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Last week, the younger students explored Lent as a season of “making space” for God’s love as we prepare for Easter. We began at the prayer table, noticing the purple cloth and veiled crosses, and discussing how these Lenten signs invite a quieter, more reflective spirit and help us anticipate the joy of Easter. We also introduced the three Lenten practices—prayer, fasting, and almsgiving—framing fasting as doing “less of one good thing so we can do more of another good thing.” The children discussed the Lenten service project, Alleluia Care Kits for Trinity Walk-In Ministry, and then made small clay prayer pots to help remember daily prayer throughout Lent.  The older group focused on Lenten history and the origin of pretzels. In earlier centuries, Lenten fasting practices were often stricter, and pretzels, made with very simple ingredients, fit the season’s call to simplicity and self-denial with purpose (Pruitt, 2015). Traditions often explain the twist as resembling arms crossed in prayer, making the pretzel a reminder that Lent is meant to shape our hearts toward prayerful living, not misery (Blitz, 2022). After connecting pretzels to the three Lenten practices (prayer, fasting, and almsgiving), students headed to the kitchen to shape and bake pretzels to eat and share, a tangible (and delicious) way to remember that Lent forms us through simplicity, prayer, and love in action. More fun facts about pretzels here. Sources:
Blitz, M. (2022, September 22). The religious history of pretzels. Food & Wine. Pruitt, S. (2015, April 24). The pretzel: A twisted history (Last updated May 27, 2025). HISTORY
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Last week, the younger students heard the Gospel story of Jesus calling the first disciples from Matthew 4:12–23. The class had fun playing a “Follow Me” calling game where each child was called by name then we talked about simple ways we can follow Jesus every day—kind words, helping hands, sharing, and including others. We finished with a tin foil fish craft and a short closing prayer. The older students began learning to pray with the Psalms as we prepare for Lent. We learned that the book of Psalms is full of both praise and lament and that God’s people have always used these words to speak honestly with God.We focused on Psalm 23 noticing where the Psalm names fear and where it offers comfort and trust. The students responded by painting an interpretation of Psalm 23 and closed with prayer to the Good Shepherd, asking God to stay near and guide us as Lent approaches. Last week our students explored Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:13–16 “You are the salt of the earth… you are the light of the world”. We considered why Jesus chose everyday images like salt and light and then examined different kinds of salt, noticing how each is unique, and talked about how salt brings out flavor, preserves what is good, and can lose its saltiness. We also revisited the meaning of light: it isn’t meant to be hidden, and when it shines it helps others see and leads them to praise God. As a creative activity, students made colored-salt stencil art. The older Level III students popped popcorn and sampled a variety of flavored salts as a fun tie-in to the lesson, then brought popcorn to share with the younger students as a snack. We closed with prayer, asking Jesus to help us live as salt and light in our daily lives—bringing kindness, courage, and God’s love wherever we go.   Last week. we learned about The Presentation in the Temple (Luke 2:22–40), also known as, Candlemas, and the message that Jesus is the Light for all people and that God keeps His promises. We began by listening to the Scripture, including Simeon’s beautiful words calling Jesus “a light to enlighten the nations,” and noticing how both Simeon and Anna recognized Jesus through the Holy Spirit and shared the good news. After a short guided meditation with “I wonder…” questions, the students retold the story through role play, choosing parts and recalling key details (Mary and Joseph bringing Jesus, the offering of two doves, Simeon’s joyful proclamation, and Anna praising God and telling others). We also talked about why the Church uses candles—as a visible sign of Christ’s presence, prayer, and reverence, then processed together to the refectory, where we lit candles and prayed quietly, “Jesus, be our light.” To close, each child made a beeswax candle (our Candlemas reminder). May we carry Christ’s light with us this week—at home, at school, and with our friends—sharing His love in the way we speak, serve, and care for one another We continued our celebration of Candlemas during Children's Liturgy of the Word, ending the morning with a jubilant rendition of "This Little of Mine" (click video below to hear us sing!) |
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