Walking with jesus

Missionary Discipleship Institute for MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS

www.missioninstitute.maryknoll.us

For more information, contact Jackie Hopper, 

our National Teacher Catechist Outreach Team Member 

and Mission Educator Promoter at jhopper@maryknoll.org


OVERVIEW

The Missionary Discipleship Institute (MDI) is a year-long 3-part faith and outreach experience which provides a framework for students to encounter God in their lives and the lives of their neighbors on the margins and gain awareness of injustices that they face; reflect on how the Church is responding in love and the disturbance this creates in our own sense of discipleship; and discern, develop, and carry out a response rooted in God's mission.

Development

This program was developed in partnership with Missions Office and Office for Catholic Schools of the Archdiocese of Seattle, the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, and the Poverty Education Center at Seattle University. 

Basis of the MDI 

The program includes three basic learning phases, divided into units. Each unit contains three to five lessons, with suggested extensions to teach to Catholic School national standards. 

Unit One Encountering Jesus

Who is my neighbor? With whom does Jesus walk?

(ENCOUNTER/Advent) 

During this foundational phase, students recognize the presence of God’s love in their lives, and that Jesus is active in their lives today. They research the life and actions of Jesus through Gospel stories, as well as the lives of people living on the margins today and how issues of injustice affect them, locally and globally.  As a class, students discern a single topic to address as a community of missionary disciples. This unit includes an immersion experience.

Link to Immersion Lesson Plans here.

Unit Two Who is showing love to my neighbor? How does Jesus show love?

(DISTURBANCE/Lent)

Students reflect on Jesus’ actions in the world. They also assess local and global case studies of various Catholic organizations and communities in loving relationships of missionary discipleship with people living on the margins with tools from Redemptoris Missio and other Church teachings.  Students continue the research on the issue that the class chose in Phase One.  They discern possible actions for their missionary service response.

Unit Three: How am I called to love my neighbor? How is Jesus inviting us to act?

(RESPONSE/Pentecost) 

In this final phase, students invite a deeper relationship with Jesus through discernment into action to carry out their plans for the missionary discipleship response.  Students reflect on the experience and share information with others in school and the larger community.

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For more information:

 Contact our National Teacher Catechist Outreach Team Member at jhopper@maryknoll.org

RESOURCES

What They Taught Us Reflections

As a tool for ongoing reflection, Maryknoll offers a free online companion guide for the Orbis book What They Taught Us: How Maryknoll Missioners Were Evangelized by the Poor. 

Resources on Issues Facing People on the Margins

The MDI asks students to research five topic areas related to the life and health of people around the world, and select one to which they feel called to respond. Resources provided around these topic areas include:

Rubric for Missionary Discipleship

This rubric can be used by both students and teachers to assess missionary discipleship activity. It is also the basis for how students plan their response.

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Other Resources:

Video:


Reflections from Participants: