Inspiration, News, and Resources for Catholic Educators
From the Maryknoll website:
Since 2000, the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers have been providing a unique Classroom Program for Catholic schools. This FREE Program is available in two versions, K-5 for the lower grades and 6-12 for upper elementary and high school grades.
Be sure to watch the videos of teachers using the magazine in their classroom to get ideas for how you could use it in yours.
Labor Day is a month away, but for many people there will be little to celebrate this year. As the following video shows, unemployment is a serious problem everywhere in the U.S (See a better quality version here).
Many students will struggle with trying to understand why their parents can’t find work. One way to help them through this difficult time is by giving them the chance to express their fear, anger and hope in prayer. Students could be encouraged to write their own prayers for a classroom service. The prayer service might begin with the following passage from the prophet Jeremiah:
“For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare, not for woe! plans to give you a future full of hope. When you call me, when you go to pray to me, I will listen to you.” (Jer 29:11-12)
Psalm 23 (“The lord is my shepherd…”) would also fit the occasion.
Finally, you might provide prayers like the following to students and their families:
Dear Lord Jesus Christ,
You wanted all who are weary
To come to You for support.
Lord, I am worn out
By my inability to find work.
Guide my steps to a righteous path;
Give me the patience
To find opportunities with a future.
Calm my worries and fears
As my financial responsibilities mount.
Strengthen my resolve;
Embolden my heart to open doors;
Open my eyes to see life beyond rejections.
Help me believe in me.
Let me realize other ways
To bring about Your kingdom on earth.
Let me grow as a person
That I may be worthy
For Your greater glory.
In the name of the Father…Amen.
Source: catholicemploymentnetwork.org
Our Father, in praying for the unemployed we
think especially of those who through no fault of their
own have lost their jobs and are now searching for
other work for the sake of their families.
May they not grow despondent or come to regard
themselves as useless.
Help them to employ their skills and gifts in other
directions and to find a measure of fulfillment in the
service of the church or community till employment
comes their way again.
Frank Colquhoun
Prayer to St. Joseph for Employment
Dear St. Joseph, you were yourself once faced with the responsibility of providing the necessities of life for Jesus and Mary. Look down with fatherly compassion upon me in my anxiety over my present inability to support my family. Please help me to find gainful employment very soon, so that this heavy burden of concern will be lifted from my heart and that I am soon able to provide for those whom God has entrusted to my care. Help us to guard against bitterness and discouragement, so that we may emerge from this trial spiritually enriched and with even greater blessings from God. Amen.
As the father of a child with epilepsy and a teacher in a Catholic school, the following story really touches my heart. Some sixth grade students from a Catholic school in Lake Mary, Florida, are hoping to help people with seizure disorders with their new invention: a seizure detector.
Justin, Curt, Nick and Adam have developed a sensor that “sniffs” out biological changes that occur in a body before a seizure occurs.
There are few things more gut-wrenching than watching your child experience a seizure. Maybe these sixth graders will help contribute to the fight against epilepsy. Great work, boys! And kudos to your teacher.
Check out the full story at MyFoxOrlando.
Catholic Relief Services is on the forefront of using new media to evangelize and mobilize Catholics to live out the corporal works of mercy. Each month CRS conducts a free webcast to highlight a different aspect of its mission to “alleviate suffering and provide assistance to people in need…without regard to race, religion or nationality.” This month’s webcast takes place at 2 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday, April 14, and is intended to help participants understand the Church’s approach to extracting natural resources.
According to the registration page, the webcast will provide the following:
- An on-the-ground view from a CRS staff person working with people affected by the extraction of natural resources;
- An overview of CRS’ response and support for the people who live there;
- USCCB and CRS’ policy recommendations for how U.S. policymakers can make a difference on these issues based on Catholic social teaching and our experience;
- Ideas on how Catholics in the U.S., through the Catholics Confront Global Poverty initiative, can support greater transparency; in natural resources extraction in the developing world;
- An opportunity to ask the presenters questions about these issues and engage them in dialogue.
I attended the February webcast and found it so informative and interesting that I’ve already registered for this month’s presentation. Since it takes place in the middle of the day, I plan on projecting the conference live for my eighth grade Religion class so we can observe it together and discuss it afterward.
The webcast is part of the Catholics Confront Global Poverty initiative, a joint effort of Catholic Relief Services and the USCCB. The following video explains the effort:
It’s an important endeavor, and one that our Catholic youth need to be a part of. Attending the webcast is easy: simply register for free, then follow the directions you receive via email. I hope to see you there.
Looking for a relevant, current lesson to engage your students in learning about Catholic social teaching? Be sure to check out Jared Dees’ new article at Engaging Faith titled The Health Care Reform Law and Catholic Social Teaching. The lesson comes with links to prayers, videos and plenty of background information for students to use as they explore this complex issue.
Ben Gullett, an eighth grader at Nativity Catholic School in Tampa, Florida, is learning economics the hard way: his dad Mark recently lost his job as a marketing executive with the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey franchise . But Ben is also learning about marketing. He’s created a YouTube video to help his dad get a new job, and he’s drawn almost 20,000 viewers to see him flip through cards that tell his dad’s story.
The video tells potential employers about Ben’s dad, but more than that, it’s Ben’s way of expressing his admiration and love for his father. See for yourself in the video below, and if you know anyone looking for an experienced marketer, download Mark’s work profile and pass it on.
Read more about Ben and his Dad at TampaBay.com.