with a song

Why by Nicole Nordman

Jesus, Remember Me

My Deliverer by Matt Maher

Holy Saturday

Once the sun has set, gather together to reflect on the Resurrection. To really focus on Jesus as the Light of the World, light one candle and then have each family member light their own. Tealights or pillars can work so there are no dripping tapers.

Read the Gospel, Matthew 28:1-10. Ask: What is the first word that comes to your mind? Listen as I read this meditation.

An angel came down from heaven while Mary Magdalene and Mary and the guards were at Jesus’ tomb. And there was an earthquake. I would be afraid. (pause) I just wanted to come and pray. Now, this happens! The angel says, “Do not be afraid.” OK, I’ll try. (pause) The angel says that Jesus has been raised from the dead, and I see the tomb is empty. Alleluia! Alleluia! Jesus rose from the dead. (pause) He told us he would, but we didn’t understand. Thank you, Jesus, for rising from the dead. Wait a minute. The angel tells Mary Magdalene to go and see the apostles to let them know that Jesus has risen. He wants to see them in Galilee. (pause) The women go, and wow, they meet Jesus on the way. I can’t believe it. How exciting. How joyful everyone is. (pause) They want to thank Jesus and give Him praise and glory. Jesus is happy to see them. He loves them. He loves us too! (pause) Then Jesus reminds them they have a job to do. He wants them to tell the apostles He is risen and to go to Galilee so He can see them.  Alleluia! Alleluia!

Closing Prayer:

Thank you, Jesus, for rising from the dead. You give us new life. A life that is full of joy and peace and hope. We want to share that joy with all those we love. Alleluia! Alleluia!

A few questions to ask:

  • How can we share the joy of the Resurrection with others?
  • What do we want people to know about Jesus?

Easter songs: Resurrection Power by Chris Tomlin

Christ is Risen by Matt Maher

Jesus Christ is Risen Today

 

First Communion Retreat

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This time of year often finds those of us who prepare children for First Holy Communion in our final weeks of preparation.  In our program, children receive First Holy Communion on the first Sunday in May.  We have a morning retreat for them a few weeks before.  It’s a chance to come together and do some activities together, take an up close tour of the church, practice the songs for Mass and practice how to receive.

Here is an outline with the resources we use:

9:00 am   Welcome, distribute name tags

9:05:  Opening Prayer

3 stations, each 20 minutes long;

9:20 – 9:40; 9:45 – 10:05; 10:10- 10:30

Station #1  The Weight of a Mass: A Tale of Faith by Josephine Nobisso;    I use the book, but there is also a Youtube video available.  We read the book and then ask questions about it.  If you have not read it, do so.  It is an amazing story with beautiful illustrations.  At a certain point in the story, the children listening will start nodding and gasping as they understand what is happening and the meaning behind all the action.

Station #2   Chalice and Host craft; I found this on The Catholic Toolbox.

Station #3  The Last Supper;  I read the Last Supper and then do a short reenactment with unleavened bread and grape juice.

10:35:  The Making of Communion Bread; this is an awesome video that not only demonstrates how hosts are made but explains what the Eucharist means to us.  A  Passionist nun of Erlanger, Kentucky, is our guide for this brief ten-minute video.

10:50:  Snack and Bathroom break

snack mixMix the following ingredients together in a large bowl, telling what each ingredient represents.  We have some for a snack and then the rest is bagged up with a tag on it for the children to take home.

11:00:  Church Tour; I point out our various statues, holy water font, tabernacle, how to genuflect, Mass responses and postures.  We also practice how to receive Holy Communion, with unconsecrated hosts, of course!  Then our music director teaches us the songs we will use at the Mass.  We close in prayer in the Church and then go back to the parish hall for parents to pick up the children at noon.

 

Faith Through Fiction Vlog Post – Sacrifice

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About the Faith Through Fiction Vlog Series.

CatholicTeenBooks.com was founded upon the desire to provide entertaining Catholic fiction that can build your faith. And with this goal in mind, authors T.M. Gaouette and Leslea Wahl have taken it a step further by creating the Faith Through Fiction video blogs. With these vlogs, we will dive into issues that teens face and present fiction that addresses relevant themes.

Lent is all about self-denial…sacrifice. It’s about giving up those things that we have come to desire or rely on. It means showing discipline, strength, and sometimes even courage. But while sacrifice is the epitome of Lent through the very pillars of prayer, fasting, and alms-giving, sacrifice is not reserved for Lent alone. It should be practiced on a regular basis. Join T. M. Gaouette and Leslea Wahl, along with guest author, Corinna Turner, and learn more about what it means to sacrifice.

 

Featured author: Corinna Turner

 

Featured Books:

 

I Am Margaret by Corinna Turner

The Kings Prey by Susan Peek

St. Magnus, The Last Viking by Susan Peek

Rightfully Ours by Carolyn Astfalk

Chasing Liberty by Theresa Linden

 7 Riddles to Nowhere by AJ Cattapan

Treachery and Truth by Katy Huth Jones

The Other Side of Freedom by Cynthia T. Toney

The Perfect Blindside by Leslea Wahl

Sacrifice (catholicteenbooks.com)

Lenten Ideas

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Lent1

 

 

Lent is the perfect catechetical season.  A catechist, as well as a parent, can find a plethora of ideas about how to practice and live out Lent.  I would like to share ideas in 3 categories (be aware that some ideas will overlap): Family Ideas, Classroom Ideas, and Personal Ideas.  I hope the following links will help assist you as a parent or a catechist in assisting your students to grow closer to Christ this Lent.

Family Ideas:

Prayer

~ Pray the Rosary and/or Divine Mercy Chaplet regularly as a family – on the way to/from school, or right after dinner.
~ Read the Bible/pray with your kids before bedtime during Lent.
~ Pray the Station of the Cross at 7pm each Friday at Ascension or at home: https://catholicicing.com/2011/03/printable-stations-of-cross-for/

Fasting

~ Have a day where the TV Stays off (Maybe Fridays during Lent)
~ Fast from Cell phone use, internet, video games from after dinner until bedtime.
~ Fast from going out to eat. Give the extra money to the poor.
~ Fast from gossip or negative thoughts.
~ Fast from eating between meals.
~ Fast from dessert a few times a week.
~ Fast from being lazy (that attitude that says: someone else will do it.
~Listen to Christian Music 97.3 FM or Catholic Radio 1090AM in your car during all of Lent.

Almsgiving

~Sign up for Holy Hero’s daily Lenten email: https://www.holyheroes.com/Holy-Heroes-Lenten-Adventure-s/37.htm 
~ Lenten Calendar: https://catholicicing.com/2011/02/printable-lenten-calendar-for-kids/
~ Give money as a family to the poor: Operation Rice Bowl.
~ Spend more time with family.
~ Be positive (maybe charge .25 cents for every negative comment at home and then give the money to a charity).
~ Family Chart:  https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=1018 

 

Classroom Ideas

~ Lent Lapbooks: https://catholicblogger1.blogspot.com/2010/02/lent-lapbooks.html
~ Printable Lenten Calendar: https://catholicicing.com/2011/02/printable-lenten-calendar-for-kids/
~ NOW Cross: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=1019

Personal Ideas:

~ Take time to pray at lunchtime instead of going out with friends or surfing the internet.
~ Read a Psalm each day during Lent.
~ At 3:00 pm each day, pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet or take a moment to pause in prayer to remember the hour that Christ died.
~ Pray the Seven Penitential Psalms – maybe one each day of the week throughout Lent (Psalm 6, 31, 50, 101, 129, and 142).
~ Go out of your way to do one kind deed each day.
~ Do things for people each week without them knowing.
~ Be positive and reflect joy during Lent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Links to Inspire You!

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It’s February, and while the calendar says it is the shortest month of the year, for some, the dreariness of winter has gone on long enough, and February seems like the longest month. In February, we have Black History Month, Valentine’s Day, and National Marriage Week from Feb 7-14. Right now, we are in Ordinary Time, but starting on February 22, on Ash Wednesday, the season of Lent begins.

Let’s Start with Black History Month

We have a Homeschooling Saints podcast episode for you with Lisa Mladinich and Lena Brown. Lena talks about A Catholic Perspective on Black History Month.

Take a look at this article on 8 Black Saints and Holy People of God Every Catholic Should Know, with prayers!

And The Saints of Africa by Vincent J. O’Malley tells the stories of over 60 saints, including 3 popes, 8 Fathers of the Church and 3 Doctors of the Church.

Next up – Lent

A few podcasts to listen to: Family Lenten Traditions, Is Lent a Time of Sacrifice or Action?

Holy Heroes has Lent Survival Kit to use in your home or class. I wish I had had one of these when I was working with children! It includes The Road to Calvary coloring book, calendars with activities, Lenten Adventure, Road to Easter (with stickers) and all you need to make your own Paschal Candle to celebrate Easter. Take a look!

A prayer service for grades K-3, Mind, Heart and Hand.

A video on Where Ashes Come From.

 

Would you like this content delivered to your inbox each week? Subscribe now and we’ll send you a free guide, “High Impact Lesson & Classroom Management Tips” as our thanks. SIgn-up in the sidebar on the right!

 

Teen Book Review for Lent

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Ashes: Visible & Invisible by CatholicTeenBooks

A boy in ancient Israel, a girl in modern-day America, a young man in the far future, a dozen teenagers in different settings. What do they all have in common? Each of these otherwise unrelated young people is presented with a choice, the same choice that every teen must make at some point in their lives: God or self. Sacrifice or selfishness.

CatholicTeenBooks.com is excited to announce its newest anthology: Ashes: Visible and Invisible. This short story collection will both entertain young readers and invite them into a deeper understanding of Lent and their faith.

Some characters in this anthology risk being eaten by dinosaurs, others must simply rise to a new level of maturity in their everyday life, while some must choose a higher level of generosity. The stakes may vary, but each character learns a valuable lesson about sacrifice as they grow in their faith.

Lent is a beautiful liturgical season that is, sadly, often misunderstood. Too often, young people feel it’s just “the time when you must give something up,” but it can be so much more. Lent should be a liturgically rich season of walking with Christ, even as he approaches Calvary. The authors at CatholicTeenBooks wanted to explore some of the variety this season offers and make it more attractive and understandable to teens.

 

Ashes: Visible & Invisible by Leslea Wahl, Cynthia T. Toney, Marie Keiser, Carolyn Astfalk, Amanda Lauer, Ellen Gable, Corinna Turner, Antony B. Kolenc, T. M. Gaouette, Theresa Linden

  • When Liz’s faith journey hits a roadblock, will an unexpected detour and chance encounter set her back on track?
  • A teen’s future was all set—before his tragic loss. But his friend’s secret past just might save it.
  • Justin’s religion is outlawed. When an unbeliever asks him about the meaning of life, what can he say?
  • Could God be asking Paul to sacrifice a piece of himself for Lent—literally?
  • A modern American teen discovers what faith, life and love are like in seventeenth-century Scotland.
  • Asher’s desire to prepare for the Messiah intensifies after he’s robbed by bandits but would fighting alongside the Zealots be the best way?
  • When a risky Ash Wednesday mission to sterilize T. rex eggs goes wrong, fasting is the least of Joshua, Darryl, and Harry’s worries.
  • A medieval girl stranded on a forsaken path confronts threats from without and turmoil from within.
  • Struggling with loss, hunger, and temptation, Ethan finds himself walking in the steps of Jesus.

From the early days of the Church, objects touched to holy men and women have been linked to the miraculous, such as described in Acts: “when face cloths or aprons that touched his skin were applied to the sick, their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.” Acts 19:12

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