No, Catholics do not worship or adore Mary. Catholics hold Mary in a special place of honor and venerate her with special devotions such as the Rosary. The first point of confusion related to this issue is terminology. So let’s clarify a few words: worship, adoration, veneration, and devotion. If you look them up, they…
Activities
How to Get Students to Participate in Class Discussions
You’ve just taught one of the most profound theological lessons of the year. You think your lecture was fantastic, amazing, even inspiring. You finish, turn to the class and ask them a question to discuss this amazing lesson. What do you hear? Nothing. Blank stares, no eye contact, and the sound of crickets in the…
Saint Thomas Aquinas Prayer Before Study
January 28 is the feast day of St. Thomas Aquinas, patron saint of students, schools, and learning. In honor of his feast day, share this prayer before study below with your students. Copy and paste it into a word document and distribute copies for them all to use before big tests and exams. Saint Thomas…
Bell Work Activities – They Save Time and Keep Students Engaged
There is nothing like the sound of students working hard on an assignment the minute class has begun. What is that sound? Silence. I loved it. I was able to recover from the class that just ended and prepare for the class that was beginning all while students were learning on their own. In this…
Catholic Schools Week Activities and Ideas for 2010 Theme “Dividends for Life”
Catholic Schools Week Dates: January 31 – February 6, 2010 This is a guest post by Jennifer Dees and Meghann Robinson. Jen and Meghann have planned many Catholic Schools Week events for their schools. Each year they are able to take the special week to a whole new level and this year is no exception!…
Feast of the Epiphany Lesson Plan & Activities
Background to the Feast of the Epiphany The Epiphany is celebrated on the Sunday between January 2nd and 8th while the actual feast day occurs on January 6th (twelve days after Christmas). In many European countries the Epiphany, rather than Christmas (Feast of the Nativity), is the day of gift-giving. The Epiphany is in commemoration…
Advent Resources that Make Mysteries Become Tangible Realities
Come Quickly Lord Jesus, The Whole World is Waiting for Love!This is a guest post from my wife, Jennifer Dees. She is the Assistant Director of the Notre Dame Magnifiat Schools and a master teacher. I love being Catholic for many reasons but one of the things I love the most is the way that…
Visualizing God in Prayer and Guided Meditations
When you pray, how do you imagine God? Do you visualize someone or something? Do you use images to help you pray? Too often we tend to focus on what we are praying for rather than the God to whom we pray. If you ask your students what they imagine when they pray, you may…
Catholic Thanksgiving Day Lesson Plans on the Eucharist as Thanksgiving
Eucharist means first of all “thanksgiving” (CCC, 1360). I can think of no better lesson to teach to our students this Thanksgiving week than this. There are many images that express the intense mystery that is the Eucharist, but the Eucharist as thanksgiving is the most appropriate for November. A simple connection that you can…
“Tic-Tac-Know” the Review Game
Materials needed: 1) three categories of nine questions each (for example, 9 questions about each person of the Trinity). 2) large whiteboard or chalkboard Number of Teams: 2 or divide them by rows Directions: Draw three tic-tac-toe grids on the board and label them according to your three categories. Number each box 1 to 9….
