Another Vcat Video

Well worth the time with this link...
http://www.vcat.org/sacraments.html

Again, supported by the AMS and the Diocese of West Virginia!

Catholic youth videos promoted by the AMS

http://www.vcat.org/sacraments.html

I received an email from the Archdiocese for the Military Services promoting the use of these videos in Religious Education Programs.  Thank you to the Diocese of West Virginia for making these innovative videos.  These short videos are cute explanations of the Catholic faith.  I think they could work from about 4th grade up!  I love finding new things to help explain the faith in new ways! 

Contemporary Sainthood

Okay, I signed up for the read the catechism in a year Lighthouse Media and I just got a link to a short audio clip from Contemporary Sainthood by Mark Hart.  Take a listen from the link below you will be glad you did!

http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/contemporary-sainthood?utm_source=flocknote&utm_medium=youcat_email&utm_campaign=Contemporary_Sainthood_CCC

http://files.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/previews/LH_Y_28.mp3

Starting December 9th!

Click on the link below and you will receive a daily reading from the catechism to help you read it one year. 

http://flocknote.com/catechism

Free Military Download!

I love Lighthouse Media CD's.  What an easy way to learn about your Catholic faith!  My husband and I listened to several CD's when we were traveling during our PCS and even our youngest children ended up listening intently to the CD.  Lighthouse has a free monthly upload for military.  I know a lot of military families ignore this offer but it can be a life changer!! I know so many people renewed by these CDs.  Check out the link below:

https://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/military

Sister Jane Dominic Laurel

Sister Jane visited my daughter's Catholic high school and had a very positive effect on her and other students.  She is full of insight and understanding about human relationships.  The Sister Jane and Sister Peter Marie stayed on in North Dakota to attend the Thirst Conference in Bismarck.  Their love of Christ and devotion really struck a cord in my daughter's heart.  Check out her videos:

 

 

 

 

Good Ground Press

Sister Joan was very helpful to me while I was a Catholic Coordinator.  Her site is worth a visit for all sorts of Catholic resources...

http://goodgroundpress.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c836d6a038c82b502bdb60b97&id=e994cd47d7&e=b3e0f510c3

GranTurino... Second Sunday of Advent Homily

Today, our Priest gave a very memorable homily stating the similarities of today's readings with the Clint Eastwood movie, Gran Turino.  At first, the Priest asked if any of us knew the movie with Mr. Kowalski?  No one raised their hands.  Many of us wrongly assumed it must be some Polish movie since our priest if VERY Polish or maybe he was talking about General Kowalski and we are misinterpreting him.  However, Father then said, "you know this movie with Clint Eastwood, Gran Turino" as he held up the blue ray DVD with Clint Eastwood plastered on the cover.

     Ah, that got the men of the chapel to perk up their ears.  Father then explained that St. John the Baptist is telling people to change their ways and be ready and prepared for "the Jesus" (our Priest always says, "The Jesus").  In the movie Gran Turino, the old man, Mr. Kowalski, doesn't want to change, he likes things the way they always were.  But in the end he realizes the importance of change and he makes the necessary changes in his life to help his neighborhood.  I thought that the military community would like this very modern take on our Sacred Scriptures.  I guess the message of  The Jesus and the prophets can truly be found everywhere if we are just willing to look. Father ended by telling us to watch the movie with our spouse and see the message of changing our lives for The Jesus.  There is a novel Advent activity, who knew you could learn so much from Gran Turino.  Let us not become like the Pharisees and miss seeing The Jesus in the most unusual of places!

Today's Readings:
Isaiah 11:1-10
Romans 15:4-9
Matthew 3:1--12

REAL MEANING OF ADVENT in two minutes!

This is an awesome video that puts Advent in a nutshell!  Well worth the two minutes!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=S02KOlw7dlA

Time time to enjoy the season of Advent!

My dear friend posted this great music link to get us in the mood for her favorite season, Advent.  It is a time where we must not forget the meaning and purpose of the season!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=iO7ySn-Swwc

Advent is here again...

What a great Christmas site I just found!  Our ROCK program always has the students put one shoe outside their classroom so that St. Nicholas leave them a treat. There are so many special saint days in December and so little time!


http://www.stnicholascenter.org/pages/candy-bar-wrappers/

Catholic Liturgical Year

" The Liturgical Year devotedly fostered and accomplished by the Church is not a cold and lifeless representation of the events of the past, or a simple and bare record of a former age. It is rather Christ Himself Who is ever living in His Church. Here He continues that journey of immense mercy which He lovingly began in His mortal life, going about doing good, with the design of bringing men to know His mysteries and in a way live by them."
- Pope Pius XII  Mediator Dei



On my search for the perfect liturgical year printable for my second grade class, I came across this quote.  I still have not found the perfect hands-on engaging liturgical year printable but this quote seemed to sum up the importance of teaching our students about the Catholic liturgical year.  I think it is interesting that many Protestant churches have followed the Catholic tradition and follow our readings and calendar year.  Why change something that is so perfect and in tune with Christ's teachings and message.

How are we going to cover the curriculum??

Ugh, I just realized that since we had class cancelled last week due the first heavy snowfall, we will only have one real class before the end of the year!!  My DRE just informed me that half of our first class in December will be devoted to St. Nicholas (watching a movie), I kindly asked her to excuse our Second Grade Sacramental Class from the movie.  I will have my students put their shoes outside the classroom door but we need to start covering the material in our St. Joseph First Communion Catechism books (I love those books simple, beautiful, and sound Catholic teaching).  I was so hoping to teach sin and the types of sin before Christmas.  What about those Breaking Bread books I snagged from the recycle bin, oh and the liturgical year starting, and don't forget Advent!!  So much and so little time.  My DRE then informed me the second class in December will be devoted to the practice for the simple Christmas show, then the third class is just a movie night since so many students are traveling for Christmas.  Oh my word don't volunteer catechist have any say in when and what is being taught in Religious Education programs?  I have decided instead of complaining I need to get PRAYING for the Holy Spirit to rain down upon me and my class and help me efficiently plan the rest of the year with my little students.  We have all these hopes to make a memorable life changing happy memory for our students as they prepare for their First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion but this is a very big task that we can not do on our own or with the help of a DRE it has to come from God. 

Loving Bishop Sheen!

Check out this awesome site from my dear friend the super duper Catholic currently stationed in San Antonio!  This site is awesome!

http://looktohimandberadiant.blogspot.com/2013/09/sacrament-symbols.html

Use those old Missals!!

Today is Christ the King!  Our Church is preparing for a new year with the coming season of Advent.  As our Catholic Community asked each person to pull out the old missal books and deposit them in the recycle bin an idea came to me... collect the old Missals and use them with my First Communion Class!  Students LOVE getting things to keep during class. I collected enough Missals for each of my students and when we start to work on the parts of the Mass I will pass out the old Missals and let my students flip through the pages and learn how to use the Missal.  We can also use the Missal to work on Bible verses, Mass responses, liturgical year colors, Holy Days of Obligation, prayers, and so much more!!  I love when things can be used again and again for free!!

Christ the King is coming...

I'm getting excited for the Advent season but first we must celebrate an often overlooked Holy Day...Christ the King!  Here is Chris Stefanick's post to get you in the mood!

Lesson Planning sheet

For all the military Religious Educators I wanted to share my planning sheet.  No matter how much I have surfed the internet I could not find a planning sheet that worked for the hour long weekly classes we have as RE teachers. I tried to jazz it up from the sheet from the AMS.  I find that planning helps immensely improve all lessons and keeps a teacher on track.  We have so much to cover and so little time with our students.  The Standards that each grade level must cover can be found at http://www.milarch.org .

I love this site!

http://catholicblogger1.blogspot.com/

I just downloaded the Ten Commandments Game and the Baptism Game for my Second Grade RE class!  I think the kids are going to love doing some hands on learning.  This site offers so much for catechists! 

Add your ideas!

Religious Educators,
Please share your ideas on what you have seen that works for your RE program.  We have all seen effective and ineffective teachers and RE coordinators.  Please share your ideas that helped, worked, or were just fun for your chapel community.  We recently renamed our program to ROCK-Religious Organization for Catholic Kids.  I pirated the name from my civilian parish in Florida.  We had an awesome Religious Coordinator who I will not name but thank God that he put her in my path.  So many people work tirelessly for our children and the Lord spreading our Catholic faith in new and inventive ways!  If only we could all share these ideas for free!

Ah... the Military Life!

  I have been a Catholic all my life but I did not really get to KNOW my faith until I had my children.  Since I was married to my husband 16 years ago, I have also been married to the Air Force.  This Air Force life has helped me grow in my faith because my Catholic faith is the one constant, the one absolute truth and home away from, through all these years of travel and family separation.  No one knows the difficulties of military life until they have live it.  I have been an Religious Teacher for the past 13 years and I have seen a lot. From Vandenberg to Albuquerque, to England, Florida, and now Minot, we have seen a lot.  Recently, I worked for 18 months as the Minot AFB Catholic Coordinator, learning the job as I went. I would love for there to be one site where we military Catholics, could go to find support and ideas as we grow in our Catholic faith.  There is nothing like the military chapel where everything must be hidden when not in use. I don't think civilian Catholics know that the crucifix must be rolled, turned, or hidden behind drapes as soon as Mass ends.  That our tabernacles are hidden in small Blessed Sacrament Chapels and our Religious Education spaces are set up and taken down every time they are used.  Military chapels must always be "neutral" when they are not actively being used.  I understand why and I support the reasons but having to do this every day can give us many challenges that other Catholic Churches do not have.  I hope my fellow military Catholics share their experiences and ideas so we can make all of our lives easier and more fruitful as we grow in our Catholicism!

Extras

Helping Military Catholic Religious Educators!

As military Religious Education teachers we have to deal with a lot of factors other civilian RE teachers do not.  Due to the new Catholic Religious Education curriculum and standards, I wanted to start a blog to help Catholic Religious Educators find resources to help them in their classrooms!