Blog_Banner_1.jpg

Engaging Faith

Practical Lesson Ideas and Activities for Catholic Educators
Filter by Archive

The Latest

engaging_faith_placeholder.svg

Prayers for Students to Start the Year

School is coming soon. When it does, share some of these prayers with your students. Have them create other prayers to help them and their classmates through the school year. These prayers are all included in Day by Day: The Notre Dame Prayerbook for Students. Prayer Before Study Creator of all things, true source of light and wisdom, lofty origin of all being, graciously let a ray of your brilliance penetrate into the darkness of my understanding and take from me the double darkness in which I have been born, an obscurity of both sin and ignorance. Give me a sharp sense of understanding, a retentive memory, and the ability to grasp things correctly and fundamentally. Grant me the talent of being exact in my explanations, and the ability to express myself with thoroughness and charm. Point out the beginning, direct the progress, and help in the completion; through Christ our Lord. Amen. St. Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Open My Mind Lord Jesus, you were once a student like me. You studied God’s law, the history of your people and a trade by which to earn a living. You lived in a human family, made steady progress in understanding and yearned to discover your vocation in life. Open my mind to the truth of things, make me humble before the awesome mysteries of the universe, make me proud to be a human being and a child of God and give me courage to live my life in the light of your gospel. Amen. The Balance Help me, God, to find a balance between study and leisure. When work must be done, let me realize that I am here to learn and cannot go to every party. Let me also see that life is more than books and being a person comes before grades. A snowball battle, a walk around a lake or a simple talk with a friend will do wonders when studies get me down. Guide me along this balanced line. Amen. Loretta Mirandola Anything Can Be Accomplished It’s never easy to be a student. Every day brings more assignments until it seems that the hard work will never end. I know I’d rather watch TV or listen to music many times when I sit down to study, but please, Lord, help me to realize that knowledge, like your love, can never be lost. Help me never to underestimate myself as a student because anything can be accomplished with your guidance and love. Let me be helpful and understanding toward my fellow students, and not judge them but radiate the same love you show us through your lasting mercy. Amen. Bill Starr Give Me Dear God, give me the strength to love others and to be loved. Guide me through each day with your helping hand. Give me the knowledge that you are already there, Especially when I need you the most. Give me the courage to live each moment as if the next will never come. Show me how to be strong when I am feeling weak. Give me the strength to live as you intended me to. Amen. Cassie Koberts Prayer Before Examinations Lord, it seems as though our lives are one test after another, weighing us in somebody’s balance. Save us from taking the coming tests too seriously or too lightly, but grant that we may reflect the best of the work we’ve done and the best of the teaching we’ve received; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. John W. Vannorsdall

Read More
engaging_faith_placeholder.svg

Prayer for the Victims of the Aurora Theater Shooting

Our hearts and thoughts are with the victims of today's shooting in the Aurora, Colorado movie theater. We pray for them, their families, and those who have contributed to these horrific acts. Lord, We woke this day with the news of death and injury in Colorado, learning of an experience hard to imagine or comprehend. Stay close to the victims of this massacre and their families and friends; support them in their loss and pain, heal their minds and bodies, and bring them new life. Renew hope in the people most closely traumatized and heal the minds those who are tempted to take innocent lives. Grant unto them eternal rest, O Lord, and let the perpetual light shine upon them; May their souls and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Read More
engaging_faith_placeholder.svg

National NFP Awareness Week Lesson

The USCCB is sponsoring an educational week, July 22-28, that focuses on National NFP Awareness. When your students return to school, consider incorporating some lessons of this campaign along with a synopsis of Pope Paul VI's reaffirmation of Church teaching in his encyclical Humane Vitate (released in July 1968) in some of your opening lessons. "NFP Awareness Week is an opportunity for married couples and Catholics everywhere to better understand and embrace the Church's uniquely positive and liberating message on the truth of married love," said Bishop Kevin Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth. "The theme for 2012, 'Faithfully Yours,' highlights the beauty of how husbands and wives are called to live out their total dedication to one another." Natural Family Planning Lesson Idea For high school students, share the following material from the Marriage and Holy Orders: Your Call to Love and Service text on what Pope Paul VI termed "the contraceptive mentality": What Has Happened Since 1968 The consequences of the “contraceptive mentality” has been far-reaching, especially since 1968 when Pope Paul VI released his encyclical Humane Vitae which reaffirmed the Church’s teaching on married couples using only natural means to regulate and space the birth of children. In his writing, the Pope warned of what would happen if artificial birth control became widely practiced: Responsible men can become more deeply convinced of the truth of the doctrine laid down by the Church on this issue if they reflect on the consequences and plans for artificial birth control. Let them first consider how easily this course of action could open wide the way for marital infidelity and a general lowering of moral standards. Not much experience is needed to be fully aware of human weakness and to understand that human beings—and especially the young, who are so exposed to temptation—need incentives to keep the moral law, and it is an evil thing to make it easy for them to break that law. Another effect that gives great cause for alarm is that a man who grows accustomed to the use of contraceptive methods may forget the reverence due to a woman, and, disregarding her physical and emotional equilibrium, reduce her to being a mere instrument for the satisfaction of his own desires, no longer considering her as his partner whom he should surround with care and affection. Finally, careful consideration should be given to the danger of this power passing into the hands of those public authorities who care little for the precepts of the moral law. Who will blame a government which in its attempt to resolve the problems affecting an entire country resorts to the same measures as are regarded as lawful by married people in the solution of a particular family difficulty? Who will prevent public authorities from favoring those contraceptive methods which they consider more effective? Should they regard this as necessary, they may even impose their use on everyone. It could well happen, therefore, that when people, either individually or in family or social life, experience the inherent difficulties of the divine law and are determined to avoid them, they may give into the hands of public authorities the power to intervene in the most personal and intimate responsibility of husband and wife. —Humanae Vitae, 17 What has happened since 1968? Unfortunately, Pope Paul VI’s predictions about the results of a contraceptive mentality have come true in so many cases. Here are some of the results: The rates of abortion, venereal diseases, out of wedlock births, and divorce have risen dramatically. Sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of women occur at unprecedented levels. Population control policies are now a part of nearly every foreign aid discussion between developing and developed nations. The export of contraception, abortion, and sterilization tools to developing nations is now a requisite for reception of foreign aid in dollars. The defining element of a woman’s identity—her potential for bearing new life—has been redefined as a liability. Her new identity is as a person with the freedom to choose to end life if she wishes while, ironically, the man bears no responsibility. Assignment: Write a position paper on the “contraceptive mentality” explaining its affects on women. In the paper, cite up-to-date statistics to support your claims. In addition, mention how the contraceptive mentality also adversely impacts men.

Read More
engaging_faith_placeholder.svg

The Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

The Vatican recently declared as venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheet (1895-1979), meaning he is on the path to canonization. He would be the first American-born male saint. There are several excellent short articles on Archbishop Sheen's life Recently to mark his title as venerable, Fr. Robert Barron, author and producer of the Catholicism film series, called Archbishop Sheen the "patron saint of media and evangelization." The Archbishop Fulton Sheen Television Show Archbishop Sheen is best-known for hosting a prime time television program from 1951-1957 called "Life Is Worth Living." Using a combination of personal stories, classroom lesson techniques (using a chalkboard), and sermons, his program drew surprisingly good ratings competing against famous entertainment shows on rival channels, including the program of comedian Milton Berle. One TV critic wrote, “Bishop Sheen can’t sing, can’t dance, and can’t act. All he is…is sensational.” In his first year on television he won an Emmy, beating out among others Lucille Ball. Archbishop Sheen often spoke out against communism (he was an expert on Marxism). He also contradicted many of the false teachings of modern psychology. In one particular program, Archbishop Sheen pointed out three pillars of education: Truth Correlation of Study Depth The entire program is viewable on YouTube. You can start with Part 1 on Education.

Read More
engaging_faith_placeholder.svg

God Bless America!

"While we are zealously performing the duties of good citizens and soldiers, we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of religion. To the distinguished character of Patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian" —George Washington Let's continue to defend our rights to religious liberty in the United States of America! Happy Independence Day!

Read More
engaging_faith_placeholder.svg

4 Places to Find the Best Catholic Apps for Your Classroom

With so many schools switching to a 1:1 iPad program in the next couple of years, I am starting to get some common questions. As you might imagine the most common question I get from teachers who have been given new iPads is, "Do you have any suggestions for apps I should download?" Or, "What are the best Catholic iPad apps to use with students?" Rather than pretend to think I could possibly keep track of all of the amazing Catholic apps and prayer apps that are being released for the iPad and the iPhone, I'll defer to the experts. Check out this list of websites to get some ideas for new Catholic apps and prayer apps to use in your classroom. 1. CatholicApps.com The name and the URL says it all! Tom Lelyo, the main author and founder of CatholicApps.com, provides excellent reviews of the latest iPad and iPhone apps as well as the apps in the Android marketplace. Each app gets a rating based on price, performance, usability, design, and catholicity. The authors also share the pro's, con's, and overall impression of the apps. 2. CatholicMom.com Our friend and author, Lisa Hendey, hosts a number of different authors who contribute to the Catholic Tech Talk feature on CatholicMom.com. Writers like Sarah Reinhard and Dorian Speed share their expertise and experience using technology often sharing the newest and best apps for Catholics, particularly those who focus on catechesis and parenting. 3. CatholicTechTalk.com A rising star in the Catholic tech world has been the website CatholicTechTalk.com. Not long ago they began a great resource for reviews and information about Catholic apps. This website has a great group of writers and offers engaging conversation about the Church and technology today. 4. CatholicApps (Wordpress Blog) The Wordpress blog, catholicapps.wordpress.com, has a treasure chest of information about Catholic apps for prayer, politics, saints, confession, and more. Although not as well known as the websites above, there is some extensive information about many different Catholic apps as well as a list of videos to check out about the apps. Classroom Assignment Idea: What are the best Catholic apps? As teachers, we all know our students are much more tech-savvy than we will ever be. Why not take advantage of this? Why not save yourself the time and let them do the searching?! Give the students an assignment to find and review Catholic apps and prayer apps on their iPads. Collect the reviews as a written assignment or have them create a video review using their iPads and post it to a public place like YouTube or your LMS. You could even have them present the apps in class. Or if they are reviewing prayer apps, have them sign up to lead class prayer using the app. Question: What Catholic apps have you found to be useful in the classroom?

Read More
engaging_faith_placeholder.svg

Vocations Come in All Sizes!

With summer here it is time to say good-bye to your students. But you probably never lose complete contact with your students because you continue to remember them in prayer, hopeful that they remain close to Jesus and strong in their Catholic faith. Over the past couple of months I have been so fortunate to share in the great success of two of my former students. Doug O'Neill is the champion trainer for I'll Have Another, the winner of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness. Doug was on my grade school basketball team at St. Monica's Elementary School in Santa Monica. His wife Linette was in my math and religion classes. They have two nice kids who now attend Notre Dame Academy in West Los Angeles. I'm counting on them eventually attending the University of Notre Dame! Another good friend and student from St. Monica's is Mark Verge. In March, Mark became CEO of Santa Anita Race Track. Mark met his wife Lani in high school at St. Monica's. They too are parents of two beautiful children. Like Doug, Mark and his family still are parishioners at St. Monica's. Now check out this story about how Doug and Mark first got interested in horse racing! Not all our students end up as priests and nuns! Share a prayer for your own students who are leaving your class for the summer as I pray in thanksgiving for Doug and Mark—great husbands, fathers, and friends. Act of Hope O God, I hope with complete trust that you will give my students, through the merits of Jesus Christ, all necessary graces in the world and everlasting life in the world to come, for this is what you have promised and you always keep your promises. Amen.

Read More
engaging_faith_placeholder.svg

What Can You Do About Sin in Your Life?

Here's a short presentation you can share with teens to help them think about some things they can do about sin in their lives. Tell them some things that people already do about sin. Write the boldface words on a board or chart as you give this presentation. Presentation First, you could do nothing. You may admit to areas of sinfulness in your life but not make a resolution to do anything about them. This non-action usually has a serious consequence: not only will the sin not go away, it will probably get worse. You could resolve to do something about the sin—tomorrow. For example, you could say "Ill go to Mass when I get my own car" or "I will stop listening to gossip when I quit hanging out with the same group." You probably already know that tomorrow never comes. You could seriously resolve to do something about that sin now, or the very next time the temptation comes along. Perhaps this is what you did as you reflected over your examination of conscience questions. You could talk to God about the problem. You could ask god to help you with your resolution to change. This is something you did in your letter. But you may wonder how you can be sure of God's answer. You could also talk to someone who would understand our problem, who would give you guidance on how to overcome the habit of sin you are concerned about. Reflect for a moment on who that "someone" would be for you. Or, you could combine the last three steps (underline: seriously resolve, talk to God, talk to someone) in the Sacrament of Penance. Have you ever thought of the Sacrament of Penance in this way? At the end of the presentation, reserve some time to review the Sacrament of Penance and "how to go to Confession"

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