Author: Deacon Nick

Nick Senger, founder and editor of Catholic School Chronicle, is an award-winning Catholic school teacher, vice principal and technology coordinator. He is a deacon for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane.
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A Prayer for Students Who Feel Hated

Sad Little GirlOne of the biggest challenges we face as Catholic educators is helping students accept others who are different. Students get teased because of speech impediments, disinterest in sports, physical disabilities, sexual orientation, economic background, and even for succeeding in school. As hard as we work to prevent it from happening, teasing and bullying still exist.

This morning Fr. James Martin, SJ, author of My Life with the Saints and The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything, reposted a prayer he wrote to help anyone who feels “rejected, despised or excluded.”

This may be the most important prayer you share with your students this year.

A Prayer When I Feel Hated

Loving God, you made me who I am.
I praise you and I love you,
for I am wonderfully made, in your own image.

But when people make fun of me,
I feel hurt and embarrassed and even ashamed.
So please God, help me remember my own goodness,
which lies in you.
Help me remember my dignity,
which you gave me when I was conceived.
Help me remember that I can live a life of love,
because you created my heart.

Be with me, loving God, when people hate me,
and help me to respond how you would want me to:
with a love that respects others, but also respects me.
Help me find friends who love me for who I am.
Help me, most of all, to be a loving person.

And God, help me remember that Jesus loves me.
For he was seen as an outcast, too.
He was misunderstood, too.
He was beaten and spat upon.
Jesus understands me,
and loves me with a special love,
because of the way you made me.

And when I am feeling lonely,
help me to remember that Jesus welcomed everyone as a friend.
Jesus reminded everyone that God loved them.
Jesus encouraged everyone to embrace their dignity,
even when others were blind to seeing that dignity.
Jesus loved everyone with the boundless love that you gave him.
And he loves me, too.

One more thing, God:
Help me remember
that nothing is impossible with you,
that you have a way of making things better,
and that you can find a way of love for me,
even if I can’t see it right now.

Help me remember all these things
in the heart you created, loving God.
Amen.

James Martin, SJ

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The Glorious Month of October

October is my favorite month. In what other month of the year can you kick through leaves, watch post-season baseball and cheer high school football? October is glorious. But don’t take my word for it. Here’s what Ray Bradbury has to say about October:

First of all, it was October, a rare month for boys. Not that all months aren’t rare. But there be good and October Leavesbad, as the pirates say. Take September, a bad month: school begins. Consider August, a good month: school hasn’t begun yet. July, well July’s really fine: there’s no chance in the world for school. June, no doubting it, June’s best of all, for the school doors spring wide and September’s a billion years away.

But you take October, now. School’s been on a month and you’re riding easier in the reins, jogging along. You got time to think of the garbage you’ll dump on Old Man Prickett’s portch, or the hairy-ape costume you’ll wear to the YMCA the last night of the month. And if it’s around October twentieth and everything smoky-smelling and the sky orange and ash gray at twilight, it seems Halloween will never come in a fall of broomsticks and a soft flap of bedsheets around corners. — Something Wicked This Way Comes

In addition to beautiful autumn leaves, moderate temperatures, and baseball playoffs, October brings with it some towering models of faith for us to contemplate. If there’s a month with more outstanding saints than October, then I’d be mighty surprised. October celebrates some of the greatest saints in Catholic history, which is another reason it’s my favorite month of the year:

  • St. Therese of Lisieux – the Little Flower, whose simple piety influenced so many that she was named a Doctor of the Church; October 1
  • The Guardian Angels – “to light and guard, rule and guide;” October 2
  • St. Francis of Assisi – perhaps the most beloved saint in the world; October 4
  • St. Faustina – the mystic whose devotion to divine mercy led to Divine Mercy Sunday
  • Our Lady of the Rosary – commemorating perhaps the most widespread Catholic devotion; October 7
  • St. Teresa of Avila – Spanish mystic, author of The Interior Castle and The Way of Perfection, another Doctor of the Church; October 15
  • St. Luke – author of the longest gospel and Acts of the Apostles; his gospel emphasizes prayer and the caring for the poor; October 18
  • St. John of Capistrano – the saint whose namesake mission church in California receives the cliff swallows back from migration each year; October 23
  • Sts. Jude and Simon – two of the Twelve, apostles of Jesus; October 28

Which feast is your favorite? I’ve set up a poll in the left sidebar, so be sure to cast your vote.

October has also inspired some magnificent poems:

Finally, here’s a beautiful video set to U2’s “October”:

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Kindle Books for Catholic Educators: The Rosary

With the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary coming up on October 7, the following two Kindle books are excellent resources for preparing to explain the rosary to students.

Praying the Rosary, by Megan Mckenna. Doubleday. Printed Length: 272 pp. Kindle Price: $9.99.

Internationally acclaimed author Megan McKenna gives this Catholic tradition enriched modern relevance in a completely up-to-date guide to praying the Rosary, designed for general readers and incorporating the recent additions made by Pope John Paul II.

As a speaker, teacher, and bestselling Catholic author, Megan McKenna has informed and inspired audiences both in- and outside of the Catholic tradition with her warmhearted, contemporary approach to spirituality. Now she turns her attention to the Rosary, revealing the universality of this ancient practice and how it can enrich lives today.

Praying the Rosary—the act of counting off prayers with a string of beads in a rhythm of focused spiritual contemplation—is a practice that has existed for centuries and is common to many faiths. For the world’s one billion Catholics it has become the most popular form of devotion. Though strongly associated with The Rosary - Mckennathe Virgin Mary, the prayers of the Rosary are ultimately meant to bring those who say them closer to Jesus Christ, whose life and teachings are central to all branches of the Christian faith. This gives the Rosary an ecumenical dimension that is in sync with today’s emphasis on the common bonds, rather than the divisions, among all Christians. In 2002, Pope John Paul II updated the Rosary by adding a new section on the teachings of Jesus, further emphasizing the centrality of Christ and the biblical Gospels at the heart of the prayers. Embracing this ecumenical attitude in Praying the Rosary, Megan McKenna explores the Rosary and explains how to pray it, incorporating the Pope’s recent additions and revealing its relevance to a new generation. She breaks down the Rosary into its twenty components, prefacing each with a selection from Scripture that identifies the prayer’s source in the Bible. Combining practical instruction with meditative reflections on the prayer’s spirituality, she reveals the Rosary’s richly contemplative nature and shows how praying the Rosary can inspire peaceful, calm attitudes, and an awareness of the universal spiritual mystery that connects all Christians. –Amazon.com

The Rosary: A Path into Prayer, by Liz Kelly. Loyola Press. Printed Length: 174 pp. Kindle Price: $9.56.

An introduction to the rich tradition of rosary devotion, with new material on the recently added Rosary - Kellyluminous mysteries.

The rosary is a central element in the prayer lives of countless people, though it is still often neglected and misunderstood. The Rosary, an updated and revised version of The Seeker’s Guide to the Rosary (Loyola Press, 2001), is a comprehensive look at the history, practice, and benefits of rosary devotion. Designed to introduce the reader to the mysteries of this simple meditative prayer, author Liz Kelly gently guides the reader on an exploration of this powerful prayer that is well suited even to this modern world.

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15 Rosary Resources for October

Because October 7 is the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, October is traditionally considered the month of the rosary. This is an excellent time of the year to reacquaint your students with this beautiful method of prayer.

The following links may be helpful as you plan your religion lessons for the month:

  1. Rosarium Virginis Mariae – Pope John Paul II’s apostolic letter on praying the rosary
  2. How to Pray the Rosary – from the Rosary Confraternity
  3. Come, Pray the Rosary – A beautiful site for praying the rosary onlineRosary Beads
  4. For People Who Can’t Stand the Rosary – 4 reasons to give the rosary a chance
  5. Rosary Army – “Make them. Pray them. Give them away.”
  6. Rosary for Job Seekers – From the Anchoress
  7. 12 Tips for Praying the Family Rosary Daily – From Taylor Marshall
  8. USCCB Rosaries for Life – Beautiful rosary meditations that focus on the value and wonder of human life
  9. A Rosary for Healing and Protection – From the USCCB Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection (pdf)
  10. Real Men Pray the Rosary – Facebook Page
  11. Scriptural Rosary Podcasts – Sound files from Franciscan University of Steubenville
  12. The Rosary from CatholicTV – Various different video rosaries, including some which feature Catholic school students and others which are in 3D (yes, 3D!)
  13. RosaryLive.com – During live recitations of the rosary, viewers can contribute prayer intentions
  14. Online Rosary – An easy-to-follow aid to praying the rosary
  15. Holy Rosary Deluxe – An iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch app for praying the rosary

The Hail Mary in Different Languages:

Fr. James Martin, SJ on the Rosary:

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Maryknoll Essay Contest Asks Students How to Spread the Gospel Digitally

iMission Logo
Maryknoll's iMission Logo

The Maryknoll Society wants students to think about how they would use social networking and digital media to spread the Good News. The theme of this year’s essay contest is “iMission,” and students in grades 6-12 could win up to $1000 by submitting a 500-750 word essay before December 1, 2010.

This is a great way for students to think about being witnesses to the message of Jesus Christ. Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, instant messaging or texting, today’s digital media makes mass communication fast and easy. I’ll be interested in seeing how my eighth graders can take these tools and orient them toward spreading the gospel.

For more details about how to enter, see Maryknoll Essay Contest Rules.