Liturgical Seasons & Feasts Archives - Page 42 of 43

40 Ideas for 40 Days—Lenten Activities: Avoiding Temptations

Avoiding Temptations Arrange the young people in pairs and invite them to brainstorm a list of temptations that young people their age can try to avoid during Lent. (Examples: gossiping, calling people names, being lazy, and so on.) Then, have them identify strategies for resisting temptation. (Examples: praying, doing another activity to avoid thinking about the temptation, talking to a parent, teacher, or older friend/relative, and so on.) Have each pair report their ideas to […]

receiving ashes on Ash Wednesday - image © Loyola Press. All rights reserved.

"What’s That on Your Forehead?"—Helping Kids Explain Ash Wednesday

Joe Paprocki

A catechist e-mailed me with the following question about helping children to be able to explain why they are wearing ashes on their foreheads on Ash Wednesday: Do you have anything in print or an article you know of for kids to help explain why they wear ashes on their forehead on Ash Wednesday to their classmates at the public schools? I know the reasons and such but from an elementary child’s perspective would help. […]

Another Living Stations of the Cross Script

Joe Paprocki

I have another Living Stations of the Cross script to share with you. This one is from the parish where I serve as a catechist – Most Holy Redeemer, Evergreen Park, IL. The script comes to us from the DRE, Arlene, who does a wonderful job of pulling this together every Lent. living-stations-arlene-a Have a great weekend!

Living Stations of the Cross – Scripts

Joe Paprocki

I’ve put out a request for scripts/outlines for the Living Stations of the Cross for Lent and so far have received 3 samples. Thanks! I’m only passing along 2 of them at the moment, as the third was not really a living stations. Remember, if you have a script or outline for the Living Stations of the Cross, please attach it (as a Word file or PDF) to an email and send it to me […]

Lent FAQ with Joe Paprocki – A Short Video

Joe Paprocki

With Ash Wednesday being only two weeks from tomorrow, I thought that now would be a good time to offer you a brief video titled Lent FAQ with Joe Paprocki. It includes some simple answers to some of the frequently asked questions about the Lenten season. Why do we have a season of Lent? Why is Lent 40 days? Why do we start Lent by wearing ashes? Why do we practice prayer, fasting, and giving […]

Lent is Just Around the Corner – Living Stations, Anyone?

Joe Paprocki

Lent is just around the corner (Ash Wednesday is February 25, 2009) and catechists are looking for lenten ideas and activities to mark the season. I have 2 very special plans for this blog: First, I am collecting scripts for the Living Stations of the Cross to make available to you through my blog. Many parishes involve their young people in the Living Stations of the Cross and write their own scripts that they develop […]

Advent: Who’s Coming?

Joe Paprocki

As we began class on Monday, I pointed to the prayer center and asked, “Does anyone notice anything different?” After a short pause, one of the girls pointed to the purple cloth and said, “There’s purple for Advent.” I complimented her on being so observant and then asked, “So, what does the word Advent mean?” No one knew (or at least no one volunteered an answer!). Then, I gave an example. Our aide, Ben, had […]

Advent Hope

Joe Paprocki

Tonight is an opportunity to spend some time with the young people focusing on the notion of HOPE as we proceed through this first week of Advent. I picked up a few copies of the daily newspapers and will distribute sections to each of the young people, asking them to find a “bad news” story and to tear it out and prepare to describe it to the group. We’ll collect these stories on the table […]

The Liturgical Calendar, the Paschal Mystery, and the Grand Canyon

Joe Paprocki

If you’ve ever visited the Grand Canyon, you know that its immenseness is overwhelming: 277 river miles long, up to 18 mles wide, and a mile deep! All around the rim of the Canyon are numerous breathtaking look-out points. What do visitors to the Grand Canyon do? They walk along the trails and pause at various look-out points to take in the view from specific vantage points. Along the way, they are looking at the same […]

The Seven Last Words and the Stations of the Cross

Joe Paprocki

In honor of Holy Week, I offer you these links to prayerful reflections on the Seven Last Words of Christ and the Stations of the Cross: The First Word The Second Word The Third Word The Fourth Word The Fifth Word The Sixth Word The Seventh Word The Stations of the Cross