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Engaging Faith

Practical Lesson Ideas and Activities for Catholic Educators
Archived - September 2020

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Categorizing Service Projects

If you break down service projects into the following categories, how many projects can you add to this list? Feel free to share in the comments section here or on our Ave Maria Press high school teacher’s Facebook page.   School Serve/train as a liturgical minister. As part of the school’s campus ministry, students can train as lectors and Eucharistic ministers for school Masses. Through the campus ministry program they can encourage fellow students to participate. Evangelization. To evangelize means “to bring the Good News to others.” Concentrate on members of your peer group who are absent from their participation in the church. Invite a classmate to attend a weekend Mass with you and to share a meal with you after Mass.   Local Community Hospital helper. Most hospitals provide several volunteer opportunities. You may be assigned to deliver flowers to the rooms of patients or to monitor visiting hours. Or, on your own, you may collect items for gift packages suitable for children (coloring books, art supplies, etc.) and bring them to the hospital. Thanksgiving dinner. Arrange to sponsor a free dinner for the poor. Thanksgiving is the usual time for such an event, but you might consider another holiday so as not to duplicate the efforts of other community agencies. Work through your school or parish to host and help to sponsor such an event.   Larger Justice Issues Care for the environment. Participate in a sponsored clean-up day for the environment or in maintenance for a local department of land management. Find out how you can participate as an individual or with a group of peers. World hunger fast. Thousands of people in the world today continue to starve due to inequitable distribution of food. Organize a fast among your peers. Collect pledges in exchange for a one-day fast. Donate the proceeds to a world hunger agency.

Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows

September 15 is the Feat of Our Lady of Sorrowsl. Blessed Basi Moreau, founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross, chose Our Lady of Sorrows as the patron of his religious order.  Moreau’s original vision was that the Congregation of Holy Cross be one community of priests, brothers and sisters living and working together in imitation of the Holy Family. He consecrated the priests to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the sisters to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the brothers to Saint Joseph, but he placed the entire Congregation under the patronage of Our Lady of Sorrows. The Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows originated in the twelfth century. Its reflection is around the intense sorrow Mary felt at the passion and death of her Son. A prayer reflection around the Feast also revolves around Seven Sorrows Mary experienced in her lifetime. Spend some time this week in prayerful reflection of Mary's sorrows. This video reflection is a helpful resource.