As the Month of the Rosary, October is an excellent month to catechize teenagers with the Rosary. Do not forget that teens do pray and many of them will welcome the power of the Rosary in their own personal prayer lives.
Consider these tips:
Tip #1: Dispel any misconceptions about what the Rosary is all about. No, Catholics do not worship Mary. No, she is not answering our prayers. She is interceding on our behalf.
Tip #2: Focus on the mysteries. The power of the Rosary is certainly in the meditation on the mysteries of the Rosary. Each set of mysteries (Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious, Luminous) offers an invitation to meditation on the important events in the life of Christ and Mary. Help students meditation up on these mysteries. Consider the following:
Create Rosary Journals to help students dig deeply into the mysteries.
Listen to music about the mysteries of the Rosary as a part of meditation.
Break up the mysteries of the Rosary for each day of the week. This shortens the prayer and helps students stay focused in short increments. The fifteen minutes it takes to pray the Rosary can take too long for their attention spans.
Appeal to many different learning styles according to multiple intelligences: writing, drawing, painting, discussing, singing, etc.
Pray a living rosary.
Tip #3: Make rosaries or find someone to donate rosaries for each student. It is very likely that many students do not have their own personal rosaries. Try to give them one to use and pray with in class and at home.
Consider the following activities for teaching teenagers the Rosary:
Read this excerpt from The Catholic Spirit that includes a Stream of Consciousness Prayer to Mary, then use the discussion questions to analyze the story.
Our Lady of Lourdes Lesson Plan
Our Lady of Guadalupe Prayers and Lessons
Pray the Hail Mary in Latin
Immaculate Conception
Read this Hail Mary Reflection
Feast of the Immaculate Conception lessons
(Photo by Eddie Callaway)
We received 228 essays as part of the Brother André Bissette Scholarship Contest sponsored by Ave Maria Press. We express our deep gratitude to the students who took time to explore the life of Brother André and the events surrounding his canonization on October 17. As an apostolate of the Congregation of Holy Cross, we rejoice in the life of Brother André and thank God for his example of perseverance, devotion, and humility. We are pleased to announce that Katie Gajdositk of Roncalli High School in Manitowoc, Wisconsin is the winner of a $500 scholarship.Katie is a dedicated student and enjoys studying Math. Outside of school, she plays soccer for Roncalli and also in a local club. She loves music, and plays the piano, harp, and organ. Katie also sings in a select choral group called "Roncalli Singers." She is unsure of her future career plans, but thinks that music would be an interesting field of study. When Katie was in seventh grade, she traveled to St. Joseph's Oratory with her family and remembers it well. Katie is the student of Mrs. Mary Ann Teshima. Mrs. Teshima is also a winner of a complete set of textbooks from Ave Maria Press. Ninety-one of her students submitted essay. Katie's winning essay follows.St. Joseph’s Apostle Aflred Bessette’s life can be summed up in one word: Poor. He had poor health, was poorly educated, and was poor financially in that he didn’t have money for anything extra. In fact, later in life, he would charge a nickel for haircuts to boys to save for a shrine to St. Joseph on the mountain. But Alfred was rich in faith, humility, and kindness, so he was successful despite his poverty. And as the beatitude goes: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for they shall see God. The man we know as Bl. Br. André Bessette was born Alfred Bessette. He was such a sickly infant that his parents baptized him soon after birth. By age twelve, Alfred was an orphan. His siblings drifted apart, and he went from job to job maintaining a humble lifestyle. His temporary occupations varied from farm boy, tinsmith, blacksmith, baker, and cobbler, and he was even a coachman. Alfred Bessette did not live an easy, comfortable life, but he always had a positive attitude, and even brought hope to suffering. He pointed out the good in bearing crosses: “People who suffer have something to offer to god. When they succeed in enduring their suffering, that is a daily miracle.” In 1870, Alfred wanted to enter the Congregation of Holy Cross in Montreal. His poor health made the superiors doubt his ability, but they accepted him. He was given the name Brother André, and put at the position of doorman. He was known to say, “When I entered the community, my superiors showed me the door, and I remained there forty years without leaving.” Brother André was always happy when doing good work, no matter the job. It is another way his humble nature shone through. Alfred had always had a devotion to St. Joseph. When people came to him for help, he would often tell them to pray to St. Joseph for his help and guidance. When André became involved in building the Oratory, he always kept St. Joseph in mind, and the monument that started as just a little chapel would become the most visited and greatest sanctuary dedicated to St. Joseph. Brother André was associated with many healings, but he always denied it. He strongly believed that it was God and St. Joseph who healed. And even though he believed that the Lord could do anything, he still believed that patients should see doctors. He said to doctors, “Your work is good. Your science was given to you by God. You must thank Him and pray to Him.” Brother André set a good example for us to live out our daily lives. When we work, we should expect nothing in return. André did a lot of volunteer work, whether it is acknowledged that way or not. In our own lives, we can and should find time to help by volunteering in some little way; working at a soup kitchen, donating clothes or money, even giving someone some of your lunch when they have none. We should be content with knowing that we helped someone in need, directly or indirectly. That is the greatest compensation we could know. Our “poor” beloved Brother André Bessette knew suffering, but he also knew much joy. It seems that his work and his prayer went on as long as he did. André is an example to us all: an example of love, humility, and strength. And through the intercession of St. Joseph, we should all pray that we can be a little more like Brother André.
Listed below are four community-building activities that can help teens in a class or parish group get to know each other better.
Give each person a piece of paper and a pen. Tell them to move around the room collecting as many autographs as they can. The person who signs their papers must also draw a distinguishing symbol (ball, musical note, car) that tells something about one of their talents or interests. After everyone has collected a fair amount of autographs, gather the group back together. Call on participants to stand, one at a time, and ask clarifying questions to the people who signed their papers about the talents or interests that were symbolized.
Play a game so that everyone can learn each others' names. Ask everyone to think of an adjective for themselves that begins with the same sound as the first letter of their names; for example: "Mischievous Mike" or "Energetic Ellen." Form a circle with the whole group. Choose one person to share his or her adjective and name. The next person repeats the first person's adjective and name. The third person repeats the adjectives and names of the first two people and tells his or her own. Continue the process all the way around the circle. Allow neighbors to help anyone who gets stuck.
Divide the participants into small groups. Give each group a piece of newsprint marked with a time line covering the next twenty years of their lives marked in five-year intervals. Also distribute crayons or colored markers to each group. Tell the participants to print words or symbols near specific ages on the time line to show how they imagine their lives in those years. When everyone has printed something, have them go around the group and ask one question that seeks clarification of the meaning of symbol or word.
Provide a roll or two of toilet paper. Have the participants sit in a circle. Show them a large roll of toilet paper. Tell the group that you are going to pass around the roll and that everyone should take as many sheets as they want. (Each person should take at least one sheet.) After the roll has been around the entire group, explain that each person must tell something about themselves for every sheet they took. Some people may have to only tell one thing; others will have many things to tell.
Instruction manuals aren't needed for typical textbooks. But for e-textbooks a quick tutorial might be in order. In the video below you will see a brief overview of the tools provided by the Xplana e-textbook e-reader.
Jared Dees, Adolscent Catechetical Specialist at Ave Maria Press provides a "how to guide" on the following topics: Navigation - Using the Table of Contents - Shifting from a 1 to 2 page spread - Zooming-in and zooming-out- Jumping to a specific page Bookmarking - How to bookmark pages and return to them quickly Highlighting - Highlighting texts or vocabulary term definitions - Viewing highlighted texts saved separately from the book - Searching highlighted text Note-taking - How to attach a note to a page - How to add a website or video link to a page - How to search notes - How to export notes For more information about Ave Maria Press textbooks and e-textbooks, visit www.avemariapress.com.
On Sunday September 19, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI beatified Cardinal John Henry Newman, Catholic convert and exceptional apologist. Newman was ordained an Anglican priest but after a number of years reading the writings of early Church Fathers, Newman felt called to enter into the Catholic Church. Twenty-two years after his ordination into the Anglican Church, he was welcomed into the Roman Catholic Church in 1846.
Objectives:
• SWBAT describe the life of Bl. John Henry Cardinal Newman.
• SWBAT describe why he converted to Catholicism.
• SWBAT describe his key contributions to Catholic theological thought.
• SWBAT defend a Catholic doctrine using his writings.
Assessments:
• Paragraph Report
• Argument Outline
Reading Material Needed:
• Pope Benedict XVI’s homily at Cardinal Newman's beatification.
• John Paul II’s letter to Archbiship of Birmingham to open his cause for beatification.
• Writings of Blessed John Henry Newman: www.newmanreader.org
Teaching Methods
Day 1
1. Prayer from John Henry Newman (from Pope Benedict XVI’s homily on the day of his beatification)
Praise to the Holiest in the height
And in the depth be praise;
In all his words most wonderful,
Most sure in all his ways!
(The Dream of Gerontius).
2. Explain the day’s objectives:
Describe the life of Cardinal John Henry Newman
Describe why JHN converted to Catholicism
Defend a Catholic doctrine using JHN’s writings
3. Present images of John Henry Newman to familiarize students with his appearance. (Google image search John Henry Newman)
4. Have students do online searches on computers to create a mind map, outline, timeline, or other form of note-taking on the life of John Henry Newman. Some specific websites might include:
www.newmanreader.org
The Catholic Encyclopedia: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10794a.htm
SQPN: http://saints.sqpn.com/blessed-john-henry-newman
5. Have them use these notes to write a short paragraph report on his life. Assign for homework if necessary.
Day 2
1. Prayer (from Bl. John Henry Cardinal Newman):
God created me
to do him some definite service;
he has committed some work to me
which he has not committed to another.
I have my mission -
I may never know it in this life,
but I shall be told it in the next...
Therefore, I will trust him...
If I am in sickness,
my sickness may serve him;
in perplexity,
my perplexity may serve him;
if I am in sorrow,
my sorrow may serve him...
He does nothing in vain;
he may prolong my life,
he may shorten it,
he knows what he is about.
2. Create a class mind-map based on the reports. Have students silently come to the board to add to the mind map or write their suggestions as they share them out loud.
3. Think-Pair-Share Class Discussion: Why did John Henry Newman convert to Catholicism? Have students think or write individually about why they JHN converted, then have them discuss their thoughts with a partner. Have students share their thoughts and discussion with the class.
4. Have students revisit their paragraph reports. Below their reports, have them write what additional information they would add to the report to help readers understand why Bl. John Henry Newman joined the Roman Catholic Church.
5. Provide students with a list of topics they could spend some time researching related to the writings of Bl. John Henry Cardinal Newman. As a convert, Newman was a wrote prolifically to defend the faith for which he dedicated his life. Topics could include: the Real Presence in the Eucharist, sola scriptura, apostolic tradition, purgatory, indulgences, the divinity of Christ, intercession/praying to the saints, the priesthood, devotion to Mary, the perpetual virginity of Mary, and the immaculate conception of Mary. Have students use the website www.newmanreader.org to find Newman’s writings related to these topics. Use the search feature to find the write work.
6. (If necessary, choose a specific topic and direct students to certain readings. For example, if you choose a topic on Mary, use excerpts from Newman’s Letter to Dr. Pusey.)
Video about Newman’s Beatification:
Keeping up with ever-changing technology in education is no easy task. We are doing are best to help teachers and students have access to Ave Maria Press textbooks in digital formats. In order to do that we have partnered with Xplana, a division of MBS, to provide our textbooks in electronic formats. Xplana is a new social learning platform designed to provide students with an effective e-learning experience. Xplana staff and members are aggregating content from around the web to provide students with the most relevant information related to their courses and learning needs. Most importantly, Xplana offers a new e-reader that will allow students to access Ave Maria Press textbooks on their computers, iPads, or smartphones. In order to help make purchasing e-textbooks as simple as possible, we have developed this step-by-step guide to getting set up on Xplana.
1. Create an account at www.xplana.com 2. While you are on the Browse page, click on "Find E-Textbooks" under the "Featured Content" section. You will see the website www.digitaltextbooks.com within the Xplana portal. 3. Search for the book by ISBN, author, or title (or click on one of the links to the books on the Ave Maria Press e-textbooks page. 4. Once you find your eBook, click on the orange "Add to Cart" icon5. Register for an account at www.digitaltextbooks.com in order to purchase your books. 6. Proceed to Checkout 7. Enter billing information and credit card information (no dashes in phone number) 8. Print order summary receipt. You should also receive an email confirmation. 9. Return to the home of digitialtextbooks.com. Click on the button "Activate Purchases" in the upper right-hand of the page. (Log-in if you are not already logged in) 10. Click on the button "Purchased from this website" 11. At first you are likely to see "Authorization In Progress" "Download link is being built, please wait a few moments and refresh this page." It may take up to an hour for the link to be built. 12. You will receive an email from DirectPasswords@MBSBooks.com. Do not worry about clicking on the link. Your book will be available for viewing at Xplana.com 13. Sign into Xplana.com with your Xplana username and password. 14. Soon your book will be available either under My Content or Premium Content Note: You may have to wait upwards of an hour before the book is connected to your Xplana account. Troubleshooting
It will take some time for the book to be available in Xplana (possibly an 1 hour) so wait awhile after you activate your purchase (step #9) at DigitalTextbooks.com.
To view the e-textbook, you need to have Flash installed on your computer. Those of you using Internet Explorer in Windows 7 will have to make an additional installation.
Xplana may work better using Internet Explorer according to some tech support people at Xplana.
For technical assistance call Xplana at contact@xplana.com or fill out this form at MBS's website. The live online chat line may take up to 20 minutes to begin chatting, but they will be able to assist you.
For more information about registering at Xplana, check out this video:
How can you help teens have handle on some of the large issues facing the Church today while also considering ways to participate in some solutions for change? Share with them these 10 Challenges for the Church of the Twenty-First Century. Assign each student one of the issues and have them break it open with a semester-long research project or term paper than incorporates some possible responses to the questions.
Ecumenism. How can the Church reach out to people of other faiths, including Islam?
Gospel witness. How can American Catholics remain true to the vision of Jesus in a pluralistic and increasingly secular society that accepts as “normal” behaviors and lifestyles contrary to the Gospel? How can the Church best remind people of the reality of sin and the need for conversion? How can the Church challenge national leaders to work for peace in just ways in the midst of a world besieged by terrorism? How can the Church best use her material resources (for example, her sponsorship of health-care facilities and social services through Catholic Charities) to help the poor and needy?
Immigrants. How can the Church best embrace the fast-growing number of Hispanic-American Catholics? Will an English-speaking Church impose her customs on them? Or will she respect the cultural and linguistic diversity of this important Catholic community? How can the Church help other Catholic immigrants adjust to American society? How should it better embrace the contributions of African-American Catholics?
Leadership. How can the bishops strengthen their credibility among the laity? How can they exercise their authority in a consultative and collegial way? How should they deal with dissenting theologians and politicians who undermine their teaching authority? How can they most effectively share the best of America’s cultural and societal values with the universal Church?
Parish life. How can the Church reanimate the person in the pew through a better appreciation of the Eucharist? How can the Church better support lay people in their family and work lives? How can she affirm life and family issues more effectively and teach a respect for the beauty of human sexuality?
Religious education. How can the Church most effectively reach out to disaffected Catholics, those who have dropped out, particularly young adults? How can the Church appeal to Catholics who subscribe to the American values of individualism and consumerism in contrast to Christ’s call to community and responsibility? How can the Church win over the minds and hearts of those Catholics whose attitudes toward abortion, stem-cell research, cloning, and sexual issues mirror those of their non-Catholic fellow citizens?
Schools. What is the future of Catholic schools on all levels—elementary, secondary, and collegiate? What is their specific Catholic identity and mission?
Vocation crisis. How can the Church call and train priest leaders to provide vision for the laity who will assume even greater roles of leadership? How can the Church form priests to lead worship and preach God’s word most effectively to an educated and increasingly secularized laity? How can the Church mobilize the laity to support those in religious life and priests in their difficult ministries?
Women. What role should women have in the Church? How best meet their needs and desire for service to God’s people?
Self-identity. How does Catholicism in America remain faithful to the Roman Catholic Church as she continues her life and witness in the pluralistic American culture? How can the Church in America be American and yet Catholic? How can the Church in America best be the servant of Jesus Christ? Once and for all, Catholics must answer these questions: In the quest to become acceptable to Americans, has the Church lost its soul? Is the Church too materialistic, too rich, too concerned with numbers and buildings?
These questions come from This Is Our Church: A History of Catholicism by Michael Pennock.
Some wonderful essays for the Brother Andre Scholarship Contest have arrived. There are two more days for student submissions. Essays must arrive as hard copies. See information below!
