“Immaculate Mary”

Session Overview for Catechists
Slides (WORK IN PROGRESS) * Catechist Summary

Track A (Religious Ed / catecismo): Monday 12/8/2025, 6:30-8:30 p.m. in Queen of Angels Church and Holy Family Hall, with families present
- 6:30 p.m, Bilingual evening Mass at Queen of Angels Church
- after Mass to 8:30 p.m. activities in Holy Family Hall
Track B (Catholic schools):
- Monday 12/8/2025: Morning Mass with each school community (8:30 a.m. Queen of Angels, 10 a.m. St. Matthias)
- Wednesday 12/10/2025 OR Thursday 12/11/2025 in 8th Grade Religion Class

Mass for Immaculate Conception (45-60 min)

Transition to Holy Family Hall (0-5 min)

Walk downstairs after Mass to church basement hall
Name tag pick-up for candidates
Sign-in and name tag-making for family members
Light refreshments offered to all

Marian Learning Stations (15-20 min)

“IMMACULATE” STATION

Learn: about how Mary was conceived without original sin as preparation for bearing the Savior (Immaculate conception info handout)
Do: Reflect with a partner (or your family) about the special gifts you have been given and how you are called to put them into the service of Jesus.
Pray: Morning Offering, version invoking the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and for the intentions of the Holy Father Pope Leo XIV (Morning Offering bilingual with IHM)
December 2025 monthly intentions to pray for the Holy Father:
- For Christians in areas of conflict
  Let us pray that Christians living in areas of war or conflict, especially in the Middle East, might be seeds of peace, reconciliation, and hope.
Materials: Reflection Guide with questions adapted from Family tab here; images of the Immaculate Heart of Mary symbol, Morning Offering prayer cards, info handout

“SIGN” STATION

Learn: what Mary and a tabernacle have in common, and how the Our Lady of the Sign monstrance at St. Stanislaus Kostka combines both
Pray: shortened Litany of Loreto with several titles of Mary related to her immaculate conception or being the vessel that bore the Savior
Do: choose a favorite title of Mary and write a short prayer intention requesting her intercession, staple it to one of the paper spirals
Materials: packet about Our Lady of the Sign (adapted from this article) with shortened Litany of Loreto (in English and Spanish?), images of tabernacles and sacred vessels at our parish churches

“GUADALUPE” STATION

Learn: Story of the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe to Juan Diego and the miracle of the roses in 16th century Mexico
Do: Identify and color each of the symbols in the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe that have such a powerful message for the faithful
Pray: Prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe in English or Spanish, at the bottom of the handout with the table of symbols
Materials: handout with story and image to color, handout with table of symbols, various images of Our Lady of Guadalupe

“LADYBUG” STATION

Learn: Why the ladybug is called a “lady”bug and what this has to do with the Virgin Mary.
Pray: Hail Mary in English or Spanish (Hail Mary bilingual with Ladybug)
Do: Glue a black spot onto one of the paper ladybugs as a symbol of your prayer.
Materials: half-sheet handouts about Our Lady’s Bug; giant paper ladybug(s), black circles in 2 sizes, glue sticks; printed prayer cards

Mary gives her example to us with the few short phrases we hear from her in the Bible, e.g.

“Let it be done…”
“My soul proclaims…”
“Do whatever he tells you…”

In a similar way, the Mass we’ve (just) experienced together speaks to us through its actions and the ideas expressed. It’s like learning about Marian symbols. Lots there to be understood, we just have to decode it and be mindful/reflective as it is happening!

So let’s try to better understand what our role is in the Mass, by thinking of Mass not just as something we go to, but as an action we participate in doing.

Breakout: Questions on Mass Verbs Cards (25 min)

A verb is a word that shows actions, states of being or relationships. There are many verbs that describe the actions and relationships of the community celebrating Mass together.

Each pair (or family group) should choose one of the verbs and together complete the question sheet (p. 1 English | p. 2 español).

When choosing a card, try to pick something where the word means something to you, or the picture captures your attention, or both. The complete list of verbs is in the table below:

“One Word At A Time” Mass Verbs Reflections from the Archdiocese of Chicago, Strategic Pastoral Plan Photos by John Zich, James Hohner and the Catholic New World
acclaim	adore	believe	bless
bow (inclinarse)	break	call	deepen
die	direct	drink	eat
feed	forgive	gather	give
go	hear	hope	invoke
join	keep (conservar)	kiss (besar)	know
lift	link	love	open
point	praise	pray	prepare
quiet	recognize	remember	rise (levantarse)
see	send	serve	share
sign	sing	sit	stand
support (apoyar)	take	thank	think
unite	wait	walk	witness

Homework, Reminders and Closing Prayer (10 min)

HOMEWORK

Textbook pp. 28 and 64-65

REMINDERS

Next class session will be our last before Christmas break, in which we will be writing letters to Father Jason
- Track A: Monday 12/15
  - bring a charged device if you would like to type in class to turn in your letter electronically
- Track B: In Religion class on Wednesday 12/17 and Thursdsy 12/18 or some other arrangement, per Religion Teacher

CLOSING PRAYER

Responsory for Early Advent

The night passes on; it will be morning soon.
The hour has come, Lord: wake us from our sleep.
Allow us to walk with children of light toward your coming dawn.
Come, Lord Jesus! Come soon!

La noche está pasando; pronto será de día. 
La hora ha llegado, Señor: despiértanosdel sueño.
Permitenoscaminarcomohijos de la luz hacia la llegadade la Aurora.
¡Ven, Señor Jesús! ¡Ven, ya no tardes!

Holy Family slideshow: Who are YOU in the Holy Family?

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zn6Snr2sppk)

Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph… pray for us!

Sagrada Familia de Jesús, María y José… oran por nosotros.

Note for later on:

Letter to the Pastor due in early January, to be assigned as classwork at the next class during the Anointed lesson
Service Hours can be done and turned in now; due finally in early February