The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has provided some resources for prayer during this time of papal transition. In particular, here is a Prayer for Pope Benedict XVI as he approaches his retirement and here is a Prayer for the Election of a New Pope. Likewise, here is a bulletin insert on How a New Pope is Chosen. All 3 of these resources are available in Spanish and are available for purchase in quantities. […]
Just a few months ago, I read an interesting book titled The Pope Who Quit that tells the fascinating tale of the election and subsequent resignation of Pope Celestine V in 1294, the only pope to ever abdicate the Chair of St. Peter. That story provides a context for us to understand just how historic is the announcement of the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. Given the significance of this moment, it is evident that our […]
This past Monday turned out to be a very prayerful evening and a good way to begin Advent with my 6th graders! We met in church for the Advent Prayer Service which I put together a couple of years ago. I love when the bell ringers (hand chimes) call the assembly to order by slowing walking down the aisle and sounding their chimes. It really creates a sense of reverence and all the kids quieted down beautifully. […]
This evening’s session will be an Advent Prayer Service in the Church and my guess is that by the time all is said and done, it’ll be at least 45 minutes before we get back to the class room. This, of course, does not leave me with too much time, so instead of trying to cram in a lesson on the Old Testament, I plan to spend the remainder of time focusing on Advent. I […]
Last evening turned out to be a very lovely evening with my sixth graders. First, we gathered in Church for the Opening Mass with the pastor. I was able to recall many of my students by name as they arrived and that always makes them light up. They were well behaved during Mass (as I’ve mentioned before, almost too well-behaved, meaning that they are so passive and hardly respond to the parts of the Mass, […]
One of the things that I plan to do with my students this year is, as soon as they enter the room, to sit down and write down their prayer intention for that day/week. I will encourage them to either give thanks for something or to pray for someone in need or for a need of their own. Of course you can just have them write them down on a piece of scrap paper but […]
WEEK FOUR: Prayer DAY 3: In the Mood (Forms of Prayer, Part II) During the “Big Band” era of the 1940s, bandleader Glenn Miller topped the charts with his #1 hit “In the Mood.” While appearing well before the sexual revolution of the 1960s, the title of the song is, of course, highly suggestive. In the mood for WHAT? Intimacy, of course. That should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the history of the […]
In this final segment of Catechists in Action, Marge Garbacz leads her RCIA group in a concluding prayer and musical meditation. Watch for the following: Marge introduces the concluding prayer and connects it with the theme of human dignity. Marge directs the participants to their parts in the prayer and goes over the flow of the prayer so that everyone knows what is happening, how, and when. Marge introduces the musical meditation, Love Never Fails […]
In this segment of Catechists in Action, Marge Garbacz welcomes her RCIA participants and invites them to prayer. Watch for the following: Marge greets the participants with great enthusiasm, letting them know how welcome they are and how enthusiastic she is to be spending time with them Marge gives instructions for the prayer and invites the group to pray a prayer written for the parish RCIA process and used over many years at the parish. […]
In this segment of Catechists in Action, 3rd grade catechist Steve Lascola teaches about the Lord’s Prayer and forgiveness as he prepares the children for the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. Watch for the following: Steve reads some thoughts about the Our Father from a book about Our Lady of Medjugorje. (Steve agreed with me afterwards that this was above the kids’ heads and that things we personally find edifying may not always connect with […]
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