The Catholic Door online bookstore is offering three scholarships for Catholics entering college in the fall. The awards total $750 dollars. Students are to write a 400 to 600 words essay under the prompt "Why I Love Being Catholic." The deadline is June 29, 2017. More information is available here.
It’s time for our regular feature on Catholic colleges that qualify for the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament. (The women’s bracket will be released later this evening and the Catholic colleges in the women’s tournament will be posted tomorrow in the comment’s section below). Here are this year’s men’s qualifiers, ranked by overall seeding in the tournament. Villanova University (1 East) Gonzaga University (1 West) University of Notre Dame (5 West) Creighton University ( 6 Midwest) Saint Mary’s College ( 7 West) University of Dayton (7 South) Seton Hall University (9 South) Marquette University (10 East) Xavier University (11 West) Providence College (11 East) Iona College (14 Midwest) The Catholic colleges represent 16 percent of the original field of 68 teams. Villanova University is the defending National Champion. Here is some other information related to the Catholic colleges in the tournament, Catholic college history, in the tournament, basketball players from Catholic colleges, and more. Adapt this information to questions, activities, icebreakers to accompany this week’s lessons. Enjoy! Name the religious order that founded each of the eleven schools in the tournament. (One school was not founded by a religious order. Which one? Who sponsors that college?) Villanova (Augustinian) Gonzaga (Jesuit) Notre Dame (Holy Cross) Creighton (Jesuit) Saint Mary’s (Christian Brothers) Dayton (Marianist) Seton Hall (Archdiocese of Newark) Marquette (Jesuit) Xavier (Jesuit) Providence (Dominican) Iona (Christian Brothers) Which Catholic colleges have won NCAA basketball championships? San Francisco (2) Villanova (2) Georgetown Holy Cross La Salle Loyola Chicago Marquette Which Catholic college has the most appearances in the NCAA tournament? Notre Dame and Villanova are tied with 36. Which Catholic college has the most consecutive appearances in the NCAA tournament? Gonzaga has 19 consecutive tournament appearances. Which Catholic college has the most former players currently playing in the NBA? Villanova (5: Dante Cunningham, Randy Foye, Darrun Hilliard, Kyle Lowry, Daniel Ochefu) Match the players on the Top 100 list of all time basketball players with the Catholic college they attended. Bill Russell (San Francisco) Elgin Baylor (Seattle) George Mikan (DePaul) Bob Cousy (Holy Cross) Paul Arizin (La Salle) Dwyane Wade (Marquette) Patrick Ewing (Georgetown) John Stockton (Gonzaga) Steve Nash (Santa Clara) Allen Iverson (Georgetown) Dave DeBusschere (Detroit) Bob Lanier (St. Bonaventure) Alonzo Mourning (Georgetown) Lenny Wilkens (Providence) Adrian Dantley (Notre Dame) Read and share an article about retired NBA player Kobe Bryant and how his Catholic faith pulled him through some darkest times in his life. How did the song The Bells of Saint Mary’s become associated with St. Mary’s College? What does the association have to do with Bing Crosby? Read about it here.
Ask students to say aloud words or phrases that come immediately to them when you say the word “patriotism.” List the words on the board. Distribute a handout with the following quotations and questions. Read the first quotation and have the students write their reflections on the questions that follow. Repeat the format for sections 2 and 3. Finally, ask the students to answer in writing the two “Final Items.” To conclude, ask the students to share their reflections either in small groups or with the whole class. 1. Quotation: “The virtue of patriotism means that as citizens we respect and honor our country, but our very love and loyalty make us examine carefully and regularly its role in world affairs asking that it live up to is full potential as an agent of peace with justice for all people” (U.S. Catholic Bishops, The Challenge of Peace, 1983, #327). What does it mean to “respect and honor our country”? to show “love and loyalty”? How do you do these things concretely? What specifically do you think we should be asking our country to do in order to “live up to its full potential as an agent of peace with justice for all people”? Is this constructive criticism a patriotic or unpatriotic act and why? 2. Quotation: “To teach the ways of peace is not to weaken the nation’s will but to be concerned for the nation’s soul” (U.S. Catholic Bishops, The Challenge of Peace, 1983, #304). What do you think the bishops mean? Why are they concerned for our nation’s soul? Is it unpatriotic to have such concerns? Why or why not? 3. Quotation: Martin Luther King, Jr., was concerned about our nation’s soul at a similar time in our nation’s history (1956-1968). He helped to create the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, whose motto was “We have come to redeem the soul of America.” In 1967, he broke his silence about the Vietnam war and boldly proclaimed: “Never again will I be silent on an issue that is destroying the soul of our nation and destroying thousands and thousands of little children in Vietnam. . . . The time has come for a real prophecy, and I’m willing to go that road”(quoted in Road to Redemption). Do you think the soul of our nation is in jeopardy today? Why or why not? Final Items What do you think you are being called to by these statements and questions? After thinking about all of this, briefly define your own understanding of Christian patriotism:
The annual Catholic Schools Week, sponsored by the National Catholic Educational Association, begins on Monday January 29 and runs until Saturday, Feburary 4. This year's theme is “Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge and Service.” Listed below are some resources that can help facilitate your planning: Explanatoin of the Theme Daily Themes 1000 Ideas for Catholic Schools Week from Pinterest Catholic Schools Week Logos
As a welcome back to class exercise after Christmas vacation, ask the students to create a list of ten Catholic New Years’ Resolutions. Also have them write brief responses to the following: Which resolution do you think will be most important for you to keep? Explain why. Which resolution do you think will be most difficult to keep? Explain why. Sample Resolutions Attend Eucharistic Adoration at least once per month. Keep the car radio off until I pray for fifteen minutes. Hang out with a classmate I have never socialized with before. Go to daily Mass at least once per week. Get more involved at my parish. Join in a service project with teens from a non-Catholic congregation. Read a biography of a saint. Go on a retreat without it being required. Read a biography of a saint. Hang out with a family member on a regular basis.
With the World Series near, football in full swing, and basketball and hockey seasons just kicking off, sports certainly is in the forefront. Use the reference of sports to remind your students to “get in the game” of life, to always do their best, and of the lesson that hard work pays off in whatever life course they chose for themselves. As a warm-up share the Ousidedabox produced short (1:51) video Get in the Game. It reminds us of this important teaching from the Catechism of the Catholic Church that, “Creation has its own goodness and proper perfection, but it did not spring forth complete from the hands of the Creator” (CCC, 302). Instead, the universe, including each person, is created by God “in a state of journeying” toward an ultimate perfection that hasn’t yet been reached. The ways that God guides his creation toward perfection is known as divine providence. It is comforting to know that God loves and cares for us so much that he has a special plan for our lives and guides us to it. As the book of Proverbs teaches: Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the decision of the Lord that endures. (Prv 19:21) The Fathers of the Church, in particular Gregory of Nicaea, spoke of the soul’s journey toward Christ and heavenly perfection as something in which we must consistently engage. They referred to this process as epektasis—an unending “straining forward,” as St. Paul calls it in the Letter to the Philippians: Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. (Phil 3:13) Epektasis is going forward, exercising spiritual muscles, reaching out to God and others, and straining with hope. Epektasis begins in this life and extends to the next, for eternity. Thus, even eternal life is part of—not the end of—our journey. Coach Lou Holtz offered a simple reminder to those who want to “get in the game.” He shares an acronym W.I.N.—What’s Important Now. It goes like this: It’s great to have big dreams. But the way to make your dreams come true is through a series of smaller daily choices. This is where the W.I.N. formula—”What’s Important Now”—can help. You sure you want to be an All American? Then ask yourself twenty-five times a day “what’s important now.” You wake up in the morning—”what’s important now?” Get out of bed. You’re out of bed—”what’s important now?” Eat breakfast. You need your strength. What’s important now? Go to class. What’s important now? Sit in the front row. Be prepared. When you’re in the weight room—”what’s important now?” It’s to get stronger. Not because somebody’s looking. But because you know you’ve got to get stronger. When you’re out Saturday night and there’s alcohol, and sex, and drugs—”what’s important now?” If your dream is to be an All American in whatever field you’ve chosen, then “what’s important now” is to avoid those situations. You take any dream you want to reach and ask yourself twenty-five times a day “what’s important now?” and you’ll know exactly what you have to do to achieve it. (A Teen’s Game Plan for Life) Assignment Write tens answers to the question “What’s important now?” related to your daily life for the coming semester. For example: “What’s important now?” (To make the basketball team.) “What’s important now?” (To earn enough money to buy car insurance.) When completed, go back over your list and make notes about kinds of things you will need to do to achieve what you deem to be important. Call on volunteers to share sample responses from their list.
Sunday, September 18 is the annual celebration of Catechetical Sunday. The theme this year is Prayer: The Faith Prayed. Catechetical Sunday celebrates the baptismal call of all Catholics to pass on the faith while especially recognizing parish catechists, youth ministers, Catholic and public school teachers, and school administrators. Successful catechists and teachers spend a great deal of their time away from the classroom planning for what will take place inside the classroom. Reading, praying, collecting resources, and lesson planning form the life of a catechist and teacher. Interestingly, this year Catechetical Sunday takes place one day after the Feast Day of St. Robert Bellarmine, a Doctor of the Church, Jesuit, and theologian who defended the Church against heretics in the sixteenth century. While a great theologian and instructor on matters of faith, St. Bellarmine preached most fervently on the necessity of charity and service or the poor. In fact, he approached this message in terms a teacher and student might understand: charity is the subject for life and on which a person will be graded. He wrote: "The school of Christ is the school of charity. In the last day, when the general examination takes place, there will be no question at all on the text of Aristotle, the aphorisms of Hippocrates, or the Paragraphs of Justinian. Charity will be the whole syllabus." He added: “If you are wise, then, know that you have been created for the glory of God and your own eternal salvation. This is your goal; this is the center of your life; this is the treasure of your heart.” As you celebrate your role as a catechist and teacher this year, keep in mind the subject of life's final exam, both for yourself and your students. In the spirit of St. Robert Bellarmine's message for you and other teachers on your staff, Called to Teach: Daily Inspiration for Catholic Educators makes a perfect companion. The book, written by Catholic high school teacher Justin McClain, offers 366 short reflections for every day of the year. These brief readings can help you always keep in your mind your God-given role as catechist/teacher, celebrate it, and pointed to God's final gift of eternity.
Mother Teresa of Calcutta is to be canonized a saint in the Catholic Church on Monday, September 4, 2016, in Rome. The program for the canonization and several pieces of information on Mother Teresa are available at the official site of the Mother Teresa of Calcutta Center. Mother Teresa of Calcutta Biography A compelling example of a person who recognized the basic dignity and goodness of each person was Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Such was her profound respect for others that in her lifetime people of many faiths recognized her as a living saint. Mother Teresa was born Agnes Gonxha Bonjaxhiu on August 26, 1910, in Albania. As a child she felt a desire to work for God. Her spiritual director assured her that she would know God was calling her if she felt joy with the idea of serving him in others. Agnes felt this joy and responded to the call by joining the Sisters of Our Lady of Loretto, a missionary order active in India. Agnes’ training in religious life took place in Ireland where she took the name of Sister Teresa in memory of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. When sent to India, Sr. Teresa began her work by caring for the sick and starving and helpless mothers in a hospital run by her order. The endless misery she met in her first assignment greatly touched her. Before long, Sr. Teresa was sent to Calcutta to become a teacher. She became an effective and popular teacher and was eventually named principal of a high school for middle-class girls. However, close to this school was one of the great slums of Calcutta. Sr. Teresa could not turn her eyes from the misery she found there. She continued to visit and minister to the poor in the slums and the hospitals, enlisting the help of her students in this precious work. Eventually, Sr. Teresa responded to a vocation within a vocation. God called her to minister to the poorest of the poor. She left her order, received some medical training, and began to work directly with the poor. Her good example drew others, including some of her former students, to help her in her work. By 1950 she had received permission to found a new religious order, the Missionaries of Charity. Besides taking the traditional religious vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, the Missionaries take a fourth vow, service to the poorest of the poor. This marks their way to live and spread Christ’s gospel—working for the salvation and sanctification of the poor. Mother Teresa’s unselfish work for the forgotten ones in society won her the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. At the time of her death in 1997, the Gallup Poll reported that she was the most admired woman in the world. Her order had grown to serve the poor and suffering in many cities throughout the world: ministering to unwanted, abandoned babies; supporting unwed mothers; caring for dying AIDS patients; feeding the hungry; loving the unlovable. Mother Teresa’s motivation was simple. She taught by example that when we help and love a poor person we are helping and loving Jesus. God is not absent from our lives. He lives in our neighbor, most especially in those we tend to neglect and dislike. The bottom line for Mother Teresa was that she had the utmost respect for the basic dignity of each person. In her many speeches around the world, she encouraged her listeners to do something beautiful for God. Every person, no matter how small, is a person of great dignity. Every person is Jesus-in-disguise. Two quotes from Mother Teresa of Calcutta for busy teens to think about: "Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin." “There is a terrible hunger for love. We all experience that in our lives—the pain, the loneliness. We must have the courage to recognize it. The poor you may have right in your own family. Find them. Love them.” Mother Teresa’s National Prayer Breakfast Speech One of the most remarkable speeches ever addressed to officials of the United States government was delivered by Mother Teresa at the National Prayer Breakfast, February 3, 1994, sponsored by the United States Senate and House of Representatives. In this historic address, Mother Teresa spoke out for the dignity of all human life, but especially of the innocent lives of unborn babies. Prayer Reflection Pray these words of Mother Teresa: Dearest Lord, may I see you today and every day in the person of your sick, and, whilst nursing them, minister unto you. Though you hide yourself behind the unattractive disguise of the irritable, the exacting, the unreasonable, may I still recognize you, and say, “Jesus, my patient, how sweet it is to serve you.” Sweetest Lord, make me appreciative of the dignity of my high vocation, and its many responsibilities. Never permit me to disgrace it by giving way to coldness, unkindness, or impatience. . . . Assignment Research several additional quotations of Mother Teresa. Write in your journal the three most compelling lines that affected you the most. Compare your selections with those of a classmate.
