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 4: Family Heirlooms (Forms of Prayer, Part III) I’m one of those people who was born (1959) right before the Second Vatican Council so I remember (slightly) the Latin Mass and the beginnings of my religious formation with the Baltimore Catechism. Of course, the approach employed with the Baltimore Catechism included a fair amount of rote learning (memorization). Following the Second Vatican Council, the religious formation I received was very different in nature and […]
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 […]
WEEK FOUR: Prayer DAY 1: To Pray without Ceasing (Prayer) Welcome to the 4th and final week of our online retreat, Preparing for a Year of Faith. This week, we explore and reflect upon the 4th pillar of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Prayer. Let’s begin with a brief video: I’m sure you are familiar with a game that kids love to play when they’re at the swimming pool. It’s called Marco Polo. In this game, […]
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, 7th grade catechist Len Astrowski talks about what he likes about his students and what it means to him to be a catechist. Watch for the following: Len talks about the great job his kids do of settling in to his class after a long day at school Len says that he really doesn’t have discipline problems with this group other than a little talking here and there […]
In last night’s Webinar on The 7 Keys to Spiritual Wellness (if you missed it, a recording will be available here on my blog within a few days), I began by asking what folks are doing to maintain their spiritual wellness before I added my suggestions. Here’s a sampling of what folks are doing (I love the variety!) What are YOU doing to maintain your spiritual wellness? Daily mass Daily prayer active participation in […]
In this segment of Catechists in Action, 7th grade catechist Len Astrowski prepares his 7th graders for a short prayer experience in the middle of his session on the Resurrection of Jesus. Watch for the following: Len invites the young people to turn to the page with the prayer Len assigns roles for the prayer…this is a crucial step for catechists. Catholics pray communally which means that everyone has a part and their are various […]
In this segment of Catechists in Action, we see 3rd grade catechist Steve Lascola’s aide leading the children in an opening prayer. Watch for the following: Steve’s aide asks the children for prayers for a member of the catechetical family who has passed away and shows her own emotions over losing a friend…a very moving and appropriate witness of the love that is present in the parish family. Steve welcomes the children after the prayer […]
Today’s activity – a Salt Dough Crown of Thorns – can be found in many places on the Internet, I am drawing from a couple of Web sites: Ten Kids and a Dog and Three Sided Wheel (which has an excellent tutorial) Basically, you make a salt dough and then roll out the dough into 3 long rolls/ropes. Next, you braid the rolls/ropes and shape it into a circle. Add toothpicks (loosely) to represent the thorns, asking forgiveness […]
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