The new handbook Catholic Essentials: An Overview of the Faith helps teenagers to really come to know Jesus. The book encourages a transforming relationship with Jesus to one of friendship and love. With stories of saints and contemporary people who are friends of Jesus along with the "essentials" of the Catholicism (Sacraments, Beatitudes, Creeds, Prayers, Scripture, and the like) teenagers are provided a base knowledge to grow deeper in their faith. Check out this new video to see how!
Here's an annual breakdown of the NCAA men's basketball tournament with a focus on Catholic colleges that have been selected. Amidst the filling out of brackets, use the opportunity to share some information on the particular Catholic colleges, their charisms, founders, and missions. Encourage your students to consider attending a Catholic college.
Of the sixty-five entries beginning the tournament, seven were Catholic colleges. This is down from nine Catholic colleges in 2008 and eleven participants in 2007. To begin, ask your students to circle the Catholic colleges on a bracket sheet. The teams are:
Midwest Region
Siena
Dayton
Boston College
West Region
Marquette
East Region
Xavier
Villanova
South Region
Gonzaga
Ask the students to rate the Catholic teams (based on seedings). It might look something like this:
1. Villanova (3)
2. Gonzaga/Xavier (4)
4. Marquette (6)
5. Boston College (7)
6. Siena (9)
7. Dayton (11)
Also, hand out a blank map of the United States. See how many students can correctly place the Catholic college in the correct location by state.
Pennsylvania
Villanova
Washington
Gonzaga
Ohio
Xavier
Dayton
Wisconsin
Marquette
Massachusetts
Boston College
New York
Siena
And, don't forget to ask some questions pertinent to the colleges. For example:
1. Which colleges are founded by the Jesuits? (Gonzaga, Xavier, Marquette, Boston College)
2. Which colleges are named for saints? (St. Aloysisus Gonzaga, St. Thomas of Villanova, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Francis Xavier).
3. Which school originally had the nickname the "Fighting Irish"? (Gonzaga)
4. Which school was founded by the Friars of the Order of St. Augustine? (Villanova)
5. Which college is named after an explorer? (Marquette for Father Jacques Marquette (1637-1675), a French, Jesuit missionary and explorer in North America).
6. Which college was originally named St. Mary's College for Boys? (Dayton)
If you have additional questions, activities, or games connected with "March Madness" share them with your fellow teachers in the comments section below. Also, you can conduct similar lessons with the NCAA Women's basketball bracket that will be released on Monday evening.
This has been an historic week with President Barak Obama unceremoniously issuing an executive order that allows for stem cell research using embryonic stem cells. This disregard for an ethic that respects all human life is met with opposition from the Church. Help your students to understand this issue and the Church's position on the side of life. Summarize the issue, for example, from the about.com site:
In August 25, 2000, the Pontifical Academy for Life released a document entitled “Declaration on the Production and the Scientific and Therapeutic Use of Human Embryonic Stem Cells,” which summarizes the reasons why the Catholic Church opposes ESCR.
First, the preparation of embryonic stem cells from a living embryo requires the destruction of the embryo, which the Church teaches is a gravely immoral act.
Second, some scientists have used cloning to produce embryos in order to harvest stem cells. While these embryos are not created in the normal manner, the Church recognizes that they, too, are alive, and their destruction is gravely immoral.
Third, the Church opposes the use of embryonic stem-cell lines that already exist for the same reason that She opposes the creation of new lines: Those lines began with the destruction of innocent human life.
It doesn’t matter whether scientific advances may be made through ESCR; the Church teaches that we can never do evil, even if good may come of it, and there is no way to obtain embryonic stem cells without destroying innocent human life.
Cardinal Justin Rigali chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' committee on pro-life activities, called Obama's decision "a sad victory of politics over science and ethics. This action is morally wrong because it encourages the destruction of innocent human life, treating vulnerable human beings as mere products to be harvested."
Bishop John M. D'Arcy of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend described the occasion of Obama's signing of the bill as a "moment of sadness." In an article in the diocesan paper Today's Catholic the Bishop is quoted:
President Obama has introduced a utilitarian ethic, an ethic of relativism into our national life, and has supported it. Is this not the great tragedy: that this dictatorship of relativism, with this executive act, is now in the driver’s seat of ethical questions in our national life.
Let us see what our scholar pope had to say of acts, to which our nation is now committed.
“History itself has condemned such a science in the past and will condemn it in the future, not only because it lacks the light of God but also because it lacks humanity.
“I would like to repeat here what I already wrote some time ago. Here there is a problem that we cannot get around; no one can dispose of human life. An insurmountable limit to our possibilities of doing and experimenting must be established. The human being is not a disposable object, but every single individual represents God’s presence in the world.
“In the face of the actual suppression of the human being there can be no compromises or prevarications. One cannot think that a society can effectively combat crime when society itself legalizes crime in the area of conceived life.”
— Sept. 11, 2006.
So, let us be certain as to what has happened here. You can never use a human being as a means to a good end. The argument is made that it is not a human being. But, what is it? It is a stage of life, in which all of us once existed. It should also be made clear that our tax dollars will now be used to wipe out human life. This is a decision of historical significance. People will look back on it with sadness, and will be aware that this is the moment when the United States crossed the rubicon of life; and where as a nation, through our highest elected officials — we seemed to chose death, not life.
Consider having your students research and discuss this issue and more of Church teaching on the ethics that must always accompany a scientific decision.
Share this guided meditation on the Transfiguration from Touching Jesus by Patty McCulloch. Begin by telling the students that "during this reflection you will be going up to the mountaintop with Jesus. You will witness something truly amazing. So . . . "
Place yourself in a quiet place.
Relax.
Allow all the distractions to go out of your head.
Just still yourself.
Breathe in.
Hold.
Breathe out.
Breathe in.
Hold.
Breathe out.
Be still.
Relax.
Let all your worries fly away.
Breathe in.
Hold.
Breathe out.
Breathe in.
Hold.
Breathe out.
Imagine . . .
Jesus asks you to go with him to the top of the mountain.
You go with Peter, James, and John, friends of Jesus.
You are climbing.
It is a beautiful day.
The sky is clear and you can see all around.
Enjoy the sight.
You have reached the summit.
Sit and look all around.
Something catches your eye.
Something is happening where Jesus is.
He is wrapped in light, his clothes are dazzingly white.
There is Elijah from the scriptures!
Moses is there, too.
Jesus is talking with Moses and Elijah.
Watch this sight for awhile.
What do you make of it?
Peter interrupts this vision.
You can tell that he has seen it too.
He says, It is great that we are here. Let's build some tents and stay for awhile."
Then you heard a loud voice,
"This is my beloved Son, listen to him."
What do these words mean?
Repeat them over and over in your mind.
"This is my beloved Son, listen to him."
As you repeat those words, only Jesus stands before you.
Go up to Jesus.
Ask him to sit.
Sit next to him.
Ask him what the words of the loud voice mean?
He looks at you and asks,
"Do you listen to me?"
Answer him.
Be with him for awhile.
Listen to him.
It is time to renter this space.
Say good-bye for now.
Ask Jesus to lead your way into the rest of the day.
Say thank you.
Come back gently.
Open your eyes.
Remember.
Sit up.
">The textbook Marriage and Holy Orders: Your Call to Love and Serve addresses the unity and indissolubility of marriage. For example:In marriage, the man and woman grow continually in their life together through their daily fidelity to one another and through their mutual self-giving. The root of this relationship is the natural complementarity that exists between a man and woman. God made both man and woman for each other. But even more than this natural complementarity that keeps the couple together is the gift of the Holy Spirit given to them in the sacrament of Matrimony. Pope John Paul II wrote of this gift:The gift of the Spirit is a commandment of life for Christian spouses and at the same time a stimulating impulse so that every day they may progress towards an even richer union with each other on all levels—of the body, of the character, of the heart, of the intelligence and will, of the soul—revealing in this way to the Church and to the world the new communion of love, given by the grace of Christ (Familiaris Consortio. 19).This unique relationship of spouses is characterized not only by unity but also by its indissolubility. A marriage demands absolute fidelity between spouses. As the Catechism teaches: “Love seeks to be definitive; it cannot be an arrangement ‘until further notice’” (CCC, 1646). Fidelity is not just a matter of being physically faithful to one’s spouse. Fidelity also requires that one be faithful in one’s heart too. Indulging in daydreams about another person or about life without one’s spouse is an occasion of unfaithfulness. Fidelity to one other person may seem impossible; there are, after all, many people in the world whom you can be attracted to and infatuated with, even after you are married. But that is why God instituted the sacrament of Matrimony. The sacrament allows a couple to do what is impossible:The gift of the sacrament is at the same time a vocation and a commandment for the Christian spouses, that they may remain faithful to each other forever, beyond every trial and difficulty, in generous obedience to the holy will of the Lord: “What therefore God has joined together, let man not put asunder” (Familiarias Consortio, 20, quoting Matthew 19:6). The graces of the sacrament face strong and severe threats today against the unity and indissolubility of marriage. As part of a lesson, play the students a audio or video performance of Bruce Springsteen's "If I Should Fall Behind" in which he singsWe swore we'd travel darlin' side by sideWe'd help each other stay in strideBut each lover's steps fall so differentlyBut I'll wait for youAnd if I should fall behindWait for me.Have your students comment on the lyrics and discuss what they have to do with marriage. Also ask: What does it mean to say that marriage is perpetual and exclusive? What is the meaning of fidelity in marriage?* Share an example of a couple that exemplifies a strong marriage, including times when one spouse waited for and helped the other through a dark time.
This engaging warm up activity from Time Out: Resources for Teen Retreats by Sr. Kieran Sawyer works well as a fun break in any Scripture course. The game operates as a regular game of charades, with teams acting out famous Bible stories for others to guess.
Directions
To begin, prepare 3"x 5" cards with Bible phrases like those below, one phrase per card.
Divide the class into teams of about six persons each. Ask each group to sit together. Then say:
In my hand I have a set of cards. On each card is phrase describing a famous scene from the Bible, like "John the Baptist baptizing Jesus in the River Jordan." Each team will pick one of the cards and have three minutes to decide how to act out the phrase so that the rest of us can guess what the card says. You may use actions, sounds, and gestures, but you may not use words. Every member of your group should have a part in your presentation.
Hold the cards face down ask ask the small groups to send up a representative to pick one. Allow about three minutes for the teams to decide how they will present their phrases.
Call the class back together and select one group to do the first presentation. Call on participants to guess the scene being enacted.
When all the teams have performed two or three scenes from the prepared cards, give each group a blank 3"x 5" card and a pencil and say:
Now I am going to ask you to write down other scenes from the Bible that your group can act out. Each scene should fit the pattern: "John the Baptist baptizing Jesus in the River Jordan." In other words, someone must be doing something specific. Your group will make up a phrase for another group to act out.
Allow a few minutes for the groups to think up Bible scenes and write them on the cards. Check back to make sure the phrases are worded correctly. Then say:
Now pass your card to the group sitting at your left, and take three minutes to plan your presentation.
Call the teams back together for another round of performances. The group whose Bible scene is being acted, of course, does not help with the guessing.
Give out another set of cards, have the groups think up another Bible phrase, and pass the cards to the group sitting at their right. The game can continue for any number of rounds.
In the beginning of the Lenten springtime encourage your students to reflect on the classic poem of Jesuit Father Gerard Manley Hopkins, "God's Grandeur."
God’s Grandeur
By Gerard Manley Hopkins
The world is charged with the grandeur of God.
It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;
It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil
Crushed. Why do men then now not wreck his rod?
Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;
And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;
And wears man’s smudge[and] shares man’s smell: the soil
Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.
And for all this, nature is never spent;
There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;
And though the last lights off the black West went
Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs—
Because the Holy Ghost over the bent
World broods with warm breast[and] with ah! bright wings.
Journal Questions
1. In the poem, what is the failure of humans?
2. According to the poem, what do people fail to comprehend about nature?
3. How does Hopkin's praise of nature relate to the praise of God?
Activity
Watch the following readings of "God's Grandeur." Then interpret the reading for yourself. Share your own unique reading of the poem with the class.
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The Vatican announced this weekend that Blessed Damien De Veuster, a priest of the Fathers of the Sacred Heart, who had ministered with lepers in Hawaii in the nineteenth century and later died of the disease, would be canonized a saint on October 11, 2009. When Fr. Damien was first assigned to the leper colony at Kalawao, on the island of Molokai, he was at first struck by an invitation in the letter from his superiors: "You may stay as long as your devotion dictates." That he certainly did. The following text, written by Boniface Hanely, O.F.M. in Ten Christiansrecounts the last days of Fr. Damien's life, after he, too, had contracted leprosy.
In 1886, Father Damien wrote to his superior: "As I wrote to you about two years ago that I had then suspicions of the first germs of leprosy being in my system—the natural consequence of a long stay with these lepers—be not surprised or too much pained to know that one of your spiritual children is decorated not only with the Royal Cross of Kalakaua, but also with the cross more heavy, and considered less honorable, of lepsosy with which our Divine Savior has permitted me to be stigmatized."
The announcement that Damien had leprosy hit his own religious superiors, Father Fouesnel and his boship, Hermann Koeckemann, like a thunderbolt. Damien was the third Sacred Hearts missionary stricken with leprosy. To prevent further infection, Father Fouesnel forbade Damien to visit the mission headquarters of the Sacred Heart Fathers in Honolulu. "If you come, "Father Superior advised Damien, "you will be relegated to a room which you are not to leave until your departure."
Father Fouesnel suggested that if Damien insisted on coming to Honolulu, he stay at the Franciscan sisters leper hospital. "But if you go there," the superior counseled, "please do not say Mass. For neither Father Clement nor I will consent to celebrate Mass with the same chalice and the same vestments you have used. The Sisters will refuse to receive Holy Communion from your hands." One can understand the superior's concern. But Damien was being forced, nonetheless, to consume the bitter wine of loneliness to its dregs. He now knew not only the physical sufferings of Chrihst but the harrowing loneliness and abandonment of the Savior. Damien did go to Honolulu and remained at the leprosarium from July 10-16. It was during that time that the arranged with Mother Marianne to come to Molokai. He spoke of his rejection by his own as "the greatest suffering he had ever endured in his life."
Dr. Mouritz, medical attendant at Molokai, charted the progress of the physical dissolution of Damien's body. He wrote: "The skin of the abdomen, chest, the back, is beginning to show tubercles, masses of infiltration.... The membranes of the nose, roof of the mouth, pharynx, and larynx are involved; the skin of his cheeks, nose, lips, forehead, and chin is excessively swollen.... His body is becoming emaciated."
An ever-deepening mental distress accompanied Damien's physical dissolution. A severe depression, as well as religious scruples, now plagued the leper priest. Damien felt he was unworthy of heaven. The rejection of his religious superiors left him in near disarray. Once he claimed: "From the rest of the world I received gold and frankincense, but from my own superiors myrrh."
As death approached, Father Damien engaged in a flurry of activity. He worked as much as his wounded and broken body would permit him. He wrote his bishop, entreating not to be dispensed from the obligation of the breviary, which he continued to recite as best he could as his eyes failed. The disease invading his windpipe progressed to such an extent that it kept him from sleeping more than an hour or two at night. His voice was reduced to a raucous whisper. Leprosy was in his throat, his lungs, his stomach, and his intestines. After ravaging his body outwardly, it was now destroying him from within.
As the end drew near, priests of his own congregation came to hear his confession. The leper priest had request a funeral pall, which the Franciscan Sisters made for him and delivered from Honolulu. It arrived the same day. Two more weeks of suffering, and on April 15, 1889, Damien died.. It was Holy Week. Some weeks before Damien had said that the Lord wanted him to spend Easter in heaven.
Once he had written, "The cemetery, the church and rectory form one enclosure; thus at nighttime I am still keeper of this garden of the dead, where my spiritual children lie at rest. My greatest pleasure is to go there to say my beads and meditate on that unending happiness which so many of them are already enjoying." And now it was his turn to occupy a little plot of ground in "his garden of the dead."
He no longer mediated on that unending happiness, but now most surely possessed it. Long ago he had selected the precise spot for his grave amid the two thousand lepers buried in Molokai cemetery. Coffin bearers laid him to rest under the same tree that had sheltered him when he first opened the letter from his superior with those fateful words: "You may stay as long as your devotion dictates...."
Assignments
Read and report on the life of Blessed Damien.
Damien described the disease as his . Have the students research the meaning of stigmata. Consider having them compare the life of Damien with that of St. Francis of Assisi.
Assign Luke 18:11-19, Jesus' healing of the ten lepers. Have the students look up Old Testament laws concerning treatment of lepers that Jesus disregarded.
