June 16--We attended the end-of-year prayer service / award ceremony / moving up ceremony. Students received their report cards.
June 15--We went to Adoration and did our daily meditation.
June 14--Students took the end-of-book test for Family Life. We did our daily meditation.
June 13--We finished reading and discussing the last chapter of Family Life. We did our daily meditation.
June 10--We attended Mass. During Mass was graduation. After Mass we attended the dedication and blessing of the Peace Garden. Afterward we went to the graduation assembly where each class gave their graduation gifts to those who graduated. All of this took nearly three hours, and your sons and daughters were very well behaved throughout. Also, the graduation gift your students made for the graduates is wonderful. They made a book with the "Prayer of St. Francis" and the "Prayer of St. Richard of Chichester", which they illustrated themselves. We also did our daily meditation.
June 9--field day
June 8--We completed chapter 9 of Family Life and did our daily meditation.
June 7--We completed chapter 8 of Family Life and did our daily meditation.
June 6--We completed chapter 7 of Family Life and did our daily meditation.
June 3--Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
We attended Mass and did our daily meditation.
We practiced "In Christ Our Hope" then sang and played it in the school talent show.
June 2--We practiced "In Christ Alone" and did our daily meditation.
June 1--We finished chapter 6 of Family Life; we practiced "In Christ Alone"; we did our daily meditation. Each student selected which part of the graduation gift to our graduates that he or she would do.
May 31--We finished chapter 5 of Family Life. We practiced "In Christ Alone"; we did our daily meditation.
May 27--
We attended Mass and May Crowning.
We continued reading and discussing Family Life, pp. 36-37.
We did our daily meditation.
We practiced "In Christ Alone".
May 26--We did the unit review for chapters 3 and 4 of Family Life and began reading and discussing chapter 5. We did our daily meditation.
May 25--field trip to Soundbridge
May 24--track meet
May 23--We practiced "In Christ Alone"; we read and discussed chapter 4 of Family Life; we did our daily meditation.
May 20--
We attended Mass.
We practiced "In Christ Alone".
We went to Adoration.
We reviewed the Fruits of the Holy Spirit, perfections that the Holy Spirit forms in us. They are charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, and chastity, which is the virtue of purity in thought, word, and act.
Students created a bulletin board scene with the theme of the Fruits of the Holy Spirit.
May 19--
We prayed the rosary for a student who had surgery today.
We read and discussed lesson 3 of Family Life.
We did our daily meditation.
Some students were selected to talk to the second grade students about their experiences receiving Holy Communion. Second graders make their First Holy Communion on Saturday.
May 18--finished lesson 2 of Family Life; practiced "In Christ Alone"; daily meditation.
May 17--Students finished making a spiritual bouquet for Mrs. White and family. We began studying lesson 2 of Family Life. We did our daily meditation and attended the Funeral Mass of Deacon Ed White.
May 16--Today we began a two-week unit about family life. We did our daily meditation. Each student received a holy medal from the Benedictine Abbey Mt. Angel where Peter graduated from Mt. Angel Seminary this past weekend.
3rd: lesson 1 of Family Life: "The Human Family".
5th: lesson 1 of Family Life: "Family Ties".
May 13--Students attended Mass today.
May 12--Students did their daily meditation and put the following on p. 71 of notebook:
Liturgical calendar
New year begins with Advent, which has four Sundays.
Christmas Season
Christmas Day
Holy Family
Solemnity of Mary
Epiphany
Baptism of the Lord
Ordinary Time--Sundays are named with ordinal numbers
Lent--about 40 days; has six Sundays
Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, which is the sixth Sunday of Lent.
Triduum = Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter
Easter Season 50 days
Pentecost--Holy Spirit
Ordinary Time
May 11--Students took the Sacraments quiz and did their daily meditation.
May 10--Students worked first alone then with partners to fill in the Sacraments chart with the outward signs and graces received for each Sacrament. We did our daily meditation.
May 9--Students in teams acted out each Sacrament so as to show the outward signs and the graces received. We practiced singing "In Christ Alone" and did our daily meditation.
May 6--We attended Mass, did our daily meditation, practiced "In Christ our Hope", and went to Adoration. At Mass, Father Milhton, who had heard your students singing the Regina Coeli one day this week--we always pray it at noon during the Easter Season--asked them to sing it at Mass today.
May 5--Students put their Sacraments summary worksheet in their religion notebooks. We practiced "In Christ Alone" and did our daily meditation.
May 4--We discussed how each Sacrament was given to us by Jesus. We practiced "In Christ Alone" and did our daily meditation.
May 3--Feast, Apostles Philip and James
Students finished the Sacraments summary worksheet.
We did our daily meditation.
We practiced "In Christ Alone".
May 2--Students began Sacraments summary worksheet. We did our daily meditation.
April 29--We attended Mass and later went to Adoration as well. We practiced singing "In Christ Alone".
April 28--Fifth graders took the ACRE standardized religion test today and we celebrated one birthday.
April 27--textbook reading about Sacraments of Healing and Sacraments at the Service of Communion; discussion about outward signs and graces for each of those Sacraments: Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. We did our daily meditation.
April 26--discussion about St. Mark, whose feast was yesterday; review of four levels of celebrations: solemnities, feasts, memorials, and optional memorials; outward signs and graces with the Sacraments of Initiation; we did our daily meditation.
April 25--Feast of St. Mark
Students read about the outward signs and graces received in the Sacraments of Initiation.
We practiced "In Christ Alone".
We did our daily meditation.
April 22--We attended Mass; we practiced "In Christ Alone" and did our daily meditation. We also went to Adoration.
April 21--We practiced "In Christ Alone" and did our daily meditation.
April 20--We practiced "In Christ Alone" and began to add some instruments. We did our daily meditation. Students made a card for a St. Michael parishioner whose funeral is tomorrow.
April 19--Quiz today; we did our daily meditation.
April 18--Homework: quiz tomorrow. We reviewed for tomorrow's quiz. See notes below. We practiced "In Christ Alone" and did our daily meditation.
Know for the quiz:
The four main parts of Mass (Introductory Rites, Liturgy of the Word, Liturgy of the Eucharist, Concluding Rites), the vessels, the vestments, and when green, purple, white, and red vestments are used. In which main part of the Mass do we ask for forgiveness? (Introductory Rites when we pray "I confess..."). What is the main event of the Liturgy of the Word? (the Gospel). What are the main events of the Eucharist? (The consecration when the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ and Communion.)
April 15--Students attended Mass, did their daily meditation, and went to Adoration. They also practiced singing "In Christ Alone", which they will sing a the talent show.
April 14--Students quizzed each other on notebooks pp. 58-64. We did our daily meditation and practiced "In Christ Alone".
April 13--We put notes on p. 58, practiced singing "In Christ Alone", and did our daily meditation.
Notebook p. 58 (under the notes about sacred vestements)
Colors of the priest's chasuble and stole:
green--Ordinary Time
red--Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Pentecost, the feasts of Martyrs
purple--Advent and Lent (could be funerals)
white--Christmas Season, Easter Season, feasts of Mary, the angels, and the saints (who are not martyrs); funerals
rose--3rd Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunday) and 4th Sunday of Lent (Laetare Sunday)
April 12--We put notes in our notebooks, practiced singing "In Christ Alone", and did our daily meditation.
Notebook p. 64, vocabulary for the sacred vessels (and linens) used at Mass
paten: the dish which holds the bread, which becomes the Body of Christ
chalice: the cup which holds the wine, which becomes the Blood of Christ
ciborium: vessel which olds extra consecrated hosts in the Tabernacle.
corporal: square cloth on which the paten and chalice sit during the Eucharistic Prayer.
purificator: cloth used to wipe the rim of the chalice
April 11--We put notes in our notebooks, practiced singing "In Christ Alone", and did our daily meditation.
notebook p. 58, vocabulary words for sacred vestments for Mass
alb: the white robe a priest or deacon wears during the celebration of Mass
cincture: the belt of rope
chasuble: the priest's outer garment worn over his alb
stole:the long scarf-like piece worn on the back of his neck and hanging down on both sides. The deacon's stole is worn across his chest diagonally and attaches at his side.
cope: the outer garment the priest or deacon wears to hold up the monstrance during Benediction. (Benediction is the blessing with the Blessed Sacrament in the monstrance.)
April 8--We attended Mass and did our daily meditation. In the afternoon we attended Adoration.
April 7--We practiced singing "In Christ Alone"; students wrote down their preferences regarding what jobs they would like to do for that song in the talent show. We did our daily meditation. We practiced singing the books of the Old Testament and New Testament.
April 6--We reviewed the main sections of the Mass and did our daily meditation. We practiced singing "In Christ Alone", which we will perform at the talent show.
April 5--
On p. 63 we added a vocabulary word: transubstantiation means the entire substance of the bread and wine becomes the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ at the Consecration.
We discussed different roles during Mass: priest, deacon, congregation, lector, extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist, altar server, music minsters, gift bearers. We practiced singing "In Christ Alone".
We did our daily meditation.
April 4--
We added notes to our pages about the Mass: p. 59: Participating in the Mass is one way Christians keep holy the Sabbath; p. 59: In the Penitential Rite and Kyrie Eleison we ask forgiveness.
We discussed a class project for the talent show.
We did our daily meditation.
March 25--Good Friday
We attended Tenebrae in church this morning.
We listened to a sung version of the Passion According to St. John (by Randall DeBruyn) as we painted.
March 24--Holy Thursday:
Students led Holy Thursday Morning Prayer at church this morning and did a wonderful job! I am so pleased with their reverence and attentiveness to detail!
We played a game to reinforce understanding of the main events of each of the Triduum services: Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord's Supper, Good Friday, and Easter Vigil.
We did our daily meditation.
March 23--We rehearsed for Holy Thursday. We did our daily meditation. We discussed the Triduum, the meaning of the word (three days), and the main events of Holy Thursday Mass of the Last Supper, Good Friday Service, and the Easter Vigil.
March 22--We rehearsed for Holy Thursday. We did our daily meditation.
March 21--Homework: work on memorizing verses 2 and 5 for "My Loving Savior". All three verses are printed below:
My loving Savior, how have you offended,
That such a hate in man on you descended?
Both mocked and scorned you suffered our rejection,
In deep affliction.
It was my guilt brought all these things upon you,
Through all my sins was this injustice done you.
Lord Jesus, it was I that did deny you,
And crucify you.
Although, good Jesus, we cannot repay you,
We shall adore you and shall every praise you,
For all your kindness and your love unswerving,
Not our deserving.
We practiced for Holy Thursday.
We did our daily meditation.
March 17--Memorial of St. Patrick
We practiced for Holy Thursday.
We did our daily meditation.
We practiced listing the books of the Old and New Testaments from memory.
March 16--
We practiced music for Holy Thursday.
We attended a middle-school presentation about Honduras.
We did our daily meditation.
We discussed the nature of a welcoming environment and discussed welcoming versus unwelcoming words.
March 15--
We continued preparing for Holy Thursday.
We did our daily meditation.
March 14--
We continued preparing for Holy Thursday.
We did our daily meditation.
March 11--
We attended Mass.
We practiced music for Holy Thursday.
We attended Adoration.
We did our daily meditation.
March 10--Today we began our work to produce the Holy Thursday morning prayer service for St. Michael parish and school. We also did our daily meditation.
March 9--
We attended a presentation by middle school students about Rwanda.
We did our daily meditation.
March 8--[projected plan while Mrs. Murphy is ill.]
Review and discuss the material on p. 67.
Daily meditation.
March 7--[projected plan while Mrs. Murphy is ill.]
Students put the following in their notebooks on p. 67
Sacrament: an outward sign, given by Jesus, to give us grace.
Sacraments of Initiation:
Baptism
Confirmation
Eucharist
Sacraments of Healing:
Reconciliation
Anointing of the Sick
Sacraments at the Service of Communion
Holy Orders
Matrimony
March 4--
We attended Mass.
p. 65 of notebook: Concluding Rites: blessing and dismissal. Dismissal has "miss" in the middle, which is from the Latin word for "send". We are sent forth to bring the Gospel to the world.
We did our daily meditation.
March 3--
p. 63 of notebook: Liturgy of the Eucharist
Offertory (Preparation of the Gifts)
Holy, Holy, Holy
Eucharistic prayer--we kneel for this part
The main event of the Eucharistic Prayer is the Consecration, when the bread and wine become the body and blood of Jesus Christ.
Lord's Prayer
Sign of Peace
Lamb of God
"Lord I am not worthy..."
Communion--the main event of the Liturgy of the Eucharist
Prayer after Communion
We did our daily meditation.
March 2--
p. 61 in notebook: Liturgy of the Word has seven parts:
First Reading--from the Old Testament except during Easter Season when it is from Acts of the Apostles. The First Reading is chosen to go with the Gospel.
Responsorial Psalm--usually from the book of Psalms, which are prayers for singing. The psalm is chosen to be a response to the First Reading.
Second Reading
Gospel--the main event of the Liturgy of the Word
Homily
Profession of Faith (the Creed)
Prayers of the Faithful
We discussed what things we see, do, and hear to help us understand that the Gospel is the main event of the Liturgy of the Word: we stand, we make the sign of the cross on our forehead, lips, and heart, we sing, the priest or deacon processes with the Book of the Gospels, the altar servers carry the candles.
We did our daily meditation.
March 1--
In this time slot we watched raku firing.
We did our daily meditation.
We reviewed the books of the Old and New Testaments.
February 29--
Page 59 in notebook: We discussed the Introductory Rites of the Mass and how each one is rooted in Scripture. These are the parts of the Introductory Rites: Entrance, Sign of the Cross, Greeting, Penitential Rite, Kyrie Eleison (which is Greek for "Lord, have mercy), Gloria, Opening Prayer.
We did our daily meditation.
We reviewed the books of the Bible.
February 26--
We attended Mass.
We did our daily meditation.
Students painted a watercolor variegated wash then wrote on it a Biblical quote about mercy for our Lenten Mercy bulletin board.
February 25--
Students completed p. 57, the section title page for Liturgical Education; notes on p. 59: Liturgy is the official public worship of the Church. Mass is one Liturgy of the Church. Mass has four main parts: 1. Introductory Rites, 2. Liturgy of the Word, 3. Liturgy of the Eucharist, 4. Concluding Rites.
We did our daily meditation.
February 24--
Students finished the test for Moral Education and began the section divider on p. 57, "Liturgical Education".
We attended an educational program about Laos and the work of Catholic Relief Services there, presented by the middle school students.
We went to Adoration.
We did our daily meditation.
February 23--Memorial of St. Polycarp
Students began their test on the section Moral Education. They will finish tomorrow.
We did our daily meditation.
Lesson about St. Polycarp: St. Polycarp, who was Bishop of Smyrna, in present-day Turkey, was martyred in the year 156 at the age of 86. He had been a disciple of the St. John the Apostle. St. Polycarp had been friends and fellow bishops with St. Ignatius of Antioch, who wrote extensively about the early Church.
February 22--Study for test tomorrow. The study guide is the best source for studying. The notebook can be helpful as well.
We studied for our test tomorrow.
We did our daily meditation.
February 19--
We attended Mass and, later in the morning, went to Adoration.
We did our daily meditation.
February 18--
We reviewed for the religion test, which will be next Tuesday and will include material from the Moral Education section of the notebook.
We did our daily meditation.
We listened to and discussed a book about St. Valentine.
February 17--
Students attended a middle school presentation about Colombia, one of the countries highlighted by Catholic Relief Services for this Lent's Rice Bowl project.
We did our daily meditation.
February 16--Students reviewed the study guide with Mr. Egan.
February 11--Memorial: Our Lady of Lourdes
Students quizzed each other from the study guide.
We discussed Our Lady of Lourdes.
We did our daily meditation.
February 10--Ash Wednesday.
We attended Mass.
We finished correcting the study guide for the section Moral Education.
We went to Adoration.
We discussed the Church seasons, Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter, with emphasis on Lent. We discussed fasting, prayer, and almsgiving as themes for the season of Lent, and we discussed abstaining from meat on Ash Wednesday and Fridays of Lent. We talked about how giving up something for Lent strengthens us to say no to temptations to sin.
February 9--We continued correcting the study guide and did our daily meditation.
February 8--
We began correcting the study guide for the section Moral Education.
We did our daily meditation.
February 5--
We attended Mass.
Students finished up their end-of-section study guide.
We went to Adoration.
We did our daily meditation.
February 4--
We discussed St. Blaise, whose feast was yesterday.
Students continued to work on their study guide.
We did our daily meditation.
February 3--St. Blaise, Bishop and Martyr
Students continued to work on their end-of-section study guide.
We did our daily meditation.
February 2--Feast: The Presentation of the Lord
I read aloud and we discussed the Gospel passage about the Presentation of the Lord; we did the math to see that today is the fortieth day since Christmas. ( Leviticus 12 explains that this event should take place 40 days after the birth of a male child.)
Students continued their study guide or finished up their Spiritual Work of Mercy artwork.
We did our daily meditation.
February 1--Homework: finish the illustration of one of the Spiritual Works of Mercy.
Students began the study guide for the section in their notebooks called "Moral Education".
January 29--
Students attended Mass.
Students each began drawing and illustrating a representative of one of the Spiritual Works of Mercy.
Students did their daily meditation.
January 28--St. Thomas Aquinas
We discussed the life of St. Thomas Aquinas.
We reviewed the Fruits of the Holy Spirit and noted that they are virtues for us to live by.
We did our daily meditation.
January 27--
p 53: Fruits of the Holy Spirit are perfections that the Holy Spirit forms in us. The Church traditionally names 12:
charity
joy
peace
patience
kindness
goodness
generosity
gentleness
faithfulness
modesty
self-control
chastity: the virtue of purity in thought, word, and deed.
We did our daily meditation.
January 26--memorial of Sts. Timothy and Titus
We discussed in class the range of good feelings that come when we have gone to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Students shared their own experiences of how they felt after making a good confession. Then students had time to do a work of art on p. 50 to depict the Sacrament of Reconciliation and their own feelings after having been forgiven in that Sacrament.
We did our daily meditation.
January 25--Feast, Conversion of St. Paul.
p. 51 in notebooks: Going to Confession:
Before going to confession, so an Examination of Conscience and decide what to confess.
Once I am in the confessional, the priest will greet me.
I make the Sign of the Cross and say, "Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. My last confession was ...[state how long ago]...."
I confess my sins.
The priest may talk then will give me a penance, which is something I will do afterward.
I say an Act of Contrition.
Father places his hands over me and prays the Prayer of Absolution. Jesus has forgiven me!
Praise and dismissal.
We did our daily meditation.
Students listened to the first account in Acts of the Apostles of the Conversion of St. Paul.
January 22-
We attended Mass.
p. 51 in notebook: A Sacrament is an outward sign given by Jesus to give us grace. The Sacrament of Reconciliation (also known as Confession or Penance) is a Sacrament by which we receive forgiveness of sins. The outward sign is the confessing of sins and the priest laying on hands and saying the Prayer of Absolution. It was given by Jesus when he gave his Apostles the authority to forgive sins (John 20:23). The grace we receive is forgiveness of our sins and the strength to avoid those sins in the future.
We went to Adoration.
We did our daily meditation.
January 21--
p. 49 continued: Examination of Conscience--a prayerful look (self-reflection) of our thoughts, words, deeds, and omissions. In an examination of conscience, we ask ourselves, "How am I doing as a follower of Jesus?" We use the Ten Commandments, the Eight Beatitudes, the teachings of Jesus in the Gospels, and other New Testament passages to help us examine our conscience. Two helpful New Testament passages can be found in 1 Corinthians 13 and Colossians 3. At Mass we do a mini-examination of conscience when we say the prayer, "I confess to almighty God....."
We did our daily meditation.
Students took their oral quiz for the prayer "Act of Love".
January 20--
p. 49 in notebook: Natural Law: the truth about good and evil is written on the heart of every person and is known by reason. Conscience: the interior voice through which God urges one to do good and avoid evil. We form our consciences by practicing our faith and being educated in it our whole life long.
We did our daily meditation.
January 19--
We are continuing our section on Moral Education, p. 47. Sin is a deliberate thought, word, action, or omission that is against God's law. A mortal sin is a grave (very serious) sin. A venial sin is less serious. Original Sin is the sin of the first humans which lost for us original holiness. That holiness is restored to us in Baptism.
We did our daily meditation.
January 15--We attended Mass today.
January 14--
We discussed the meaning and gave examples for the first four Spiritual Works of Mercy.
We did our daily meditation.
January 13--
We did our daily meditation.
We went to Adoration.
We put the following in our notebooks on p. 44:
Corporal Works of Mercy
Feed the hungry.
Give drink to the thirsty.
Clothe the naked.
Shelter the homeless.
Visit the sick.
Visit the imprisoned.
Bury the dead.
Spiritual Works of Mercy
Instruct the ignorant.
Counsel the doubtful.
Admonish the sinner.
Bear wrongs patiently.
Forgive injuries.
Comfort the sorrowful.
Pray for the living and the dead.
January 12--
Students discussed with partners the meaning of one of the Beatitudes then shared with the class.
We did our daily meditation.
January 11--
on p. 40, students wrote about the Beatitudes: they are the heart of Jesus' teaching; they are the fulfillment of the Ten Commandments; they are found in Matthew chapter 5 (and in Luke chapter 6).
on p. 41, students wrote that the word Decalogue comes from Greek and means "Ten words". It does not mean ten individual words, but ten messages. The Decalogue is the Ten Commandments.
on p. 43, we examine the Beatitudes. Each Beatitude begins with "Blessed are" which can also be translated "Happy are". True and lasting happiness--where can we find that?
In riches? No.
In fame? No.
In power? No.
In God? YES! God is the source of every good and the source of all love.
January 8--
We attended Mass this morning.
We went to Adoration before lunch.
notebook p. 41: In Matthew 22:36-40, Jesus gave us the Great Commandment: He told us to love God with our whole self and to love our neighbor as our self. In the first part, Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:5. In the second part he quoted Leviticus 19:18. The first part, that we should love God with our whole heart, soul, and mind, summarizes the first three Commandments. The second part, that we should love our neighbor as our self, summarizes Commandments 4-10. The Commandments are for our good and for our happiness; God knows what is best for us.
We did our daily meditation.
January 7--
p. 40 of notebook, add page with the Ten Commandments and Eight Beatitudes. Bear false witness means to lie. Covet means to want something so much that you might do wrong to get it.
p. 41: We reviewed what a covenant is: a solemn agreement between God and people and the fact that God's Covenant with us which he gave to Moses is the Ten Commandments. Students drew the two tablets of the Ten Commandments and wrote the numbers 1, 2, 3 on the left tablet and 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 on the right tablet. The first three Commandments have to do with our relationship with God, and the last seven have to do with our relationship with others. We practiced reciting the Ten Commandments from memory. In Matthew 22:36-40 Jesus tells us "The Great Commandment". We will discuss that more tomorrow.
We did our daily meditation.
January 6--St. Andre Bessette
p. 39 of notebook continued: God made us to know, love, and serve him and to be happy with him forever in heaven. We discussed that serving God is not about being a servant for a selfish master, but, to serve God means to keep his Commandments and to love one another, which includes wanting the good for others. The highest good we can want for ourselves and others is to go to heaven.
We did our daily meditation.
January 5--St. John Neumann
Is it still Christmas Season? Yes! Christmas Season begins with the celebration of Christ's birth December 25 and continues until the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord, which will be this upcoming Sunday. Key feasts during Christmas include Christmas Day December 25, the Feast of the Holy Family (the Sunday following Christmas or December 30 if Christmas falls on Sunday), the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God January 1, Epiphany (the Sunday following the Solemnity of Mary in the USA, but January 6 in most parts of the world), and the Baptism of the Lord. Yes, it is still Christmas.
notebook p. 39: God created us, and he created us naturally good. He gave us a soul which lives forever. He created us with the ability and desire to know him and love him. He made us in his image and likeness, so all human life is sacred.We read aloud from Genesis 1 to see why we say God made us, made us in his image and likeness, and made us good.
We did our daily meditation.
We reviewed the names of the books of the Old Testament.
January 4, 2016--St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, first American-born saint.
p. 37 in notebook, chapter heading, "Moral Education".
We did our daily meditation.
---------------------------------
December 18--We attended Mass at the start of our school day and Adoration at the end of our school day.
December 17--
test: Knowledge of the faith.
We did our daily meditation.
December 16--
We played another game to review for the test.
We completed our advent project in the hall with this week's topic being mercy.
We did our daily meditation.
December 15-
We played a game to review for the test.
We did our daily meditation.
December 14--St. John of the Cross
Students reviewed their notebooks in the section "Knowledge of the Faith" and suggested good test questions. The test will be on Wednesday.
We did our daily meditation.
December 11--We did our daily meditation and went to Adoration. Students finished p. 35 in their notebooks, Trinity. New notes for today: Three names for the Holy Spirit are Paraclete, which is Greek meaning "called to one's side", advocate, which is Latin for "called toward", and consoler. If you need help, you want the Holy Spirit at your side.
Father = Creator
Son (Jesus Christ) = Redeemer
Holy Spirit = Sanctifier.
Each person of the Trinity is present in all the Sacraments.
Next week will be the test on the notebook section called "Knowledge of the Faith".
December 10--
Students continued their Advent project with the theme "Love, joy, and mercy on the road to Bethlehem".
I read to the class "The Lady of Guadalupe" by Tomie de Paola.
We did our daily meditation.
We sang the books of the Old and New Testaments and the Cardinal Virtues song.
December 9--St. Juan Diego
p. 35 in notebook, continuation of Trinity. Students wrote and discussed some things we know about each Person of the Holy Trinity. The Father is fully God, all-knowing, almighty, all-just, all-merciful, all-present. We discussed how God can be both all-just and all-merciful. We know about the Son, Jesus Christ from the ten points about him in the Apostles' Creed, all we know about him from the Gospels, including that he worked miracles, especially to help people, he forgave, he healed people and raised people from the dead, he is loving and kind, merciful, and forgiving. Jesus is fully God. The Holy Spirit is fully God, was promised by Jesus, and came to the disciples and Mary at Pentecost; the Holy Spirit is present in all the Sacraments; we receive the Holy Spirit at Baptism and Confirmation. Symbols of the Holy Spirit are fire, wind, and a dove. We noted that after receiving the Holy Spirit, the Apostles, who had been fearful, became courageous, and when they spoke to the crowd in Jerusalem on Pentecost, everyone in the crowd understood them, each in his own language.
We discussed St. Juan Diego, whose feast is today.
We did our daily meditation.
December 8--The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary
We attended Mass for the Holy Day of Obligation.
We discussed what Immaculate Conception means, that Mary was conceived without sin. We discussed that conception happens about nine months before birth and is when life begins. Mary was conceived without the Original Sin the rest of us are born with. We talked about St. Bernadette of Lourdes and how, when Mary appeared to her in 1858 she said to Bernadette that she was the "Immaculate Conception".
Quiz: memorization of "Prayer for the Faithful Departed".
We did our daily meditation.
December 7--
Students wrote the notes for p. 34 in their notebooks: Trinity is the mystery of three persons in one God. The word comes from the parts tri which means three and unity which means one. It is called a mystery because we cannot fully understand it. We have ONE God. There are three persons in one God, the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. The Father is fully God. The Son, Jesus Christ, is fully God. The Holy Spirit is fully God. Yet, there is just one God. The Father is not the Son. The Son is not the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not the Father. Yet each is fully God.
Although we cannot fully understand this mystery, God gave us a substance on earth that can help us understand a bit more, the substance H2O. Water, steam, and ice are all fully the substance H2O. Yet steam is not ice, ice is not liquid water, and liquid water is not steam. While this may help us understand some, we cannot fully comprehend the mystery of the Holy Trinity.
We did our daily meditation.
December 4--
We celebrated Mass today.
Students did artwork on p. 33 to symbolize the New Covenant
They also did an Advent project with the theme, "Love, joy and mercy on the road to Bethlehem".
We did our daily meditation.
December 3--
Students completed the notes for p. 33 in notebook and began artwork to symbolize the New Covenant on p. 32. Notes: Jesus told his disciples he established the New Covenant. His sacrificial death and Resurrection for our salvation is the new Covenant. In Luke 22:20, we read that Jesus told his disciples, when he gave them the cup, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you." In 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, St. Paul says Jesus established the New Covenant. Jesus gave himself up for us to establish the New Covenant. We always remember this in the Eucharist.
We did our daily meditation.
December 2--
Students reviewed all the covenants we discussed so far and began page 33 in the notebook, "New Covenant". God told Jeremiah that he was going to make a New Covenant with his people (Jeremiah 31:31). We read from the Gospel of Luke to learn something about that New Covenant: it has to do with Jesus and the Eucharist. We will continue this discussion tomorrow.
We did our daily meditation.
Students sang the books of the Old Testament and New Testament.
December 1--
Notebook p. 31 (continued) Moses: God promised to protect his people; his people were to keep the Ten Commandments. This is found in Exodus 20. David: God promised to David that his descendant will rule as king and that kingdom will last forever. [Discussion: Hmm. David's son Solomon ruled as king. After him, the kingdom split into two, and both parts were conquered and destroyed by other nations. So who could that descendant be?] See Luke 1:27 and Luke 1:33-34. The angel Gabriel told Mary, about Jesus, "..the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." So, Jesus is that descendant of David who will rule as king and whose kingdom will last forever.
We reviewed the Ten Commandments.
We did our daily meditation.
Students sang the books of the Old Testament and New Testament.
November 30--St. Andrew the Apostle
Students had a guest presenter who presented a workshop about Advent.
We did our daily meditation.
November 25--Students went to Adoration with Mr. Egan.
November 24--St. Andrew Dung-Lac and 166 other Vietnamese Martyrs.
We added a biblical quote to p. 24. 2 Peter 1:21b says, "...human beings, moved by the Holy Spirit spoke under the influence of God." This can help us understand the idea of Inspiration and what it means when we say Scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit.
P. 31: God's covenant with Noah is found in Genesis 9. God promised not to destroy the earth with a flood and gave the rainbow as the sign of his promise. God's covenant with Abraham can be found in Genesis 17:1-14. God promised to make Abraham's descendants as numerous as the stars of the sky.
We did our daily meditation.
November 23--Blessed Miguel Agustin Pro. We did a listening exercise, listening to a short biography of his life then writing as much as we could remember. We wrote Bible quotes about giving thanks to go along with our Thanksgiving artwork. We did our daily meditation.
November 20--We began the day by going to Mass. During religion students continued to decorate Thanksgiving food boxes which will be distributed to those in need for Thanksgiving. This was an all-school activity which students did in family groups with student leadership. We did our daily meditation.
November 19--We did our daily meditation and took notes in the religion notebook.
religion notebook p. 31:
Covenant--a holy promise between God and humans (this is the student textbook definition)
--a solemn agreement between two parties involving mutual agreements (from the Catechism of the Catholic Church)
We had discussion to refine our understanding of a covenant: is an agreement to meet for lunch next week a covenant? (no) Is Marriage a covenant? (yes) We discussed the mutual agreements of the covenant of Marriage. God made covenants with Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David.
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November 18--dedication of the churches of St. Peter and St. Paul in Rome, each built where that saint was martyred.
notebook checks
We practiced singing the books of the Old and New Testaments.
We went to Adoration.
We did our daily meditation.
November 17--
Students had a chance to catch up parts of their notebooks that were incomplete.
We practiced singing the books of the Old and New Testaments.
We did our daily meditation.
November 16--We did our daily meditation and wrote p. 29 in the religion notebook:
Creed: a profession of belief or a summary of belief.
We use two main creeds:
The Nicene Creed, which we profess at Mass. It is the longer one.
The Apostles' Creed, which we profess at baptisms and when we pray the rosary. This is the shorter one.
Faith: a gift from God and a free choice to seek God and believe in him.
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November 13--St. Frances Xavier Cabrini
We attended Mass and later went to Adoration. We also discussed the life of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini and the fact that she is the patroness of immigrants.
November 12--
Page 24 in notebook, the Books of the Bible
Students worked on memorizing the books of the Old Testament and reviewed the books of the New Testament.
We did our daily meditation.
November 10--
p. 27 in religion notebook: Students added:
John 3: 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.
1 John 4:9 In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only son into the world so that we might have life through him.
These two references from Scripture point out what students wrote on the top of p. 27, "God reveals himself fully by sending his Divine Son Jesus Christ as our Redeemer".
p. 26: artistic page with the words, "God is love."
We did our daily meditation.
November 9--
Students read the lesson from the book about the Holy Trinity and did an accompanying worksheet.
Students did the daily meditation.
November 6--We attended Mass.
November 5--
p. 25 in notebook: What does it mean when we say that Scripture (the 73 books of the Bible) is inspired by the Holy Spirit? In this use of the word, inspired means the Holy Spirit helped the authors teach the truths God wanted them to teach, but the authors used their own words.
p. 27 in notebook: God reveals himself fully by sending his Divine Son Jesus Christ as our Redeemer. He is our Redeemer because he ransomed us by paying the price of his own death on the cross.
We practiced singing the books of the New Testament and practiced the Books of the Old Testament up to 2 Maccabees.
We did our daily meditation.
November 4--
p. 25 in notebook: How We Learn About God:
Scripture: the 73 books in the Bible, which are inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Tradition: the living transmission (sending a message) of the Gospel in the Church. The teachings of the Apostles were handed on from the beginning of the Church to new Bishops who took the places of the Apostles. Those bishops, in turn, handed on those teachings to new bishops up to the present time. This is why it is called living transmission. We always have living bishops who pass on the teachings of the Church.
We went to Adoration.
We did our daily meditation.
November 3--St. Martin De Porres
Students are about to begin a new section in their religion notebooks: "Knowledge of the Faith". Today they made a title page for this section of their notebooks.
Students took their quiz to demonstrate memorization of the Apostles' Creed.
We discussed the life of St. Martin De Porres.
We did our daily meditation.
November 2--All Souls' Day
Scholars put five definitions in their notebooks on p. 19, and we discussed each of them together:
Saint-- a person who, after life on earth, enjoys eternal life with God in heaven.
All Saints' Day--November 1, the feast day for every saint in heaven, those we know and those we do not know.
Communion of Saints--the unity of all those redeemed by Christ: those on earth, those in purgatory, and those in heaven.
Purgatory--a state of final purification before entrance into heaven.
All Souls' Day--November 2, a day dedicated to praying for souls in Purgatory. Our prayers can help them during their time of purification.
We prayed a rosary together for all our loved ones who are in Purgatory.
We did our daily meditation.
October 30--
We attended Mass.
Students completed their saint reports.
We attended Adoration.
October 29--Students continued writing their saint report; we did our daily meditation.
October 28--Students began writing their saint report, finished taking notes, or finished pages 4-17 in religion notebook; we did our daily meditation.
October 27--
Students finished up any pages in their notebooks that were not already complete.
Students began searching for information about the saint about whom they will write a report.
We did our daily meditation.
October 26--
We discussed appropriate behavior when a substitute teacher is teaching. Some students signed a note of apology to the teacher who taught them music last Friday. Each student decided for himself or herself; I reminded them not to accuse each other but only themselves.
Students completed p. 11 in their religion notebooks.
We did our daily meditation.
Homework: religion notebooks need to be up to date by Wednesday.
October 23--
We attended Mass today. Your children are well behaved during Mass.
We did our daily meditation.
Students continued to completed their religion notebook pages 16 and 17.
We went to Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
Students began putting their classroom list of virtues on pages 14 and 15 of their notebooks. They could enter these virtues as artistically as they wished along with whatever artwork they wanted to include.
October 22--St. John Paul II, Pope
We reviewed information students learned about St. John Paul II.
Students began p. 17 in their religion notebooks about the North American Martyrs.
We listened to a recording of the "Huron Carol" which St. John De Brebeuf (one of the North American Martyrs) wrote about the birth of Jesus using Huron imagery to help the Huron people understand the significance.
p. 16 of our notebook, students began writing in these definitions:
Missionary--a person who travels to bring Christ's message to people who do not know it.
Martyr--a person who gives up his or her life to witness to the truth of our faith.
Lay people (laity)--members of the Church who are not priests or consecrated sisters or brothers.
We did our daily meditation.
October 21--Iowa Tests today; we did our daily meditation.
October 20--Iowa Tests today; we did our daily meditation.
October 19--
Today is the memorial of eight missionaries to North America, called the North American Martyrs. These eight men came from France to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to the native populations of North America. Isaac Jogues, John De Brebeuf, Anthony Daniel, Charles Garrier, Noel Chabanel, an Gabriel Lalemont were Jesuit priests. Rene Goupil was a Jesuit brother and a surgeon. John La Lande was a lay missionary. Each one was killed by natives who were hostile to the Gospel message.
Students turned in their list of ten virtues.
We did our daily meditation.
October 16--We attended Mass today. In religion notebooks students wrote these definitions:
Cardinal Virtue--a key or hinge virtue on which all other virtues depend.
prudence--thinking before acting in order to choose the good
justice--fairness to God and neighbor
fortitude--strength through difficulty
temperance--self-control
We went to Adoration. Homework: Students should come Monday with a list of ten virtues. These could be things like kindness, patience, caring, generosity...
October 15--Memorial of St. Teresa of Avila, a Carmelite nun who established many new Carmelite monasteries in Spain in the 1500's. She was born 500 years ago this year.
Students began filling in page 13 in their notebooks like this:
A virtue is a habit of doing good.
There are four Cardinal Virtues:
prudence
justice
fortitude
temperance.
They will complete this page tomorrow. This information will be used when they write their report about the saint they chose.
We sang the "Cardinal Virtues Song". Returning students know this song; new students will learn it.
October 14--Students finished choosing the saint who will be the topic of their paper.
October 13--
Students began reading and selecting a saint to write about in an essay for All Saints' Day. Most students selected a saint; some will get back to me tomorrow with their choice. Students must choose a saint no one else has chosen.
Students received corrections for their religion notebooks. Those that need corrections or completion are due tomorrow. Homework: religion notebook complete and correct through p. 10.
We did our daily meditation.
October 12--Students continued to get their religion notebooks up to date or work on their essay about true mercy. We did our daily meditation.
October 9--Students completed the chapter 1 end-of-chapter questions in their grade-level textbook; we checked these. We attended Mass. I have been very pleased with our students' Mass behavior. Today I challenged those who do not sing to open the song books and do their part. We did our daily meditation.
October 8--Students read chapter 1 in their grade-level religion textbook and began the end-of-chapter activity. We did our daily meditation and continued learning the books of the Old Testament.
October 7--Our Lady of the Rosary
We went to Adoration.
We did our daily meditation.
We sang the books of the New Testament and continued working on memorizing the books of the Old Testament.
October 6--
We did our daily meditation.
Students numbered the pages of their religion notebooks and selected the material that will be included on the first few pages.
Students began today to memorize the Apostles' Creed. Students will need to demonstrate by the end of October that they have memorized it. The Apostles' Creed can by found on this website at the page called "October prayer to learn".
We sang the books of the New Testament. We are currently learning the books of the Old Testament.
October 5--
Students got their religion notebooks today.
We did our daily meditation.
We had a discussion in which students shared what it was like for them when we prayed the rosary together. Some of their responses:
"It felt like God was with us."
"Mary was with us."
"It was meditation, it was quiet, so it was really good."
"It was calm, and we had a strong connection with God."
"Jesus was standing among us. It was peaceful."
I asked them when we feel unpeaceful or upset, what is a good thing to do? Many students answered that they should pray the rosary or pray in any manner.
We reviewed the books of the New Testament and began learning the books of the Old Testament.
October 1--
We discussed yesterday's saint, St. Jerome, who translating the Old Testament (written in Hebrew and some books in Greek) and the New Testament (written in Greek) into Latin so that more people would be able to read it, as Latin was the language at the time for all of Europe.
We discussed today's saint, St. Therese of Lisieux, who was a young Carmelite nun in France.
We did our daily meditation.
We prayed the rosary together; five students took turns leading. They prayed the rosary so very reverently.
September 30--Memorial of St. Jerome
We named and discussed the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary: The Annunciation, The Visitation, The Birth of Jesus, The Presentation in the Temple, The Finding of Jesus in the Temple.
We went to Adoration.
We did our daily meditation.
September 29--Feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael.
We reviewed how to pray the Rosary. We will pray the rosary together Thursday. Students are encouraged to keep a rosary in their backpack if they like, but not a family heirloom rosary. As we did last year, we will pray the rosary about every month or six weeks.
We did our daily meditation.
(Students finished their five-paragraph essays about the Archangels, whose feast is today.)
September 28--Students got their religion quizzes back and reviewed it with a partner to find their errors. We did our daily meditation.
September 25--
Students took a religion quiz.
Students wrote a paragraph about the archangel Raphael.
We attended Mass.
We did our daily meditation.
September 24--Homework: quiz tomorrow. We reviewed for our quiz Friday. Students should be able to say what or who is defined in each of the following:
He was a soldier who had a conversion experience, started the Jesuit Order, and taught people how to pray.
He was a tax collector who left his post to follow Jesus; he became an apostle and wrote one of the Gospels.
the blessing a priest or deacon gives to the people with the Blessed Sacrament in the monstrance
the special box where the Blessed Sacrament is stored in the church
The worship we owe God alone is called this.
the Sacrament in which we confess our sins and Jesus forgives us through the priest
the pedestal in which the Blessed Sacrament is displayed during times of Adoration
He was a Jesuit priest who helped slaves in South America by caring for them, serving them, and teaching them.
A name for Mary that reminds us that she suffered because she witnessed her son suffer and die.
This feast in September is a time to remember Jesus' suffering and death on the cross and that he rose from the dead.
September 23--
We reviewed for our quiz (Friday).
We went to Adoration.
September 22--We did our daily meditation. We began reviewing for Friday's quiz. The quiz will include a variety of topics we have studied from the start of the school year:
tabernacle: a special, holy box in which the Blessed Sacrament is kept in the church.
monstrance: a special vessel in which the Blessed Sacrament is displayed during times of Adoration.
adoration: the worship reserved for God alone, acknowledging him as God, Creator, and Savior.
Benediction: a special blessing by a priest or deacon with the Blessed Sacrament in the Monstrance. (This item is new today.)
Triumph of the Cross: a feast in which we remember Jesus' suffering and death on the cross and his victory at Resurrection. This feast is important to us because we, too, suffer and can hope for triumph over our suffering because we are followers of Jesus.
Our Lady of Sorrows: At this memorial, we remember that Mary, too, suffered because Jesus suffered.
St. Peter Claver: a Jesuit saint who served slaves of South America by caring for them, feeding them, and teaching them the Catholic faith.
St. Matthew: one of the Twelve Apostles, he wrote one of the Gospels. He was a tax collector who left his post when Jesus invited him to follow him; he is also known as Levi.
St. Ignatius of Loyola: the founder of the Jesuits, a religious order of priests dedicated to missionary work and education.
prayer: talking to God and listening for him to talk to us.
Sacrament of Reconciliation: also known as Confession or Penance, this is the Sacrament in which we confess our sins and receive forgiveness from Jesus through the priest.
September 21--Feast of St. Matthew.
We discussed facts about St. Matthew. Students used these facts to build sentences and write a paragraph about St. Matthew. Here are some of the facts: He was a tax collector; he followed Jesus when Jesus came to him and said, "Follow me."; he was one of the twelve apostles; he wrote the Gospel of Matthew; he was also known as Levi.
We did our third lesson from Sacred Story.
We did our daily meditation.
September 18--
All-school Mass this morning.
Our class went to Adoration.
We reviewed yesterday's lesson. Students shared how they disposed of the papers they made yesterday. When asked whether disposing of those papers brought forgiveness or symbolized forgiveness, they said it symbolized forgiveness. When asked how we receive forgiveness from God, they said by going to Confession. We reviewed the three names for that Sacrament: Confession, Reconciliation, and Penance.
New lesson: the importance of truthfulness and respect for others. We read a summary of the beginning of the story of Joseph (which is in the book of Genesis). Being honest and respectful leads to a closer relationship with God and one another.
We did our daily meditation.
September 17--
Memorial of St. Robert Bellarmine, an Italian Jesuit priest whose preaching and writing inspired many people to become devoted followers of Jesus.
We continued lesson 1 of Sacred Story, discussing the Sacrament of Confession. I asked students if they had gone to the Sacrament of Confession recently; many had. I asked what happens to our sins once God forgives us in the Sacrament of Confession: those sins are gone. The students and I each filled out a worksheet on which we chose to forgive another for a specific way the other person hurt us and asked God to forgive us for something specific. We folded our papers small. Each person will take his or her paper home and decide how to dispose of it to symbolize that when we receive forgiveness from God, those sins are gone. (I emphasized to students that they must check with parents before using fire or a shredder!)
We did our daily meditation.
September 16--We began a series of lessons which introduce children to the Sacred Story program, which is a program of prayerful meditation modeled after St. Ignatius' Spiritual Exercises. We did our daily meditation.
September 15--
Today is the memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows. This feast always follows the feast of the Triumph of the Cross. I asked the students why this day might follow the Triumph of the Cross. Students replied that if a son suffers, the mother does too.
We discussed the life of St. Ignatius of Loyola, who, after a conversion experience, founded the Jesuit religious order of priests and brothers. Our prayer program of daily meditation, Sacred Story, is based on the prayer habits St. Ignatius developed and taught.
September 14--The Feast of the Triumph of the Cross. On this feast we recall that Jesus accepted his cross and his suffering. By doing so, he showed us how to accept our sufferings gracefully. He rose from the dead, which gives us hope that by carrying our crosses in a holy manner, we too may share in Jesus resurrection some day. We reviewed the Ten Commandments, which we memorized last year, and had a class discussion about our daily meditation. We did our daily meditation.
September 11--We attended Mass, did a lesson from the book about the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, and went to Adoration. Students also created an art project to illustrate the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit are Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of the Lord.
September 10--We read a page from the textbook about the Birth of Mary, which we celebrated two days ago,. We also reviewed the purpose and procedures for going to Adoration then went to Adoration for a few minutes.
September 9--Today is the memorial of St. Peter Claver, a Jesuit priest who lovingly ministered to slaves physically and spiritually in South America. He died in Colombia in 1654. Students reviewed and discussed the vocabulary words tabernacle, monstrance, and adoration.
tabernacle: a special box in which the Blessed Sacrament is kept in the church.
monstrance: a special vessel in which the Blessed Sacrament is displayed during times of Adoration.
adoration: the worship reserved for God alone, acknowledging him as God, Creator, and Savior.
September 8, 2015: Feast of the Birth of Mary-- We had a prayer service to mark the beginning of our school year.