Now that we are in the first week of November, many of you have had several weeks of religious education classes. Some of the children have been coming regularly, but have you noticed that others are dropping out already? That is not unusual with today's busy schedules! Call or email the parents with a "I haven't seen your child in class for a couple of sessions. Is everything alright? Is there anything I can do for you?" If the child is in a sacramental preparation class, remind the parents how important it is to be prepared for Penance and Eucharist. If necessary, enlist the pastor's help.
The Saints Party
We tried an all-community event that actually can be done at any time during the year--in November at All Saints Day, or on your patron saint's feast day! Our teachers chose a saint to represent each class. Between our liturgies, we had a Saints Party. The Pre-school class did a parade of angels with wings and halos. The Pre-Kindergarten class also had a parade of saints. The Kindergarten through Seventh grades each presented the life of a saint to students, parents, grandparents and friends. The costumes were amazing! After the presentations, the Eighth grade and High School students supervised "saints" games they had created for the children with candy as prizes. Coffee, juice and pastries were available for the congregation. It was great to see so many people fill the hall to see our parish children!
Below are several links that may be helpful to you.
Structuring A Lesson Plan (Pre-School Through 6)
For Reconciliation classes:
The Seven Mysteries
Me and God: Examination of Conscience
The Child's Moral Development
Reconciliation/Penance
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
Friday, September 30, 2016
Mary and Lectio Divina
We found that many of our students do not know what the Church teaches about Mary. The Catechism is clear about her role in our lives. We are fortunate to be surrounded by Western and Eastern art and icons that depict the life of Mary and the Holy Family. Try this PowerPoint to assist your students and parents in learning more about her. The Church's teachings and the meanings of the icons and paintings are in the notes section of each slide. Download it as a PowerPoint presentation. I have compiled a Word document with the notes. Feel free to adapt it to your use!
In Honor Of Mary
Notes for In Honor Of Mary
(The file is large, download it fully before opening.)
Here is a quizlet to play with your class after you show the presentation: Quizlet Game.
Quizlet on In Honor of Mary
Kahoot.it Game: Mary and the Saints
Students can use their cell phones to play in groups to review the terms. It requires the teams to switch members so that everyone will be able get to know each other and work together throughout the game.
Here is the second article in the series "Going Deeper in the Spiritual Life," from the Maronite Servants of Christ the Light Sisters. Lectio Divina can be done with students and adults! Please read the following article:
Going Deeper in Spiritual Life: Lectio Divina
In Honor Of Mary
Notes for In Honor Of Mary
(The file is large, download it fully before opening.)
Here is a quizlet to play with your class after you show the presentation: Quizlet Game.
Quizlet on In Honor of Mary
Kahoot.it Game: Mary and the Saints
Students can use their cell phones to play in groups to review the terms. It requires the teams to switch members so that everyone will be able get to know each other and work together throughout the game.
Here is the second article in the series "Going Deeper in the Spiritual Life," from the Maronite Servants of Christ the Light Sisters. Lectio Divina can be done with students and adults! Please read the following article:
Going Deeper in Spiritual Life: Lectio Divina
Friday, September 9, 2016
Message from Monsignor Georges El-Khalli
Office of Religious Education
Eparchy of St. Maron of Brooklyn
61 Rockwood Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
Telephone: (617) 522-0225
Fax: (617) 522-0194
August 30, 2016
May We Have a Prayerful Year!
Beloved Brothers and Sisters in the Lord:
Clergy, Laity, Parents, Guardians and Catechists:
It is the sacred duty of all of us, in the Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn, to provide a sound religious education to our children and youths. This duty begins with the bishop, a successor of the apostles, with his co-workers, the priests, along with the eparchial catechetical team which consists of the deacons, the Sub-deacons, the parents or guardians, the teachers and the catechists who are entrusted with passing on the faith. We all share this catechetical responsibility, be it in our homes or around our parish, making sure that our youths learn the doctrine of the faith and live our rich spiritual tradition.
Gradually our world is becoming more secular, making it difficult to live our faith and to practice our religion. Many distractions today feed our diversion from practice and prayer and create for us a tougher challenge. Unfortunately, prayer in our daily life is decreasing. For very many Catholics, daily prayer is either non-existent or at the bottom of their agenda. How appropriate is the theme of this catechetical year “Prayer: The Faith Prayed”, which has been chosen by Archbishop Leonard P. Blair, Chairman of the Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis, and his catechetical team! It really hits home.
The theme “Prayer: The Faith Prayed” has been chosen to remind us of the importance of prayers and the effects of its power in our life. It has also been chosen to reinstate PRAYER in our daily lives and to invite us all: clergy, laity, old and young, parents, catechists and teachers, to devote ourselves to a deeper study and practice of prayer, for our own spiritual good and for the good of those we serve.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and the Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis provided powerful catechetical resources on prayers for this year. We, Clergy, Catechists, and Parents, the eparchial catechetical team, co-workers and assistants to Bishop Gregory, are directly involved in catechizing our youths. The following articles should assist us in our catechetical endeavors as we embark on this prayerful journey.
- For Clergy: “Embracing Our Universal Call to Holiness.” By Rev. Robert J. Hater, PhD. This article helps pastors deliver great sermon on prayers, and lead their parishioners to a more prayerful and spiritual life.
- For Catechists and Teachers: “What Every Catechist Needs to Know About Leading Others in Prayer.” By Joe Paprocki, D.Min, National Consultant for Faith Formation at Loyola Press. This article provides good tools to catechists and teachers to lead others in communal prayers, to instruct children about faith and prayers, and to have an effective and spiritual relationship with Jesus.
- For Parents or Guardians: “Praying with the Fathers of the Church: A Reflection per Day for Advent-Christmas and Lent-Easter.” By Mike Aquilina. This article helps parents and guardians encourage the family to pray together according to designated liturgical seasons. It also assists parents in bringing up children to be true Christians, in teaching them to love the neighbor, and to understand how much God loves us and all those around us.
These articles along with many other catechetical resources are posted on the (USCCB) website. In order to read them and explore additional articles about PRAYER please visit their website at: www.usccb.org/catecheticalsunday/.
The Lord Jesus himself felt the need to pray. He frequently broke away from the crowds and resorted to prayer. Quite often his days were interrupted from continuing a journey in order to spend a few hours in prayers to the heavenly Father. His disciples were moved to ask him to teach them how to pray. May all of us, clergy, laity, parents, guardians and catechists draw closer to the Lord and to one another, through a deeper and more faithful commitment to prayer, in private and with others. Let us strive throughout this coming year to spend more time with the Lord, to pray fervently to him and to understand the essential element of our discipleship.
Truly yours in our praying Jesus,
Msgr. Georges Y. El-Khalli, Ph.D.,
Eparchial Director of Religious Education
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
A Letter from Bishop Gregory John Mansour:
Dear Catechists
Your role can never be underestimated. You hold the eternal souls of our youth in your hands. You bring them to Jesus and Jesus to them. Only the priest has a greater role in the parish.
Thank you for preparing your lesson each time. Thank you for training yourself as best as you can. Thank you for praying for and coming to know each one of the children entrusted to your care. Thank you for allowing the Holy Spirit to enter your heart and your classroom. And thank you for your generous service to pass on the beauty of our faith to the children.
+ Gregory
Saint (Mother) Teresa Worksheets
Mother Teresa will be canonized on September 4, 2016. Start your religious education class out by talking about the newest saint! Look at this link for a variety of resources.
Here is a video that also may be helpful for your classes:
Going Deeper Into The Spiritual Life - The Life Of Prayer
Click on this link for an article about prayer to encourage you to go deeper into your spiritual life. Each month, there will be various contributors who will write these articles The Maronite Servants of Christ the Light have written the first article on prayer. We hope that this is helpful to you!
Sunday, August 21, 2016
The Spiritual Child
As a religion teacher, I am approached by parents all the time with their children’s questions about God. Children are the spiritual responsibility of the whole family and parish. We all need to meet our children where they are during their development. We really don’t have to have all the answers. Children are born spiritual beings and we, as their parents, grandparents, mentors, teachers, and friends are all their spiritual ambassadors. Studies have shown that children experience their parents’ love as embodying the love of God, or of the universe. Children speak and draw pictures of God that resemble the way they experience their own parents and important adults in their lives. We should see our children as full of possibilities for love and goodness. We should model forgiveness, values, and continue to show expressions of gratitude. Each teacher, each pastor, each mentor that a child has sends strong signals of guidance and love. Our Maronite family expands the field of love and this effect becomes a source of resilience and protection against unexpected events. They learn spirituality and religion through their experience with us, through nature and through shared religious experiences.
According to Dr. Lisa Miller in Spirituality of a Child, adolescents with a strong personal spirituality are 40 percent less likely to engage in risky behaviors than those not spiritually oriented. There is a spiritual surge in adolescence and a quest for meaning and purpose in life. Teens struggle to build their own spiritual views and this helps to protect them against some forms of suffering. Teens with a strong sense of relationship to a higher power is 80% less likely to be addicted to substance. A girl is 70% less likely to be exposed to a dangerous relationship (325 The Spiritual Child). These teens think about deeper purpose in life, their calling to serve to God and contribute to the world. Dr. Miller’s research showed that seeing a religious symbol improves cardiovascular functioning and can increase persistence and hard work.
Welcome conversation. It is important to allow children to ask questions. Sometimes we worry that we don’t have the right answer or we might say the wrong thing, but the most important thing is that we are there to listen to them and to welcome their questions with loving kindness. Say that you would love to explore those questions together!
By helping to shape our children’s inner spiritual core, we are building up their knowledge that they are children of God and are inherently worthy, that they have meaning and purpose in life, that their God-given talents are part of their calling and contribution to the world. We want them to know that they are born to know, love and serve God in this world and help one another. We want them to always feel connected to their religious community and guided by people who love them. We want them to feel that they have purpose and that love is life-giving. No matter what life presents, we want them to see events as blessings and even if those events are bad, that they are opportunities from which to learn.
As religious education teachers, coordinators, and directors, our role is to encourage the spirituality of the whole family. We have to encourage the parents to keep the children in religious education classes all the way from pre-school through high school. So many drop out after first communion classes! They never have the chance to develop their strong inner religious core! We need to have the opportunity to pass the spiritual torch of our religious foundation.
Registration for Maronite Faith Formation
This year we are trying an online form as well as taking registration after liturgies. We sent the form by email and we are putting it on our website. After just a few days, we received 60 registrations online! We used Google Forms, but other survey tools may be much better. Here's what ours looked like:
Don't forget to order your Faith of the Mountain books. Remember the activity book comes with the text book.
This year we are trying an online form as well as taking registration after liturgies. We sent the form by email and we are putting it on our website. After just a few days, we received 60 registrations online! We used Google Forms, but other survey tools may be much better. Here's what ours looked like:
Monday, July 25, 2016
Preparing for Catechetical Sunday
Some mid-summer thoughts!
As we are reaching the end of July, we have to start thinking about how to prepare for the beginning of our next Maronite Formation sessions. Catechetical Sunday is September 18th.
Director of Religious Education, Monsignor Georges El-Khalli asks that we examine this information. The link includes a certificate for catechists for our eparchy, articles on how to lead prayer, Lectio Divina, practical skills for engaging students in prayer, and reflections for each day of Advent and Lent.
Catechetical Resources 2016
The articles all focus on prayer and how to turn our thoughts and feelings toward God. It is up to us as teachers to help our students form a loving image of our God and to teach them to love God with all our hearts, minds and strength. We help them to learn to love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves.
John McQuiston II in Always We Begin Again said that if we follow these directives then we will have the tools
"to relive the unhappy,
to visit the sick,
to clothe the destitute,
to shelter the oppressed,
not to take ourselves too seriously,
not to want more than we need,
not to love possessions,
not to carry resentment,
to support the troubled,
to encourage good humor,
to forgive our enemies,
to show mercy to the weak,
not to want praise,
not to be proud,
not to be slothful,
not to offer unwanted advice,
to pray frequently,
to distrust one's own will,
to speak the truth to ourselves and others,
and to prefer nothing to the habit of affinity."
It is certainly permissible to begin your program before the 18th if you wish. Remember the Faith of the Mountain books come with the activity books and are very affordable! Please share this blog with all of your teachers. Send their email addresses to our email address: maronitereligioused@gmail.com.
As we are reaching the end of July, we have to start thinking about how to prepare for the beginning of our next Maronite Formation sessions. Catechetical Sunday is September 18th.
Director of Religious Education, Monsignor Georges El-Khalli asks that we examine this information. The link includes a certificate for catechists for our eparchy, articles on how to lead prayer, Lectio Divina, practical skills for engaging students in prayer, and reflections for each day of Advent and Lent.
Catechetical Resources 2016
The articles all focus on prayer and how to turn our thoughts and feelings toward God. It is up to us as teachers to help our students form a loving image of our God and to teach them to love God with all our hearts, minds and strength. We help them to learn to love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves.
John McQuiston II in Always We Begin Again said that if we follow these directives then we will have the tools
"to relive the unhappy,
to visit the sick,
to clothe the destitute,
to shelter the oppressed,
not to take ourselves too seriously,
not to want more than we need,
not to love possessions,
not to carry resentment,
to support the troubled,
to encourage good humor,
to forgive our enemies,
to show mercy to the weak,
not to want praise,
not to be proud,
not to be slothful,
not to offer unwanted advice,
to pray frequently,
to distrust one's own will,
to speak the truth to ourselves and others,
and to prefer nothing to the habit of affinity."
It is certainly permissible to begin your program before the 18th if you wish. Remember the Faith of the Mountain books come with the activity books and are very affordable! Please share this blog with all of your teachers. Send their email addresses to our email address: maronitereligioused@gmail.com.
Monday, July 4, 2016
Summer Reading For Enrichment!
Happy Summer!
Take some time out to do some personal enrichment over the summer. Here are some books that are easy to read and some of the material can be used in the fall with your students.
Bishop Robert Barron's Seeds of the Word: Finding God in the Culture. He explores God in film, books, politics, and culture. It is from Word on Fire, www.wordonfire.org.
James Martin, SJ's Between Heaven and Mirth: Why Joy, Humor, and Laughter Are at the Heart of the Spiritual Life. I am reading this as an ebook; it is Harper One publications.
John McQuiston II's Always we Begin Again: The Benedictine Way of Living. Yes, I know it is not Maronite, but it is very monastic and very readable. Morehouse Publishing
Lou DelFra, C.S.C., and Ann Primus Berends, editors: 5 Minutes with Christ: Spiritual Nourishment for Busy Teachers and 5 Minutes with the Saints: More Spiritual Nourishment for Busy Teachers. It is from Ave Maria Press. They are meditations on Christ and the saints and provide a personal reflection and short prayer and can be used daily.
Joyce Rupp's Inviting God In: Spiritual Reflections and Prayers Throughout the Year. It is also from Ave Maria Press. Each passage begins with a Bible verse, then a reflection, and ends with a prayer.
Anne Bryan Sollin's God Knows You're Stressed: Simple Ways To Restore Your Balance. It is from Sorin Books and it is all about ways to make stress work for you.
Don't forget to check out the publications on the stmaron.org website too!
Cathy and Kelly
Take some time out to do some personal enrichment over the summer. Here are some books that are easy to read and some of the material can be used in the fall with your students.
Bishop Robert Barron's Seeds of the Word: Finding God in the Culture. He explores God in film, books, politics, and culture. It is from Word on Fire, www.wordonfire.org.
James Martin, SJ's Between Heaven and Mirth: Why Joy, Humor, and Laughter Are at the Heart of the Spiritual Life. I am reading this as an ebook; it is Harper One publications.
John McQuiston II's Always we Begin Again: The Benedictine Way of Living. Yes, I know it is not Maronite, but it is very monastic and very readable. Morehouse Publishing
Lou DelFra, C.S.C., and Ann Primus Berends, editors: 5 Minutes with Christ: Spiritual Nourishment for Busy Teachers and 5 Minutes with the Saints: More Spiritual Nourishment for Busy Teachers. It is from Ave Maria Press. They are meditations on Christ and the saints and provide a personal reflection and short prayer and can be used daily.
Joyce Rupp's Inviting God In: Spiritual Reflections and Prayers Throughout the Year. It is also from Ave Maria Press. Each passage begins with a Bible verse, then a reflection, and ends with a prayer.
Anne Bryan Sollin's God Knows You're Stressed: Simple Ways To Restore Your Balance. It is from Sorin Books and it is all about ways to make stress work for you.
Don't forget to check out the publications on the stmaron.org website too!
Cathy and Kelly
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