Tonight, we begin in church with a Lenten prayer service that should be about 30 minutes. With all the coming and going between the church and school buildings, I should have about 35 minutes left with my kids. Since I haven’t been able to do a guided reflection with them for a few weeks, I thought I would go right into that when we get back to the classroom. Here’s the script that I put […]
In my 40 Ideas for 40 Days of Lent calendar, Monday, March 14 is an activity titled “What’s with the Pretzels?” which goes into the meaning of the pretzel as a traditional lenten food. I received an email from a 6th grade catechist named Marie who had quite a bit to say about the topic. Thanks, Marie! Enjoy! Joe, I’ve been on your mail list for about three months and have enjoyed the information and […]
Back in 1970, the Beatles issued one of their last hits: “Get Back.” The song represented the Beatles’ efforts to get back to their rock and roll roots (“Get back. Get back. Get back to where you once belonged”). They had spent the last few years in the studio crafting some incredible music (Sgt. Pepper, in particular) that saw them venturing into complex arrangements and layers of sounds. With the group now experiencing tension and […]
Here’s a popular Ash Wednesday post of mine called, “What’s that on Your Forehead?” Q: Hey, your forehead’s dirty. What’s that on your forehead? A: Ashes…they’re from church. Q: Why did your church put dirt on your forehead? A: It’s not dirt; they’re ashes. Today’s Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Catholics wear ashes to show that we want to change to get ready for Easter. Q: Are they supposed to be in […]
Here are links to the various Lenten resources that I have to offer…I hope they are helpful to you as we journey together into this holy season! 40 Ideas for 40 Days of Lent, 2011 My Lenten Calendar 40-crosses-english-2011 My Lenten Calendar 40-crosses-spanish-2011 Lenten FAQs Video Recording of Joe’s 2010 Lenten Webinar Creative Lenten Ideas Shared by Webinar participants Other Resources Online Lenten Retreat from Loyola Press Lent Resources from Loyola Press Lenten Resources from […]
This great idea came to me from a catechist by the name of Connie…thanks Connie! Hi Joe, Thanks for the Lenten calendar–I’m always looking for something new! Here’s something I did last night with my sixth graders, who are studying the Old Testament. We made our own Wailing Wall–which we will use throughout Lent. Before class, I drew outlines of the bricks/stones in black marker on a piece of butcher paper. When the kids came in, […]
Thanks to all the good folks – catechetical leaders, youth ministers, RCIA and AFF coordinators, etc – who invited me to spend the day with them in Des Moines, Iowa, on Thursday, March 3. We enjoyed a great experience of exploring ways to provide formation for our catechists. Thanks especially to John Gaffney, the Director of the Department of Evangelization and Catechesis for the Diocese of Des Moines, for making this event possible. Thanks folks…I […]
Thank goodness we had a little breathing room between Christmas and Lent this year! Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, one week from today, on March 9, 2011. With that in mind, I’m happy to once again offer this handy calendar with links to 40 Ideas for 40 Days of Lent! As always, if you have developed a Lenten activity that you’d like to share, send it along! 40 Ideas for 40 Days of Lent, 2011
Last evening’s class went very nicely, however, I really felt like I needed to ovecome some “rust” after a few weeks of not teaching (because of interruptions in the schedule). For one, I forgot to include our little ritual gesture of marking our foreheads, lips, and hearts with the sign of the Cross at the start of class! Didn’t think about it till I got home and was reviewing in my mind how the class […]
It feels as though I have not taught my 4th graders for a few weeks now, because of guest speakers and Presidents’ Days, etc. Tonight, that all changes as I get back to the basics with my li’l ones and focus on the Ten Commandments one last time! As you may recall, back in January, we made a DVD of the kids doing mini-presentations on the Ten Commandments. For tonight’s class, I put together the […]
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