|
This week in Faith Formation, the students engaged in a lesson centered around the theme of Gratitude and Thanksgiving, focusing on blessings that are often taken for granted. Inspired by the book "Thankful" by Eileen Spinelli, the students explored the concept of appreciating essential workers and the people in their everyday lives. The class also enjoyed creating Gratitude Jars, and then wrote or drew things they were thankful for on slips of paper. During a circle discussion, they shared one thing they put in their jars and expressed why they were thankful for it. Everyone was encouraged to continue adding to their Gratitude Jars at home, sharing their reflections during Thanksgiving dinner with their families. Thanksgiving
For each new morning with its light, For rest and shelter of the night, For health and food, For love and friends, For everything thy goodness sends. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
0 Comments
Last week, the students’ focus was on the theme "Spreading God's Love: World Peace through Random Acts of Kindness." The objective was to help children understand the concept of world peace and emphasize how simple acts of kindness can contribute to making the world a better place. Miss Elsa's class discussed simple things, such as sharing toys, helping a friend, or saying kind words, then created a craft to reinforce the lesson.  The older group discussed the Starfish story, emphasizing the value of helping, even if on a small scale. The students brainstormed ways that they could each make a small difference through random acts of kindness then made ribbons and buttons expressing sentiments of hope and peace. In addition, they presented white awareness ribbons to the adult formation groups, explaining their significance and distributing them at the conclusion of the class. Last week, Miss Elsa’s class discussed All Saints’ day as a time to commemorate the generations of men and women who have faithfully served God and the Church throughout history, as well as those who continue to be witnesses to Christ in the world today. The concept of saints being found in all walks of life was emphasized. Children were encouraged to think about saints whose stories are found in the Bible and other books, whether they are famous or not. The class also talked about the special vestments worn by the priest on feast days and enjoyed seeing the miniature chasubles, each in a different liturgical color. The lesson concluded with a prayer, thanking God for all the saints and expressing gratitude for His love and care.  The older group was led by Deacon Geoffrey who began with a discussion about All Saints’ Day and invited students to share their thoughts on people they admire in their lives and then discussed known saints. Geoffrey explained that the saints serve as examples of living according to these principles, showcasing what it means to have God in our midst and live a life aligned with the Beatitudes. The class also visited the All Saints’ Chapel, where various saints are depicted in stained glass and on embroidered chairs, providing visual representations for discussion. Geoffrey showed us the beautiful candle stand which he made by hand, and discussed the idea that human creativity is a reflection of the divine and a way to participate in God's generative process. The lesson concluded with the lighting of a candle and a moment of reflection and prayer. Thank you, Deacon Geoffrey, for sharing your time and wisdom with us! This past week, Miss Elsa’s class focused on the Land of Israel and learned about the significance of Nazareth, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem in the life of Jesus, emphasizing that great things come from seemingly small places. The lesson included a globe and a puzzle map to visually represent these locations and engage the students in understanding the physical places associated with Jesus' life events. The key doctrinal point is that Jesus was a real historical figure, born in Bethlehem, conceived by the Holy Spirit in Nazareth, and crucified and resurrected in Jerusalem. Students enjoyed making salt dough in preparation for creating a topographical map of Israel in their next lesson. The older students discussed the concept of stewardship and caring for God's creation. We reflected on how everything in the universe is interconnected, and each of us has a unique and special place within it. Stewardship, defined as the responsibility of supervising or taking care of something, was a central theme. We began with an opening prayer that emphasized recognizing the dignity of all creatures and the importance of caring for the planet. The prayer expressed gratitude for the diversity of God's creation and the need for humility, justice, and love in our approach to caring for the Earth. We also watched videos highlighting examples of creation care, including sustainable agriculture (aquaponics), sustainable forestry, eating local, and upcycling. Additionally, we checked on the progress of our own aquaponics project--the fish are thriving and the seeds have sprouted!  Holy God, your mercy is over all your works, and in the web of life each creature has its role and place. We praise you for ocelot and owl, cactus and kelp, lichen and whale; we honor you for whirlwind and lava, tide and topsoil, cliff and marsh. Give us hearts and minds eager to care for your planet, humility to recognize all creatures as your beloved ones, justice to share the resources of the earth with all its inhabitants, and love not limited by our ignorance. This we pray in the name of Jesus, who unifies what is far off and what is near, and in whom, by grace and the working of your Holy Spirit, all things hold together. Amen  |
RSS Feed