Here are three simple ways for you to learn the names of your students and for them to know a little bit more about each other.
1.
Give each person a 3 x 5 card with his or her first names printed in capital letters.
Next, tell the students to arranged everyone’s first names in capital letters in a “circle” around the four corners of the room. The person with the first name should be at “12 o’clock” against the front wall. The person with the last name at 11:59.
When the ordering is done, have the students hold up their cards wo that everyone can read them. Then tell them to go around the room beginning with the person at 12 o’clock and say their names.
Next, have the participants turn their cards around. Call on several people to try to name everyone beginning with the first person and going all the way around the room. When the person misses a name, allow others in the class to give some help.
2.
Give each person a 3 x 5 card with his or her first names printed in capital letters.
Ask them to move around the room and find at least two people with whom they can form a word using the first letters of their name. For example: William, Eva, Nancy form NEW. When everyone is in a word group, have them share their word and names with everyone. Take a second turn through and have them share only the “word.” Call on volunteers to tell their names.
3.
Randomly pass out 3 x 5 cards making sure that no one gets their own name.
Tell the students to find the person who is named on the card and to give them the card. When the students all have their own cards, they should go around the room meeting new people and collecting signatures on their card.
The person with the most signatures wins!
Photo Credit: hiclipart.com
Dorothy Day (1897–1981) was a founder, with Peter Maurin, of the Catholic Worker Movement. Throughout her life she sought to apply the Church’s teachings on social justice to modern economic conditions. She founded a group of Catholic Worker homes across the country where Catholics lived and worked among the poor. Dorothy Day was a lifelong pacifist and was arrested several times for her anti-war activities. She is also known for her writings on prayer and the spiritual life.
Before Sharing this Reading
In this reading Dorothy Day makes two points. First, in her description of a neighbor at prayer, she illustrates that contemplation is not a form of prayer that can only be attained in convents and monasteries. She believed that the highest form of prayer and the closest union with God occurs in the factory, the office, and the home. Second, she underscores the fact that material possessions don’t bring satisfaction. She held that our hearts yearn for the infinite riches that only God can offer, and that the fight for economic justice for all can help us to attend to the spiritual realities of human life.
The Reading
It was in Chicago, where we moved to afterward, that I met my first Catholic. It was the first time we had been really poor. We lived in an apartment over a store, on Cottage Grove Avenue. There was no upstairs, no garden, no sense of space. The tenement stretched way down the block and there were back porches and paved courtyards with never a touch of green anywhere. I remember how hungry I became for green fields during the long hot summer that followed. There was a vacant lot over by the lakefront, and I used to walk down there with my sister and stand sniffing ecstatically the hot sweet smell of wild clover and listening to the sleepy sound of the crickets. But that very desire for beauty was a painful delight for me. It sharpened my senses and made me more avid in my search for it. I found it in the lake that stretched steel gray beyond the Illinois Central tracks. I found it in a glimpse of supernatural beauty in Mrs. Barrett, mother of Kathryn and six other little Barretts, who lived upstairs.
It was Mrs. Barrett who gave me my first impulse toward Catholicism. It was around ten o’clock in the morning that I went to Kathryn’s to call for her to come out and play. There was no one on the porch or in the kitchen. The breakfast dishes had all been washed. They were long railroad apartments, those flats, and thinking the children must be in the front room, I burst in and ran through the bedrooms.
In the front bedroom Mrs. Barrett was on her knees, saying her prayers. She turned to tell me that Kathryn and the children had all gone to the store and went on with her praying. And I felt a warm burst of love toward Mrs. Barrett that I have never forgotten, a feeling of gratitude and happiness that still warms my heart when I remember her. She had God, and there was beauty and joy in her life.
All through my life, what she was doing remained with me. And though I became oppressed with the problem of poverty and injustice, through I groaned at the hideous sordidness of man’s lot, though there were years when I clung to the philosophy of economic determinism as an explanation of man’s fate, still there were moments when, in the midst of misery and class strife, life was shot through with glory. Mrs. Barrett in her sordid little tenement flat finished her breakfast dishes at ten o’clock in the morning and got down on her knees and prayed to God.
The Harrington family also lived in that block of tenements, and there were nine children, the eldest a little girl of twelve. She was a hard-working little girl, and naturally I had the greatest admiration for her on account of the rigorous life she led. I had a longing for the rigorous life. But I had a tremendous amount of liberty compared to little Mary Harrington. It was not until after the dishes were done that she could come out to play in the evening. Often she was so tired that we just stretched out on the long back porch, open to the sky. We lay there, gazing up at the only beauty the city had to offer us, and we talked and dreamed.
I don’t remember what we talked about, but I do remember one occasion when she told me of the life of some saint. I don’t remember which one, nor can I remember any of the incidents of it. I can only remember the feeling of lofty enthusiasm I had, how my heart seemed almost bursting with desire to take part in such high endeavor. One verse of the Psalms often comes to mind: “Enlarge Thou my heart, O Lord, that Thou mayest enter in.” This was one of those occasions when my small heart was enlarged. I could feel it swelling with love and gratitude to such a good God for such a friendship as Mary’s, for conversation such as hers, and I was filled with lofty ambitions to be a saint, a natural striving, a thrilling recognition of the possibilities of spiritual adventure.
Comprhension Questions
1. What was it that Dorothy missed most when she moved into her tenement apartment?
2. What did Dorothy discover when she went to her friend’s apartment for a visit?
3. What were Dorothy’s feelings for Mrs. Barrett?
4. Describe Dorothy’s thoughts as she lay on the porch in the evening talking with her friend, Mary Harrington.
Reflection Questions
1. Both Martin Luther King, Jr. and Dorothy Day were giants in bringing about social change in the United States. Where do you think they got the energy and strength to pursue goals of justice and to withstand hatred and imprisonment for their views?
2. Thomas Merton, the great American Trappist monk and writer, wrote a book titled Contemplation in a World of Action. How does that title aptly describe the lives of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Dorothy Day?
3. Read Matthew 6:6. How does Jesus’ teaching on prayer apply to the actions of Mrs. Barrett?
Activity
A retreat is a time for people to step out of the routine of their daily lives and go away and spend some quiet time with God. Many people go to monasteries in the country for a few days each year for this experience. Research the types of retreats that are available to your school or your parish. Select the one that appeals most to you and explain why it attracted you.
This material is adapted from The Catholic Spirit: An Anthology for DIscovering Faith Through Literature, Art, Film, and Music (Ave Maria Press 2010).
You don’t see your students during summer vacation, but there are likely events for teens at local parishes that your students may benefit from. Just as important, you have students who would likely make excellent leaders of parish youth ministry programs.
Take some time to drop a note to local parish youth ministers and/or directors of religious education and do the following:
Inquire about summer events.
Ask how your former and future students might participate.
Provide the parish leaders with names and contact information of your students who may not be already enrolled in parish programming (if possible).
Share information about the course content your students covered this year with the parish leaders that they might enrich it in offerings over the summer.
Encourage parish leaders to send prospective students to visit your school. List yourself as a contact.
Recommend students who may be excellent members of a parish youth council or ministry team.
Design a handout with the following headings (the boldface words). The headings can be designed creatively on the page in different typefaces and fonts. Pass out a handout to each student and then read each of the sentence starters that go with the headings. Pause between sentence starters to allow the students to think of a memory and to write down a word, phrase, or symbol that reminds them of the memory.
My Success Stories
The first time I knew someone was very proud of me was . . .
My greatest accomplishment this school year 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 thing to do with my family was . . .
As I kid, my favorite outdoor place to play was . . .
Family Summer Fun
The best vacation experience I had was . . .
Grown-Up
I first realized I was no longer a child when . . .
You Are My Hero
My childhood hero was . . .
My hero today is . . .
Special Gift
The most special gift I ever received was . . .
God’s Presence
A time I recognized God’s presence in my life was . . .
Disappointed
The greatest disappointment I ‘ve ever had was . . .
After you have read the sentence starters and the students have marked their papers, ask them to pair with a partner for sharing. Read a category. Tell one person in each group to begin sharing, uninterrupted. Allow a few minutes and then call “time.” Tell the other person to share. Repeat the process for each category, alternating between the two partners to begin sharing.
At the end of the discussion, call on volunteers to share one interesting memory they heard from their partner. Alternatively, have each person write a short summary of the favorite memory they heard from their partner.
The Resurrection of Jesus is the central mystery of our faith. As St. Paul write, if we do not believe in the Resurrection wholeheartedly, then “empty is our preaching; empty to our faith” (1 Corinthians 15:14).
Divide the class into eight small groups. Have each of the groups recreate from memory some details of various Easter Gospel stories.
Each group should discuss all of these stories without looking up the references in the Bible. Share the following “headlines”:
“An Amazing Discovery at Sunrise” (Mark 16:1-14)
“An Earthquake, an Angel, and a Guard’s Tale (Matthew 18:1-15)
“Peter, John, and the Holy Shroud” (John 10:1-10)
“The Mysterious Gardener” (John 20:11-16)
“The Third Traveler on the Road to Emmaus” (Luke 24:36-49)
“Can a Ghost Eat Fish” (Luke 24:36-49)
“Thomas the Doubter” (John 20:19-20)
“Fish Fry on the Shore” (John 21:1-14)
Allow about fifteen minutes for the sharing. Then assign each group one of the passages to look up and read from the Bible. Have them discuss within their group any details that were left out or others that were shared incorrectly.
After a few minutes discussion, have one member from each group report on their assigned passage and add and correct some of the details they uncovered.
In connection with Divine Mercy Sunday, use the opportunity to explain the meaning and effects of indulgences.
An indulgence is the remission before God of the temporal punishment still due to sin that has already been forgiven. Temporal punishment refers to punishment that takes places in time on earth or in Purgatory and that has an end when the soul is purified and permitted into heaven. Oppositely, eternal punishment is due to unrepentant mortal sin. If a person does not repent before death of the mortal sin he has cut himself off from God’s grace for eternity. The two types of punishment are not a kind of vengeance from God, but are related to the very nature of sin. A conversion is necessary to remove the punishments due to sin.
There are two types of indulgences. Plenary indulgences remove all punishment for sin. Partial indulgences remove some of the punishment. Indulgences can be applied to the living and the dead; for example, you can pray and do penance for souls in Purgatory to help to lessen their suffering.
Divine Mercy Sunday is an opportunity for plenary indulgence. The usual conditions are as follows:
sacramental confession [according to previously issued norms, within about 20 days before or after]
Eucharistic communion [according to previously issued norms, preferably on the day, or the days before or after]
prayer for the intentions of Supreme Pontiff [certain prayers are not specified]
The specific conditions for this indulgence on Divine Mercy Sunday are:
in any church or chapel, in a spirit that is completely detached from the affection for a sin, even a venial sin, take part in the prayers and devotions held in honor of Divine Mercy
or, in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament exposed or reserved in the tabernacle, recite the Our Father and the Creed, adding a devout prayer to the merciful Lord Jesus (e.g. Merciful Jesus, I trust in you!”)
Here is a video to share on Divine Mercy Sunday.
Here is a simple Lenten prayer service.
Have three Bibles (mark one at Matthew 91:27-30, the second at Mark 8:22-25, and the third at Luke 18:35:43). Choose three readers and hand each one of the Bibles.
Gather in a chapel if possible. The classroom will also work as a prayer setting.
Turn off the lights and darken the windows. Tell the students to close their eyes and sit quietly for a few minutes. Say:
Imagine that you are blind. Try to put yourself back into the time of Jesus and think what it would have been like to have him cure you of your blindness. Keep your eyes closed while you listen to three Gospel accounts of Jesus curing the blind man.
Call on the readers to read their passage one at a time. Allow some quiet time between each reading.
After all the readings are finished say:
Keep your eyes closed. Hear Jesus saying now in your heart, “What do you want me to do for you?” Answer him. What do you need from Jesus? Maybe you have a blindness that needs healing, a blindness that keeps you from believing and trusting in him, or from seeing your own goodness. Or from finding a way out of a problem you are entangled with. (Pause.)
In the reading from Mark’s Gospel, the blind man was brought to Jesus by his friends. Maybe you, too, have friends or family members who need Jesus to touch them. Maybe people you love are being blinded by anger, jealousy, selfishness, drugs, or some other problem. Bring them to Jesus. Ask him to touch the blind spot in their lives and heal them. (Pause.)
I will now walk around among you touch each of you with a healing touch of Jesus. When you have been touched, open your eyes while remaining quiet. (Walk among the group, prayerfully touching each person on the shoulder. As you do this play some meditative instrumental music.)
After the song, say:
In each of the Gospel stories, those who had been healed praised God for the new gift of sight.
Project the words from Psalm 100 so that the class can see them or duplicate them on handout and pray them together:
Sing to the Lord, all the world!
Worship the Lord with joy;
come before him with happy songs!
Acknowledge that the Lord is God.
He made us and we belong to him;
we are his people, we are his flock
Enter the Temple gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and praise him.
`` The Lord is good;
his love is eternal
and his faithfulness lasts forever.
Eleven Catholic colleges are in this year’s March Madness NCAA field of 68 men’s teams beginning play on Wednesday, March 16.
Enjoy having your students research information about these colleges as a way to spur interest in their applying to one or more of them!
WEST REGIONAL
Gonzaga University
Founded: 1887
Religious sponsorship: Society of Jesus (Jesuits)
Location: Spokane, Washington
Conference: West Coast
Seeding: 1
University of Notre Dame
Founded: 1842:
Religious sponsorship: Congregation of Holy Cross
Location: Notre Dame, Indiana
Conference: Atlantic Coast
Seeding: 11
EAST REGIONAL
Marquette University
Founded: 1861
Religious sponsorship: Society of Jesus (Jesuits)
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Conference: Big East
Seeding: 9
St. Mary’s College
Founded: 1863
Religious sponsorship: De La Salle Brothers
Location: Moraga, California
Conference West Coast
Seeding: 5
University of San Francisco
Founded: 1855
Religious sponsorship: Society of Jesus (Jesuits)
Location: San Francisco, California
Conference: West Coast
Seeding: 10
St. Peter’s University
Founded: 1872
Religious sponsorship: Society of Jesus (Jesuits)
Location: Jersey City, New Jersey
Conference: Metro Atlantic Athletic
Seeding: 15
SOUTH REGIONAL
Seton Hall University
Founded: 1865
Religious sponsorship: Archdiocese of Newark
Location: South Orange, New Jersey
Conference: Big East
Seeding: 8
Loyola University Chicago
Founded: 1870
Religious sponsorship: Society of Jesus (Jesuits)
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Conference: Missouri Valley
Seeding: 10
Villanova University
Founded: 1842
Religious sponsorship: Augustinians
Location: Villanova, Pennsylvania
Conference: Big East
Seeding: 2
MIDWEST REGION
Creighton University
Founded: 1878
Religious sponsorship: Society of Jesus (Jesuits)
Location: Omaha, Nebraska
Conference: Big East
Seeding: 9
Providence College
Founded: 1917
Religious sponsorship: Dominican Province of St. Joseph
Location: Providence, Rhode Island
Conference: Big East
Seeding: 4
Note: There are five Catholic colleges in this year’s Women’s Basketball tournament: DePaul, Creighton, Gonzaga, Villanova, and Notre Dame.
