RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!” (Romans 10:14-15)
If you liked this little prayer book, here are more mini books for you to try:
The best relationships are built through time together and through frequent communication. With our Lord we call this prayer. Come back soon for ideas for hands-on ways that you can start these conversations with even the smallest children of God.
Explore many of the Details that Make the Mass so Mysterious and Exciting
IT IS AN EXCITING TIME IN THE LIFE OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH!
WE ARE RECOGNIZING THE LIVES OF MANY YOUNG PEOPLE ON THE PATH OF CANONIZATION!
THE YOUNG PEOPLE YOU INFLUENCE NEED TO KNOW THAT YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE OLD OR A MARTYR TO BE ON THE PATH TO HEAVEN
SHARE THE LIVES OF THESE SAINTS WITH THE 'SAINTS IN THE MAKING' YOU ENCOUNTER . . .
Blessed Chiara Luce Badano
1971-1990
"There was nothing extraordinary or unusual about the life of Chiara Badano (known as Chiara Luce). And yet for this girl who loved swimming, skiing, listening to music and being with friends, God was always present, beginning with her birth for which Ruggero and Maria Teresa Badano had been praying for eleven years."
When she was only 17 years old it was discovered that Chiara had agressive cancer. She did not complain or accept and painkillers but instead offered up any pain to Jesus and loved those around her even more.
"There was a huge crowd at the funeral and, as she had requested, Chiara Luce was buried in a white dress, “like a bride going to Jesus”.
Shortly before dying, Chiara Luce exclaimed: “The youth are the future. I can no longer run, but I’d like to pass the Olympic torch on to them. The young people have only one life and it’s worth it to spend it well!”"
http://www.focolare.org/en/news/2012/10/29/beata-chiara-luce-badano/
Learn more at: https://www.facebook.com/chiaralucebadano
Carlo Acutis, Servant of God
1991-2006
Carlo said "To always be close to Jesus, that is my life's plan."
"Carlo “was a teen of our times, like many others. He tried hard in school, with his friends, [and] he loved computers. At the same time he was a great friend of Jesus Christ, he was a daily communicant and he trusted in the Virgin Mary.
Succumbing to leukemia at the age of 15, he offered his life for the Pope and for the Church. Those who have read about his life are moved to profound admiration. The book was born of a desire to tell everyone his simple and incredible human and profoundly Christian story.”
“As a little boy, especially after his First Communion, he never missed his daily appointment with the Holy Mass and the Rosary, followed by a moment of Eucharistic adoration,” recalls his mother, Antonia Acutis.
He was an expert with computers, he read books on computer engineering and left everyone in awe, but he put his gift at the service of others and used it to help his friends,” she added. “His immense generosity made him interested in everyone: the foreigners, the handicapped, children, beggars.
[his mother] recalls clearly that “shortly before his death, Carlo offered his sufferings for the Pope and the Church. Surely the heroism with which he faced his illness and death has convinced many that he was truly somebody special. When the doctor that was treating him asked him if he was suffering a lot, Carlo answered: ‘There are people who suffer much more than me!”
Learn more at: http://www.carloacutis.com/en/association/presentazione
Lord, We Need Saints
We need saints without veil or cassock.
We need saints who wear jeans and sneakers.
We need saints who go to the movies,
listen to music and hang out with friends.
We need saints who put God in first place,
but who let go of their power.
We need saints who have time everyday to pray
and who know how to date in purity and chastity,
or who consecrate their chastity.
We need modern saints, Saints of the 21st century
with a spirituality that is part of our time.
We need saints committed to the poor
and the necessary social changes.
We need saints who live in the world and who are sanctified in the world,
who are not afraid to live in the world.
We need saints who drink Coke and eat hot dogs, who wear jeans,
who are Internet-savvy, who listen to CDs.
We need saints who passionately love the Eucharist
and who are not ashamed to drink a soda or eat pizza on weekends with friends.
We need saints who like movies, the theater, music, dance, sports.
We need saints who are social, open, normal,
friendly, happy and who are good companions.
We need saints who are in the world
and know how to taste the pure and
nice things of the world
but who aren’t of the world.
We need saints.
Lord please help us to be them, To lead them,
And to let them know they are loved.
HOW DO WE KNOW THAT SOMEONE IS A SAINT?
First: The Catholic Church does 'make saints'. That is the work of God.
Second: the Catholic Church has established a method by which she determines that someone is publically recognized as a Saint.
Third: There is a procedure that is followed in the Church for recognizing a Saint and the path is as follows:
Servant of God: As soon as a person is being considered as a saint they are referred to as a Servant of God, first in their Diocese
Venerable: The Vatican Congregation of the Saints decides if the Servant of God lived a life working hard to improve themself spiritually and trying to grow more holy and sinless
Blessed: After the Church determines there has been one miracle the cause is presented to the pope to see whether the person is worthy of being called blessed. This is called beatification.
Saint: After one more miracle the Blessed person's cause goes before the pope again for his judgment. If the pope decides the evidence is clear and there are no verifiable claims to the contrary then the process continues and if all these steps are passed then the person is canonized and is referred to as a Saint.
This process may take many years or only a few if the person is a martyr. Great care is taken at every step.
Recent events have left some children anxious. Learning the
Guardian Angel Prayer
may not 'cover a requirement ' in their catechism but it can give them some peace;
after all we are here to make them aware of the great love our Lord has for them.
Angel of God,
my guardian dear.
To whom
God's love entrusts me here.
Ever this day
be at my side.
To light and guard.
To rule and guide.
Amen
Are you looking for a way to teach the Lord's Prayer other than pure repetition? Try the process of elimination. Write the prayer on a series of spoons - white large spoons work best. Place them in a long piece of styrofoam or series of egg cartons. Repeat the prayer each class or day. Eliminate a spoon or two each time. The children will learn to fill in the blanks until the spoons are gone and the prayer is in their hearts and minds.
Many of your students interact with non-Catholics in school and at other activities who tell them that Catholics are not Christians - Catholics are indeed Christians - the original Christians. Perhaps this article from Catholic 365 will help you out.
DON'T THROW OUT THE POOL NOODLES!
Make a class size Rosary instead
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1. Collect a 9 ft. piece of clothesline, 2 different color pool noodles, 1 piece of pipe insulation and a 2' by 1' piece of styrofoam (or paddle board from the $ store)
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2. Use a serrated kitchen knife/bread knife to cut 2: pieces of pool noodle and 1" pieces of pipe insulation.
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3. Cut a cross from the paddle board.
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4. Pull out a rosary and use it as a pattern for stringing your large Rosary.
You will need: One Lego or Duplo brick per person
Hold your brick.
Pray for yourself. Thank God for the things he has given you. Ask Him to bless you and to help you to bless others.
Count the bumps on your brick.
For each bump on your brick, pray for a different person- friends or family members. Ask God to bless them this week.
Find someone who has a different color brick to you.
Thank God for making each person special. Thank him for the things that are different but special about other people. Pray that we will learn how to celebrate and understand people who are different to us.
Find someone with the same number of bumps on their brick as you.
Thank God for families and friends and all who care for us. Pray that He will help us to be friends to those who are lonely.
Swap your brick with someone.
Thank God for the person you swapped with and ask God to bless them this week.
Put all of the bricks together and build a structure or tower with them.
Thank God for the church and the communities we live in. Pray that He will help us to include others and to help people know that they are loved and valued.
ARCHIVES
Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen: Servant of All." No truer words have ever been written. For decades, Fulton Sheen served as a shining example of what it means to serve God. His television show, "Life is Worth Living," reached 30 million viewers a week.
Learning the Virtues
by Serving Others
Pattern for a Sacraments Paper Bag Book
FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT BINGO
