Ave Maria Press offers an excellent resource to help your students learn more about the life of Óscar Romero, the Archbishop of San Salvador, who was beatified on May 23.
Monseñor: The Last Journey of Óscar Romero, covering the time of Romero's installation as Archbishop of San Salvador in February, 1977 to his martyrdom on March 24, 1980, is an 88-minute documentary distributed by Ave Maria Press. The documentary, produced by the Kellogg Institute at the University of Notre Dame, will be delivered as a DVD and sell for $27.95.
In addition, Ave Maria Press offers a free 38-page Study Guide to accompany the film. The Study Guide facilitates a one-week mini-unit devoted to the study of Óscar Romero through viewing of the Romero film, student research, and discussion. The five-day plan involves an introduction to the life of Archbishop Romero (Monday), viewing the film and discussing its key topics (Tuesday-Thursday), and a synopsis of the material through the sharing of student reports and projects (Friday).
The Study Guide is delivered in an electronic format, designed in full color, and is suitable for printing. Student handouts with writing space to jot responses to particular questions are included. Several links to other print and film resources offering background and enrichment to the issue are also included.
This one-week mini-unit is a perfect way to incorporate a strand of social justice in virtually any course in your theology curriculum. A Study Guide listing of glossary terms and references to the Ave Maria Press textbook Foundations of Catholic Social Teaching: Living as a Disciple of Christ are provided.
As summer approaches, your students will be attempting to secure a job. Certainly, an interview will be part of the hiring process. Review these suggestions to help your students prepare for a job interview.
Be knowledgeable about the company and the industry. Read the company website, reports, news articles, and any other literature about the company. Read about the company’s history, services or products, growth pattern, divisions and subsidiaries, size and competitors.
Practice answering questions about yourself, your accomplishments, and your intended career objectives. Find out from other people what their job interviews were like. Be prepared to talk about your talents, experience, values, and goals. Focus on what you can bring to the job rather than what the job can do for you. Be able to state your weaknesses, too, along with your strengths.
Prepare questions to ask your interviewer based on what you learned about the company.
As to the actual interview itself, keep the following points in mind:
Arrive a few minutes early.
Do not bring anyone with you.
Dress appropriately. Wear conservative clothing and little jewelry.
Appear well-groomed with a recent haircut, clipped nails, polished shoes, and pressed clothing.
Do not chew gum.
Bring a pen and notebook and use them.
Be courteous, friendly, and enthusiastic. Keep in mind the interviewer is looking for someone who can fit in well with the rest of the staff.
Maintain eye contact with the interviewer. Pay attention to your own body language. Sit naturally. Do not fold your arms.
Do not discuss salary unless the interviewer initiates the topic.
Put a positive spin on yourself. For example, if you are asked if you have a certain skill that you lack, reply, “No, but I am a quick learner.”
Before you leave, make sure to find out the next step. Will the interviewer contact you? When? Should you contact the interviewer? When?
Thank the interviewer. The next day, send a written thank-you note. This is a must.
Exercise
Assign the students to complete a resume, that is, a written overview of their background, experience, and skills. A resume should include:
Your name.
Your mailing address.
Your phone number.
Your email address.
An objective stating the kind of work you want to do.
Your educational background.
Your work experience beginning with the most recent job and/or volunteer experience.
Your honors and activities.
As the school year nears a conclusion, lead your students in a variety of activities and presentations that highlight their maturation and help them to imagine their futures. Here are three ideas:
1. Your Freshman Self (about 20 minutes)
Ask the students to bring photos of themselves from when they were freshmen (or photos from two years prior). Ask them to pass their old photos around the room as you lead a discussion in which they described their “freshmen selves” in the third person. For example, “He had a hard time making friends” or “She thought she knew everything.” Continue building on the discussion to encourage the students to describe how they are different now from when the photo was taken.
2. On the Spot: Imaging Life’s Vocations (about 15 minutes)
Make a set of flash cards with numbers on them to represent five-year age intervals beginning at age 25 and ending at age 80 (e.g., 25, 30, 35, etc.). Briefly present a summary of the term vocation in terms of a call to marriage, family life, consecrated life, or priesthood and career as a job that expresses one’s talents and creativity. Choose a random student to come to the front of the room to be “on the spot.” Ask him or her to pick from the flash cards and to describe the career and vocation he or she imagines when actually that age. Call on other students to repeat the exercise.
3. Large Group Presentation: Maturity (about 20 minutes)
Lead a discussion on the meaning of maturity and what maturity entails. Offer the following descriptions (write them on the board). Then ask the teens to add other descriptions of maturity to the list:
A mature person has the ability to give as well as to receive.
A mature person is empathetic; can perceive how another person is feeling.
A mature person can establish and keep relationships with others.
A mature person is comfortable with himself or herself.
A mature person is emotionally, spiritually, and physically fit.
A mature person is able to meet his or her needs in a healthy way.
Prepare a lesson or part of a lesson that focuses on the theme of pastoral leadership and priesthood today, especially as it connects between teachings from the Pastoral Letters of the New Testament. Some qualities which make up a good priest are drawn from the Letter to Titus.
Overview
First Timothy, Second Timothy, and Titus are called “Pastoral Letters” because they were written by one pastor (shepherd) to two other pastors, Timothy and Titus. The differ from other New Testament letters—both those written by St. Paul and those attributed to him—in that they were addressed to individuals and give great advice on Church leadership. The Pastoral Letters assert that in order for one to be a priest or bishop, he must be a moral exemplar, other-centered, and be willing to undergo any kind of trial for the sake of the Gospel. First Timothy gives guidelines for those chosen to be bishops. Second Timothy describes the end of St. Paul’s ministry and is a reflection on his impending death. The Letter to Titus, the focus here, discusses the qualities necessary for being a good presbyter (priest).
Lesson
1. Define pastor as “shepherd.” Ask the students to identify images from the Gospels of Christ acting as a shepherd. Ask: Why would “shepherd” be an appropriate name for a leader of the early Church? (Jesus used the metaphor of a shepherd and the flock to describe the relationship to the Apostles and the Apostles’ relationship to the faithful.)
2. Ask the students to write a brief reflection on a priest in their life who has had a positive influence on them. What qualities did that person possess that made him a good religious leader? Allow about five to seven minutes for writing. Then call on volunteers to share their reflections with the class.
3. Refer the students to Titus 1:5-9. Relate this description of presbyters to the student’s reflections and to an understanding of a priest’s mission and ministry today.
Assignment
There are nine references from the Letter of Titus in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Write them on the board. Ask the students to work individually or with a partner to look up the references from Titus and from the Catechism and explain how each supports a particular teaching about priesthood.
Teaching
Reference from Titus
Reference from the Catechism
Eligibility for Holy Orders
Titus 1:5-9
CCC, 1577
Instructions for the appointment of presbyters
Titus 1:5
CCC, 1590
Self-mastery and renewal
Titus 2:1-6
CCC, 2342
Temperance
Titus 2:12
CCC, 1809
The return of Christ
Titus 2:13
CCC, 449, 1041, 1130, 1404, 2276, 2818
Christ’s work of Redemption
Titus 2:14
CCC, 802
Baptism as a requirement for God’s kingdom
Titus 3:5
CCC, 1215
Hope
Titus 3:6-7
CCC, 1817
The Catechism of the Catholic Church clearly outlines how the Holy Spirit is represented in names, titles, and symbols:
The proper name of the Holy Spirit
"Holy Spirit" is the proper name of the one whom we adore and glorify with the Father and Son. (691)
Titles of the Holy Spirit
Paragraphs 692-693 highlight many of the titles of the Holy Spirit including "Paraclete," the one used by Jesus.
Symbols of the Holy Spirit
Paragraphs 694-701 highlight the following symbols of the Holy Spirit: water, anointing, fire, cloud and light, the seal, the hand, the finger, and the dove.
Memory Game
Have the students work in pairs to study and remember some of the names, titles, and symbols of the Holy Spirit from these Catechism references. Have them create memory cards to help them remember the definitions. For each term/name, have them create two cards: one with the term, name, or symbol and the other with the definition. When they have finished making the cards, allow them to play a memory game with all the cards faced down on the desk. Students may turn over two cards per turn to match the term with its definition. If they make a match, they may keep the cards. The player with the most cards wins.
As you enter the final home stretch of the semester, take some time to review these eight Be-Attitudes for teachers developed by Sr. Kieran Sayer, SSND.
1. Be Prepared
Study the Teacher Manual carefully. Think through lesson plans, outline them, and prepare your own note cards for teaching them. Visualize each part of the lesson in your mind, "seeing" it step by step. You should clearly understand the purpose and expected outcome.
2. Be Yourself
Make the material your own. Think about it; pray about it; if possible, talk about it with other adults. Use the ideas in the Teacher Manual creatively--add your own examples, substitute other activities, shorten or lengthen sections. The lessons should come across to the students as yours, not as the Manual's.
3. Be Organized
Have a definite plan of action for each part of the lesson. Be especially clear about giving directions for discussion exercises and activities. Have all the materials ready for quick distribution.
4. Be Flexible
Be ready to adjust your well-organized plan at a moment's notice. Some activities may last longer or shorter than expected; some won't fit the mood of the class period; some won't work well for your or your students. Always have more material planned than you think you will need. Keep your eye on the clock; if you're running short of time, shorten or drop something--but, please, not the opportunity to pray with your students.
5. Be Open
Listen to what your students have to say, and encourage them to listen to one another. Accept their feelings and ideas even if you don't agree with them. Be ready at times to challenge them (always respectfully) on ideas and positions that are inconsistent, erroneous, or unclear.
6. Be Firm
Do not allow the students to be disrespectful of you or one another. Maintain an orderly, controlled atmosphere even during fun times. Let the students know that you expect adult contact from them.
7. Be Happy
Enjoy your students. Enjoy their nonsense and exuberance as well as their thoughtfulness and serious sharing. Let them know that you like being with them.
8. Be-lieve
Believe that you are not in this business alone, that God and the Church play active roles in this process of transmitting and sharing faith. Believe that God is involved in the lives of your students, that the action of God's grace precedes, accompanies, and follows all your efforts. Believe that the faith is alive in your school, and that the entire student body and faculty are helping in some way to transmit that faith to your students.
Lead a discussion or assign the following items for your students to work on individually or in small groups on the topic of how social media is used and can be used more effectively to evangelize and inspire others around the Gospel message.
Discuss or Write
1. Over the course of a day, about how many Scripture passages are posted on your social media feed?
2. How often do you read the Scripture that is posted?
3. How effective is social media as a forum for evangelization?
4. Copy and paste what you would consider an effective or inspiring social media post on God, faith, or religion? Tell why you find it so.
5. Read and summarize the article “Five Things Fulton Sheen Teaches Us about Social Media.” (Read about Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen here.)
6. Write a one-paragraph social media post on faith that you believe would be effective or inspiring for your peer group. Also, summarize the post with a 140-character tweet.
By Justin McClain
This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the watershed Vatican II declaration on religious freedom Dignitatis Humanae: On the Right of the Person and of Communities to Social and Civil Freedom in Matters Religious, promulgated by Blessed Pope Paul VI on December 7, 1965. Within these last fifty years, there has been some notable progress, yet likewise significant setbacks, in terms of religious liberty both in the United States and throughout the world. This polemical topic is one that merits discussion in the high school theology classroom, provided that it is both appropriate to the intellectual preparedness of the students’ grade level and applicably relevant within the course’s curricular framework. This possibility of the discussion of specifics regarding religious freedom is particularly due to the numerous implications at the cross-curricular intersection of theology and social studies, not to mention other academic fields when available.
In 2013, Janet Wigoff, chair of the Theology Department at Pope John Paul II High School in Royersford, Pennsylvania, developed the exceptionally noteworthy Religious Liberty and Catholicism in the United States: A Five-Day Mini-Unit (published by Ave Maria Press and available for free to teachers here as a PDF). In the couple of years since, there has been a heightened consideration of cases regarding religious liberty nationally, as we have seen in such scenarios as the situation surrounding the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in Indiana, threats to religious freedom in the District of Columbia, and other areas of concern. Meanwhile, internationally, there has been a marked increase in the violent persecution of Christians and other religious minorities in such areas as the Middle East, regions of the African continent, and parts of Asia.
High school theology teachers have ready access to plentiful resources for facilitating dialogue on matters related to religious liberty, whether from the perspective of the United States or the international community. However, it is vital to remember that proposed sources should be both objectively accurate and doctrinally sound, in order to ensure that students are provided with a fair portrayal of the breadth and significance of religious liberty. This latter point is particularly cogent since these students’ generation will one day have to defend true religious freedoms in the midst of the stark reality that, as Pope Francis affirmed at a June 2014 religious freedom conference (titled “International Religious Liberty and the Global Clash of Values”), “the persecution of Christians today is even more virulent than in the first centuries of the Church, and there are more Christian martyrs today than in that era.” Indeed, it is worthwhile to maintain insights into religious freedom in the face of both direct and indirect persecution, all the while juxtaposing such reflections with Christ’s words as they appear in John 15:20: “No slave is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” Ultimately, the Christian is called to evangelize in conjunction with the underpinnings of veritable religious liberty, in order to bring about a more peaceful society based on Jesus’ expectations as described in Matthew 5:14-16: "You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good dees and glorify your heavenly Father."
Please note the following resources that you can use to substantively enhance Liberty and Catholicism in the United States: A Five-Day Mini-Unit and the content of your lessons related to the key factors regarding rhetorical aspects of religious liberty in the third millennium.
Resources
Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs – Religious Freedom Project (provided by Georgetown University)
Cardinal Donald Wuerl Keynote Address – Religious Liberty in a Pluralistic Society (a YouTube video provided by the Berkley Center at Georgetown University, September 13, 2012)
Congress Urged to Act for Protection of Religious Freedom and Conscience Rights in the District of Columbia (provided by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, March 20, 2015)
Dignitatis Humanae: On the Right of the Person and of Communities to Social and Civil Freedom in Matters Religious (promulgated by Blessed Pope Paul VI, December 7, 1965)
The Freedom to Bear Witness (an address by Archbishop William Lori of the Archdiocese of Baltimore at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, November 15, 2014)
Indiana Bishops Respond to State Religious Freedom Restoration Act (a statement provided by the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, April 1, 2015)
Issues and Action: Religious Liberty (provided by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops)
Letters to President Obama and Congressional Leaders Concerning Religious Freedom Violations in the Middle East (provided by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, February 23, 2015)
Nigerian Bishops Visit Refugees in Cameroon Who Fled Boko Haram (provided by the Catholic Herald / Catholic News Service, March 24, 2015)
Persecution of Christians (provided by the Archdiocese of New York)
Pope Francis Addresses Religious Freedom Conference (provided by Vatican Radio, June 20, 2014)
Religious Freedom Under Assault (provided by the Archdiocese of Washington)
Silencing the Church’s Voice (by Cardinal Wuerl of the Archdiocese of Washington, March 2, 2015)
Mr. Justin McClain is a Theology teacher at Bishop McNamara High School in Forestville, Maryland.
