I inevitably got this question from my students during the 3rd week of Advent. So what is the best way to answer it? You could Google it and find a number of reasons: Purple is a penitential color of fasting while pink (rose) is the color of joy. The 3rd Sunday in Advent is Gaudete…
Holidays
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…
The Patron Saint of Catechists: Saint Charles Borromeo and Saint Robert Bellarmine
Patron Saint of Catechists: Saint Charles Borromeo (1538-1584) Feast Day: November 4 Patron Saint of Catechists: St. Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621) Feast Day: September 17 St. Charles Borromeo and St. Robert Bellarmine are the patron saints of catechists. These two men were instrumental in the many reforms of the Catholic Church during the 16th century Reformation….
The Month of the Rosary is October
As teachers, during the month of October my wife and I always dedicated a number of class prayers to praying the rosary. October is a perfect opportunity to teach children how to pray the rosary in their own lives. She found that with her fourth graders and I found with my middle school and high…
Pope Benedict XVI’s Catechesis on Saint Augustine of Hippo
Pope Benedict XVI dedicated five Wednesday audiences to St. Augustine of Hippo in February of 2008. It was a part of an ongoing meditation on the lives of the saints of the Catholic Church that he began in 2006 with the saints of the New Testament. In 2007 Pope Benedict moved from New Testament heroes…
Prayers of St. Augustine of Hippo
In preparation for his feast day on August 28th, here are some prayers attributed to Saint Augustine of Hippo. As a teacher or catechist, you might share them with your students or use them in your own personal prayers for the day: From the introduction of The Confessions (Chapter 1): “Great are You, O Lord,…
Resources on the Web: History of St. Patrick’s Day
http://www.history.com/minisites/stpatricksday/ St. Patty’s Day is just around the corner and many of you have been preparing your lesson plans and your green outfit for this special day. The history channel has some good online resources about St. Patrick’s Day and a lot of info on Irish culture. Saint Patrick’s Day Video – Short 1-3 minute…
