WEEK 1 (September 19, 2021)
Would You Rather (Pick your Choice)
- Would you rather eat out by yourself or at home with your family?
- Be the oldest or youngest child?
- Have your own family reality show or have your own family band?
- Eat moldy bread or moldy cheese?
- Wear winter clothes all year long or wear summer clothes all year long?
- Ride the bus or walk to school?
- Eat spicy wings or ice cream?
- Be a famous baker or a famous BBQ master?
- Have super strength or super hearing?
- Would you rather have a mansion or a private jet?
Scripture and where it came from
The Bible is also called Sacred Scripture. It is divided into the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament has 46 books. It was written before Jesus. The New Testament has 27 books. It is the story of the life of Jesus. The Bible was told orally and the stories and accounts of events were told over and over. Then it was written down on scrolls. The Bible was written by men and was inspired by God. The Holy Spirit guided them to write the Bible in words we could understand. What are some people you know from the Bible? What are some stories you remember from the Bible?
Have your parents email your answers to stroseparishdre@gmail.com.
WEEK 2 (September 26, 2021)
Prayer on page 32, their intentions and One Hail Mary
What is scripture? (6.1.1,6.1.2)
Read Genesis 12:1-7, 15:1-6 Abram was 86 he had a son with Hagar. His name was Ishmael. 17:1-7,15-19,21:1-6 (Or story on page 28.) Tell the story of Abraham and Sarah Sarai (sare i)
Abram to Abraham (father of many)
Talk about faith. What is faith? Believing in something we can’t see.
Abraham and Sarah had great faith in God to leave their families and familiar land. They trusted that what God had told them would come true. Isaac’s birth was a sign of the special relationship between God and Abraham and Sarah. (6.3.1)
When God asked Abraham to follow him he was beginning a special relationship with the Hebrew people-the ancestors of the Jewish people. Because of Abraham’s great faith God made him the father of great descendants. Abraham is the patriarch of the Jewish people.
Muslims, Jews and Christians trace their religion back to Abraham. Page 29. Muslims believe that Ishmael went to Mecca and his descendants became Muslims and Isaac’s descendants became Jews.
We learn about God by reading scripture.
Revelation– God reveals himself in words and deeds.
How do we speak to God? Prayer (6.3.13)
Where do we see God? In creation, the Sacraments, the liturgy (Mass), and in the good works of people.
Abraham and Sarah obeyed God completely. Mary, Mother of Jesus, trusted God. When the angel told Mary she would be the Mother of God’s son she didn’t understand but she said yes.
How do you think Abraham and Sarah felt when they were wandering far from their own land?
Think of a time when God helped you face a challenging situation. How did you trust in God help you overcome your fears? What did this teach you about trusting God?
Mary, mother of Jesus, also had great faith in God. When the angel told her she would be the mother of God’s Son. She didn’t understand but she said yes. (6.3.4)
Talk about Guardian Angels and make a guardian angel prayer card.
Tear out the take home page for chapter 1 and chapter 2 and take home.
Final blessing
Color the angel and cut it out. Paste it on one side of cardstock and the prayer on the other side of the card stock. October 2 is the Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels.
Angel of God
My guardian dear
To whom god’s love commits me here
Ever this day be at my side
To light and guard
To rule and guide
amen
WEEK 3 (October 3, 2021)
We begin with the Lord’s Prayer and student intentions. Then Abraham and Sarah, faith and revelation from earlier weeks.
We read chapter 2. Please do all activities and the chapter review. Also complete the “faith in action” page.
What is a sacrifice? An act of unselfish giving. It is also a ritual offering made to God by a priest on behalf of the people. (6.4.2)
What are some choices you make everyday?
Which choice could affect someone else’s life in a good way?
Discuss personal qualities, such as love or courage, that each sacrifice requires. What are some things you can sacrifice? Time, money, comfort, desires.
Do the ball and rice visual. Fill a container with rice and put a ball on top and the lid will not fit. Put the ball in first then the rice and the lid will fit. The ball represents God and the rice represents the things in our life. Put God first and the rest fits.
The Abraham and Isaac story (Chapter 2). Isaac was between 20-33 when God asked Abraham to take him up the mountain. Read page 38 and connect the story to the Easter vigil. Every time we celebrate Mass we are celebrating the sacrifice God made for us by his only begotten son. (6.3.1)The Eucharist we celebrate is the true presence of Jesus. On the altar the bread and wine become the body and blood of Jesus.
Why did Abraham attempt to sacrifice Isaac?
Why do you think God put Abraham to the test?
Sacrificial offerings were a customary part of many ancient civilizations. They would sacrifice their best lamb or animal, because God deserves the best. Some people that worshiped pagan gods thought their sacrifices would please the gods and then they would stay on the gods’ good side. We don’t give God our best because we want something in return, we give to God because we show our love and appreciation to him.
Page 42 explains the sacrifice of Eucharist during the Mass.
We talked about St. Francis and said his prayer. Read some of the St Francis book about his sacrifices. We celebrate St Francis October 4. He loved animals and the environment.
Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.
WEEK 4 (October 10, 2021)
Pray litany of Mary
Talk about the Rosary: We aren’t sure who started the rosary. It grew in popularity after stories of St Dominic claimed Our Lady gave it to him. The month of October each year is dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary. This is primarily due to the fact that the liturgical feast of Our Lady of the Rosary is celebrated annually on October 7. It was instituted to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary in gratitude for the protection that she gives the Church in answer to the praying of the Rosary by the faithful. It is not magic. We don’t pray 5 rosaries so God will give us something we want. We pray because we love God and want to be closer to him. Prayer makes us stronger and able to handle difficult situations. (6.2.2)
There is more than one way to pray the Rosary. Some of the prayers are different but the main format is always the same. 10 Hail Marys, 1 Our Father and One Glory Be.
There are different mysteries that we focus on during our rosary prayer. 1 The Joyful Mysteries are the joyful events of Jesus’ childhood. 2. Mysteries of Light are about the public life of Jesus. 3. Sorrowful Mysteries remind us how much Jesus loves us. They recall how he suffered and died for us. 4. Glorious Mysteries are about what happened after Jesus died. When praying the Rosary the mystery will be announced and you will think about it while you pray.
We pray the Rosary to honor Mary. We are not praying to Mary, we are asking her to pray for us to Jesus. (6.3.4)(6.2.11)(6.1.4)
If the weather is nice we will walk over to the statue at the rectory. A decade is 10 beads. We will pray 2 decades.
Pray Litany of Mary
Leader: Lord, have mercy
All: Lord, have mercy
Leader: Christ, have mercy
All: Christ, have mercy
Leader: Lord, have mercy
All: Lord, have mercy
Holy Mary, Pray for us.
Holy Mother of God, Pray for us
Mother of Christ, Pray for us
Mother of good counsel, Pray for us
Mother of our creator, Pray for us
Mother of our savior, Pray for us
Mirror of justice, Pray for us
Seat of Wisdom, Pray for us
Cause of our joy, Pray for us
Mystical rose, Pray for us
Ark of the covenant, Pray for us
Refuge of sinners, Pray for us
Morning star, Pray for us
Help of Christians, Pray for us
Queen of angels, Pray for us
Queen of all Saints, Pray for us
Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, Pray for us
Queen of Peace, Pray for us
Leader: Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
All: That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Leader: Let us pray: Grant, we call on you, almighty God, that we your faithful, who rejoice in the name and under the protection of the most holy Virgin Mary, may, by her loving intercession, be delivered from all evils here on earth and be made worthy to reach eternal glory in the life to come. Through Christ Our Lord.
All: Amen
WEEK 5 (October 17, 2021)
This week, we began with the Hail Mary prayer and personal intentions. Who can you pray for today? We worked on Chapter 3, and watched a short video about Jacob, Isaac & Esau. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGs1WfRKIoM. Please do all of the activities, the chapter review and the faith in action activity for chapter 3.
St. Francis’s Canticle of the Sun — Look this up and read it!
Review Abraham and Sarah, Abraham and Isaac
Faith
What is a covenant? A sacred agreement or relationship
What is a patriarch? Male leader of a family
What was the agreement between God and Abraham? In return for Abraham’s faithfulness to
God, God promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations
Signs of God’s Covenants
Outward signs of covenant
Rainbow was a covenant with Noah and his descendants that the waters will never
again flood and destroy all flesh
Sabbath was a covenant with the Israelites, if they followed God’s commandments he
promised blessings.
Signs of an agreement. Handshake, signature, words, exchanging rings at a wedding.
Isaac honored the covenant the Lord had made with his father, but Isaac’s wife Rebecca was
unable to have children.
The story of Jacob and Esau. God’s Story (Youtube)
Catholics have the opportunity to renew our commitment to God and his Son, Jesus
through the sacraments.
God calls us to bear witness to our faith, in our words and through our actions. What is
our part in the covenant, we are a covenant people.
Page 49-How we keep covenants everyday.
WEEK 6 (October 24, 2021)
We begin this week’s less on nt reciting the Our Father Prayer. Then we worked on chapter 6. Please do all activities, the chapter review and the faith in action activity. We close with the Prayer of Sorrow:
“My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart. In choosing to do wrong and failing to do what is right, I have sinned against You whom I should love above all things, I firmly intend, with Your help, to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin.” Ask God’s forgiveness!
WEEK 7 (October 31, 2021)
We begin by praying the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and the Glory Be prayers. Then we talked about eternal rest and what the means.
All Saints and All Souls
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
And let perpetual light shine upon them.
May the souls of all of the faithful departed,
Through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen
The kids decorated candles with the names of their loved ones that have died. They wrote the names on the candle with a sharpie and decorated them with stickers. We lit them and added them to our prayer table. The kids took turns sharing memories of their loved ones.
They took the candles home and can light them during family prayer time to remember those loved ones.
We discussed that we pray for our beloved dead and hope they are in heaven with God. We discussed purgatory and how our prayers help our loved ones in purgatory.
We discussed having a Mass prayed for our family members or friends in their memory and how candles by the saints statues in church can be lit in their memory as well.
All Saints day recognizes the saints that have died and gone to heaven that are not named by the Church. Our loved ones that are in heaven are saints. We are all called to live like saints. We read the story of St. Rose of Lima and the kids talked about their favorite saint.
WEEK 8 (November 7, 2021)
This week, we prayed the Hail Mary & the Glory Be prayers. We worked on chapter 5. Please do all the activities, the chapter review and the faith in action activity. Have a wonderful week!
WEEK 9 (November 14, 2021)
This week we are watching the movie “The Prince of Egypt,” which is about Moses and the Ten Commandments. Here’s a shorter video about Moses: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHKFvxgQOFI.
WEEK 10 (November 21, 2021)
We prayed the Our Father.
This video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDjha_ubRB8) has the daily reading for Christ the King.
We talked about why Christ was a different kind of king than other kings. Why we should follow his example? The fact that he was born in a stable where animals ate and slept instead of in royalty in a castle. He protects us from sin. He loves us and wants what’s best for us, not like worldly kings that abuse their power.
We talked about the church year and that Christ the King was the last Sunday of the Church calendar. Advent is next week. The advent wreath and what it means. Take a look at these Advent Prayers and Blessings. Also, read about Christ the King. Happy Thanksgiving!!
WEEK 11 (December 5, 2021)
Pray
O God of hope, you sent your messenger John the Baptist, who tells us to be prepared. It sounds so easy, yet there are so many preparations and so little time. As our schedules get cluttered with activities this time of year, we light these two candles to remind ourselves that Advent is a gift to us. We pause amid the busyness to prepare our hearts for the mystery and the magic of Christmas. We light these candles in the name of Jesus, the Christ, who comes as light to the world. Amen.
Read the readings of the day
Discuss the Gospel reading
Set up a row of dominos and talk about how our choices have consequences John the Baptist chose to prepare the way of the Lord and started a chain reaction as others chose to prepare the way of the Lord through their baptism and repentance. The season of Advent is a time when we focus on making good choices so that we have made ourselves ready to receive Jesus when he comes.
Pray the Act of Contrition
The Exodus
Read the Story of the Exodus in your book
Talk about what the Exodus means.
At the burning bush God revealed his sacred name to Moses, Yahweh, “I am who I am.” God is the only god who exists forever. No one created God; he created everything and everyone and only he has the power to create.
This is one of the most important saving acts of God.
WEEK 12 (December 12, 2021)
This week, we start with prayer. Who can you pray about this Advent? Then, we work on chapter 7. Please do all activities, the chapter review, and the faith in action activity. Then. Look at page 93. Have a great week!
WEEK 14 (January 9, 2021)
This week, we began with the Our Father Prayer and Petitions on page 87. We also worked on chapter 7. Please complete all activities, the chapter review and the faith in action activities. Also, look at 7A and 7B in the chapter. Finally, complete the worksheets listed:
WEEK 15 (January 30, 2022)
This week we begin watching the movie “Son of God.” You can access it here: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5i6mqj. We will finish watching the movie next week!
WEEK 16 (February 6, 2022)
This week we finished watching the “Son of God” movie and prayed the Our Father Prayer. Have a great week!
WEEK 17 (February 13, 2022)
This week, we begin wit the Hail Mary prayer. We finished our “Son of God” movie. We used paper hearts to write things we can do to show love to others and then made a bouquet. We made cars for Veterans and talked about today’s Mass readings. Have a Happy Valentine’s Day!
WEEK 18 (February 27, 2022)
Today we said the Rosery prayer with all of our CCD friends for world peace (especially in the Ukraine). Then we talked about Lent and the readings for today.
WEEK 19 (March 6, 2022)
This week, we begin with the Our Father Prayer. Then, we looked at pages 245-249 in the back of our books (about Lent). Please do all activities. Then look at some information on Reconciliation. Read through the Examination of Conscience and God’s Gift of Forgiveness.
WEEK 20 (March 13, 2022)
This week, we read pages 132 to 134 and discussed the Prodigal Son (a parable found in Luke 15:11-32). We talked about how God always welcomes us home. We made a doors out of popsicle sticks and included a welcome sign on them.
WEEK 21 (March 20, 2022)
This week, we did the Stations of the Cross at church and reviewed what we learned last week.
WEEK 22 (March 27, 2022)
This week, we began by praying for the Ukraine. Then, we worked on chapter 14. Please do all activities, the chapter review, and the faith in action activities. Have a great week!
WEEK 23 (April 3, 2022)
This week we begin by praying the Our Father and Hail Mary prayers. We worked on chapter 20. Please do all activities, the chapter review, and the faith in action activity. Also, read pages 228-229. Finally, make a cross out of construction paper. Have a great week!
WEEK 24 (April 10, 2022)
This week we begin with the Our Father and the Hail Mary Prayers. Then, we read pages 249-252. Do the activities on pages 249 and 251. Have a Happy Easter!