Help your students celebrate the life of St. Francis of Assisi on October 4 with these videos:
The Prayer of St. Francis by Sarah McLachlan:
An Introduction to St. Francis of Assisi from Rome Reports:
Videos to Remember St. Francis of Assisi
Losing Sight But Not Faith
When Ryan Brink, a senior at Central Catholic High School in Toledo, Ohio, faced the prospect of losing his sight, he chose to adapt rather than quit. Ryan has retinitis pigmentosa and Stargardt’s disease, two conditions that will most likely lead to blindness. But, as the following story from WTVG shows, Ryan’s faith in God gives him confidence and optimism, and has inspired his school community.
Catholic Schools Remember 9-11 on Patriot Day
Catholic schools around the country are remembering the events of September 11, 2001 in various ways. The Shreveport Times reports on a ceremony at St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Shreveport, Louisiana, and Tricities.com out of Virginia offers the following video story of young students at St. Anne’s Catholic School in Bristol honoring police and firefighters:
Catholic Videos with Study Guides on RedemptoristTV
The Redemptorists of the Edmonton-Toronto Province have put together a superb resource for Catholic educators with their website RedemptoristTV. Not only does the site feature two excellent video series–one on the Eucharist, the other on Catholic family life–but each video comes with a study guide and an optional take-home assignment. Each video is around 5-8 minutes long and could easily be used in a classroom situation.
As an example, take a look at Program 3 in the Eucharist Reflections Feature, followed by the Redemptorist study guide:
1. Show the internet / DVD Program Three: The Sunday Eucharist
2. Ask students to form small groups to describe the following impressions from the program:
- Why is Sunday Eucharist so important to Catholics all over the world?
- What have we learned about the Catholic Church through understanding more about Eucharist?
- What did you know after viewing the DVD that you didn’t know before?
- How do you see Eucharist operating in the lives of a religious community like the Redemptorists?
3. Option for Take-Home Assignment
1. Via the Internet find more facts about:
- The 2007 Eucharistic Congress
- One papal document on Eucharist
- What the Catholic Catechism says about Eucharist
- The Redemptorist community
2. Write one page of personal reflection on how Eucharist can help you live your everyday life or how you see it operating in the lives of a religious community like the Redemptorists
3. In groups, make presentations to the class about any or all of the above.
Be sure to take a look at the entire series at the RedemptoristTV website, along with the rest of their videos on their YouTube channel.
Video Features Detroit Cristo Rey High School
One of the myths of Catholic education is that its schools serve only wealthy, suburban families. The following video profiles Detroit Cristo Rey High School, a college preparatory school serving those who could not typically afford a private education. The high school is co-sponsored by the Congregation of St. Basil and the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart Mary.
Follow Detroit Cristo Rey on Twitter @detcristorey, and on Facebook.
Detroit Cristo Rey is not alone. For more on the Cristo Rey educational model, including how to start a school in your area, see the website for the Cristo Rey Network.
An All Star Video Tribute to Teachers
The following video was shared by one of my Catholic school colleagues, and I just had to pass it along. It would be fun to show at the beginning of a faculty meeting.