Assigned: Sunday, Sept. 25th   Due: Saturday, Oct. 1st

Read pages 2-8

Week 5 Confirmation Is the Sacrament of the Holy Spirit

Date Assigned: October 16   Due: October 22

Dear Students, 

I hope you are all doing well.  Thank you for doing your assignments and sending them in a timely fashion.  I have enjoyed seeing your smiling faces with your homework.  

This new chapter is all about Confirmation.  Confirmation is the last sacrament of initiation that you will receive.  In our last chapter, you learned that the three Sacraments of Initiation are; Baptism, The Holy Eucharist and Confirmation.  

The apostles had felt frightened after Jesus died on the Cross.  They thought they would also be arrested and put to death.  Then the Holy Spirit came and they were no longer afraid.  Their faith had been strengthened, or confirmed, and they became witnesses to Jesus.  The same thing happens to people today in the Sacrament of Confirmation-- their faith is strengthened.  

The Holy Spirit first came to us in the Sacrament of Baptism.  It was also in Baptism that we first received the gift of faith.  In the Sacrament of Confirmation, the Holy Spirit renews his coming and thus strengthens and confirms the faith we received in Baptism.  He makes us strong as he did the apostles, and he calls us to be witnesses to Christ.  We recommit ourselves to living like Jesus.  

Please complete page 29 in your textbook.  Also, please watch the video above about Father Damien and answer the following questions:

1  How did Saint Damien give witness to Christ?

2. Why do you think he is called the Martyr of Molokai?  Remember, a martyr is a person that is killed because of their religious beliefs.

3. Father Damien risked his life to help others.  He knew that leprosy was contagious, but he saw a place where people were not able to live lives of dignity.  He knew he was needed.  Who are other people today who risk their lives to help others?

Please write your answers on a piece of paper and send along with page 29 to my email.  Be sure to include your name and CCD in the title.  

Have a great week ahead.  Please pray for me and I will pray for you!

Hugs,

Mrs. Lisson 

Week 6/Chapter 5

The Eucharist Is the Center of Christian Life

ASSIGNED 10/23        DUE 10/29

*WATCH VIDEO ABOVE

READ CHAPTER 5 pages 35-40

COMPLETE PG 39 AND 42

There will be a test on Chapters 1-5 on Nov. 6th. 

Dear Parents and Students,

As we enter our sixth week together, I want to remind you that all assignments will be posted by Saturday evening.  I have been uploading a day or two early.  This past week, I have had to send out several reminders that I was missing homework assignments.  Please be sure to stay on top of assignments and their due dates.  I am always mindful to not assign an assignment that would be too difficult or demand too much of the student.  

In Chapter 5, we begin the discussion of the Eucharist and how it is the center of our Christian Life.

In the Old Testament, we read that God sent plagues upon Egypt to punish the pharaoh for not letting the Israelites leave.  The greatest and most fearsome plague was when the angel of death passed over.

The Israelites were saved from the angel of death when they sacrificed a lamb and put the blood of the lamb on their doorposts.  This lamb is called the paschal lamb. 

This event is what the Jewish people have celebrated each year for centuries during the feast of Passover. 

Jesus celebrated Passover on the night before he died.  When he did, he changed the celebration.  Jesus Christ became the sacrifice; he became the paschal lamb.  He saved us from sin and death by passing through death to a risen life. 

Important points to remember in this chapter:

-The Paschal Mystery includes the passion, death, Resurrection, and Ascension

-The Eucharist is the most wonderful sacrament of all because we receive Jesus Christ himself

-We need to be in a state of grace when we are preparing to receive Holy Communion.  If we have committed a sin or broken a commandment, we need the Sacrament of Reconciliation before we can receive The Eucharist.

Week 9

Date Assigned 11/12/22

Date Due 11/19/22

Chapter 6 & 7 Gather and Go Forth and We Come Together to Celebrate

Week 11

Chapter 8  We Listen to God's Word

Date Assigned: 11/27/22

Due: 12/3/22

Assignment- Read Chapter 8 and complete Chapter. 8 review on page 68.  Please send me your completed assignment in a new email.  

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with their family.  

Did you go to church this weekend?  Did you notice the advent wreath lighting that took place at the beginning of mass?  We have just started a new Liturgical Year with the ending of ordinary time in our church.  We are now preparing for the arrival of baby Jesus in a few weeks.  Did you notice that the priest was wearing purple vestments?  Purple is one of the colors used during advent and lent.

This week, we move into the next part of mass known as the Liturgy of the Word.  

How many of you like to receive mail?  Maybe you have received letters or cards, or maybe you have received email.  How many of you kept a special message you received a long time ago?  Why did you keep it?  (I have many cards that I kept from my grandmother.  My grandmother passed away several years ago, but I kept them because they are special to me, and I like to see her handwriting and read her words of wisdom.) Why do we like to receive messages? Today we will talk about some written messages we receive from God.  

For Chapter 8, I want you to envision yourself at Sunday mass.  I want you to think about when we first sit down after the first part of the mass (The Introductory Rite).  As soon as we sit, we enter the second part of the mass known as The Liturgy of the Word.  During this time, we will have the First Reading.  This reading is taken from the Old Testament.  It is usually a little more challenging to understand.  Then we have the Responsorial Psalm.  This is our response to having heard God speak to us in the First Reading.  A psalm is a prayer that was meant to be sung.  Next, we have the Second Reading.  This is a reading from the New Testament.  After the second reading, we will stand and sing the Gospel Acclamation.  It is a sign of respect to stand before the Gospel is read to show that we are ready to do whatever Jesus tells us.

After the Gospel, we can sit and listen to the priest explain the message God is giving to us from the Gospel.  After the homily, we will stand and read the Nicene Creed, which is the Profession of Faith.  The Nicene Creed is what we proclaim as the truths of our faith.  

After the Nicene Creed, we have the Prayer of the Faithful where our response is Lord Hear Our Prayer.  We pray for the church, the Holy Father, and our bishop.  We pray for the needs of the world, our own country and we pray for people that are suffering and have passed away.  

After the Prayer of the Faithful, this ends the Liturgy of the Word.  We then start the third part of mass; Liturgy of the Eucharist.  

Week 12

Date Assigned 12/3/22

Date Due 12/10/22

Dear Students and Parents,

Please make sure that you have completed the assignment from week 11.  Scroll back and submit if you did not complete the assignment. 

Think about a time when you ordered something and had to wait for the package to arrive.  Or maybe you sent a letter or an email to someone and had to wait for a reply.  Have you ever noticed that the more eager you are for someone or something to arrive, the longer the waiting seems?  You can get so excited you just want to pop!  It is hard to be patient when you are so eager.  Today, you will learn of others' experiences of waiting and discover how we should wait and prepare for the coming of a very important person.  

We are going to jump out of order in our book this week.  We are entering the second week of Advent.  Please open your book to page 219.  Read the two pages about Advent and complete page 220.  

Please remember to go to mass this week.  Be sure to complete your mass journal and submit to Mrs. Emrock.  The mass journal is found at the top of the page.  

Please keep all of the students that are preparing to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation next Saturday in your thoughts and prayers. 

Please pray for my family and I will pray for yours.  

Have a great week!

Mrs. Lisson 

Week 13

Chapter 9 

Date Assigned 12/10/22

Date Due 12/17/22

We Praise and Thank God

Dear Boys and Girls,

We have already covered two parts of the Mass.  We have reviewed the Introductory Rites and the Liturgy of the Word.  Today we will begin our study of the next part of the Mass.  The Liturgy of the Eucharist.  

We all like to receive gifts.  Gifts make us happy.  They fill a need and show that the person who gave us the gift loves us.  We are thankful for the gift and for the love behind the gift.  What are some ways we show our gratitude?

Some of our most wonderful gifts are all around us all of the time.  They are so plentiful that you might even forget they are gifts.  God has given us so much.  But there is one gift God gave us that is the most wonderful gift of all.  It is listed in your book.  What is that greatest gift?  (God's son, Jesus!)

Read pages 71-74,

What was the gift Jesus offered?  

In the Eucharist, Jesus continues offering his perfect gift and gives us an opportunity to offer it with him.  

In the early days of the Church, people brought many gifts as signs of their life and work.  For those who were poor, they brought things from their gardens or things they had made, along with bread and wine.  By the time the priest accepted all these gifts, his hands were usually dirty.  Therefore, he washed his hands before continuing the Eucharist celebration. 

The priest still washes his hands today.  As he does, he prays that he may be cleansed of sin.  

Comple the Chapter 9 Review.  You do not need to complete the bottom portion of page 76.  The middle portion can be tricky.  Pay close attention as you read through the chapter for the correct order for the Liturgy of the Eucharist.  You can do it!

Please pray for my family and I will pray for yours!  Have a great week! 

Mrs. Lisson 

Week 16

Chapter 10: We Receive Holy Communion 

Date Assigned 1/7/23

Date Due 1/14/23

Dear Parents and Students,

Happy New Year!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday.  It's always difficult coming back after an extended break.  My family knows how much I dread undecorating and taking down all our Christmas decorations.  I have been known to say that January is NOT my favorite month.   It is normal to have these feelings after celebrating such a beautiful holiday such as Christmas.  For most of us, we are blessed to share the holiday with family and friends.  The realization that it is all over so quickly can leave some feeling depressed. 

It has only been recently, that I started to look on the positive side when it comes to the month of January.  A new year means a new chance.  A new chance to try something new.  A chance to appreciate something that we might take for granted.  I picked the picture at the top because it demonstrates the beauty in our world.  God created such a beautiful landscape.  How can January be so bad if it can look this beautiful?  

For this week, I would like for you all to read Chapter 10.  We are almost finished learning all the parts of the mass.  We are now at the Communion Rite.  During the Communion Rite, we participate as Jesus' family in the eucharistic meal.  The gift that God gives us is Jesus.  Everything you will read should be very familiar to you since you studied this information when you were in third grade.  

For your homework, complete the review on page 84.  Also, please take the time to go back to Chapters 7-9.  It has been a while since we started learning the parts of the mass.  Give yourself the opportunity to review all that you have learned.  

Please be sure to attend Holy Mass.  Complete your mass journal after attending and submit.  

I hope you have a wonderful week ahead!

Hugs,

Mrs. Lisson 

Week 17 

We are Sent to Glorify the Lord

Chapter 11

Date assigned 1/14/23

Due: 1/21/23

Dear Students, 

At every Mass, Jesus gives himself to his Father, and he comes to us.  He wants us then to give of ourselves to one another.  What did Jesus do at the Last Supper to show us that he wants us to give of ourselves to one another? ( he washed his apostles' feet)

In Jesus' time, people wore sandals, and their feet got hot and dirty.  When they got home, they needed to wash their feet.  But at the time, people weren't allowed to ask a servant to wash their feet.  Washing another person's feet was considered too lowly even for slaves.  

If you have a Bible at home, read John 13: 1-15. 

In the story, Jesus says, "If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another's feet.  I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do."  

Jesus washed the disciples' feet at the Last Supper.  Today Jesus first feeds us with the Eucharist to make us strong in his life and love.  Then he sends us forth to 'wash feet".  He wants us to live the Mass.  

For your assignment this week, please read Chapter 11 and complete the chapter review on page 92.  This will conclude the parts of the mass and Unit 2 in our book.  

Have a wonderful week!

Hugs,

Mrs. Lisson :) 

Week 22- No Homework

Date Assigned: 2/18/23

Week 23 Lent

Assigned 2/25/23

Due 3/4/23

Dear Students,

The season of Lent begins 40 days before Easter.  We mark the beginning of Lent with a special day.  On this day, many Christians go to church and share in an important ritual.  This ritual involves ashes that are made from palm branches.  

This past Wednesday we celebrated Ash Wednesday.  Although not a holy day of obligation, it is a day that many Christians go to church to receive ashes on their forehead in the shape of the Cross.

The ashes we use on Ash Wednesday come from the burned branches of palm trees.  Palm branches are blessed and given out in church every year on the Sunday before Easter.  This day is called Palm Sunday.  

Those palm branches are burned, and the ashes are used to give us the blessing on Ash Wednesday.  These are holy ashes.

After we receive the blessed ashes on our foreheads, one of two prayers is said.  We might hear the prayer, "Repent, and believe in the Gospel." Or we might hear, "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return."

The ritual and symbols of Ash Wednesday are important ways of identifying ourselves as followers of Christ.  Let's learn more about the action, the words, and the objects used on this day.  

Read page 223-224

During Lent, all Christians want to live Jesus' Paschal Mystery.  Remember,  Jesus' passion, death, Resurrection and Ascension are called the Paschal Mystery.  Jesus passed from death to life.  That's why we refer to the suffering, death, Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus as the Paschal Mystery. 

During the 40 days of Lent, we try in a special way to reject sin and to live in God's love.   For homework this week, I want you to do something special for your parents without being asked.  It could be drying the dishes or carrying laundry to the washer/dryer.  During Lent, we want to try and follow in the footsteps of Jesus.  Put others before yourself.   No written homework is due this week.  Be sure to go to Holy Mass and complete your mass journals.  Have a great weekend! 

Hugs,

Mrs. Lisson 

Week 25 Holy Week

Page 225

Date Assigned 3/11/23

Date Due 3/18/23

Dear Students,

With only a short time remaining, I'd like to skip ahead to Holy Week.  

Turn to page 216 in your book.  Months ago, we reviewed the garments that the priest wore for Holy Mass.  That was such a long time ago!  Let's see if we can refresh our memory!  Take a look at the color wheel on the page.  It is a liturgical calendar.  We normally keep a calendar to mark special days such as birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays.  In the same way, the Church keeps a calendar to mark special times in Jesus' life, such as his death, Resurrection, and return to his Father.  

In our calendar year, we have seasons, - winter, spring, summer and fall.  The liturgical calendar has seasons too.  What seasons are shown on this calendar?

Just as our regular calendar has holidays that commemorate the birthdays of important people or recall important events, the liturgical calendar has feast days and holidays.  What feast days are shown on this calendar?

We are currently in the season of Lent.  Soon the Church will celebrate the most sacred, or holy, events of the entire year.  We give this week the special name of Holy Week.  Today we will talk about how the Church celebrates Holy Week.  

Holy Week begins during the last days of Lent.  The first day of Holy Week is also the last Sunday of Lent.  What is this day called? Palm Sunday

The season of Lent ends during the day on Holy Thursday.  The next three days are called the Easter Triduum.  What does Triduum mean?  three days

On these three days, the Church community remembers Jesus' Last Supper and death on the Cross.  The night of the third day, Holy Saturday, we wait in vigil for Jesus' Resurrection from the dead on Easter.  

On Holy Thursday we celebrate the Lord's last Supper.  Jesus did many important things.  One of the most important things he did was give us the Eucharist, our spiritual food.  He also gave us a new commandment that night.   (Love one another as I love you)

On Good Friday, Jesus suffered and died on the Cross.  Even though what happened to Jesus was terrible, we call this day a good day.  Why do we call it a Good Friday? Through Jesus' suffering and death, we were saved.

On Holy Saturday, we celebrate the Easter Vigil.  A vigil is a time of watching and waiting.  The vigil marks the end of Holy Week and the beginning of our greatest feast, Easter.  During Mass that evening, the priest makes and blesses a new fire.  The priest then lights the paschal candle.  After, all the parishioners light their own candle from the paschal candle.  

That was a lot of information to cover!  Please now read all about Holy Week starting on page 225.  

Although no written homework for this week, I would like for all of you to say extra special prayers this week.  Our eighth-grade students will be receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation on Monday evening.  Please pray that their hearts will be open to receiving the Holy Spirt and that their faith will continue to grow and deepen in our Lord.  Thank you for always doing your very best each week.  I am so proud of each and every one of you.    

Hugs,

Mrs. Lisson 

Week 26 Easter

Date Assigned: 3/18/23

Date Due: 3/25/23

Dear  Students,

Just as nature is beginning to show signs of new life, the Church also celebrates the new life we have received from Jesus.  What do we call this celebration? (Easter)

This is the most important time of the Church year.  Easter is so important to us that we celebrate for 50 days.  Today we will learn more about what we celebrate during Easter.  We will also share a special prayer praising God for the new life Jesus gives to us.  

Read Page 227 in your book.

Think about that very first Easter.  Imagine how worried the women were when they realized Jesus was no longer in the tomb.  The two men in dazzling clothes told the women that Jesus had risen.  Imagine the disciples disbelief when the women told them what had happened.  Remember, although Jesus had explained himself to the disciples, it wasn't until they were able to touch him that they believed he was real.  

The disciples were so sad and discouraged when Jesus died on the Cross.  They thought he was their Savior, but they watched him die just like any other man.  They seemed to forget that Jesus said he would rise on the third day.  Seeing Jesus gave the disciples joy and hope.  

On page 228- please write in the lines provided how you and your family plan on spending Easter Sunday.  Do you go to Easter Vigil mass the night before? Do you go on Sunday morning?  Do you have a special dinner with family?  

I am not much for writing poetry, so if you rather write about your Easter Sunday plans- I'd love to hear about them.  If you would rather write a poem, go for it!  

I think all your extra special prayers worked this past week.  Confirmation was positively beautiful.  Our 8th grade students are now fully initiated into our Catholic faith.  What a beautiful experience to watch these fine young men and women.  

Please plan on attending St. Anne's Tricky Tray event this weekend.  There are lots of fabulous prizes and great food!  It is open tonight until 8 pm and on Sunday at 8 am with a pancake breakfast until 11.  Lunch will be served until 2.  

Have a wonderful week!  I will keep you all in my prayers.

Hugs,

Miss Amy