October’s Religion Teacher’s Helper

Challenge yourself to teach a new Grace before Meals this month and every month. Have your students read it, memorize and recite it, or use it for printing/cursive writing practice. Graces to choose for October: Almighty God, How many gifts you give us! Even if we spent our whole lives counting, We could never number them all. As we prepare to eat this food, let it be a sign of all the good gifts you have given to us. Make our hearts truly grateful. Amen

Loving God, for the food we are about to eat and for the life that it nourishes,

we offer You thanks. Amen

Come, Lord Jesus, Be our guest,

and may our meal by you be blessed.

Amen

Loving God, all that we have comes from your goodness and the work of those who love us. Bless us and the food we share. Watch over those who care for us.Open our eyes to the needs of the poor during this time of harvest and thanksgiving. Amen

For every cup and plateful, Lord, make us truly grateful.

Amen

October 4 – Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi Celebrate a prayer service in memory of St. Francis from the Children’s Daily Prayer 2008-2009 which was sent to your principal, found on pages 53-54. Links to Literacy 1. Write an idea journal about pets introducing the activity with the fact that St. Francis regarded every creature on Earth as his “brother” or “sister.” 2. Read a mentor text about St. Francis. One example is a beautiful picture book entitled Saint Francis of Assisi written by Robert Francis Kennedy. Consult with your librarian about other appropriate story books

3. Pray The Prayer of St. Francis…your class may want to memorize and recite it at your school’s Remembrance Day prayer service. Sing the song version of this prayer in music class.

Prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace, Where there is hatred, let me sow love; ...where there is injury, pardon; ...where there is doubt, faith; ...where there is despair, hope; ...where there is darkness, light; ...where there is sadness, joy; O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek ...to be consoled as to console; ...to be understood as to understand; ...to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; ...it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; ...and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

4. You may want to use information about St. Francis of Assisi to model a Saint’s biography research project that could be due the first week of November or use the internet to find out information about Patron saints. You may want to pray A Litany to the Saints to introduce the names of saints as a spring board for research. Visit www.catholictradition.org/Litanies/litany70.htm ... note: Traditional litanies are quite long. You will need to adapt the one at the above link to the age and attention of your students. Also, refer to the Halloween section for other ideas for including Saints into your lessons. 5. Primary: Using a resource entitled Echo Stories for Children by Page McKean Zyromski that should be in your teacher reference section of your library or ordered from the CRC, enjoy sharing the story of St. Francis and the Wolf of Gubbio, pp18-24.

October 7 - Our Lady of the Rosary

Prepare a prayer service in memory of Mary’s connection to the rosary from the Children’s Daily Prayer 2008-2009 that was sent to your principal found on pp. 58-59. Begin to each your students how to pray the rosary. Visit www.catholic.org/clife/prayers/rosary.php or www.catholicdoors.com/prayers/english/p04200.html for teachers. You should feel comfortable sending your students to www.cptryon.org/prayer/child/rosary/how.html to learn how in child friendly language. Thanksgiving

Hold a Class Prayer Service. One that is suitable for JR/INT can be found in: Children’s Daily Prayer 2008-2009, pp. 106 -107, which was sent to your principal. Link to Oral Language and Drama/Readers Theatre Junior/Intermediate: Have groups of students practice and perform the playlet, The Ten Lepers found in Acting Out The Miracles and Parables by Sr. Mary Kathleen Glavich, SND which should be in your school library. Similarly, older students can read this bible story, Luke 17: 11-19 and create a script or write a monologue in the voice of the leper who actually thanks Jesus. Links to Literacy - Writing

Primary: Write an A-Z prayer that focuses on what we are most thankful for in our lives. Eg. Thank you God for every blessing… animals, babies, cotton candy, daddies,… You could create a beautiful class or hall display if the children print and illustrate the word(s) on small banners.

Junior/Intermediate Write a Thanksgiving Psalm, modeled after a section of Psalm 107 or 136. Begin by reading the psalm. Identify which phrases are repeated. Investigate how the author structured the psalm: does it tell a story? What images are revealed. Using a repeated phrase, have the students write a psalm about their family’s history or about the things that they are truly thankful for. Use a word processing program to type out the good copy.

Thanksgiving Choral Prayer – (Psalm 65:1, 8-9, 10-11)

Solo: Blessed be the name of the Lord:

All: Now and for ever.

Solo: Our God, you deserve praise!

All: All who live under the sun celebrate and sing because of you.

Group 1: You take care of the earth and send rain

to help the soil grow all kinds of crops.

Group 2: Your rivers never run dry, and you prepare the earth to produce much grain

Group 1: You send showers of rain to soften the soil

and help the plants to sprout.

Group 2: Wherever your footsteps touch the earth, a rich harvest is gathered.

Solo: Our God, you deserve praise!

All: All who live under the sun celebrate

and sing because of you. Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now,

and will be for ever. Alleluia. Amen.

October 31: Halloween, All Saints and All Souls Day Visit the following website www.catholicmom.com/halloween.htm for a printable wordsearch and/or crossword puzzles about saints. Double click on the colouring page from the above sight that could be used to inspire a discussion about living saints and how each person is called to live life as a saint.

t DFood for thought: How should a Catholic school treat Halloween?

Halloween Although the name of this tradition is taken from the great Christian feast (All Hallows'

Eve), the observance of Halloween pranks, masquerading, "trick or treat" and similar features, are not based on any religious background nor connected with any Christian meaning. This practice has come down to us from the demon lore of the ancient Druids.

In a Catholic home, therefore, the participation of the children in such Halloween activities should

not be explained as a part of the Christian feast, because such explanations would be erroneous. It is an ancient popular custom from pagan times which has never been associated with Christian meanings. Let the children enjoy their Halloween festival, if you wish, but apart from it direct their minds to the fact that this evening is primarily a time of preparation for the great feast of All Saints,

and that after the Halloween frolics they should turn their minds to God in a devout evening prayer, and greet all the heroes of God on the eve of their feast.

Activity Source: Year of the Lord in the Christian Home, The (reprinted as Religious Customs in the Family) by Francis X. Weiser, S.J., The Liturgical Press; reprinted by TAN Books and Publishers, 1964

(from www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=1184 )

Intermediate Students may enjoy the challenge of the Saints Quiz below as a paired or group activity in the computer lab

Know Your Saints Quiz Name _______________

1. I am the apostle to the Gentiles whose letters you read in the Bible.

2. I am the first American citizen to be canonized whose work among the immigrants gave me the title of 'Patron of All Immigrants.'

3. I am the Carmelite saint whose "Little Way" shows us how offering joys and sorrows daily can make us a great saint.

4. I am the foster father of Christ and the patron of a happy death.

5. I am the cousin of Jesus who prepared the way for the Lord.

6. I am the woman who offered my veil to wipe Jesus' face when He was carrying His cross.

7. I am the apostle chosen by Christ to be head of His Church.

8. I am the missionary who made Ireland famous for its piety and learning.

9. I am the beloved apostle and the writer of the fourth gospel.

10. I am the cousin of the Blessed Virgin Mary whose baby was Presanctified.

11. I am the patron saint of music because I sang the praises of God while I was cruelly put to death.

12. I am the modern day saint who chose martyrdom rather than to be impure.

13. I am the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the grandmother of Jesus.

14. I am the valiant young girl who led France to victory over England and then suffered death by being burned at the stake.

15. I am the 'Little Poverino' whose order is now the largest in the world and who so resembled Christ in my life that I was privileged to bear His sacred wounds in my own body.

16. I am the 'Wonder Worker' of Padua and a Doctor of the Church.

17. I am the Patron saint of schools who was once called the Dumb Ox by my classmates but who wrote many treatises on the faith. My teacher was St. Albert the Great.

18. I am the saint who reformed the Carmelite Order and who became the first woman Doctor of the Church.

19. I am the simple parish priest who was tormented by the devil because my great sanctity brought my people closer to God.

20. I am the Visitation nun to whom Jesus appeared showing His Sacred Heart and to whom He delivered His message of love and plea for reparation.

Choices:

St. Peter St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Anthony St. Joan of Arc

St. Elizabeth St. Anne

St. John the Baptist St. John the Apostle

St. Margaret Mary St. Patrick

St. Maria Goretti St. Paul

St. Teresa of Avila St. Cecilia

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton St. John Vianney

St. Joseph St. Thomas Aquinas

St. Francis Assisi St. Veronica

* 20 point bonus for those who know the century in which their saint lived.

* 5 points for each piece of information you know about your saint.

(taken from Ideas for Sanctifying Halloween, All Saints Day and All Souls by Jennifer Gregory Miller, www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=1230 )