This Issue

• Just Do—and Say—it!
• For Principals and School Boards
• For Educators
• For Parents
• Forming Adult Faith
• Compendium Corner

Just Do—and Say—It!

During the month of April, we move through the end of Lent into Holy Week, and begin the mystagogical journey of Easter. The readings for the Sundays in April declare clearly tells us what we are to do and to say as a response to our faith in God.

We are repeatedly called to bear witness to the one who has loved us and saved us—what we do. We are also compelled to serve others as the Lord has served us by caring for those in need and keeping God’s commandments. The Gospel of John on Holy Thursday, Acts, and 1 John name practical ways in which we must act toward others. We confess that Jesus Christ is Lord simply, clearly, and to everyone we encounter—what we say. Isaiah, Paul, and John, in the words of Thomas, echo these two commands.

This issue of To Teach highlights various opportunities throughout the month when we can respond to the readings and do and say in ways that tell others that we believe.

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For Principals and School Boards

• Use quotes from the many writings of Pope John Paul II, especially his annual World Youth Day reflection, during morning announcements throughout the month.
• Create a display in the school library on Pope John Paul II, highlighting his encyclicals like On the Most Holy Rosary and On the Eucharist, his World Youth Day trips, his poetry and other writing, and any biographies, videos, or DVDs on his life and ministry.
• Promote peace on April 26-27 in support of International Prayer for Peace in the Spirit of Assisi, an event that remembers Pope John Paul II's historic interreligious gathering in Assisi, Italy, in 2002. Display a list of the top five or ten ways to act peacefully in your school. Encourage all students to write a prayer for peace on paper and put the prayers in a bowl in a central area. Encourage teachers, school board members, and staff to review the materials from on the International Prayer for Peace.
• Post the stations of the cross in a well-traveled hallway during Holy Week. Invite students to create the stations during art class or ask a teacher or parent who is an artist to share their gifts with the school by creating a set of stations. Encourage students, teachers, and staff to pray with the stations during breaks, changes of class, and homeroom.
• Invite the pastor, deacon, and any other clergy that work with the parish to a celebration in the school on Monday, April 30, National Clergy Day, to thank them for their commitment to the priesthood and your parish.
• Schedule time during your next staff meeting for any of your teachers and staff who are attending the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) convention in Baltimore, MD, April 10-13, to share ideas and resources from their workshops and sessions. Encourage them to look for specific ideas on how to promote the Catholic identity of the school.

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For Educators

• Celebrate the anniversary of death of Pope John Paul II (April 2) by reminding your students about his life, ministry, and works. Ask several students to research different parts of his life (e.g., his childhood, his seminary days, years as a priest and bishop, his pontificate), then present the information to the rest of the class or school in creative ways like skits, posters, or exhibits.
• Research the role and history of the papacy using your religion textbook and the Internet, especially the Vatican website. Highlight the importance of young people during Pope John Paul II’s life at the many World Youth Days.
• Explore the Catholic Church’s relationship with other religious traditions, especially those represented in your community, using resources Catholic Evangelization in an Ecumenical Society.
• Assign a religious tradition to small groups of students, and have them prepare a poster about the tradition to present to the class. Host a "talk show” and interview a representative from each group on the history and current status of the relationship between Catholics and the tradition they studied.
• During Holy Week, use one of the activity suggestions for Operation Rice Bowl and remind your students to continue to put money into their bowl for Operation Rice Bowl and to bring it to church on Holy Thursday.
• Invite a leader from a local Jewish congregation before or during Holy Week to talk about the relationship betweens Jews and Catholics with a special focus on the issue of the death of Jesus.
• Create a set of the stations of the cross for your classroom. Use A Journey to Calvary: The Way of the Cross for the Terminally Ill or Way of the Cross as models.
• Ask your pastor to be a guest speaker on Monday, April 30, National Clergy Day, and talk about the priesthood, how he decided to become a priest, and why the boys in your class should consider the priesthood.
• If you will be attending the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) convention in Baltimore, MD, April 10-13, look for speakers and resources that will help you better address the mission and goals of your school for the next school year.
• Download the podcasts for the readings for Triduum and play them for your students as you review the readings before the Easter break.
• Practice one section of the Creed during the weeks after Easter. Highlight the statements of belief in that section and what Bible passages support that belief.
• Reenact the Passover meal that Jesus had with his disciples with your students. Ask them to identify the similarities and differences between the Passover meal and Mass.
• Show the DVD Come to the Water and discuss the Easter symbols with your students. Invite them to share stories of their Baptism, Confirmation (if appropriate), and First Eucharist.

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For Parents

• Include a prayer to Pope John Paul II (see the ending paragraphs of his many papal writings or the Prayer for Peace) before bedtime on April 2, the anniversary of his death.
• Read the Gospels for each day of Triduum with your children in the morning before going to services that day. Spend time looking up words or terms in the readings like "Golgotha” or "Pilate” on the Internet.
• Download the podcasts for the readings for Triduum and play them with your family as you prepare for the services of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter.
• Participate in the stations of the cross in your local parish on Good Friday or pray the stations of the cross as a family sometime during that day.
• Include the Nicene or Apostles’ Creed as part of bedtime prayer during the Easter season. Remind your children that the creed is a statement of our beliefs. Discuss any parts of the creed that they do not understand.
• Before going to Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter services, talk with your children about the symbols in the Triduum services like bread and wine, water, the cross, oil, and light. Note how you use these objects in daily life, what they mean in that context, and what they mean during the services.
• Support the collection for the Holy Land on Good Friday.
• Contribute to the collection to the Catholic Home Missions Appeal, April 29. This Appeal helps strengthen the Catholic Church in the parishes and dioceses where resources are limited and priests are few.

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Forming Adult Faith

"Forming Adult Faith" includes suggestions from the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults (USCCA) on how to promote ongoing faith formation among the adults in your school community.

There are four chapters from the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults that address what we are called to do and say, and how we are to act.

• Chapter 8. The Saving Death and Resurrection of Christ
• Chapter 17. The Eucharist: Source and Summit of the Christian Life
• Chapter 23. Life in Christ—Part One
• Chapter 24. Life in Christ—Part Two

Note: Because they focus on the Ten Commandments, chapters 25-34 provide additional information and reflections on how to live out the call to serve others.

Both individuals and groups—a full staff or a grade level gathering—can use the following suggestions. Most suggestions can be completed in 10-15 minutes.

• As part of your prayer on Good Friday, read Chapter 8 and spend some time thinking and writing on the first discussion question on pg. 98 about the relationship between discipleship and the cross. Visit your school chapel or your parish church and pray the stations of the cross.
• Prepare for the Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper by reading chapter 17. Pay special attention to the section, "The Eucharist Transforms the Recipient." Make some notes on how weekly Eucharist and any school Masses transform you. Revisit those notes during the three days of the Triduum. Add to or elaborate on your notes after Holy Thursday and Easter Mass. In what ways is your experience of the Eucharist this year calling you to transform your personal and professional lives?
• Using Chapters 23 and 24 as starting points, how is your faith nourished and sustained so that ou can share your faith with others in your words and actions? What are the obstacles that your witness to your faith need to overcome during this Easter season?

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Compendium Corner

"Compendium Corner" provides a list of questions and answers in the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church that are related to this month’s topic. (The number before the question is the question number in the Compendium.)

• Review the questions and answers in preparation for your class.
• Consider how to use appropriate questions and answers as part of your lesson plan.
• Develop learning activities that help youths and young adults learn this information by heart (memorization).
  

79. What is the Good News for humanity?
80. How is the Good News spread?
81. What is the meaning of the name "Jesus"?
84. What is the meaning of the title "Lord"?

To obtain a copy of the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, visit www.usccbpublishing.org or call 800-235-8722.

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