Blog_Banner_1.jpg

Engaging Faith

Practical Lesson Ideas and Activities for Catholic Educators
Filter by Archive

The Latest

engaging_faith_placeholder.svg

John Fitzgerald Kennedy: First Catholic President

November 22 marks the 50th anniversary of the assassination of the first and only Roman Catholic President of the United States, John Fitzgerald Kennedy. This might be a good time to remind your students of the prejudice faced by Kennedy when he ran for President in 1960. Though a popular war hero and fourteen-year senator, he had to overcome the concern that his patriotism and religion would conflict. Some Protestants feared that the pope would control the presidency. Kennedy had to directly confront anti-Catholic sentiment during the campaign. In a famous speech to the Southern Baptist leaders, Kennedy reassured them he would be answerable to the American Constitution, not the pope. He declared, "I am not the Catholic candidate for President, but the candidate who happens also to be Catholic. I do not speak for my Church on public matters—and the Church does not speak for me." Kennedy's words reassured many, but his margin of victory was slim, less than a half-percent. Surveys conducted after the election revealed an anti-Catholic prejudice contributed to the close race. Share a copy of Kennedy's speech on religion (also includes an audio link). Ask the students to apply some of the themes of President Kennedy's speech to issues facing the Church and nation today. Also, in this season of Thanksgiving, pray with your students the following "Thanksgiving Prayer" written by Southern California shop owner Kathryn Kay in 1941. A few years after President Kennedy's death, Kay was told that this prayer had inspired his most famous words: "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." Thanksgiving Prayer God, ev'ry year about this time, according to routine, I've bowed my head in the accepted way and offered thanks, like some well synchronized machine that prayed because it was the time to pray. But, God, this year is different, this year I seem to feel America's Thanksgiving is my own, that in my nation's gratitude I have a part that's real, a part that until now I've never known. And, God, this year a deep humility has filled my heart, a newborn pride rings true thruout my soul because I do belong, because I have and am a part, a tiny part of one tremendous whole. I think I know the feeling of those first Americans who said, "We must give thanks for this, our land." I cherish now the rights that are each woman's, ev'ry man's, the rights I've just begun to understand. This year my heart has learned what all Thanksgiving Days are for, true thankfulness at last I realize, but, God, I'm sorry that it took the tragedy of war in other lands to open up my eyes. Again I bow my head but this time deep within me stirs a mighty prayer, part of one vast design, "God, help me make America as proud that I am hers— as I am proud, and grateful she is mine!"

Read More
engaging_faith_placeholder.svg

The Right (and Wrong) Way to Show Videos in Class

As the access to iPads, laptops, SMART Boards, and LCD projectors increases in Catholic schools, so does demand for engaging media to use as learning tools. In particular, many teachers are seeking out short videos to use in class to supplement their instruction. As showing videos in class becomes easier, it is important to consider how exactly those videos are being used as tools for learning. Consider these suggestions for the wrong and the right way to show videos in theology classrooms. The WRONG Way to Show Videos in Class Send students to the Internet to find videos themselves. Now that anyone can upload a video to YouTube, there is no telling what false information students will find and trust on the web. Before endorsing any video, you need to vet it for accuracy and point out any errors or misleading information that might appear in a video your students are watching. This is especially the case when dealing with videos about God and the Church. Assign a video without context or questions. When you have students watch a video be sure to connect it to what they have learned in class or read in their textbooks. Do not let them watch the video in isolation from what you are trying to accomplish in class. Give them the context of what they are watching and give them some questions to answer while they watch. Show long videos and documentaries without interruption. While a documentary may display valuable information for the students, they still need reminders about what is important or relevant to the lessons they have learned in class. Pause the video and clarify what you want them to remember. Then you can reference each part of the video in later discussions or lessons. Do not give the students the opportunity to talk. While walking out of a movie theater, people talk about the film they just watched. The same should apply to in-class videos. Give the students the opportunity to talk about the videos they watch in class. Give them some discussion questions or guide the discussion as an entire class. The RIGHT Way to Show Videos in Class Use graphic organizers. A graphic organizer is a visual way to represent and organize information. Graphic organizers are excellent tools to use while watching videos. You can create these graphic organizers yourself or search for common forms of them on the Internet. Use comprehension questions. Have students answer specific questions while following along with a video. This will enable them to know what is most important about a video before they even start to watch it. If they can't answer the question, then they can go back and watch the video again until they get it. Use discussion questions. Unlike comprehension questions, discussion questions are open-ended and require people to take a position or form an argument. These questions require critical thinking. They almost always start with "why" or "how." Refer back to videos later on. Students will remember the videos. If you refer back to them in lecture or subsequent lessons, you will help solidify the key take-aways in their minds. Have them recall key videos and build upon what they remember. Create your own screencasts. Use free or paid technology to record your lectures as videos that students can watch at home or during class. The key benefit is that they can rewatch the videos of concepts they do not completely understand. It also frees up class time to work on projects and assignments under your supervision. This is essentially the "flipping the classroom" approach to classroom instruction. Read more: "5 Ways Teachers Can Use Screencasts to Engage Student Learning". Use Videos to Supplement Ave Maria Press Textbooks To help meet the growing demand for high quality educational videos in theology classes, we have collected a number of YouTube videos to use in class with Ave Maria Press textbooks. In addition, you can find questions to gage comprehension or inspire discussion. Each video is connected to specific chapters and even pages of the textbook. Check out the latest videos for your Ave Maria Press textbook including: Meeting Jesus in the Sacraments The Church Our Story Sacred Scripture Jesus Christ: God's Revelation to the World (questions coming soon) Jesus Christ: His Mission and Ministry (questions coming soon) Jesus Christ: Source of Our Salvation (questions coming soon) Exploring the Religions of Our World Ave Maria Press also offers two documentaries to use in class along with free, downloadable teaching materials: Monseñor DVD Monseñor: The Last Journey of Óscar Romero Study Guide (English) Monseñor: The Last Journey of Óscar Romero Study Guide (Spanish) Dying to Live Migration and the Church Mini-Unit (photo credit: Dave Fancher)

Read More
engaging_faith_placeholder.svg

Jesus Teaches about Prayer

Jesus taught several things about prayer and how to pray. Have the students read each of the following examples. Have them write a summary for each example and explain the teaching on prayer. (Same summaries are included with each passage.) Matthew 6:6-8 Keep your prayers short. Some people think by heaping on a lot of words their prayer will be more effective. But Jesus says its is better to keep your prayers short and to the point. Luke 11:9-13 Pray with childlike simplicity. Jesus said to prayer as if you were a child who is dependent on a parent for all your needs. He reminded us of the Father's great love which far surpasses the love of any earthly parent. Matthew 21:21-22 Pray with faith. God always answers each petition, giving an answer that is ultimately good for us. Sometimes, as with ayoung child begging for an unneeded toy, the answer is "no." Luke 11:5-8 Be persistent with your prayer. We are to keep petitioning God for all our needs as illustrated in the story of the person who visits the friend at an ungodly hour of night. The message is simple: God cannot resist answering the petitions of a person who is persistent in prayer. Mark 11: 25 Besides private prayer, Jesus encourages us to pray with others, to the point that he promises to be present when "two or three are gathered in my name." He also instructs the entire community of faith to come together and celebrate the Eucharist (see: Luke 22:19) Matthew 18:18-20 Jesus says to pray with a forgiving heart. He says that whatever we ask for in prayer will be given to us provided that we forgive anyone with whom we have a grievance. After the students have written their summaries, on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being most difficult), have them rate how difficult it is for them to follow this teaching in their own lives. Finally, call on students to come in front of the class and be "on the spot" to answer answers some questions and dialogue more about prayer. Use the questions below and and some more of your own. Sample Questions Explain in your own words Jesus' teaching about forgiveness and prayer. Which teaching do you find most difficult? Why? Which teaching offers you the most encouragement for your prayer life? Why? Do you think there is anything that is not appropriate to pray for? Explain. Can you tell about an occasion when you were persistent in petitioning God? What was the result? Tell about a prayer of yours that was answered. Can you name two or three people you would feel comfortable praying with? Why? Share a short prayer in your own words for everyone gathered here.

Read More
engaging_faith_placeholder.svg

A Message on Immigration

Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, archbishop emeritus of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, is a strong advocate for the issue of immigration. Cardinal Mahony wrote the following foreword for mini-unit on immigration written by the Alliance for Catholic Education at the University of Notre Dame. This mini-unit is appropriate to be taught in a Catholic high school theology class or as part of a parish youth ministry program and is downloadable from Ave Maria Press and is free of charge. A video, Dying to Live: A Migrant's Journey, that traces is several aspects of the migrant experience from Mexico and Central America, accompanies the mini-unit. Immigrants. Immigration. Immigration reform. These topics have become hot button issues on talk shows, on the Internet, and during political contests the last few years. And immigration will be a major topic in the upcoming presidential, congressional, and local elections. I have little confidence that our elected leaders will have the courage to face the reality that our country depends upon low-paid workers all across the employment field: agriculture, the hotel and motel industry, restaurants, tourism, home health care, and landscaping, to mention but a few. Over the centuries we as a people have wanted it both ways: on the one hand, we want the services which immigrants provide—and the low costs of those services; and on the other, we don’t want newly arrived peoples in our communities. Where do I find hope for our future as a nation built upon the commitment, energies, and creativity of our immigrant brothers and sisters? Answer: with our youth and young adults—because they “get” this issue. Every time I visit a classroom or a gathering of high school or college students, my first question is the same: “How many of you were in school with a classmate, friend, or schoolmate who was here without legal papers?” In virtually every case, half of the hands go up. That is so encouraging to me because at least half of our students in Catholic high schools and colleges know an immigrant as a “real person,” someone with a human face, someone who shares the same hopes, life experience, and dreams that they do. We have posted two contradictory signs on all of our borders: No Trespassing and Help Wanted. It is this contradiction that cries out for resolution. We have some 11 million undocumented people in our country, and virtually all of them belong to blended families: some members have documents, while others do not. Because of that reality, these families are not going to split up with some returning to their country of origin. We as Catholics are an immigrant people—beginning with Abraham in the Old Testament and proceeding down Salvation History. Jesus Christ had to flee to Egypt to escape Herod shortly after his birth. Jesus’ own words have inspired his followers through the ages: “For I was a stranger, and you welcomed me…” (Matthew 25:35). In our own country, Catholics since the late 1770s have carried on our outreach to immigrants from all lands. The rights and the plight of today’s immigrants in our country is one of the most pressing moral, ethical, and social justice issues of our time. For that reason, our young people in our Catholic high schools need to be fully informed about this issue, and they need to be able to relate their discipleship to Jesus Christ with their care and concern for today’s immigrants. The teaching materials in Migration and the Church: A Five-Day Mini-Unit from Ave Maria Press are intended to give all teachers a usable, workable, and inviting five-section module that they can easily include in any existing high school course. The module is interesting and interactive for the students, and will help them to know more about the Church’s teachings with this issue and how they can be informed and involved to assist our immigrants directly and through the process of immigration reform. Today’s teens need a broader sense of their own immigrant history, an understanding of the great contributions made by immigrants over the centuries, and how they can be actively involved in outreach to immigrants and to reform of our immigration laws to bring a lasting and just solution for them and their families. At least half of our students know personally an immigrant classmate without papers. Let’s motivate them to a Christian care, concern, and action on behalf of today’s immigrants! Check out the trailer for the Dying to Live video:

Read More
engaging_faith_placeholder.svg

Helping Teens Do the Right Thing

Teens always want to have helps for making the right decision or doing the right thing. Share these different "tests" they can take to help them make a good decision on the spot. Tell them to ask themselves these questions based on the following categories. The Jesus Test Is the act loving? Does it serve others or is it self-serving? Will it bring you a sense of joy? Would a follower of Jesus do this? The Mother Test Would you be proud to do this in front of your mother? The Children Test Would this action give good example to those younger than you? The Practicality Test What will be the results if you do this? Will the consequences be good or bad? Do you have any alternatives to this action? Do you have to do evil to achieve good? (A good end does not justify evil means to attain it.) The Integrity Test Will this make you more honest? Will it strengthen or weaken your character? Will you respect yourself more or less because of this action? People Test Will your action treat people as means or ends? Will it isolate you from others or result in frayed relationships? The Bible Test Does the Bible outlaw action? Specifically, do the Ten Commandments or Christ's law to love God, neighbor, and self forbid it? The Reality Test Would a reasonable person do this? If someone asked your advice about this same issue, what would you say? The Sinner Test Do you admit that you are weak and may not be thinking clearly? Is it possible that what you want to do might be wrong? Are your passions getting in the way? Will this bring you closer to God? Prayer Test Have you asked Jesus for his help? Have you asked the Holy Spirit to enlighten you? Church Test Have you asked a wiser, holier Christian for advice? Have you consulted Church teaching on this issue? Have the students apply these tests and then follow their conscience! If they are honest in how they answer these questions, they are likely to do the right thing.

Read More
engaging_faith_placeholder.svg

Pro-Life Flash Mob

October is Respect Life month but a teen-led effort for life that is one to remember occurred in February 2011 on a snowy, wintry day in downtown Chicago. The taxpayer-subsidized Planned Parenthood organized a pro-abortion "Walk for Choice" protest in Chicago's Daley Plaza. They were protesting a house bill that would limit taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood. The protestors were asked to wear orange. They carried signs. One women held up a homemade sign that said: "If you won't let me choose, I'll have no choice but to call you a @$#%." It was not a nice word on the sign. Suddenly from another corner of Daley Plaza a group of teenagers arrived, most from Catholic high schools and parishes around Chicago. They gathered inconspicuously at first. But some were carrying large plastic trash bags that appeared full. Then suddenly, with music blaring from a sound system hid in one of the teen's backpacks, the teens pulled yellow balloons from the bags with the word "LIFE" printed on each balloon. Singing and dancing and marching and chanting pro-life slogans followed. A sign was unveiled that read "ORANGE YOU GLAD TO SEE US." The Pro-Life Flash Mob has been a hit on YouTube ever since. You can view it here. This was a dramatic, planned but spontaneous pro-life demonstration. What are you doing to mark Respect Life with your teens. We would be very interested in your ideas. Share in the comment space below.

Read More
engaging_faith_placeholder.svg

Judaism in the United States

The Pew Research Religion & Public Life Project just released “A Portrait of Jewish Americans.” This information comes from a poll and then analysis of the data obtained through the poll. You may find that some of this material would relate to your curriculum. Scripture What are the major differences between Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Judaism? (This might lead to research.) Which of these three groups is growing in size? (Orthodox, while the others are shrinking.) Where do most Jews live today? (80 percent live in the U.S. or Israel.) World Religions Because a person can be Jewish because of their ancestry rather than their religious practice, what does being Jewish mean? (The report investigates this complex question.) The number of people practicing Judaism has declined over the years. Does this decline resemble the change in practice for other religious groups in the U.S.? (The number of Jews, ages 18-29, who say they have no religion parallels the overall disaffiliation with religious groups in the US.) When the Jewish people returned to rebuild Jerusalem after their exile in Babylon, the prophet Nehemiah discouraged the people from marrying non-Jews in order to preserve the faith. How does marrying outside of Judaism affect Jewish practice today? (Jews who marry other Jews are more likely to observe religious practices than those who marry a non-Jew. The former group are more likely to raise their children Jewish than the latter group.)

Read More
engaging_faith_placeholder.svg

Canonizations of Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II

The Vatican has announced the canonization dates for Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II: Sunday April, 27, 2014, the Sunday after Easter. This date is also the worldwide celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday, a feast instituted by Pope John Paul II. Find more information on the announcement here. Brief Biography of Pope John XXII (1881-1963) Pope John XXIII was born Angelo Roncalli, the fourth in a family of fourteen children. His parents were sharecroppers. In 1904, he was ordained a priest and then served as secretary to the Bishop of Bergamo, Italy. During this period, he wrote a five-volume biography of St. Charles Borromeo. During World War I, he served as a medic and a chaplain and then after the war worked in Rome as the Italian head of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. Many years of his priestly life were then spent serving as a papal diplomat, most notably to Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, and France. In 1953, he was named the patriarch of Venice and elevated to cardinal. His election after the death of Pope Pius XII was unexpected. Because of his advanced age (a month shy of 77), most observers thought of him as an interim Pope who would not serve long or accomplish much. However, Pope John’s warmth, sense of humor, and kind heart quickly won over the entire world, contrasting sharply with the aristocratic bearing of his predecessor. One of his first official acts was to visit prisoners in Rome telling them, “You could not come to me, so I came to you.” One of his famous jokes involved his response to a question from a reporter, “Holy Father, how many people work in Vatican City?” The Pope responded, “About half of them.” What surprised most people was John’s assertion that the idea for calling the first Ecumenical Council in ninety years came to him like a ray of blinding light, an inspiration from the Holy Spirit. When he announced the council to a gathering of eighteen cardinals in January of 1959, they were dumbfounded. Days later, they voiced their reservations, but John insisted that the Church lived in a new age. The Catholic Church was no longer just a European community, but a worldwide Church embracing many people. Moreover, the Church needed to dialog with the fast-changing world of politics, economics, science, technology, and so forth. This council would be unlike previous councils which were called in times of crisis and heresy. It would be a pastoral council, one of mercy and hope, one that would reach out to the modern world and invite people around the world to consider the joyfulness of the Gospel. Pope John famously gave this as his reason for the council: “I want to throw open the windows of the Church so that we can see out and the people can see in.” Brief Biography of Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) When the cardinals met in October of 1978 to elect a new Pope, they chose Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, the fifty-eight-year-old Archbishop of Kraków, Poland, the first non-Italian Pope in more than 450 years. As a Pole, he had lived a remarkable life as a survivor of both Nazism in his youth and communist tyranny as an adult. Multi-talented and athletic, Karol was a gifted actor, poet, playwright, and profound philosopher. He was chosen for his youth and his dedication to implementing the principles of Vatican II. The cardinals also thought he would be savvy enough to stabilize a Church that was experiencing problems associated with secularization from without and dissidents from within its ranks. Karol Wojtyla took the name John Paul II to signal his desire to continue the work of his three predecessors. He was the third-longest reigning Pope in history, behind St. Peter (approximately thirty-five years) and Pope Pius IX (31.6 years). His death on April 2, 2005, ended his twenty-six-year papacy. The massive outpouring of affection for him at the time of his death was unprecedented in history. For many Catholics, he was immediately acclaimed, “John Paul the Great.” This is an honorific title used for only three other Popes in history, Pope Gregory I, Pope Leo I, and Pope Nicholas I. Cardinals in New York and Dublin are among high-ranking clergy who have publicly used the title “the Great” for John Paul II. Millions of admirers of Pope John Paul II viewed him as a faithful and holy Apostle to humanity and one of history’s great figures, due in no small measure to the role he played in the collapse of the communist regimes in Eastern Europe, thus ending the Cold War.

Read More
Filter by Archive
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