Pentecost Activities
Easter

Pentecost Activities

On Pentecost we celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles; this event marks the beginning of the Church. Bring the celebration of Pentecost to your faith formation group with our Pentecost Activities Packet. The packet includes a prayer service, a Holy Spirit crossword puzzle, a coloring page, and more. Combine using the packet with reading the story of Pentecost, found in the Acts of the Apostles 2:1–11, and the special seasonal lessons […]

Pop-Up Catechesis with Joe Paprocki
Trinity: Father, Son, Holy Spirit

Pop-Up Catechesis: Pentecost and Our Need for an Advocate

Some years ago, when I was serving as a catechist for an eighth-grade faith formation group, I was blessed to have an outstanding catechist aide. Let’s call her Mrs. Kelly. As it turns out, Mrs. Kelly was a nurse at nearby Advocate Christ Hospital. When it came time for us to teach about the coming of the Holy Spirit—our Advocate—on Pentecost, I asked Mrs. Kelly to describe her work as a nurse in pediatrics and how she […]

Ascension en el Retablo Mayor de la Catedral del Salvador de Zaragoza - Image by Zarateman (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons
Easter

Celebrating the Ascension

The Feast of the Ascension of the Lord often happens after our religious education sessions are over for the school year. However, it can be the perfect final lesson of the year as students depart for the summer. Include the Ascension in your lesson plan for the final session by encouraging students to be disciples over the summer. Just as Jesus left the Twelve with a mission, you can do the same. I Am with […]

3 Questions at the Heart of the Celebration of the Ascension/Ascension icon
Easter

Three Questions at the Heart of the Celebration of the Ascension

The Ascension of the Lord is a feast that often seems to lack the “punch” of other aspects of the Paschal Mystery. We tend to “get” the Incarnation, the suffering, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus. But why is it important to know that Jesus ascended into heaven? Does this feast simply tell us where he went? And what does it mean that “he is seated at the right hand of the Father?” Is there really […]