“One Faith, Many Voices”
Session Overview for Catechists
Slides * Catechist Guide
- Track A (Religious Ed / catecismo): Monday 1/13/2025, 6:45-8:30 p.m. in Mission Hall
- Track B (Catholic schools): Wednesday 1/15/2025 and Thursday 1/16/2025 in 8th Grade Religion Class
Gathering Icebreaker (10 min.)
With your table or group, brainstorm ways you can live by Jesus’ example. Based on journal p. 65. Be prepared to report back to the class on your group’s best idea!
Opening Prayer (5 min)
Prayer for Christian Unity
God our Father, accept our praise and thanksgiving for what already unites Christians in the confession of and witness to Jesus the Lord. Hasten the hour when all churches will recognize each other in the one communion you willed and for which your Son prayed to you in the power of the Holy Spirit. Hear us, you who live and reign now and forever. Amen.
Christian Unity: The Christian Churches Compared (25 min)
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is celebrated each year to bring Christians of different churches together in prayer for unity. In the northern hemisphere, it is celebrated between January 18 (Confession of St. Peter, a Protestant feast) and January 25 (Conversion of St. Paul). At Queen of Apostles Parish, how could we not mark this special week, bookended by two feasts of the Apostles?
But if we are praying for Christian unity, in what senses are Christians not already united?
We can fairly easily name other kinds of Christians besides Catholics: Protestants, Orthodox, Methodists, Baptists, Pentecostals, etc. But how did there come to be so many varieties of Christian churches?
(Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5G_6I4DIIE)
slides about the evolution of divisions in our church and some key differences (Venn diagrams) between the major branches of Christianity
Breakout: Marks of the Church (15-25 min)
Qualities that the Catholic Church has retained as the “original ship” include being One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic, as we remember each time we pray the Nicene Creed at Mass. But what do these qualities or marks really mean?
(Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHwrGLwR9Hk) — STOP at 5:00 when it becomes a commercial
Questions to discuss at tables/groups:
- One: How does the Confirmation Name you have chosen connect you to the faithful people of God who have lived in other times and places?
- Holy: In what ways has your life been transformed by your service to others and your acts of personal prayer during
this time of preparation for Confirmation? - Catholic: How does the diversity our Confirmation Prep experience (people, forms of prayer, etc.) help you to recognize how our Catholic Church gathers all people?
- Apostolic: What specific gifts or traits do you see in your Sponsor(s) which make them the ideal “apostle(s)” sent to accompany you on your faith journey?
Participation in the Mass (10 min)
One of the major ways we live out our faith as a community is by gathering for Sunday Mass, living the Commandment to keep the Lord’s Day holy and honor the Resurrection of Jesus in a “little Easter” every Sunday. The Eucharist is the “source and summit” of our lives as Catholic Christians. But it can be hard to get engaged with what’s happening at the Mass if you don’t understand the meaning of the words and symbols used, and especially if it has not been your habit to go every week with your family. And so you may feel “bored” during the Eucharist, a miracle in which Jesus gives his very Body and Blood for us, and which the Catholic Church teaches is the source and summit of our faith!
(Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEGd0QYjrKI)
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. {need a good metaphor here, maybe not the basketball thing which we’ll save for later}
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 should choose one of the verbs and together complete the question sheet (English | 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 and Reminders (5 min)
HOMEWORK
- Textbook pp. 28-31
REMINDERS
- Letters to the Pastor due at this class! Make sure yours is turned in or emailed/Shared with Ms. Hohner. (Track A | Track B)
- NO CLASS next week due to MLK Holiday on Monday 1/20
- Next class session for all candidates on Monday evening with guest presenters from Sarah’s Inn
- Tracks A & B together Monday 1/27 from 6:45 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in Mission Hall at the Parish Center, 4412 N. Western
Closing Prayer: Renewal of Baptism Promises
Baptism is a uniting ritual for Christians! The exact words may vary from Christian church to Christian church, and some communities may or may not recognize as valid the words and form used by other communities. But we are all trying to echo the Baptism that our Lord Jesus, who didn’t himself need to be Baptized, submitted to in the river Jordan, in order to show us the way to salvation.
Renewal of Baptism Promises (slides, in your preferred language)
Do you reject Satan and all his works and all his empty promises? I do.
Do you believe in God the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth?I do.
Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary, was crucified, died, and was buried, rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father? I do.
Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who came up on the apostles at Pentecost and will be given to you sacramentally in Confirmation? I do.
Do you believe in the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting?I do.
This is our faith. This is the faith of the Church. We are proud to profess it in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. ¿Renuncian ustedes a Satanás? Sí, renuncio.
¿Creen ustedes en Dios, Padre todopoderoso, creador del cielo y de la tierra? Sí, creo.
¿Creen en Jesucristo, su Hijo único y Señor nuestro, que nació de la Virgen Maria, padeció y murió por nosotros, resucito y está sentado a la derecha del Padre? Sí, creo.
¿Creen en el Espíritu Santo, Señor y dador de vida, que les va a ser comunicado de un modo singular por el sacramento de la
Confirmación, como fue dado a los Apóstoles el día de Pentecostés? Sí, creo.
¿Creen en la santa Iglesia católica, en la comunión de los santos, en el perdón de los pecados, en la resurrección de los muertos y en la vida eterna?Sí, creo.
Esta es nuestra fe. Esta es la fe de la Iglesia, que nos gloriamos de profesar, en Jesucristo, nuestro Señor. Amén.
Note for later on:
- Service Hours can be done and turned in now; due finally in early February