The end of the school year is approaching

And it can be hard to keep your group interested in learning. Here is a fun activity that will review all seven sacraments and keep your class involved. It can be done with families as well, each family being a group.

Here is the general outline of the lesson:

Materials for the lesson:  large pictures of each sacrament, each sacrament name written on a large piece of paper (I used 11×17 paper and printed out the names using Publisher and clip art.), 1 large chalice/host drawing, about 3’ high, crayons, pencils, markers, glue

Points to get across:  Sacraments are signs we can see, hear, feel, taste, and smell.  God gave them to us through Jesus so that we could remember him and all the gifts he gave us.  All sacraments give us grace to help us live our lives.  Grace is another gift from God.

Activity:

Call up 7 children to help while the groups at tables write down the names of each of the sacraments.

How many sacraments are there?  7.   Have those left at tables write down the names of the sacraments, one person per group writing.

Part 1:  Distribute the names of the sacraments and the pictures and have the children match them up with their backs to the group.  Once they are all matched up, ask for the names of the 7 sacraments.  As each is named, have the person holding the sacrament name and picture step forward.

Part 2:

Have each table choose one person to be a runner.  The group listens to the statement/question, and the runner will go to the sacrament described after conferring with the table on an answer.

Possible Questions: (Add more depending on the size, and attention span of the group)

Takes away Original sin

We say we are sorry for our sins

One man and one woman become a family

We receive Jesus’ body and blood

The Bishops seals you with the Holy Spirit

This sacrament helps you when you are sick

A man who is ordained receives this sacrament

What is the most important sacrament?

Points to make:

Eucharist is the source and summit of the Catholic life.  It is our food for our journey.  Its purpose is to make us one with Jesus Christ, to help us to live like him, and to form us into a community.  That is why we come to Mass, to celebrate together while thanking God for all he has given us, including and most especially his Son.

As St. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians, all members of the body are necessary and valuable.  When one part of the body is hurting because of sin or sickness, it hurts all of us.  If a part of the body is missing, we all suffer.  That is yet another reason why we need to come together at Mass each week.

Activity:

One in Christ:  pass out 4×6 pieces of paper and markers, crayons, and pencils; one piece to each family.  Have each group think about an appropriate symbol to put on the paper.  It can be a symbol of a sacrament, something special to the family, or abstract.  It should not include words.  Very little white space should be seen. All need to participate in the coloring in some way.

Note: you may need to make the paper size larger depending on the size of your group; the idea is to cover the large chalice as completely as possible. 

Once everyone is done, have one person from each group come forward and put it on the large chalice, covering it like a collage.