On Tuesday, Br. Michel Bettigole, editor of the book The Catholic Spirit: An Anthology for Discovering Faith Through Literature, Art, Film, and Music, presented a sample lesson on the Eucharist drawing from classic works of art and literature.The following works were featured in this presentation:
Leonardo Da Vinci's The Last Supper
Fritz Eichenberg's Christ of the Breadline
Salvador Dali's The Sacrament of the Last Supper
Andy Warhol's The Last Supper
Caravaggio's Supper at Emmaus
Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman, The Grammar of Assent
Graham Green's "Hint of Explanation"
and excerpts from the Gospel accounts and Paul's version of the Last Supper
Here is the video recording of the presentation:The Catholic Spirit: Integrating Literature and Art into Religious Education from Ave Maria Press on Vimeo.Navigation Summary:
Opening Prayer: 1:08
About the presenter, Br. Michel Bettigole: 2:25
About the book, The Catholic Spirit, and tips for teaching with literature, art, and film: 4:00
Sample lesson on the Eucharist using Literature and Art: 12:19
Question and Answer: 40:31
The Ten Commandments: Case Studies in Catholic Morality is a new resource by Dr. Eileen P. Flynn of St. Peter's College in Jersey City, New Jersey. The opening sections of each chapter define a commandment, unpack its theological meaning, and explain how it should be applied to one's everyday life. Several practical questions with answers are also posed for each commandment. Finally, three case studies are presented. Thse are drawn from a variety of simple to more complex moral dilemmas and require students to determine the correct moral response for each. Follow-up questions are provided. Shared below is a case study connected with the Fourth Commandment, "Honor your father and your mother." This case study has to do with the topic of divorce.
CASE STUDY: Honor to Parents After DivorceMelinda’s mom and dad divorced two years ago. Melinda is fourteen years old and has two younger siblings; Matt is eight, and Stacy is six. Her parents share custody, so she and her siblings live with their mom in the house they grew up in Monday through Thursday, and with their father on weekends.Several weeks ago, it became obvious to Melinda that her dad is now living with his girlfriend Sandy. Sandy is at the apartment when the children arrive on Friday, and she sleeps in the same bedroom as Melinda’s dad. Her dad has not said anything about the status of his relationship with Sandy, but he has told his children that he expects them to be accepting and friendly toward her.Melinda’s mom is bitter about the divorce, and she frequently speaks harshly about her ex-husband. Melinda knows that her mother would become very angry if she knew about Sandy, and she thinks that her mom might use the relationship between Sandy and her dad to go to court and request sole custody.Melinda loves her mother and father and, though she knows it is wrong for her dad to live with Sandy, she wants to try to get along with her as well. She does not think it wise to discuss the relationship between her dad and Sandy with her siblings because they are naïve and probably not even aware of what is going on. She believes that she should honor her father and her mother, but she is confused and depressed as she tries to figure out how to put this commandment into practice. Melinda prays regularly, and she hopes that God will give her the wisdom to know what to do.Evaluation 1.What should Melinda’s father do to keep his children from being scandalized by his live-in relationship with Sandy? 2. How do you think Melinda’s mom could act to facilitate a more harmonious family life despite the divorce? 3. Melinda is confused and depressed, and she prays for guidance. What else, if anything, should she do? 4. Given the situation that she is in, are there things that Melinda could do that would dishonor her mom or her dad, or lead to the further deterioration of her family? What are those things?
On October 19, 2010 Ave Maria Press will be sponsoring a Webinar titled "The Catholic Spirit: Integrating Literature and Art into Religious Education" featuring authors Br. Michel Bettigole, O.S.F. and J. D. Childs.
Topics of the Webinar will include:
A brief discussion about the background to the book, The Catholic Spirit.
A survey of the various excerpts and how they could be used.
A sample lesson on the Eucharist using Scripture, literature, and art.
A question and answer with one of the authors.
The Catholic Spirit Webinar
"Integrating Literature and Art into Religious Education"
October 19, 2010
3:30-4:14pm EST (check your local time)
Cost: FREE
To reserve your spot for this free presentation, click on the link below:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/791322625
As the Month of the Rosary, October is an excellent month to catechize teenagers with the Rosary. Do not forget that teens do pray and many of them will welcome the power of the Rosary in their own personal prayer lives.
Consider these tips:
Tip #1: Dispel any misconceptions about what the Rosary is all about. No, Catholics do not worship Mary. No, she is not answering our prayers. She is interceding on our behalf.
Tip #2: Focus on the mysteries. The power of the Rosary is certainly in the meditation on the mysteries of the Rosary. Each set of mysteries (Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious, Luminous) offers an invitation to meditation on the important events in the life of Christ and Mary. Help students meditation up on these mysteries. Consider the following:
Create Rosary Journals to help students dig deeply into the mysteries.
Listen to music about the mysteries of the Rosary as a part of meditation.
Break up the mysteries of the Rosary for each day of the week. This shortens the prayer and helps students stay focused in short increments. The fifteen minutes it takes to pray the Rosary can take too long for their attention spans.
Appeal to many different learning styles according to multiple intelligences: writing, drawing, painting, discussing, singing, etc.
Pray a living rosary.
Tip #3: Make rosaries or find someone to donate rosaries for each student. It is very likely that many students do not have their own personal rosaries. Try to give them one to use and pray with in class and at home.
Consider the following activities for teaching teenagers the Rosary:
Read this excerpt from The Catholic Spirit that includes a Stream of Consciousness Prayer to Mary, then use the discussion questions to analyze the story.
Our Lady of Lourdes Lesson Plan
Our Lady of Guadalupe Prayers and Lessons
Pray the Hail Mary in Latin
Immaculate Conception
Read this Hail Mary Reflection
Feast of the Immaculate Conception lessons
(Photo by Eddie Callaway)
We received 228 essays as part of the Brother André Bissette Scholarship Contest sponsored by Ave Maria Press. We express our deep gratitude to the students who took time to explore the life of Brother André and the events surrounding his canonization on October 17. As an apostolate of the Congregation of Holy Cross, we rejoice in the life of Brother André and thank God for his example of perseverance, devotion, and humility. We are pleased to announce that Katie Gajdositk of Roncalli High School in Manitowoc, Wisconsin is the winner of a $500 scholarship.Katie is a dedicated student and enjoys studying Math. Outside of school, she plays soccer for Roncalli and also in a local club. She loves music, and plays the piano, harp, and organ. Katie also sings in a select choral group called "Roncalli Singers." She is unsure of her future career plans, but thinks that music would be an interesting field of study. When Katie was in seventh grade, she traveled to St. Joseph's Oratory with her family and remembers it well. Katie is the student of Mrs. Mary Ann Teshima. Mrs. Teshima is also a winner of a complete set of textbooks from Ave Maria Press. Ninety-one of her students submitted essay. Katie's winning essay follows.St. Joseph’s Apostle Aflred Bessette’s life can be summed up in one word: Poor. He had poor health, was poorly educated, and was poor financially in that he didn’t have money for anything extra. In fact, later in life, he would charge a nickel for haircuts to boys to save for a shrine to St. Joseph on the mountain. But Alfred was rich in faith, humility, and kindness, so he was successful despite his poverty. And as the beatitude goes: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for they shall see God. The man we know as Bl. Br. André Bessette was born Alfred Bessette. He was such a sickly infant that his parents baptized him soon after birth. By age twelve, Alfred was an orphan. His siblings drifted apart, and he went from job to job maintaining a humble lifestyle. His temporary occupations varied from farm boy, tinsmith, blacksmith, baker, and cobbler, and he was even a coachman. Alfred Bessette did not live an easy, comfortable life, but he always had a positive attitude, and even brought hope to suffering. He pointed out the good in bearing crosses: “People who suffer have something to offer to god. When they succeed in enduring their suffering, that is a daily miracle.” In 1870, Alfred wanted to enter the Congregation of Holy Cross in Montreal. His poor health made the superiors doubt his ability, but they accepted him. He was given the name Brother André, and put at the position of doorman. He was known to say, “When I entered the community, my superiors showed me the door, and I remained there forty years without leaving.” Brother André was always happy when doing good work, no matter the job. It is another way his humble nature shone through. Alfred had always had a devotion to St. Joseph. When people came to him for help, he would often tell them to pray to St. Joseph for his help and guidance. When André became involved in building the Oratory, he always kept St. Joseph in mind, and the monument that started as just a little chapel would become the most visited and greatest sanctuary dedicated to St. Joseph. Brother André was associated with many healings, but he always denied it. He strongly believed that it was God and St. Joseph who healed. And even though he believed that the Lord could do anything, he still believed that patients should see doctors. He said to doctors, “Your work is good. Your science was given to you by God. You must thank Him and pray to Him.” Brother André set a good example for us to live out our daily lives. When we work, we should expect nothing in return. André did a lot of volunteer work, whether it is acknowledged that way or not. In our own lives, we can and should find time to help by volunteering in some little way; working at a soup kitchen, donating clothes or money, even giving someone some of your lunch when they have none. We should be content with knowing that we helped someone in need, directly or indirectly. That is the greatest compensation we could know. Our “poor” beloved Brother André Bessette knew suffering, but he also knew much joy. It seems that his work and his prayer went on as long as he did. André is an example to us all: an example of love, humility, and strength. And through the intercession of St. Joseph, we should all pray that we can be a little more like Brother André.
Listed below are four community-building activities that can help teens in a class or parish group get to know each other better.
Give each person a piece of paper and a pen. Tell them to move around the room collecting as many autographs as they can. The person who signs their papers must also draw a distinguishing symbol (ball, musical note, car) that tells something about one of their talents or interests. After everyone has collected a fair amount of autographs, gather the group back together. Call on participants to stand, one at a time, and ask clarifying questions to the people who signed their papers about the talents or interests that were symbolized.
Play a game so that everyone can learn each others' names. Ask everyone to think of an adjective for themselves that begins with the same sound as the first letter of their names; for example: "Mischievous Mike" or "Energetic Ellen." Form a circle with the whole group. Choose one person to share his or her adjective and name. The next person repeats the first person's adjective and name. The third person repeats the adjectives and names of the first two people and tells his or her own. Continue the process all the way around the circle. Allow neighbors to help anyone who gets stuck.
Divide the participants into small groups. Give each group a piece of newsprint marked with a time line covering the next twenty years of their lives marked in five-year intervals. Also distribute crayons or colored markers to each group. Tell the participants to print words or symbols near specific ages on the time line to show how they imagine their lives in those years. When everyone has printed something, have them go around the group and ask one question that seeks clarification of the meaning of symbol or word.
Provide a roll or two of toilet paper. Have the participants sit in a circle. Show them a large roll of toilet paper. Tell the group that you are going to pass around the roll and that everyone should take as many sheets as they want. (Each person should take at least one sheet.) After the roll has been around the entire group, explain that each person must tell something about themselves for every sheet they took. Some people may have to only tell one thing; others will have many things to tell.
Instruction manuals aren't needed for typical textbooks. But for e-textbooks a quick tutorial might be in order. In the video below you will see a brief overview of the tools provided by the Xplana e-textbook e-reader.
Jared Dees, Adolscent Catechetical Specialist at Ave Maria Press provides a "how to guide" on the following topics: Navigation - Using the Table of Contents - Shifting from a 1 to 2 page spread - Zooming-in and zooming-out- Jumping to a specific page Bookmarking - How to bookmark pages and return to them quickly Highlighting - Highlighting texts or vocabulary term definitions - Viewing highlighted texts saved separately from the book - Searching highlighted text Note-taking - How to attach a note to a page - How to add a website or video link to a page - How to search notes - How to export notes For more information about Ave Maria Press textbooks and e-textbooks, visit www.avemariapress.com.
On Sunday September 19, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI beatified Cardinal John Henry Newman, Catholic convert and exceptional apologist. Newman was ordained an Anglican priest but after a number of years reading the writings of early Church Fathers, Newman felt called to enter into the Catholic Church. Twenty-two years after his ordination into the Anglican Church, he was welcomed into the Roman Catholic Church in 1846.
Objectives:
• SWBAT describe the life of Bl. John Henry Cardinal Newman.
• SWBAT describe why he converted to Catholicism.
• SWBAT describe his key contributions to Catholic theological thought.
• SWBAT defend a Catholic doctrine using his writings.
Assessments:
• Paragraph Report
• Argument Outline
Reading Material Needed:
• Pope Benedict XVI’s homily at Cardinal Newman's beatification.
• John Paul II’s letter to Archbiship of Birmingham to open his cause for beatification.
• Writings of Blessed John Henry Newman: www.newmanreader.org
Teaching Methods
Day 1
1. Prayer from John Henry Newman (from Pope Benedict XVI’s homily on the day of his beatification)
Praise to the Holiest in the height
And in the depth be praise;
In all his words most wonderful,
Most sure in all his ways!
(The Dream of Gerontius).
2. Explain the day’s objectives:
Describe the life of Cardinal John Henry Newman
Describe why JHN converted to Catholicism
Defend a Catholic doctrine using JHN’s writings
3. Present images of John Henry Newman to familiarize students with his appearance. (Google image search John Henry Newman)
4. Have students do online searches on computers to create a mind map, outline, timeline, or other form of note-taking on the life of John Henry Newman. Some specific websites might include:
www.newmanreader.org
The Catholic Encyclopedia: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10794a.htm
SQPN: http://saints.sqpn.com/blessed-john-henry-newman
5. Have them use these notes to write a short paragraph report on his life. Assign for homework if necessary.
Day 2
1. Prayer (from Bl. John Henry Cardinal Newman):
God created me
to do him some definite service;
he has committed some work to me
which he has not committed to another.
I have my mission -
I may never know it in this life,
but I shall be told it in the next...
Therefore, I will trust him...
If I am in sickness,
my sickness may serve him;
in perplexity,
my perplexity may serve him;
if I am in sorrow,
my sorrow may serve him...
He does nothing in vain;
he may prolong my life,
he may shorten it,
he knows what he is about.
2. Create a class mind-map based on the reports. Have students silently come to the board to add to the mind map or write their suggestions as they share them out loud.
3. Think-Pair-Share Class Discussion: Why did John Henry Newman convert to Catholicism? Have students think or write individually about why they JHN converted, then have them discuss their thoughts with a partner. Have students share their thoughts and discussion with the class.
4. Have students revisit their paragraph reports. Below their reports, have them write what additional information they would add to the report to help readers understand why Bl. John Henry Newman joined the Roman Catholic Church.
5. Provide students with a list of topics they could spend some time researching related to the writings of Bl. John Henry Cardinal Newman. As a convert, Newman was a wrote prolifically to defend the faith for which he dedicated his life. Topics could include: the Real Presence in the Eucharist, sola scriptura, apostolic tradition, purgatory, indulgences, the divinity of Christ, intercession/praying to the saints, the priesthood, devotion to Mary, the perpetual virginity of Mary, and the immaculate conception of Mary. Have students use the website www.newmanreader.org to find Newman’s writings related to these topics. Use the search feature to find the write work.
6. (If necessary, choose a specific topic and direct students to certain readings. For example, if you choose a topic on Mary, use excerpts from Newman’s Letter to Dr. Pusey.)
Video about Newman’s Beatification:
