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Engaging Faith

Practical Lesson Ideas and Activities for Catholic Educators
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Seven Saints for October

Twelve-year-old Jake Finkbonner, a student at Assumption Catholic School in Bellingham, Washington is unique. Family and friends prayed to Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha to intercede on Jake’s behalf as he battled a life-threatening flesh-eating bacteria. He survived against all odds. In return, Jake’s miraculous cure was recognized as a sign that Blessed Kateri is a saint and should be canonized. Jake will be going to Rome for the canonization on October 21. These are some ways that you can dig deeper into this story with your students or expand out and learn about the other six saints to be canonized on October 21. Saint Kateri Tekakwitha What about Jake’s background and condition made praying to Blessed Kateri rather than someone else natural? Why is Blessed Kateri’s canonization so important to Native Americans in North America? Why will her canonization heal wounds for some in the Native American community? The Other Men and Women to be Canonized Where was Saint Marianne Cope from and what was her ministry? How did Saint Anna Schäffer become confined to her bed? What additional wounds did she receive? Where did Saint Giacomo Berthieu SJ minister? Why was he martyred? How old was Saint Pedro Calungsod when he died? Describe Blessed Pedro’s loyalty to the priest with whom Blessed Pedro worked. How is jealousy a part of this story? Who was Saint Giovanni Battista Piamarta most interested in helping? How did he help others in practical ways in addition to spiritual ways? What is the name of the male religious order he founded? Where was Saint Maria del Carmen (born Maria Sallés y Barangueras) born? What is the name of the order she founded? An Extra: Doctors of the Church Who did Pope Benedict XVI proclaim to be Doctors of the Church Sunday, October 7, 2012?

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New, Free Resource on Religious Liberty and Church in the USA

Ave Maria Press is pleased to announce release of a NEW, FREE, RESOURCE perfect for use in Catholic high schools and parish religious education and youth ministry programs. Religious Liberty and Catholicism in the United States: A Five-Day Mini-Unit is arranged around five 50-minute lessons that include presentations, readings, film, and discussion. If you are a Catholic high school teacher, take a break from the curriculum to offer this short unit. While especially applicable as part of a course on Ecclesiology or Church history, the mini-unit can serve any high school course especially in the days and weeks leading up to the general election on November 6. This mini-unit can also be easily adapted for use over five consecutive days or once per week over five consecutive weeks. Day 1 begins with an invitation to making a difference in the world, followed by Bishop William E. Lori’s call to make a difference by protecting religious liberty. On Days 2, 3, and 4 the students explore religious liberty around three main themes in the Church’s experiences in America: Catholics and the Formation of a Nation; Wave of Catholic Immigrants; Current Threats to Religious Liberty. The last segment of Day 4 will give students an opportunity to prepare for group summary presentations to be shared on Day 5. Religious liberty—particularly pertaining to what it means to be Catholic and American—is a cherished right that has been in the forefront of both the secular and Church news in the past year. In February 2012 the Obama Administration published a final rule mandating contraception and sterilization coverage in almost all private health plans with an extremely narrow “exemption” for religious employers, including Catholic colleges and Catholic hospitals. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has responded strongly against the mandate and its overarching threats religious liberty and conscience protection as guaranteed by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution: We are Catholics. We are Americans. We are proud to be both, grateful for the gift of faith which is ours as Christian disciples, and grateful for the gift of liberty which is ours as American citizens. To be Catholic and American should mean not having to choose one over the other. Our allegiances are distinct, but they need not be contradictory, and should instead be complementary. That is the teaching of our Catholic faith, which obliges us to work together with fellow citizens for the common good of all who live in this land. That is the vision of our founding and our Constitution, which guarantees citizens of all religious faiths the right to contribute to our common life together. The USCCB website has many resources providing background on this issue and ways to help communicate it to your students. Religious Liberty and Catholicism in the United States: A Five-Day Mini-Unit is intended to help teachers disseminate this important and current issue. Its author is Janet Wigoff , theology department chairperson at Pope John Paul II High School in Royersford, Pennsylvania. See also, the Ave Maria Press 5 day mini-unit on the last days of Archbishop Oscar Romero. Coming soon: a 5 day mini-unit on Migration and the Church!

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Service in the Spirit of St. Francis of Assisi

The feast day of St. Francis of Assisi is October 4. The following project ideas suggest some ideas for Christian discipleship for teens in the spirit of St. Francis. Many of the ideas may only whet the appetite for what teens might do in the future in lifelong service. Share these ideas with your students. Ask them to choose and complete at least one of the projects in the days and weeks ahead. Create a theater group that uses songs, skits, personal testimony and the like to witness faith in Jesus Christ. Travel with the group performing before youth groups, school assemblies, religious education classes, civic fairs, and more. Youth Service America is an alliance of over 300 agencies designed to provide volunteer opportunities for people from ages 5 to 25. Visit their website and type in your zip code to find out about service opportunities in your area. Explore ways to work for solidarity and justice among all people in the world by examining the links at the Catholic Relief Service website. Take the lead in initiating one of the efforts described at your school or parish. Research the charisms of a Franciscan community of men or women. Reflect on how you can incorporate these charisms into your life right now. Also note the requirements for a lifelong Franciscan vocation (including as a third order Franciscan). See for example this site with links to particular Franciscan communities for men and women. Franciscans International, a non-governmental agency of the United Nations, lists opportunities for youth to volunteer with local and worldwide justice issue. For more information, go to this site.

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Applying the Ten Commandments to Daily Living

The following activity is taken from the Leader's Manual for Send Out Your Spirit a Confirmation preparation program from Ave Maria Press. Apply the activity to any lesson or discussion on the Ten Commandments. Call on one student to come before the class and be interviewed "on the spot" with questions related to applying the Ten Commandments in day-to-day living. Ask the teen one or two of the following questions. Then call on another teen to answer the same or different questions. Questions How do the Ten Commandments play a part in your moral decision-making? Give an example. What are some other gods you have been tempted to worship in your life? How do you respond when someone around you uses God's name in vain? Describe behavior you consider appropriate and inappropriate for Sunday. How do you honor your parents now? How do you think you will honor them when you are an adult? How strong is the commitment to save sex until marriage among your peers? How does society promote an attitude of disrespect for the body and for sexual behavior? When was a time you told a lie that did damage to another person? How did you repair that damage? What does it mean to dress modestly? How is cheating in school an offense against the Seventh Commandment? How can you practice loyalty and commitment in relationships now to help you prepare for the same when and if you are married?

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How Do Students Best Learn?

When students graduate from high school, they should know their preferred learning styles. If so, they can choose higher education that best suits these styles as well as classes and study environments that help rather than hinder their learning. Just posing the question, “How do you learn best?” may not yield answers immediately. Try using some images from Classroom Portraits by Julian Germain, captured in the article, “How Children Learn: A World Tour of Class Portraits,” by Maria Popova , Putting some or all of these images in front of the students may result in some of the following type of comments. “I couldn’t learn in a classroom with fifty or sixty people!” “I couldn’t learn standing up” “Those desks look uncomfortable” “I couldn’t concentrate with a dog in the classroom” “I wouldn’t want to be only with other girls” or “I like single-sex classes” “I wish my desk was that big!” “I am glad that our uniform does not require a tie!” or “I would hate a uniform!” “How could a teacher teach all of those boys at once?” These types of comments can then lead to reflection or conversation about these topics. I learn best . . . Alone or with lots of people In a quiet classroom or a lively one With space or crammed in with others With or without distractions – opposite sex, a dog in the classroom Wearing my own clothes or with a uniform Sitting or standing Listening or talking This could move on to discussions such as . . . I find that music helps me concentrate or distracts me Doodling during lectures helps me listen Taking down notes helps me learn the material I prefer group work to solitary work I find myself thinking through test material while running Helping students learn how they best do homework, study for tests, research, or take tests is valuable knowledge both for them and for you. Students can also share ideas about how they discovered their own best environments. The idea that the quiet bedroom is the ideal study place may work for some students, may not work for others, or may not be an option for still others.

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Free Resources for Catholicism Film Series

The Diocese of Springfield has prepared several helpful free resources to accompany Fr.Robert Barron's acclaimed Catholicism film series. The resources include: a Journal Book a Prayer Book for each participant an Additional Resources Book for group and parish leaders Extra liturgical catechesis handouts and prayers Check out this link for information on the resources. Information on the Catholicism film series can be reviewed at Fr. Barron's Word on Fire site.

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Message of the Eighth Commandment: Tell the Truth

The Eighth Commandment is an important one for your students to consider at the start of a school year. It involves telling the truth. Use a short lesson on the Eighth Commandment—"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor"—to explain why truth-telling and obedience to this Commandment involves keeping an honest relationship between friends. It prohibits calumny, that is speaking falsely and negatively about others. It also condemns belittling or ridiculing others. Lying itself undermines a person's relationship with others. Lies offend God who wants us to live honestly with others. Share the following case study on truth telling. It involves the difficult choice a person must make between keeping a confidence of a friend and respecting the privacy of a conversation with the possible danger the friend may face if the confidence is not revealed. This case study and others around the Ten Commandments are included in the book The Ten Commandments: Case Studies in Catholic Morality. Case Study: Keeping a Friend’s Secret Sharon and Katie have been close friends since grade school. They are now high school sophomores. Katie began gaining weight in middle school, and she ignored her eating habits for a few years. Some classmates made remarks about Katie’s weight, but most said nothing about it, at least not so that she could hear them. Sharon never belittled Katie or made her weight an issue and, because of her understanding and loyalty, Katie considers Sharon her best friend. At the beginning of sophomore year, Katie began to be concerned about her weight and went on a diet. She was very strict with herself, and she managed to get to her goal weight in three months. True to form, Sharon did all the things a friend should do when Katie was dieting. She encouraged her, and she never once suggested that Katie go off the diet and enjoy a high-calorie treat. Sharon felt proud of Katie and happy for her when she lost the extra pounds. Recently, Sharon has become concerned about Katie because Katie’s disposition has changed and because she has been eating junk food items and then vomiting to get rid of them. Sharon asks Katie why she spends so much time in the bathroom and asks, “You’re throwing up what you eat. Right?” Katie starts to cry and admits that she has developed a problem with eating and purging (bulimia), and she tells Sharon that this is to be a secret just between the two of them. Katie tells Sharon that she is her friend because Sharon has always been loyal and has never done anything that would hurt Katie. Sharon is confused. She wants to respect Katie’s privacy, but she has heard that bulimia is a serious disorder, and she thinks that Katie may need professional help to stop her self-destructive behavior. Evaluation Katie and Sharon are friends and, generally speaking, friends should keep secrets. What are some exceptions to this rule? What should Sharon do in this situation? Should she keep her knowledge about Katie’s problem to herself, or should she share this information? If Sharon should tell someone, who should that someone be? Why? Speculate on the reasons Katie is eating and purging, and consider constructive advice that you might give her.

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Even Failure Can Be a Springboard to Success

Marc Smith, a secondary teacher and psychologist in Great Britain, made the point in a recent blog article that Olympic athletes have something important to teach students about success and failure. Smith points out that sports psychologists play an important role in the success of British athletes. These psychologists teach athletes to understand their personal psychology as well as their physical capabilities, enabling them to deal with failure better. Students do not learn these same skills and are unaware of the relationship between success and psychology. In school, students are more likely to think of their intellectual abilities as fixed and unchanging whereas scholars have found that adolescent intelligence, here measured by IQ scores, fluctuates significantly. Dr. Angela Duckworth of the University of Pennsylvania has concluded that academic success has more to do with motivation and “grit” than genetics. Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck believes that a person determines his or her own success or failure based on self-perception, some people possessing a “fixed mindset” while others having a “growth mindset.” People with the fixed mindset believe in pre-programmed intelligence. In this mindset, students label themselves intelligent or unintelligent, or a teacher believes that some students are innately more capable of success than others. A growth mindset, on the other hand, views intelligence as fluid and under the control of each individual. A person with this mindset sees failure as a temporary setback on the path to success and a teacher associates hard work with success in his or her students. If this “fixed” versus “growth” mindset is relevant to athletics and academics, does it also apply to the spiritual life? When we pray with our students or join them on campus ministry retreats, are there those who have decided already that they are not very spiritual and will never be? Are there those who think that they can be spiritual without effort? It might be a good idea to point out that the need to persevere in prayer applies to everyone. Dragging oneself out of bed for Sunday Mass is a common challenge of the spiritual journey. Failure or sin is a temporary stop on the path to success if we avail ourselves of the Sacraments and other opportunities for grace. From the growth perspective, discussing both the successes and failures of saints, for example, can help students see when, like sports and school, holiness requires determination and effort, and when only God’s grace is necessary.

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