As citizens in the most powerful democracy on earth, we have unique opportunities to use our voices, votes, money, and time, to shape a more caring community, and a more just world. This is what it means to be a faithful witness for Christ.
As we prepare for the upcoming national election, it is helpful to be reminded that as Catholic we are obligated to involve ourselves in the political life of our country.
Make the Faithful Citizenship DVD a focus of a faculty, parent, or school board meeting. The DVD is divided into three 10-minute sections, one in English, one in Spanish, and one for teens.
Encourage history and government teachers to incorporate one or two lessons from the Faithful Citizenship lesson plans during the month.
Post voter education ideas on a school website or in your fall newsletter. Encourage parents and teachers to read about the Church's teaching on the topics that are of national and local importance.
Use resources from chapter 18 on the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation of the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults as part of prayer during your staff, PTA/PTO, or school board meeting.
With your staff, explore ways that the school can promote the Church's penitential practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving as a whole community. Look for interdisciplinary ways to introduce, discuss, and implement these practices. See Penitential Practices for Today's Catholics for background information.
Encourage staff, parents, and school board members to model our Lenten penitential practices by providing them with a list of opportunities for prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that are in or related to the school or parish community.
Distribute copies of The Challenge of Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship (English, Spanish) to students and use the summary as the basis for a class discussion, debate, or written reflection paper.
Have your students find three articles in newspapers, magazines, or online on important and current national issues. In small groups, ask them to identify the issue in each articles and why they think each issue is important. Then discuss ways the students can influence the local/national agenda on these issues.
Post the names and pictures of all candidates running for national and local elections in your classroom. Invite students to bring in articles about each candidate and post them with their pictures. Ask your students to give a summary of the article and what the candidate is saying and point out how the candidate's position supports or contradicts the Church's teaching. Conclude the presentation by praying daily for these candidates.
Ask students to make a list of the top ten questions they would ask a candidate for national office. Compare the lists, to see what common issues and questions surface. Identify how the students can get their questions answered, e.g., writing to the candidate, researching on the candidate's website, reading articles about the candidate.
Distribute copies of Themes from Catholic Social Teaching cards (English, Spanish) to your students and review the seven themes of Catholic social teaching.
Invite your diocesan social action director or other diocesan leaders to give a presentation on Catholic social teaching and participation in public life. Invite a young person from the parish or nearby school who is involved in social action issues to share his or her experiences with the class.
Create a set of "Works of Mercy" flash cards (14 total cards) with your students. (A complete list of the corporate and spiritual works of mercy can be found in "Appendix B. Formulas of Catholic Doctrine" of the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.) On one side, have them write one work of mercy and decorate it. Help them come up with ideas on how they can perform that work of mercy, and write those on the reverse side. Encourage them to perform one work of mercy each day or each week using the suggestions on their cards.
Review the three penitential practices of Lent, praying, fasting, and giving alms. (Penitential Practices for Today's Catholics is a good, brief reference on these practices.) Encourage your children to adopt one action for each of the practices, e.g., praying each morning, "fasting" from video games, and donating part of each week's allowance to the parish poor box.
Act out ontemporary versions of how Jesus wants us to behave as told in the Gospel for Ash Wednesday, Matthew 9:1-6, 16-18. Divide the class into small groups (3-5 people). Assign each group one of the three behaviors that Jesus critiques: doing good deeds, giving alms, and praying. Instruct them to create a modern version of the wrong way to act and the right way to act. Present the skits to class and talk about how they can practice the right way to act during Lent.
Read Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, paying special attention to four areas of special concern—protecting human life, promoting family life, pursuing social justice, and practicing global solidarity. Pick an appropriate topic in one of these areas and discuss it with your children, possibly as a part of a family dinner conversation.
Brainstorm, then choose an activity where you and your children can promote family life, one of the areas of special concern. Designate this activity as your family's new Lenten habit and practice it throughout the 40-day season.
Create a top ten list called "Why Voting Is Important." Share the list with your friends, neighbors, and adult relatives.
Volunteer family time to assist with your parish in distributing resources on Faithful Citizenship, making phone calls, and encouraging the community to participate in the political process. Read Readings on Catholics in Political Life for more information from papal, Vatican, and bishops' documents.
As a family, research the history of voting rights to gain a better understanding of the right to vote.
Review the seven themes of Catholic social teaching. Help your children identify how people in your community, in media, and in government practice each of the seven themes.
Use one session per week of Lent in A Call to Family, Community, and Participation as a personal reflection or reflection with your spouse on how you live out this area of Catholic social teaching.
Go to Church as a family on Ash Wednesday. Remind your children that ashes are a symbol of penance. Make a list as a family of the words and actions that you will try to avoid saying and doing during Lent. Post it in a "public" place in your home, e.g., on the refrigerator as a reminder.
Identify the ways in which you and your family can keep all three penitential practices during Lent. (For more on penitential practices, see (Penitential Practices for Today's Catholics.) Make a commitment to performing each practice as a family, e.g., praying the rosary one night each week or helping an elderly neighbor.
"Forming Adult Faith" is an ongoing feature of To Teach. It 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.
Each chapter from the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults addresses an element of Catholic faith. The following chapters touch on different aspects of the theme, "Walking with Christ."
Chapter 23 Life in Christ—Part One
Chapter 24: Life in Christ—Part Two
Chapter 29: The Fifth Commandment Promote the Culture of Life
Chapter 31: The Seventh Commandment: Do Not Steal—Act Justly
"Compendium Corner" is 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 youth and young adults learn this information by heart (memorization).
363. What is freedom?
364. What is the relationship between freedom and responsibility?
365. Why does everyone have a right to exercise freedom?
374. How is a moral conscience formed to be upright and truthful?
375. What norms must conscience always follow?
376. Can a moral conscience make erroneous judgments?
464. What are the duties of citizens in regard to civil authorities?
465. When is a citizen forbidden to obey civil authorities?
519. In what way do Christians participate in political and social life?
As citizens in the most powerful democracy on earth, we have unique opportunities to use our voices, votes, money, and time, to shape a more caring community, and a more just world. This is what it means to be a faithful witness for Christ.
