Weren’t able to attend the March for Life rally in Washington DC this year? Why not show your class some of the news coverage of the rally today? Here are some options:
EWTN
http://www.ewtn.com/audiovideo/index.aspFridaySolemn Mass for Life – 7:30am ETMarch for Life – 11:00am ET (replayed at 10:00pm ET)
SaturdayWalk for Life – 1pm ETCatholicTVhttp://www.catholictvrosary.org/videos/videos.aspx?videoID=711FridayMass for Life – 11am ET (rebroadcast at 8:30pm ET)Youth Rally – 4:30pm ET (rebroadcast at noon on Saturday)
You may also consider showing some March for Life Photos:
2010 PhotosGoogle SearchFlickr Search
Or last year’s pictures:Google SearchFor more information about March for Life, visit: http://www.marchforlife.org/Schedule: http://www.marchforlife.org/images/2010/mfl37agenda.pdf
Activity:Start your class by writing the theme of this year’s March for Life Rally:Stand Up Now! Unite for the Life Principles—No Exception! No Compromise!
Have students journal about the meaning of the theme and what it means to them. As a class discuss what this theme is hoping to inspire in us. What are the life principles it mentions? How will you live this out?
The Congregation of Holy Cross and those of us at the University of Notre Dame are celebrating the annual January 20 feast of the Congregation's founder, Blessed Basil Anthony Moreau, C.S.C.There are many events in remembrance of Fr. Moreau this week at Notre Dame.At Ave Maria Press, founded and supported to this day by the Congregation of Holy Cross, we have continued to reflect and respond to Basil Moreau's call to educate the whole student, in mind, heart, and hand:
An education that is complete is one in which the hands and heart are engaged as much as the mind. We want to let our students try their learning in the world and so make prayers of their education.Additionally, Fr. Moreau wrote:
Pedagogy derives from two Greek words—that for a child and that for leading. It is the art of helping young people to completeness. For the Christian, this means that education is helping a young person to be more like Christ, the model for all Christians. From the word's roots, we can interpret pedagogy to mean "leading a young person away from ignorance and disorder." In this way it consists precisely in the reforming of human nature, which has been weakened by original sin. This reforming involves restoring to rational process the light that existed before the fall of our first parents and then restoring to the heart the kinds of feelings and sentiments that ought to reside there. This notion of pedagogy is founded on the principles of Catholicism and makes educating young people a most important work for those who try to perform it—it truly makes education the art of arts.
In commemoration of the Feast Day of Blessed Basil Moreau, encourage your students to explore and consider religious vocations, particularly to the Congregation of the Holy Cross.
. . . when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Yesterday’s 7.0 earthquake was a catastrophic event for a country already suffering from tremendous heartache. Listed below are some opportunities for you and your students to get involved in the relief efforts. As time goes on there will be more and more opportunities for organized relief services. If you teach social justice, then please interrupt whatever you are teaching – this is time for both prayer and action!Fact Sheets about Haiti (pre-earthquake)“Haiti – Fast Facts,” Food for the Poor“Haiti Fact Sheet,” Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights“Haiti,” USAIDHaitian Earthquake Prayer ServiceLeader: Let’s begin in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We gather today in prayer for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. May the Lord provide comfort to those in need and strength for those who aid them.Reading: A reading from the book of the Prophet IsaiahThe Lord is the eternal God, creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint nor grow weary and his knowledge is beyond scrutiny. He gives strength to the fainting; for the weak he makes vigor abound. Though young men faint and grow weary, and youths stagger and fall, they that hope in the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar as with eagles’ wings; they will run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint.Isaiah 40:28-31Leader: The Response is “Lord, hear our prayer.”All: Lord, hear our prayer.Leader: For all those who died during the earthquake in Haiti, that they experience the peace of Christ in heaven. We pray.All: Lord, hear our prayer.Leader: For families who have lost loved ones, that they would be comforted in their time of need.All: Lord, hear our prayer.Leader: For the organizations and governments that will be providing aid during the coming weeks and months, that their work will be blessed with speed and efficiency.All: Lord, hear our prayer.Leader: For an alleviation of the devastating poverty of the country of Haiti, that in the rebuilding of the country new structures would be set in place to assist in the growth of its people.All: Lord, hear our prayer.Leader: Let us take a moment of silence for the people of Haiti.All: Our Father…All: AmenWhere can I donate?Catholic Relief ServicesAmerican Red Cross released $200,000 in AidFood for the PoorUNICEFMercyCorpsWays to stay connected with up-to-the-minute news on the relief efforts:www.twitter.com/CatholicReliefwww.twitter/com/CRSnewswww.twitter.com/FoodforthePoor
Tell the teens that this activity (adapted from an activity by Sr. Kieran Sawyer, SSND) will help them to remember some of the events, people, and experiences of childhood and imagine a time when in the future when they will look back on their entire lives in the company of Jesus.
Have the teens sit near a partner and with a piece of scratch paper and a pencil. Tell them to doodle words, phrases, or pictures that will help them remember how they finished each of the following sentences: Sentence StartersMy Success Stories
The first time I new my parents were proud of me was . . .
My greatest accomplishment in junior high was . . .
My most recent success is . . .
Learning the Hard Way
A lesson I had to learn the hard way was . . .
Childhood Favorites
As a kid, my favorite video game was . . .
As a kid, my favorite television program was . . .
As a kid, my favorite outdoor place to play was . . .
Favorite Summer Fun
The best vacation experience I had with my family was . . .
Grown-up
I first realized I was grown up when . . .
You Are My Hero
My childhood hero (not counting my parents) was . . .
My hero now (not counting my parents) is . . .
Special Gift
The most special gift I ever received was . . .
Disappointment
The greatest disappointment I ever had was . . .
God's Presence
A time I realized God was present in my life was . . .
After you have read all the sentence starters, read the first category. Tell them to take turns sharing a memory fro that category. After one person shares a particular memory, the other person should also share the same memory. Then, the second person can choose a memory to share. Repeat in the same pattern for all of the categories.
We are pleased to announce the publication of Jesus Christ: God's Revelation to the World.
This high school textbook presents an introduction to understanding Divine Revelation, especially through Sacred Scripture. It is the perfect text to support students and teachers alike who are enrolled in or leading the first course of of a high school theology curriculum, especially in sequence with Course 1 "The Revelation of Jesus Christ in Scripture" from the United States Catholic Bishops Doctrinal Elements of a Curriculum Framework.
More information to follow. In the meantime, contact Karey Circosta for details on how to have an complimentary adoption review copy sent to your school!
