Catholic Faith Education News

November 2011-December - Volume 4, Number 7 Subscribe to this newsletter. Content Index Resources Featured on the Catholic Faith Education Blog Resources for Feast Days, and Special Days Resources on the Sunday and Daily Readings Blog World Resources Technology and Religious Education Articles Online Previous issues Resources Featured on the Catholic Faith Education Blog Sharing in His Life - 42 daily meditations and 6 group sessions on the theme of the Mass and worship of the Eucharist outside of Mass, produced by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster. Reading the Signs of the Times - See, Judge, Act are discussion guides prepared by the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council for individuals and groups seeking to engage with current social justice issues... Video showing some of the highlights of the 10 episode series on the history of Catholicism hosted by Father Barron. Bible Story Coloring Pages - Karen's Whimsy  Catholic Heritage Curricula has some beautifully drawn coloring pages downloadable in PDF format, mostly on saints. Free Catholic Activity Pages for Children Nativity Coloring Pages CatholicYouthWork.com provides "advent prayers, youth group ideas, youth ministry resources and all sorts of other stuff to make that purpose driven youth ministry really fly... Catholic Liturgies Throughout the School Year! - This website is a resource for teachers looking for classroom and schoolwide liturgy ideas. Early Church History - CH101 - This Web site contains historical information on the church of the first four centuries. The Web site Catholic Moral Theology - commentaries on "on major topics in Catholic moral theology as a valuable tool for students, teachers, or other interested people seeking to learn about some specific area of moral theology." Faith Mag.com - the magazine of the Diocese of Lansing Michigan. The valley of Dry Bones - This video is based on Ezekiel 37 The Web site of Catholic Charities USA offers a wide variety of useful resources related to social justice for catechists and teachers. Mass appreciation lesson - A part-by-part look at the Catholic liturgy and why priests and people say and do what they say and do By Emily Stimpson - OSV Newsweekly My Catholic Faith Delivered "provides in-depth learning programs and video tutorials on the web for all levels of knowledge of the Catholic faith.  Diocese of Sidney: Religious Education Resources Sadlier is offering a free "Mass Prayers and Responses" card with the Roman Missal, Third Edition changes in bold type.  Fr. Jack Collins, CSP, will do almost anything to ask people what they know about Advent, even get on the ice at Bryant Park.

Technology and Religious Education Introduction to Using Tumblr in the Classroom Using Facebook Questions to Teach Religion - Jared Dees, The Religion Teacher blog A Catholic Spirituality of Blogging: My Surprise Takeaway from CNMC 2011 by Marc Cardaronella on Evangelizing Catechesis The articles below are all from Ave Maria Press Engaging Faith blog: 50 Reasons to Invite Facebook Into Your Classroom More Thoughts on Bringing Facebook into the Classroom SMART Board Tutorial Video: Teaching Vocabulary You can now find resources for Catholic Faith Education on the new Magazine style Scoop.it magazine. The widget below shows a sampling of the most recently posted resources. Click on any of them to see the full content:

Resources for Feast Days and Special Days

Resources for feast days:

November

• 21 November: Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Memorial
• 22 November: Saint Cecilia - Memorial
• 23 November: Saint Clement I, pope and martyr or Saint Columban, religious - Optional Memorial
• 24 November: Saint Andrew Dung Lac and his companions, martyrs - Memorial
• 25 November: Saint Catherine of Alexandria - Optional Memorial
• 30 November: Saint Andrew the Apostle - Feast

December

• 3 December: Saint Francis Xavier, priest - Memorial
• 4 December: Saint John Damascene, priest and doctor - Optional Memorial
• 6 December: Saint Nicholas, bishop - Optional Memorial
• 7 December: Saint Ambrose, bishop and doctor - Memorial
• 8 December: Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Solemnity
• 9 December: Saint Juan Diego - Optional Memorial
• 11 December: Saint Damasus I, pope - Optional Memorial
• 12 December: Our Lady of Guadalupe - Optional Memorial
• 13 December: Saint Lucy of Syracuse, virgin and martyr - Memorial
• 14 December: Saint John of the Cross, priest and doctor - Memorial
• 21 December: Saint Peter Canisius, priest and doctor - Optional Memorial
• 23 December: Saint John of Kanty, priest - Optional Memorial
• 25 December: Nativity of the Lord - Solemnity
• 26 December: Saint Stephen, the first martyr - Feast
• 27 December: Saint John the Apostle and evangelist - Feast
• 28 December: Holy Innocents, martyrs - Feast
• 29 December: Saint Thomas Becket, bishop and martyr - Optional Memorial
• 31 December: Saint Sylvester I, pope - Optional Memorial

Click on the image above for a full size version of the poster.

Resources on the Sunday and Daily Readings

Articles, Commentaries, Homilies, Clipart, Coloring pages, Puzzles, Children's Stories for the upcoming Sunday Gospel readings: November 27, 2011: First Sunday of Advent (B) - Mark 13:33-37 December 4, 2011: Second Sunday of Advent (B) - Mark 1:1-8 December 11, 2011: Third Sunday of Advent (B) - John 1:6-8, 19-28 December 18, 2011: Fourth Sunday of Advent (B) - Luke 1:26-38 For more articles, commentaries, homilies, clipart, coloring pages, puzzles, children's stories for Sunday Gospel readings consult the following pages: Sunday Readings: Matthew - Sunday Readings Mark - Sunday Readings Luke - Sunday Readings: John Other Useful Resources: Prepare for Mass Blog - Lector's Notes - Lector Works - Lectors Proclaim

Resources for Advent: Advent Prayers - Advent Wreaths & Crafts - Advent: Meaning - Advent Coloring Pages - Advent Calendars - Jesse Tree - Advent & Christmas Clipart - Liturgical Seasons - Advent General Resources Resources for Christmas: Christmas - Articles - Traditions & Stories - Advent & Christmas Clipart - Art & Images - Music - Prayers & Meditations - Crafts and Activities - Coloring Pages - Nativity Coloring Pages - Miscellaneous   Daily Mass Readings: October - November Liturgical Calendar 2011 Daily Gospel Contemplating Today's Gospel

Blog World Resources

Engaging Faith Prophets Lesson Plan The Religion Teacher How to Create Blank Venn Diagrams How to Hold a Class Debate that Gets Kids Excited How do you manage students talking out in class? Advent Activities American Catholic Blog Serve Your Prayers in a Bowl by Lisa Biedenbach  The following posts are by Michael Glassmeyer Psalm 16 by Hilarion Kistner Capital Punishement by  by Father Dan Kroger Benedictine Spirituality from a Lay Person: Introduction Benedictine Spirituality from a Lay Person: Obedience Benedictine Spirituality from a Lay Person: Chastity Benedictine Spirituality from a Lay Person: Poverty Benedictine Spirituality from a Lay Person: Stability Benedictine Spirituality from a Lay Person: Convertio Marc Cardaronella | Evangelizing Catechesis How Not Working on Your Catechesis Can Make You a Better Catechist

The Catholic Toolbox Behavior Contracts & Behavior Charts: "When behaviors become a problem in a classroom an effective strategy is to implement a behavior contract." Special Events for December: Resources for the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary and Christmas New Mass Responses Booklet for Kids – Free to Print! Bible Alphabet Handwriting Sheets Life Size Game Boards Act of Contrition Activities Catechist's Journey What Do You Think About Teaching Masses? Fr. Barron On How to Use CATHOLICISM in Catechesis Catechists In Action – Nick Prepares for His Lesson Catechists in Action – Nick Greets His Students Catechists in Action – Nick Begins Class with Prayer Catechists in Action – Nick Teaches the Lesson Catechists in Action – Nick Teaches His Lesson, Part 3 Catechists in Action – Nick Concludes His Lesson Catechists in Action – Nick Reviews His Lesson Catechists in Action – Nick Yonto Reflects on His Experience Catholic Icing New Mass Responses Booklet for Kids – Free to Print!

Articles Online

Articles for CATECHIST Magazine

• The Gift of Song by Marlene Sweeney
  "Teaching traditional Christmas songs, along with the stories that are enfolded in the lyrics, can turn out to be a favorite lesson each year. This is true, of course, for the songs of Advent and Lent."
• A Woman Clothed in the Sun by Cullen Schippe
  "In the liturgical year, forming a bridge between the Sundays in Ordinary Time and the Advent and Christmas Seasons are feasts that actually focus our attention on royalty. One is the Feast of Christ the King and another is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe—Queen of Heaven and Patron of the Americas."
• Craft Clip: Paper Towels by Jeanne Heiberg
  Paper towels can be used for festive and fun crafts.
• Celebrating Advent with Martha and Mary by Lee Danesco
  "You are familiar with the Gospel about Jesus' visit to the home of two sisters, Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38-42). This Gospel, although not read during Advent, can be used to enrich your students' journey through Advent. Making that connection, you can create a unique lesson that will enable your students to distinguish between what is central and what is marginal to the Advent Season as, together, you prepare for the coming of Jesus Christ at Christmas."
• The Christmas Wreath by Jeanne Heiberg
• Advent and Christmas Catechist Mailbag by Kate Ristow
  "We hear from our readers with Advent and Christmas questions during this season. Our intrepid editor, Kass Dotterweich, replies to each question individually, but this year she saved the most frequently asked questions for a mailbag article. See the end of this article for an Advent Penance and Peace Prayer Service."
• An Introduction to Great Spiritual Classics by John McGrath, SM, PhD
  "This article considers how a few people—recognized by the Church as remarkably helpful—responded to the call of the Spirit in and around themselves and left us some significant reflections, directions, and experiences that can guide and stimulate us in our days."
• Learning by Heart: The Joyful Mysteries by Judith Costello
  "This teaching tool uses visual clues to trigger memorization. Presented as a puzzle, it is a unique way to remember key elements of our faith, including prayers, Scripture, facts on Catholic teachings and traditions."
• 10 Strategies for Lifelong Spiritual Learning by Barbara Anne Radtke
  "Here are ten strategies that keep you learning and help you explore learning opportunities. The list begins with ideas that will help keep you current and the required minimal time and cost. As your circumstances permit, you may wish to engage in a more extended or more formal experience."
• Advice from Master Catechists—November/December 2011 by Dan Thomas, Kate Ristow, Chris Weber, and Sr. Janet Schaeffler
  "Should I ask for the gift of going to Mass? How can I graciously decline a very generous offer?"
• Advent Patience Prayer by Mary McEntee McGill
  "Advent is a gift. The season turns us from the busyness of holiday shopping and parties to focus on the scriptural teachings of the Messiah's coming. During this season, we remember the true meaning of the coming of the Lord and the Good News he brings to us in his presence."
• Surprised by Grace by Jean Larkin
  A special feature on Our Lady of Guadelupe
• Thanksgiving "Because" Litany
  
• 2011-2012 Church Year Complete a Project
  

Articles from various sources

• The Challenge and Promise of Change by: Susan K. Rowland, Every Day Catholic
• Who, Me? Evangelize? by: Kathy Coffey, Every Day Catholic
• Advent Day-by-Day by: Kathy Coffey, Catholic Updates
• St. Nicholas: The Original Santa Claus by: Kathleen M. Carroll, John Feister, Susan Hines-Brigger, Catholic Updates
• Sabbath Moments in a Busy World by: Susan K. Rowland, Catholic Updates
• Love Beyond Naiveté and Romance - Ron Rolheiser
• God and Sex - Ron Rolheiser
• The Presence In Absence by Rev. Raymond K. Petrucci , Spirituality.org - November 2011
  

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