Pope Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger) was one of the most influential Catholic theologians and leaders in the 20th and 21st centuries. You can teach about his life with the biography and reflection questions below. You can also download and print the worksheet version of the biography and questions here: Download the Worksheet > Pope Benedict…
Church History
Christian Heresies Worksheet (Church History)
One helpful way to understand what we believe as Christians is to clarify what we do not believe. A heresy is a teaching that is rejected by the Church. There have been many clearly defined heresies throughout the history of the Catholic Church especially in the early years as the Nicene Creed was developed. Download…
Nine Activities and Lesson Ideas to Teach about Pope Francis’s Visit to the United States
A full and varied schedule highlights Pope Francis’s first apostolic visit to the United States. If you are reading this prior to his September 2015 visit, plan to follow along with the pope on his journey through appropriate mention and study in your theology classes. If the trip has already occurred, some of these suggestions can also work well in review or in conjunction with another trip the…
What is the Church? Lesson Plan
One of my favorite lessons to teach students of all ages is the distinction between a church as a building and the Church as a people. We use the word “church” in so many different ways, but it is so important that our young people know that the real meaning of the Church refers to…
Habemus Papam! Pope Francis Lesson Plan
Habemus papam! As we all scramble to find resources to teach about the newly elected Pope Francis, I offer this initial Pope Francis lesson plan to help your students understand the significance of his first few moments as the Holy Father. I was personally very moved by the the events that unfolded at the conclusion…
Pope Activities and Lesson Plans for Kids
I put together this list of pope activities and pope lesson plans to use with the kids in your religious education classroom. I am amazed by all the incredible resources that catechetical bloggers and teachers have posted to their websites (and thank you for posting them to Pinterest!). Try some of these great activities: Pope…
Papal Conclave Lesson Plan
There has been lots of excitement during Lent 2013 with the historic conclave to elect a new pope to succeed retired Pope Benedict XVI. Students will be likely to watch and listen to all sorts of stories about the election and selection process for the new pontiff. Use this papal conclave lesson plan with your…
@Pontifex Lesson Plan on the Pope
In 2012 Pope Benedict XVI officially joined Twitter as @pontifex in 2012. Teachers and catechists constantly ask me how to make lessons interesting to the students, well here is a great opportunity to be relevant with lesson plan on the Pope! The Pope joining Twitter is an excellent opportunity to make real world connections to…
Palm Sunday Video
Spirit Juice Studios and Outside da Box Productions have developed an incredible new video for Palm Sunday and Holy Week. If you teach teens or middle school students, this Palm Sunday video is spectacular. The video depicts two young men and their mother listening to the long Palm Sunday Gospel reading. One of the two…
Virtual Tour of the Sistine Chapel on Vatican Website – Activities
The Vatican has added another interactive feature to their website. Have you ever been to the Sistine Chapel? Have your students been? With so many things to see in Rome, I was never able to block out the time to wait in line to see it. A “virtual” tour may not be as good as…
