Lessons and Activities

Thomas of Villanova is known as the Father of the Poor. He cared about people who were sick, homeless, and living in poverty. He said, “If you want God to hear your prayers, hear the voice of the poor.” He lived his life with love for others as Jesus teaches us.

Genoveva was a person of great faith and courage. She wanted to join the Carmelite Order but was not accepted due to her health. She was very disappointed, but she did not give up. She knew that God has a purpose for each of our lives.

The start of a new year is often compared to the beginning of a journey--usually emotional or spiritual. This new year is special, as it includes the Church's celebration of the Year of Faith.

In the fourth century, Augustine declared that Sacraments are sacred signs. Throughout the history of the Church, Sacraments have been connected to Christ as revelations of God and signs of grace. The histories of the various Sacraments are rich. For our purpose, we will reflect and build upon what the Second Vatican Council proclaimed about the Sacraments.

The theme of CATECHIST's January issue each year is the liturgical life of the Church and the Sacraments--what they mean to us as Catholics and the different ways we can teach about them in our classes. The United States Catholic Catechism for Adults emphasizes that that the Sacraments have a visible and invisible reality (see page 168).

One of the loveliest images of Joseph is of him leading a donkey that is carrying Mary who is pregnant with Jesus. They are traveling from their home in Nazareth to Bethlehem. The journey made by Joseph and Mary may hold more spiritual gold and meaning than the census that caused it.

by Cullen Schippe I was never any good at checkers. The stratagems of this simplest of board games elude me. My leaky defenses always leave a...

It started with a "noise like a gust of wind," explained the fourteen-year-old teen we now know as St. Bernadette Soubirous. Today, more than 150 years later, millions of pilgrims still travel to the once-small town in southern France where that gust of wind first heralded the presence of our Blessed Mother. The pilgrims come to pray for healing and reconciliation, to bathe in the waters, and to remember the 18 appearances, or apparitions, of the Virgin Mary to Bernadette at Lourdes.

Francis has been called the universal saint because almost every religious tradition recognizes and honors him. Of all the stories and legends that swirl around this great saint, one of my favorites is the story of St. Francis and the Wolf of Gubbio. It is particularly meaningful for me as a parable of true discipleship for our times.

This Complete-A-Project Bible Search activity is for teacher and students (grades 4-6) working together. It is based on Mark 10:46-52.