Blog_Banner_1.jpg

Engaging Faith

Practical Lesson Ideas and Activities for Catholic Educators
Filter by Archive
Clear Filters

The Latest

engaging_faith_placeholder.svg

Prayer for Migrants and Refugees on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

In December 1531, a beautiful woman appeared to an Indigenous farmer named Juan Diego outside of Mexico City. Over the next few visits this woman, who Juan Diego eventually learned was the Virgin Mary, asked him to petition his bishop to build a church. She also told Juan Diego to bring roses to the bishop, though it was not the season for roses. When he did as she instructed and opened his tilma before the bishop the roses dropped to the floor and an image of Our Lady appeared on his cloak. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has named the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12 as a day of solidarity with immigrants and refugees. Have the students work together to print the following prayer developed by Catholic Relief Services  on a large sheet of butcher paper. Pin the prayer on a wall in the classroom. Hail Mary, Lady of Peace, we pray for the peace in our world; make us peacemakers. Hail Mary, Friend of Common People, unite us across economic lines; together let us raise up the cause of the oppressed. Hail Mary, Mother of Mexico, help us both appreciate Latin America’s culture and work to end its poverty. Hail Mary, Mother of the Infant Jesus, we pray for all children who are victims of war and hunger; let us stand for them. Hail Mary, Wife of the Carpenter, Joseph, we pray for the rights of hardworking laborers in all the world; let their dignity be recognized. Hail Mary, Woman of All Generations, move us to speak for the elderly who lack adequate health care and shelter. Hail Mary, Homeless Mother, we pray for those without homes; let us advocate for affordable housing. Hail Mary, Lady of All Colors, show us how to love all people by challenging racism and discrimination. Hail Mary, Mother of Our World, make us global citizens, working for justice and well-being in all the world. Amen Next, share a link to Native Land Digital. Have the students check in on the site and locate the native people that once resided on the land where their ancestors first came to this country. Provide colored markers and have the students print the name of the indigenous people from their ancestral land on the prayer poster. When everyone has printed a place, pray the prayer together with the class.

Read More
engaging_faith_placeholder.svg

Two Assignments on Work

Due to our human dignity, all people have both the responsibility and right to work. However, work is not equated with the type of work we do or the product we make. Because work is an expression of human dignity, through our work we are able to join with God in shaping the world. 1. Hold a class debate. One side should take the stance of Genesis 2:15 on work; that is, work is part of our nature and our destiny. We participate in God’s work. The other side should take the stance of Genesis 3:17-19; that is, work is a curse for human sin. Have the students meet as a team and come up for reasons that support their position on work. Call on representatives from each team to share a reason. Allow the other team to respond to the point. Then switch the order. To conclude the debate,  have them students individually write short answers to the following questions: Why do you think both messages about work appear in Scripture? Why do you think the Church adopted the teaching of Genesis 2:15 rather than Genesis 3:17-19?   2. Have the students explore Jesus’ attitude toward work by reading the following passages and writing a short essay under the heading “What Jesus Believed about Work.” Tell them to reference at least three of the passages in their essay. Luke 4:14-22 Matthew 12:9-14 John 5:1-30 Mark 2:23-28 Luke 14:1-6 John 9:1-17

Read More
engaging_faith_placeholder.svg

Reflect and Plan Direct Service Opportunities for Your Students

You may be on a team with the responsibility to offer direct service opportunities to your students. Use the summer months to collect a clearing house of ideas for direct service. For example: Training to become a liturgical minister Supporting homebound ministries Teaching religious education Offering free babysitting to parents in need Cleaning up a park Becoming a hospital helper Organizing a Thanksgiving dinner for those in need Volunteering at the public library Planning a hunger fast with donations Supporting a right to life event Participating in meal preparation at a homeless shelter Also, undertake personal reflection to help you with this effort.  For example: Think about successful opportunities for direct service that you have provided in the past. What are some common elements of these success stories? Describe the attitudes of your teens towards direct service. What do you find difficult in teaching your students about a Christian’s call to service. Name some ways you can incorporate lessons on the Church’s social teaching within your programming. Read and reflect on John 13:1-20. Define for yourself what it means to be a servant leader. What are some other local parish and communities ministries and agencies with whom your school could partner to serve others.

Read More
engaging_faith_placeholder.svg

Breaking the Silence: A Pro Life Poem

Erica Hunckler, a senior at Guerin High School in Noblesville, Indiana, wrote this poem to support the right to life of unborn children. Read the story of her family's long history in the pro life movement here.  As an assignment, nearing the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision on January 22, have your students write their own pro life poems or journal entries.   At ten weeks I have ten fingers And ten toes. I have two eyes, Two ears, One mouth, And one nose. I have a beating heart That will continue to grow, With love for you, And the world I have yet to know.  This body of mine- Yes- it is my own. Uniquely made, By God, I was sewn Into my mother’s womb So, let it be known:  I was made In the Image of God, The only One Who sits on the throne.  With Him reside the Angels, Saints, and souls, Who lost their lives, As they were torn,  Part from whole.  Let us not forget, The parents filled with regret, And their need to be consoled. No rally, protest, or political poll Can prepare a mother or a father, For the toll, That abortion takes, On their immortal soul.  To those who know Of the lies that spread: Share the truth with them instead.  No woman needs abortion, To be a woman of ambition. It is through this detestable invention, That misogyny continues to be written, In our laws and in the hearts, And in the minds Of young gentlemen.  There is a popular pro-choice claim: “Old white men are those to blame.”  With tongue in cheek I say this is true, For the justices in favor, Of a woman’s “right to choose”  Nine justices On the bench. Nine white justices Were appointed, So they went. To fulfill their duty, Regardless of by whom they were sent. Nine white male justices And just two of them would dissent.  From this decision came, Legalization Of an incorporation That inflicts pain.  I prefer to use their name, Because Planned Parenthood, Is seemingly unashamed. Spreading lies for personal gain. Exploiting women to boost their fame. Stand up! Be not afraid! Our bodies are not Planned Parenthood’s domain.  They prey on the marginalized, Marketing specifically in their location, Establishing their disservice With countless health violations. Did someone forget to mention? Racism is their foundation-  Abortion’s minority is Caucasian.  48 years pass. Generations are heartbroken Alas, hearts burst into shards Like a pile of shattered glass, Because the deafening silence, Of aborted children en masse, Thunders in the hearts Made of glass. 

Read More
engaging_faith_placeholder.svg

Individual Rights and the Common Good

Lead a discussion on how good citizenship means respecting individual rights while at the same time sometimes sacrificing individual rights for the common good, that is, what is beneficial to everyone or almost everyone in a particular community. Begin by discussing basic human rights. Some of these can be found in the first ten amendments of the United States Constitution called the Bill of Rights.   Amendment Rights and Protections First Freedom of speech Freedom of the press Freedom of religion Freedom of assembly Right to petition the government Second Right to bear arms Third Protection against housing soldiers in civilian homes Fourth Protection against unreasonable search and seizure Protection against the issuing of warrants without probable cause Fifth Protection against trial without indictment double jeopardy self-incrimination property seizure Sixth Right to a speedy trial Right to be informed of charges Right to be confronted by witnesses Right to call witnesses Right to a legal counsel Seventh Right to trial by jury Eighth Protection against excessive bail excessive fines cruel and unusual punishment Ninth Rights granted in the Constitution shall not infringe on other rights. Tenth Powers not granted to the Federal Government in   Student Assignments In a small group, read and discuss the Bill of Rights. Give practical examples of the individual rights found in these amendments. In a small group, make a “Bill of Rights” for students at your school. Although all people have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, good citizens realize that sometimes they must sacrifice these individual rights for the common good. Good citizens realize that they—in their lifetime—may never reap the benefits of hard work and social involvement. But they continue to work anyway, for the good of those who will follow in their footsteps. This aspect of good citizenship is illustrated in this poem by Will Allen Dromgoole: The Bridge Builder An old man going a lone highway, Came, at the evening cold and gray, To a chasm vast and deep and wide. Through which was flowing a sullen tide The old man crossed in the twilight dim, The sullen stream had no fear for him; But he turned when safe on the other side And built a bridge to span the tide.   “Old man,” said a fellow pilgrim near, “You are wasting your strength with building here; Your journey will end with the ending day, You never again will pass this way; You’ve crossed the chasm, deep and wide, Why build this bridge at evening tide?”   The builder lifted his old gray head; “Good friend, in the path I have come,” he said, “There followed after me to-day A youth whose feet must pass this way. This chasm that has been as naught to me To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be; He, too, must cross in the twilight dim; Good friend, I am building this bridge for him!”   Student Assignment Answer in writing: What does the poem mean? What does the poem say to you about your own life as a citizen?

Read More
engaging_faith_placeholder.svg

Categorizing Service Projects

If you break down service projects into the following categories, how many projects can you add to this list? Feel free to share in the comments section here or on our Ave Maria Press high school teacher’s Facebook page.   School Serve/train as a liturgical minister. As part of the school’s campus ministry, students can train as lectors and Eucharistic ministers for school Masses. Through the campus ministry program they can encourage fellow students to participate. Evangelization. To evangelize means “to bring the Good News to others.” Concentrate on members of your peer group who are absent from their participation in the church. Invite a classmate to attend a weekend Mass with you and to share a meal with you after Mass.   Local Community Hospital helper. Most hospitals provide several volunteer opportunities. You may be assigned to deliver flowers to the rooms of patients or to monitor visiting hours. Or, on your own, you may collect items for gift packages suitable for children (coloring books, art supplies, etc.) and bring them to the hospital. Thanksgiving dinner. Arrange to sponsor a free dinner for the poor. Thanksgiving is the usual time for such an event, but you might consider another holiday so as not to duplicate the efforts of other community agencies. Work through your school or parish to host and help to sponsor such an event.   Larger Justice Issues Care for the environment. Participate in a sponsored clean-up day for the environment or in maintenance for a local department of land management. Find out how you can participate as an individual or with a group of peers. World hunger fast. Thousands of people in the world today continue to starve due to inequitable distribution of food. Organize a fast among your peers. Collect pledges in exchange for a one-day fast. Donate the proceeds to a world hunger agency.

Read More
engaging_faith_placeholder.svg

Mini-Units on Contemporary Issues

Ave Maria Press offers free  5-day mini-units that fit within several different theology courses schedules. They are also perfect for a short catechetical lesson in a parish youth ministry setting. Four of the mini-units are particularly applicable and related to contemporary issue occurring how. 1. Migration and the Church shows ways for Catholics to help with immigration reform. It also points out to the many ways immigrants help in their new communities. It accompanies a video on the migration issue, Dying to Live, which is also available from Ave Maria Press. 2. Adoption: A Choice Worth Making provides a synopsis of the adoption process, including perspectives from adoptive children and parents. 3. Religious Liberty and Catholicism in the United States  shares the proper relationship Catholics should have with civil authorities. It also traces the historical development of the Church's relationship with the government in the United States.  4. Monseñor: The Last Journey of Óscar Romero Study Guide (English and Spanish) reviews the last days and martyrdom of Blessed Óscar Romero whose canonization is anticipated for October 2018. This mini-unit is accompanied by the award-winning documentary of the same name. Check out the Ave Maria Press mini-unit section for these and other free 5-day mini units!

Read More
engaging_faith_placeholder.svg

Pope Francis and the Call to Holiness in Today’s World

Pope Francis released a new apostolic exhortation, Gaudete et Esultate (Rejoice and Be Glad) with details on how to follow the Beatitudes by being of service to the marginalized, poor, and migrants. The pope equates defense of people on the fringes of society with defense of the unborn who are threatened with abortion. The exhortation has many insights for everyone to live a holy life though Pope Francis begins by writing that this is a “modest goal is to repropose the call to holiness in a practical way for our own time, with all its risks, challenges and opportunities. “ In Chapter 1, he writes of following the practical examples of holiness left by the saints. He sites, in particular, Bl. Maria Gabriella Sagjeddp who spent fifteen months of her life devoted to praying for Christian unity. He also cited the “genius of women” and the “feminine style of holiness” by mentioning the examples of St. Hildegard of Bingen, St. Bridget, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Teresa of Avila and St. Thérèse of Lisieux. Holiness must be lived “in the present moment,” stated Pope Francis and in community with others, not in isolation. Pope Francis points out that “when Cardinal François-Xavier Nguyên van Thuân was imprisoned, he refused to waste time waiting for the day he would be set free. Instead, he chose ‘to live the present moment, filling it to the brim with love’. He decided: ‘I will seize the occasions that present themselves every day; I will accomplish ordinary actions in an extraordinary way.’” Chapter 3 of Gaudete et Esultate is perhaps of most relevance to your students, all Catholics, and all people.  Holiness comes only in being rooted in the Lord. Jesus explained with great simplicity what it means to be holy when he gave us the Beatitudes (cf. Mt 5:3-12; Lk 6:20-23). The Beatitudes are like a Christian’s identity card.”  The pope offers practical reflections and applications for how to practice the Beatitudes. The subheading of this part of the chapter is “Going Against the Flow.” Consider having your students read paragraphs 65-94 and write a summary of Pope Francis’ teachings on each of the Beatitudes.

Read More
Filter by Archive
Clear Filters
Follow Us
Categories
activities
advent
apologetics
black catholics
christmas
christology
church history
church year
current events
easter
ecclesiology
holy cross
holy week
icebreaker
introduction to catholicism
lent
lesson plans
marian devotion
morality
most popular resources
national framework
news
new testament
old testament
parish programs
paschal mystery
pope francis
prayer
relationships
resources
rosary
sacraments
saints
scripture
social justice
teacher enrichment
technology
tech tips
vocation
world religions