Into His Own - Historical Study of Christian Scriptures

"Into His Own is designed as a tool for the historical study of Christian scriptures. Since the works in the New Testament were composed in implicit & often explicit dialog with first century champions of Jewish tradition, the bulk of the passages included here have been excerpted from works written by Jewish authors, especially those composed after the Hebrew scriptures that can be found in any Christian "Old Testament." But there are also selections from non-Jewish sources that help bring the writings of Christian authors into a clearer cultural perspective."

Lectio Divina

This Web page outlines the following elements of Lectio Divina:

• Lectio: Reading the text with a listening ear and interpreting the text with an attentive mind.
• Meditatio: Reflecting on the message of the text and its meaning for today.
• Oratio and Contemplatio: Praying from the heart which flows from reading and reflecting on the text.
• Collatio: Conversing about the Bible and forming a community of faith.
• Operatio: Witnessing to God's word in the context of daily life and making a difference in the world.

Other resources on the same topic: Lectio Divina

Catholic Faith Education Newsletter - September 28, 2009

The September 28, 2009 edition of the Catholic Faith Education Newsletter is now availalble online at http://www.silk.net/RelEd/ezine1.htm

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time - B

Resources on the Mass readings for the twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time - October 18, 2009:

Mass Readings

Fr. Lonsdale's Commentaries and Clip Art

Lectionary Resource for Catholics: word-sunday.com

St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church Bible Study

Reflexions on This Week's Liturgy - Sadlier

Gospel of Mark 10:35-45: Articles, Commentaries, Homilies, Clipart, Coloring pages, Puzzles, Children's Stories

Lector Works: Ordinary Time 29 (B)

Lector's Notes: Twenty-ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time - B

Resources on the Mass readings for the twenty-eight Sunday in Ordinary Time - October 11, 2009:

Mass Readings

Fr. Lonsdale's Commentaries and Clip Art

Lectionary Resource for Catholics: word-sunday.com

St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church Bible Study

Reflexions on This Week's Liturgy - Sadlier

Gospel of Mark 10.17-31: Articles, Commentaries, Homilies, Clipart, Coloring pages, Puzzles, Children's Stories

Lector Works: Ordinary Time 28 (B)

Lector's Notes: Twenty-eight Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B

Wisdom of Saints Video

I have uploaded this video to YouTube. I created it using a selection of some of the Wisdom of Saints Posters available on 4CatholicEducators.com.

Justice, Peace and Human Development Lesson Plans and Resources

The Web site of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops offers a number of lesson plans and resources on social justice issues for K-12 and for adults. These are listed by topics under the following headings: Life and Dignity of the Human Person; Solidarity; Option for the Poor and Vulnerable; Faithful Citizenship; Poverty in the United States; Global Solidarity

Media Technology use Catholic Religious Education

Marty Tormoehlen wrote a master's thesis entitled "A Qualitative Assessment of Media Technology in Catholic K-8th Grade Religious Education Programs throughout Indiana". He presented his thesis in July 2007. While he was preparing the thesis, he posted his research as a blog with podcasts from January 2007 till May 2007. The entire 175 pages thesis is also available on his blog.

The Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius Loyola in the Classroom

Anthony Borrow, a young Jesuit, has been using the Spiritual Exercises in his classes. He has developed 31 exercises for classroom sessions that include periods of reflection and writing. The purpose is “to help the student develop the skills needed to pray with the Scriptures in a creative, personal and dynamic manner.”

For more information on the spiritual exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola also see Ignatian Spirituality.com

Free Prayer Cards

The Web site Ukok's Place provides free prayer cards to download and to print. The rayers are from varied sources: traditional Catholic prayers, scripture verses, prayers of saints, Prayers of Pope John Paul II and of Benedict XVI...

For more resources on prayer see:
http://www.silk.net/RelEd/prayer.htm

For additional scripture verse cards see:
http://www.4catholiceducators.com/bible_verses_cards_1.htm and
http://www.4catholiceducators.com/clipart_cards1.htm

Joe Paprocki: Catechist Webinars

Joe Paprocki recently completed a series of webinars titled “Getting Started as a Catechist”. The videos of these webinars are now available on Youtube. The introduction to the webinars reads as follows:

"New catechists are eager to learn some basic teaching skills to help them gain confidence as they begin their service in this vocation. These Webinars, hosted by Joe Paprocki, provide catechists, both those who are new and those who'd like to refresh their skills, with an introduction to the basic tools needed to effectively engage young people in faith formation."

There are 15 short videos available for viewing.

The Religion Teacher Blog

The Religion Teacher is the blog of Jared C. Dees. His posts since the creation of the blog last March have been on a broad range of topics, rich in content, and informative. Follow the links below to read some of these posts:

• Activities
• Books
• Catholic School News
• Church History
• Elementary School
• High School
• Holidays
• In the News
• Introduction
• Lesson Plans
• Middle School
• Prayers
• Resources on the Web
• Reviewing the Research
• Sacraments
• Saints
• Scripture
• Social Justice
• Teaching Strategies

Saints Feast Days in October

Resources for some feast days in October:

• October 1: Saint Therese of Lisieux - Resources
  
• October 2: Guardian Angels - Resources
  
• October 4: Saint Francis of Assisi - Resources
• October 7: Our Lady of the Rosary - Resources
  
• October 15: Saint Teresa of Jesus, virgin and doctor - Resources
  
• October 16: Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, virgin - Resources
  
• October 17: Saint Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr - Resources
  
• October 18: Saint Luke the Evangelist - Resources

The Dead Sea

This interactive map of the Dead Sea provides information on archaeological and Biblical sites near the Dead Sea.

Judaism: History, Belief & Practice - Maps

This Web page gives you access to 75 large maps related to Jewish history taken from a textbook called Judaism: History, Belief & Practice. The first 25 of these are useful for Old Testament study.

See also Bible Atlas for more maps.

Catholic Faith Education Newsletter - September 14, 2009

The September 14, 2009 edition of the Catholic Faith Education Newsletter is now
online at http://www.silk.net/RelEd/ezine1.htm.

This issue features a variety of resources: coloring pages, scripture and prayer
posters, courses for catechists and religion teachers, songs and lyrics for
children, and articles on life issues.

Please help improve the Catholic Faith Education Newsletter. Participate in a
very brief survey by folloiwng the link below:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=BqgeXwRJFf1c8WSscZkcuA_3d_3d

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time - B

Resources on the Mass readings for the twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time - October 4, 2009:

Mass Readings

Fr. Lonsdale's Commentaries and Clip Art

Lectionary Resource for Catholics: word-sunday.com

St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church Bible Study

Reflexions on This Week's Liturgy - Sadlier

Gospel of Mark 10.2-16: Articles, Commentaries, Homilies, Clipart, Coloring pages, Puzzles, Children's Stories

Lector Work: Ordinary Time 26 (B)

Lector's Notes, Twenty-seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time

A Study of Faith Formation Models

The University of Notre Dame's Institute for Church Life is offering an online 6 weeks course (October 12 to Novemeber 20) on Emerging Models of Catechesis:A Study of Faith Formation Models.

Course Description: "This course is designed for parish ministers and team members involved in planning and implementing faith formation for all ages and anyone interested in learning more about emerging models of catechesis. The course provides a survey of emerging models and approaches to faith formation. The course points to texts, journals, web sites and parishes that provide and practice the models described. The course encourages conversation and mutual learning about all approaches to parish faith formation across the lifespan with the goal of assisting those who bear this responsibility."

The Wisdom of Tenderness

In October 2007, Krista Tippett, who hosts the program Speaking of Faith, a public radio weekly program about religion, meaning, ethics, and ideas, interviewed Jean Vanier, the founder of l'Arche. Here's the uncut version of the Speaking of Faith program "The Wisdom of Tenderness" that was filmed in a converted farmhouse.

The Wisdom of Tenderness from Speaking of Faith on Vimeo.

Coloring Pages

Become What You Are is the blog of a Catholic homeschooling mom. She has assembled an impressive list of links to various coloring pages on themes related to the Advent / Christmas Season, the Lenten season, feast days, and various saints. A good resource to explore!

Independent Study for Catechists

The Web site of the Archdiocese of Baltimore has an excellent series of four-page fliers for catechists. These are part of a an independent study process for catechists working in conjunction with parish catechetical leaders. Topics covered by the fliers are varied: scripture, liturgy, moral life, prayer, sacraments, marriage, theology, Church, and catechesis.

Parables

The Resources for Catholic Educators Web site has an extensive section on the Parables of Jesus that has recently been expanded and now offers close to 500 resources. For each of 34 parables, you can find links to articles, commentaries, homilies, meditations, clipart , art, posters, children's stories, puzzles, videos and more.

Movable Major Catholic Seasons and Holidays

Table of Movable Major Catholic Seasons and Holidays provides the dates of movable feast days in the Western Church liturgical calendar from 2008 to 2050: Ash Wednesday - Palm Sunday - Holy Thursday - Good Friday - Easter - Ascension - Pentecost - Trinity Sunday - Advent.

Church in the 21st Century Online Courses

C21 Online, or Church in the 21st Century Online, a constitutive partner of Boston College School of Theology and Ministry, offers non-credit courses for spiritual renewal and on-going faith formation. Free mini-courses in scripture study are available on the site:

• The Death of Jesus: Four Gospel Accounts
• La Muerte de Jesús: Cuatro Narrativas Evangélicas
• The Birth of Jesus: Two Gospel Accounts
• WebSearches: exploration of a key question or theme by using reliable web resources.

4 weeks courses and 2 weeks workshops on a broad range of topics ranging from Bible study, to spirituality, to faith formation are also offered at an affordable cost. Some of these are specifically tailored for catechists and religious educators.

Vatican II - Voice of The Church

"The purpose of this website (Vatican II - Voice of The Church) is to explain and promote the teachings of the Second Vatican Council during which The Church examined itself, took note of, and opened itself to a world changing at an unprecedented rate. The principal method of the website is to record the teachings and changes of Vatican II in the writings of men who were there. Major contributions are from Cardinal Koenig of Vienna and the English Dom Christopher Butler OSB."

Hail Mary - Poster

The Resources for Catholic Educators Web site has a small 8X11 poster with the Hail Mary to download and print.

Joseph, son of Jacob coloring pages

Here is a series of coloring pages from the Calvary Kids Page Web site on the story of Joseph (Genesis 37-45):

Joseph gathering the grain coloring page
Joseph tells his brothers his dream about the sheaves bowing to his coloring page
Joseph's second dream of the sun, moon, and 11 eleven stars coloring page
Joseph sold by his brothers coloring page
Joseph's 10 brothers return Joseph's coat to Jacob coloring page
Joseph and Potiphar coloring page
Joseph in jail (prison) coloring page
Joseph, the prince of Egypt coloring page
Joseph's coat of many colors coloring page
Joseph's coat 2 coloring page
Chief cupbearer and chief baker sentenced to prison coloring page
Joseph interprets dreams of chief cupbearer and baker coloring page
Joseph interprets Pharaoh's dreams coloring page
Joseph interprets Pharaoh's dreams coloring page #2
Joseph reveals himself to his brothers coloring page
Joseph reveals himself to his brothers coloring page #2

Vatican City State

This Web site on the Vatican City State provides historical information on the formation of the state, the present day political structure of the state, a tour of prominent monuments (Saint Peter's Basilica, The Vatican Museums, The Vatican Gardens, Castel Gandolfo, Vatican Palaces, an overview of services offered by the Vatican City State, etc.