Amazing Catechists

Teaching and learning the faith together

Book Review: 10 Promises of Jesus by Marge Steinhage Fenelon

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My video review of this book is available on youtube at the Home Catechesis YouTube Page (CLICK HERE!)

 

One of the most common objections to Christianity is not rooted in philosophy or doctrine but rather the existence of evil and suffering in a world that Christians profess to be created by a Loving God. The Church wisely states, “no quick answer will suffice. Only Christian faith as a whole constitutes the answer to this question….There is not a single aspect of the Christian message that is not in part an answer to the question of evil” (CCC 309).

Within the classroom or an exchange of scholars this conversation will focus on Salvation History and the Church’s corresponding doctrines. For the average person struggling with and through a traumatic event, something else is needed to provide the answer that comes from the “Christian faith as a whole.” That approach of providing witnesses to God’s work and the power of Hope, has been crafted together in the book 10 Promises of Jesus by Marge Steinhage Fenelon.

Each chapter of this book begins with a Promise of Jesus. The explanation of the promise is often short and simple followed by a real life story of someone experiencing both suffering and Hope through the corresponding promise. Each chapter features a new story with different forms of suffering and different acts of Hope.

This book is a quick and easy read. I only wish one additional point was made in the book; it is nothing major, but rather an additional point to be made in the footnotes. On page 51 a long footnote is provided to explain “last rites” but fails to mention 1 of 3 sacraments celebrated in this liturgical celebration: Confession/Penance. Penance is only mentioned within the circumstance of someone not able to make it to Confession. It also would have been a wonderful opportunity to explain the importance of the sequence of the rites within the context of the Sacraments of Initiation.

Thus, just as the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist form a unity called “the sacraments of Christian initiation,” so too it can be said that Penance, the Anointing of the Sick and the Eucharist as viaticum constitute at the end of Christian life “the sacraments that prepare for our heavenly homeland” or the sacraments that complete the earthly pilgrimage. –CCC 1525

Penance/Confession restores us to Baptismal Grace. The “last rites” of Confession, Anointing of the Sick, and Communion mirror the Sacraments of Initiation in their proper order of Baptism, Confirmation (uses an anointing with oil too), and Communion. As you can see, it is not a major issue, but my love for sacramental theology would have loved to have seen it included!

While this book obviously is a benefit to those suffering through something, it is an excellent resource for catechists. Students often ask questions of a personal nature in response to catechetical content. They hunger to understand if the faith has any relevance for their daily life. This book will provide catechists with examples of the Christian Faith in action during times of suffering.

 

My video review of this book is available on youtube at the Home Catechesis YouTube Page (CLICK HERE!)

 

Catholic Lesson Plan Contest – Deadline September 1, 2014

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Heads up courtesy of Christian LeBlanc, Sophia Institute Press is hosting a Catholic Lesson Plan Contest:

Join Sophia Institute for Teachers in New Hampshire this fall as we sip mulled cider, enjoy bright autumn leaves, and write supplemental lesson plans for Catholic school teachers.

Selected teachers will earn an all-expenses paid trip to the Greater Boston Area and a$500 honorarium for contributing an original lesson for our next Teacher’s Guide. In addition, 5 teachers will win $100 honorable mentions for lessons in the following subject areas: English/Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, and Religion.

Entering is easy!

The contest is open to all Catholic educators, including catechists and homeschooling parents.  Take a look, pick one of your favorite lesson plans, and enter to win!

 

Virtues in Practice – Free Curriculum — from the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia

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Click the sisters’ logo to see their free virtues curriculum.

 

A friend of mine just pointed me towards this free K-8 curriculum from the Nashville Dominicans, Virtue in Practice.  There is a parent guide, and then PDF workbooks for four age groups: preschool – kindergarten, grades 1-2, 3-5, and 6-8.  The program works on a three-year cycle, with one class a month from September through May.  All students study the same virtue, but with a different patron saint at each grade level.

How I’d like to use it: Over the summer, a group of families from our city has been meeting to discuss the book Forming Intentional Disciples, in conjunction with CatholicMom.com’s book club.  We determined two important things at our most recent meeting:

1.  The first thing we need to do is work on our own personal relationships with Jesus, before we can hope to share our faith with others.

2. Our kids make a lot of noise.

We wanted to continue meeting family-to-family, but were overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of young children not sitting quietly watching a DVD while we tried to talk.  So we’ve decided to try a split-session format.  One week the men will get to meet for serious discussion and study, while ladies occupy the kids.  The following round, ladies will get the peace and quiet, men get the kids.

I have no idea what the guys have planned for their turn with the kids — I imagine it involves touch football.  But what I’m going to propose to the ladies is that we put together a plan for the kids.  I was thinking of music and a craft, and was looking for some kind of discipleship study for the kids.  We’ve used Little Flowers materials in the past, but we needed something co-ed this round.  The sisters’ virtues study looks like just the ticket.  And the price is right.

I’ll propose that we start with opening prayers and music time, introduce the virtue to the whole group, then break into to age-groups for a short discussion time.  We’ll pick one of the activity options that works well in cramped quarters.

In the past, we’ve had good luck with this group of children doing a repeating craft activity every month.  I know that many of our families will be studying medieval history this year, so I may propose that we do an illuminated-manuscript type craft for the monthly activity.   That tends to scale up well — each child can make his manuscript as simple or elaborate as he likes.  (I like The Art of Calligraphy by David Harris for learning historic lettering techniques.) Some of the other moms may have better ideas — maybe mining some ideas from Catholic Icing.

And of course we’ll finish with playtime — kids need fellowship too!

Sacraments Made Simple

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Hi All, I wrote this as a puppet script, but you can use it as a script with older children. Enjoy!

Sacraments: What are They?

Sally

Good morning, Joey!

Joey

Hi Sally!

Sally

I just have to give you a great big hug!

Joey

Thanks! That was nice!

Sally

I think hugs are just like sacraments!

Joey

Remind me – what is a sacrament?

Sally

A sacrament is a physical sign of something invisible.

Joey

Something invisible? You mean like germs?

Sally

No, much nicer things than that!

Joey

You mean like the smell of fresh chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven? I can’t see them, but I can SMELL them, so I know they’re there!

Sally

You’re getting closer!

Joey

You mean like music? I can hear it, but I can’t see it!

Sally

You have wonderful ideas about invisible things, but I’m talking about heavenly things.

Joey

Heavenly things! You mean like love?

Sally

That’s right. Like, my hug is a physical sign of the love I feel for you.

Joey

Oh, yeah. Your love isn’t something I can see, but when you hug me I know it’s there!

Sally

Right! Can you think of some sacraments that Jesus gave us?

Joey

Well, my teacher taught us about Baptism and the whole water thingy.

Sally

Right. In Baptism we pour water on a person’s forehead and make the Sign of the Cross, like this. (she does it on his forehead) “I baptize you in the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” That’s the part we can see, the visible part!

You can’t see any change in the person who’s been baptized, but he becomes a child of God and a member of the Royal Family of Heaven!

Joey

AWESOME! Oh, WAIT! There’s another sacrament called, reckon…reckon…

Sally

Reconciliation!

Joey

Yeah, that’s it! Reconciliation!

Sally

That’s where the priest listens to our sins, but…

Joey

Jesus forgives us!

Sally

Wow! You’re really learning fast!

Joey

Teach me a new one!

Sally

Holy Communion is my favorite sacrament.

Joey

Why?

Sally

Because it looks like a piece of bread and a cup of wine, but in the priest’s hands it becomes the actual Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ.

Joey

Wow! That’s a lot to remember!

Sally

Well, let’s make it simple. We baptize with water but we become…

Joey

Members of the heavenly family! (they dance)

Sally

Yes! And we ask forgiveness from a priest, but we are forgiven by…

Joey

Jesus! (they dance) Thank you Jesus!

Sally

Yes. And we receive Holy Communion, which looks like bread and wine, but it’s really…

Joey

Jesus! (they dance) My King and my God!

Sally

(out of breath) Boy. You learn fast. That’s a physical sign of something invisible.

Joey

What’s that?

Sally

You’ve been listening. (they laugh)

Copyright, Lisa Mladinich 2012

Preschool: Teach Through Movement

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One of the most challenging things about teaching a class of 3-year-olds is holding their attention. Incorporating exercise into the lesson can help burn off wiggly energy.

Here are some tips to help:

Break your lesson into 10 minute increments and allow movement between activities. Our hour-long classes always follow a predictable schedule: coloring time sitting at the tables, prayer circle on the floor, art back at the tables, standing during music, free play (if time), closing prayer standing in a circle. Having an optional slot for free play gives you flexibility if you run over on time during one of the other activities.

Allow for creative movement. During the Welcome Song, we invite each child to get up and dance (or not) when we call their name. For music, we often march through the classroom or roar as animals for songs like “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.”

Ask for helpers. Wiggly kids often make the best assistants. Let them wipe down the board or put away the crayons. Giving them a special job raises their self-esteem and helps to keep them focused and engaged.

Get silly. Don’t be afraid to crack animated jokes. One of my favorites? Hold your hands in prayer and then turn them sideways, wiggle them, and ask, “Do we use our prayer hands to swim like a fish?”. The kids always answer with a resounding “No!”

Hold hands. We stand in a circle and hold hands during closing prayer. This is often a tricky time – the kids have been with us for an hour and they are tired and restless. Holding hands connects us as a group. Catechists and helpers can stand between rowdy children or take the hands of any weepy ones.

Remember that the kingdom belongs to little ones like these. Enjoy your class and have fun!

Prayer Sponsorship for Whole Parish Involvement

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I am currently working on a project to engage the whole parish in the religious education program. The idea is in the lines of a prayer sponsorship. Where parishioners would be able to choose a grade, they would be given a leaflet, card, etc. On this Prayer Card or leaflet, would be the theme of the particular class. The parishioner would use this card as a prayer aid to pray for the particular class, and also to meditate upon the theme, and perhaps learn something themselves. I was wondering if anyone has already done a program like this, and if so I would love to contact them or have them contact me. I would welcome any ideas at this point. Thanks in advance. Andrew Regan  areegs@msn.com

areegs@msn.com

Teens: Keeping them Wondering

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One technique I use with my teenagers (talk about hating to come!) is . . . I keep them a little off-balance as far as what to expect from class . . . it is never the same two weeks in a row. . . they never know what sort of lesson it will be . . . something really creative and fun . . . something really challenging . . . . something offbeat. . . . sometimes I think they come to class just to see what I’m going to do on a given day (even though I am still giving them the same information no matter how it is packaged) . . . they are learning it in spite of themselves sometimes!

Mary Grace McCoy, Iglesia Catolica de Santa Julia/St. Julia’s Catholic Church in Siler City, North Carolina

Family Time!

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With today’s hectic life we spend less and less time together as a family. Most families are having a hard time making ends meet, but there are many activities they can do that won’t dent the budget. Here are a few just to get you going.

1. Play a favorite game or board game.

2. Pop some popcorn and watch a movie or DVD.

3. Make some cookies from scratch.

4. Watch a home movie/DVD or look at family photos.

5. Play a fun game outside.

6. Make an obstacle course and see who can get through it the fastest.

7. Make up a board game on poster board and play it.

8. Play a video or computer game and have teams.

9. Make something as a family (craft, toy, bird house, garden, etc.)

10. Rake the leaves into a pile from your yard and jump into it.

11. Ride bikes or go for a hike.

12. Go fly a kite.

13. Read a book or a Bible story together.

14. Plan and cook a dinner together to eat as a family.

15. Go camping (you can even do it in the back yard).

16. Make ice cream the old fashioned way.

17. Go pick berries, apples, oranges, etc.

18. Go fishing.

19. Make a calendar using family pictures to give to relatives.

20. Go to the park.

21. Do a family life blog. Fill it with family news, musing, tips, etc.

22. Volunteering for community service together as a family is a wonderful way of creating a special bond and lasting memories for families.

23. Walk the dog together.

24. Do a Scavenger Hunt or Treasure Hunt. Scavenger Hunt- Make a list of things to find. Divide the family into teams. Set a time to find as many things as possible on the list. The team with the most items from the list at the end of that time wins. Treasure Hunt- Plan a Treasure Hunt for the family by hiding something and making a map that everyone must work together to find it.

25. Make your own putt-putt course and play it. [Successful Family Activities: familieswithpurpose.com]

Planning fun and successful family activities shouldn’t be a chore for busy parents. Most just require a little fore thought and a little planning to be successful. So don’t get bogged down in the details or overwhelmed with the planning. The first thing to spoil family activities is a stressed parent, so go slow and ease into your routine. *Alternate between planned and unplanned family activities. Not every family activity has to be an elaborate outing. Sticking around home and just “hanging out” can be just as fun. Just don’t let the TV, computer, and video games become a distraction. *Be flexible. Sometimes family activities don’t go as planned. The baby is tired, the car had a flat tire, or it rained when it was supposed to be sunny and hot. *Make sure the family activity is something everyone will enjoy or at least tolerate. Talk over the family activities ahead of time and get everyone’s input. This will help prevent resistance later on. *Schedule your family activities on the family calendar. Plan out for a month when the family will be together and schedule the family activities accordingly.

Amazing_Grace

Trinity for Nursery School

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I use St. Patrick’s idea. I show them a three-leaf clover and we chat about it. What color is it? How many leaves does it have? Then I talk about the sign of the cross, practice it with them, talk about how God is one, but three at the same time, like the clover leaf. They look up at you with their wide eyes, soak it all in, go home and tell their parents. They believe. I tell them God is amazing; He can do anything. How open they are, how beautiful! I also read them stories about St. Patrick.

Christine Rathier, St. Teresa School, Pawtucket, RI