More about our ADVENTure Day

This is for Dorian, who asked very nicely in the combox.

Here’s the story on ADVENTure day:  Two years ago, our then-new DRE went with a new VBS program. (Pre-packaged.)  Instead of dividing the kids into grade-level classrooms, the kids were grouped into mixed-age crews that traveled from station to station through the morning. Crafts, snacks, games, music, Bible story room (that was me), all that.   It worked very well.   We volunteers didn’t have to be jacks of all trades (an actual music teacher teaching music!), and there was more intensity and liveliness to each room.

So she finished VBS #1 resolved to do more of the same during the year.

There was a living rosary in October (on the playground, visited by a pack of stray dogs, oops), but the real big invention was ADVENTure.  Instead of running K-5 classes on Wednesday evenings in December, we would host one school-day-long VBS-type Advent program on the first Saturday of Advent.  Parents could have free babysitting from 9-3, and catechists would have off the rest of the month. [6th grade and up have regular classes all month.]

Here’s what we do, and I’ll describe this year’s program, since she made a few tweaks that helped it run more smoothly.

Students are sorted into mixed-age crews of 15-20 kids.  Not random: 5th graders with K5, 4th with 1st, and 2nd & 3rd.  I noticed this year the 2nd/3rd groups were boys in one crew, girls in the other.  (Oh my. Those boys.  Had to take the markers away.  Fast.)  Youth from grades 6 & up volunteered to lead the crews from class to class.  2-4 youth per team.  They helped with the kids, and also managed potty breaks and other crises.

Catechists paired up and we manned several lesson rooms.  This year it was St. Francis & the Nativity, Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Nicholas, and Church Year Calendar.  In each room we were issued a story book or similar educational prop, and then a craft to go with.  Our DRE gives us a fairly free hand to adapt the lessons to our teaching strengths.  I ended up subbing out the story book with a different St. Nicholas book from the library, and running more a discussion-style lesson with tidbits from the book, rather than just reading the story.  It worked well.

(Last year in the St. Nick room my co-teacher and I alternated teaching at each class period.  This year, different co-teacher, I taught the first class, and she never let me quit.  She did all the support work with getting supplies queued up and helping manage kids.)

Our DRE conscripted her grown daughter as slave labor to get all the craft supplies organized and do necessary prep-work so that everything was ready to go and in the classrooms Saturday morning.  I brought along my own sets of coloring sheets, wordsearch and crossword puzzles just in case I needed to fill time, and I ended up using them a bunch.  (For those 2nd/3rd grade boys, I fully subbed out the worksheets and sent home the craft, because the craft was.not.happening.  Just not.)  Some of the classes that finished early just sent the kids out to the playground with their crew leaders.  That was good.

Kids were each issued a bag with name-tag and grade affixed in which to collect all their papers and artwork.  [But, this year’s crisis: a bunch of the bags split open.  Note for next year: sturdier bags.]

Class periods lasted aproximately 30 minutes.  Additionally there were two movie rooms running double-period movie viewings.  The Knights of Columbus served lunch (hot dogs or bring your own) in two or three lunch periods, plus our resident snack lady (the one whose kids have the very worst food allergies — she is a master at making sure no one dies of peanut exposure) oversaw a snack period in the afternoon.  Students brought juice boxes (boys) or cookies (girls) to provide for the snack.  There was a nicer snack cart in the catechist supply room for grown-ups.

Having the movie, lunch and snack periods meant that each teaching pair got three break periods through the day.  This is essential.

At 2:45 we brought the kids out to the car line per our usual dismissal process, and parents picked up kids between 2:45 and 3:00.

***

So there you go, Dorian.  Ask away if you have any questions.

And FYI last year our DRE also put together an Eggstravaganza on the morning of Holy Saturday — so fleshing out the long-established egg hunt with on-topic crafts and lessons.  Unfortunately I was out sick (it was either rest up or skip the Easter Vigil — pretty obvious choice), so I can’t report.   This year I firmly resolve not to catch any ailments.  Ha.

PS to Dorian: See how I am making a category name that is a tribute to your Catechist Chat series?  So that everyone will know I am truly your disciple?

’tis the season to be cranky

Simcha says what needs to be said. (Again. It needs be said every year.)

And so I leave off my rant about a certain otherwise excellent homeschooling magazine that devoted a disproportionate number of pages to Advent Crafts.  No.  No.  Just say no.  Advent is for catching up on your math and maybe chopping up a lot of firewood.  My goodness are families really sitting around trying to think up one.more.thing. that must be done in order to properly mark the season??

I think not.

Then again, if you have a lot of nervous energy you need to work off, crocheting O-antiphon doilies and making a special set of Jesse Tree shaped cookies is no doubt better than chain-smoking and raiding the eggnog ahead of schedule.  So I condemn you not, Craft People.

You are crazy, yes.  But then again I’ve got Bethlehem built in my living room (getting crowded now that the seven dwarves have rented out rooms — you begin to see why Joseph should have hit the road sooner), and no doubt some poor reader will feel inadequate for want of their very own pseudo-medieval Playmobil version of Herod’s fortress.  With kangaroos.

I suppose we chalk it up to man’s need for penance?  For lack of a strict orthodox-style fast, we punish ourselves with craft guilt?  One more week of Advent, and then we can all switch gears and complain about people who celebrate Christmas for the wrong number of days.

Happy Holidays.

holy catechesis, batman

So the truth is, the number 1 thing I’m going to steal from Christian LeBlanc’s religious-ed snapshots is the line “Stop guessing like monkeys and think!” But there’s good info, too, about you know, the bible and saints and religion and stuff.  Plus how to use the gross-out factor to keep your 6th graders captivated.  Did I say that out loud?  What I meant was, how to use Q&A within a lecture format, to help the kids pay attention and think through the material, and cover lots of details without everyone getting lost.

(I would never, ever, pick a saint to cover in class just because she was depicted with her eyeballs on a platter.  That would only be a coincidence.  Since her feast day came round.  Then, you know, it would be practically an obligation.  If I were teaching a room full of 12-year-old boys.)

PSA: Sunday Obligation

One more, and then goofing off must cease and I go off to work.  (Yes, I have been on vacation this morning.  Thank you Super-In-Laws.)

Recap for the spectators: Catholics are required to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation. (The HDO’s are a handful of major feast days throughout the year.)  But you are excused from this requirement if you have a serious reason you cannot attend.  It’s a prescription, not a sentence.

So . . . on an internet forum, a catholic mom writes along the lines of:

I think I might have to miss Mass this Sunday because of <<insert serious reason that undoubtedly excuses her, not subject to debate>> but I’m not sure it’s okay, because I missed mass last week, too <<insert more serious reasons>> and plus I hate to miss so much church this time of year. What do I do?

The answer is:  The Precepts of the Church are unchanged by what month it is and what happened last week.

It is of course a good sign if you regret having to miss Mass so much.  It is is likewise good to recognize that Advent is a special time of year in the life of the Church.  But that doesn’t change the Sunday Obligation.  There isn’t a secret calendar showing weeks when you can skip based on a flimsy excuse, and other weeks when you have to show no matter what.  Likewise, there isn’t a cosmic attendance policy giving you so many unexcused absences and then you fail the course.

You either can come, and therefore you  must.  Or you cannot come, and therefore, well, you cannot.

Much simpler than people fear.  The Church is not out to get you.  Well, okay, she is out to get you.  But in a good way: She is out to get your soul into Heaven.  And she knows that under ordinary circumstances, attending Mass on Sundays and Holy Days is what your soul needs.  So go if you possibly can.

a submission submission, submitted to you

Bearing posts a really good response from Willa at Quotidian Moments on the whole Ephesians 5 discussion started by Darwin.  Rather than just write “wow, good post” in B’s combox (which will only get stuck in her spambox anyway — that’s what happens), I send you there directly.  Because wow.  Good post.

how God uses even the grumpy

[Grumpy would be me, not the long-suffering soul to whom I am wed.]

December is our month to send in charitable donations.  We do all gifts in one big batch, because it makes the deciding and record-keeping that much easier.

So the other night the SuperHusband and I sit down for our evening couple time after kids are in bed, and I’m roving through the topics, mostly just exercising my not-so-inner curmudgeon.  No lofty goals intended.  I mention this blog post about expat parties in Haiti.  My conclusion is this:  But really, we’re the same way.  I feel bad for all those poor people, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t have my beer.

And SuperHusband, who is a generous and charitable person, says: I’m not sure aid to Haiti really helps.

I concede that there are no doubt problems in Haiti that no amount of aid will fix, but that certain projects, especially certain Christian humanitarian mission projects, are helping.

SuperHusband brings in North Korea.  If you send money to North Korea, it only supports the corrupt regime, and no starving people are saved.

I suspect he is probably correct, but point out that we talking about Haiti tonight, not North Korea.

SuperHusband says that UN aid to Haiti is helping maintain the status quo.

I agree, but observe that for all a UN water truck might discourage the local government from building its own water treatment plant, for the person who will be dead tomorrow without clean water, it might be nice to live long enough to agitate for reform.  But in any case, I am not proposing we send money to the UN.  I would like to send money to some Christian missionaries.

SuperHusband says that he does not believe change can happen from without.  That people must decide for themselves they want change.  Therefore, outside aid is not helpful.

Yes, I say.  I have discovered that every time I try to work through a major policy problem, I keep coming back to how the answer is Jesus.

Yes, he says.

And isn’t it interesting, I say, how the New Testament doesn’t tell us to send extra money to government aid programs.  But curiously, it does tell us Christians to provide for the poor ourselves.  Pure religion is this: providing for the widow and the orphan.

And he says okay.  Send some money to missionaries.

2 Quick Book Recommendations

I wanted to quick post these, because they would make great gifts.   Both available from your favorite local Catholic Book & Gift Store:

Everyday Catholic Prayer by Angela Tilby (Paraclete Press 2006, originally published 1998.) This was our DRE’s gift to the catechists this Advent.  Lovely little book.  Opening chapters are very encouraging for those of us who struggle with our faith — the author lays bare her own struggles with belief, and invites us to grow closer to God even when we don’t feel good enough.   Even when we don’t really understand how it can work.

Middle section is a ‘little office’ – a small set of prayers you can make into a 5-minute variation on the divine office.  Psalms, canticles, gospel meditations, close with an Our Father.   Nothing weird. 100% solid prayer power.  This would make a great daily prayer regime if you are looking for one; designed for people whose vocations do not leave long expanses of time for liturgical prayer.

Final section is a compendium of other stalwart prayers — all the big ones — so you can build up your daily prayer routine, or you can grab a needed prayer when the occasion merits.  No groovy namby-pamby.  Think: Te Deum, Anima Christi, and the like.

This is a small book — made for carrying around and using when you can.  Would be handy for catechists, by the way, because you can easily access all kinds of good stuff for use in class.  (Go figure: Gift from the DRE.  She knows we’re busy, knows we need to pray, and knows we need ideas for class.  Have I mentioned how much I love my DRE?)

And although it is called Everyday Catholic Prayer, it would be comfortable for protestants.  There are exactly two Marian prayers, both quite mild, plus a mention of the Rosary.  Otherwise all the rest is protestant-friendly, per the mission of Paraclete Press.  So handy for ecumenical  purposes, where you want something more formal-liturgy-like, but that sits firmly on common ground.  Everyone can feel all ancient and happy praying St.Patrick’s Breastplate or Psalm 67 or whatever suits, and no guests need squirm.

Great little book.  Sized for a stocking.  Would be a decent confirmation or older-godchild gift.

***

2nd Book, and I’m out of blogging time but wanted to toss it out there, is my latest Catholic Company review book:  Why Enough is Never Enough: Overcoming Worries about Money – A Catholic Perspective by Gregory S. Jeffery (Our Sunday Visitor, 2010).

Awesome book.

It is not about managing your money.  It is about managing your soul.  The focus is money-topics — greed, generosity, trusting God, fighting envy, rooting out sin, etc. etc.  If you struggle with money issues, this will not teach you how to budget or pay off your credit cards.  It will teach you to deal with some of the underlying causes that may be feeding your financial problems.

–> If you actually find the money thing not so difficult, this book is a great spiritual guide for seeing your way through other besetting sins.  You’ll understand what he’s saying re: money (because you understand money), and realize that hey, there are other areas of my life that I do struggle with, that stem from the same types of problems — generosity, trust, envy, selfishness.

Good stuff.  Official review coming after I work through the backlog elsewhere.  But I give it a ‘buy’ recommend.   Maybe not as a gift to someone else, because what kind of message does that send.  But to yourself.  Yes.  Very Advent-y.

Book Review: Prove It! God by Amy Welborn

Prove It! God, Revised Edition

by Amy Welborn

Our Sunday Visitor Publishing, 2010

You are not the only person in the history of the world who has wondered about God.

Quick Version: Yes, you should buy this book.  Mighty good, mighty useful, fun, readable.  And short, and easy to find what you want when you want it.  Plus a good recommended reading list at the end.

***

What it is: The Prove It books are an apologetics series for teenagers – think high school student. Prove It! God answers the question “What do I say when my friends tell me they don’t believe in God?”

Kids have often wondered out loud to me why it is that the most challenging religious reflection expected of a sixteen-year-old who can drive, hold a job, design a web page, balance chemical equations, and study Hamlet is constructing a collage about “The Beatitudes in Today’s World.” They’ve wondered why their other texts are so big and solid, while their religion books tend to be flimsy things filled with the reflection question and lots of pictures of birds, meadows, and rainbows. They can’t help but compare and can’t help but wonder what’s being communicated to them about how seriously they’re supposed to take religion after all.

The book covers the gamut — starting with does it even matter what we believe, through all the common objections to God’s existence, and finishing up by making a case for Jesus and the importance of a personal relationship with Him. The tone is conversational, and the examples relate to teen life, but the contents are rock solid.  No flimsy cop-out stuff.

Each chapter looks at a single topic, and gives a realistic apologetics pep talk designed to prepare students for real-life conversations. As Welborn goes through the classic arguments for the existence of God, she points out the limitations of each argument; there’s a very strong emphasis on clear, logical thinking. And although she doesn’t mince words, the tone is never that snarky triumphalism that so easily infects certain apologists. Very down-to-earth and understanding.

Who would benefit: The obvious audience is teens whose friends are asking about God. The book is also written for readers who may have doubts of their own.  You don’t need to be 100% sure about all things theological before you start reading.

Two caveats:

1)  There were a couple places where I thought the book moved a little too quickly. It’s a short, fast-paced book;  a young reader may want some help fleshing out the principles presented. That’s not all bad – if you know a teen who is reading the book, you can read it together and discuss. If you are the teen, you can force some adult you know to turn on the ol’ brain and do something useful.

2)  I’m not sure the chapter on suffering (problem: why do innocent people suffer?) is quite as strong as I’d like. It is good, but I’d like to see something more. I suppose we all would. This book probably won’t hold up as the sole source for someone struggling with that particular question. Still a great chapter though – honest, compassionate, and hitting some really big nails on heads. Or hands, as it were.

Alive.  Jesus, God-made-victim of sin and death, alive. They could not hold Him, they could not win.

Do you see?

Christianity isn’t about rules, no matter what your friend wants to think. It’s not about nice teachings from a nice man. It’s about God coming into this world to re-create His creation, to twist it all back around to its rightful place, turn the world’s expectations upside-down, and give us another chance.

There are also some categories of adults that would really benefit from this book:

• Parents of teenagers. Because it’s such a good insight into the theological world in which your child lives.

• Catechists. If you are teaching teens, this book could be helpful for figuring out how to handle questions in class or lead discussions. If you are teaching younger students, here are some ideas for principles you can incorporate into your class now, so that they aren’t brand spanking new when your students get older. The more you know, the more it will just ooze out in the unlikeliest places. Even little kids think about this stuff.

• Junior Apologists. That is, those of us jumping into the fray for the first time, regardless of our age. This is a great starting point (and there are reading lists to point you to the next stop) if you are trying to figure out how to defend your faith.

• Senior Apologists. See “snarky triumphalism” above. Amy Welborn lays out the basics of how to talk about God and still have friends.   Useful skill.

As I stated before, I don’t think any of your friends who claims to be an atheist is a hard-core unbeliever. Why? Because I’ve no doubt he does, in his heart, assume the existence of meaning and purpose in life, as well as broad absolute moral standards.

How cool would it be if you could help him see the short but necessary path from what he already believes to the joy and peace of a relationship with the living god of love and life?

Can you think of a greater gift that friend could ever offer?

Is it Protestant-friendly? Absolutely. It’s a catholic book, but the contents are suitable for any christian.  I can’t promise there isn’t a single unique-to-catholics sentence anywhere in there, but none come to mind. Might make a nice discussion tool for that awkward silence when you aren’t sure what you have in common with your catholic (protestant) friend. The answer is: All this. Lots of room at that lunch table.

Good book.  Highly recommended.

***

A couple of FYI’s:

• For those who missed the previews, I received this book as part of The Catholic Company’s blogger reviewer program. Perhaps you were wondering why I seem to have this steady flow of really good books passing through my hands.  That’s how.
• The link at the top is to the most current version The Catholic Company has in stock.  So at this writing (December 1st 2010), there are still a few copies of the original edition on the shelves.  As soon as those are sold, they’ll be replaced with the new revised edition, at the same link.

PS: I bet they want me to tell you the Catholic Company is a great place to get baptism and first communion gifts.  It has come to my attention that there are people who buy gifts *other* than books.  Curiously, my children really like those people.  Go figure.  So if you are one of them, not only are you no doubt more popular than me, you can also find what you need at fine catholic book & gift stores such as our sponsor.  Yay.

Wednesday had me thinking quite a lot about sin.

About what a fallen world it is.   About my own inability to behave as I ought.  And then of course I couldn’t help but notice other people seem to be having this problem as well.  (Full disclosure: I noticed the other people first.  You knew that.)

–> And all that finally settled into a realization new to me, though I suppose the rest of you junior & senior economists already understood this:

There are people who believe true socialism can work, and there are people who believe pure capitalism can work.  And here I’m assuming they believe in a good way — that their system is in fact the solution to economic problems, for the betterment of all humanity.  But either way, they have something in common:  They do not believe in original sin.

And of course that is why as catholics we don’t support either system in a “pure” form.   Socialism tries to achieve by force what man would naturally do if only he were good.    But of course, the people running the system aren’t any better than the ones who can’t be persuaded to freely share and share alike in the first place.  Capitalism tries to harness the natural tendency of man to assume responsibility for his own good — but forgets that left to our own devices, we do not necessarily do what is good for ourselves, let alone show any caution for our neighbor.

People do sin.   There is no real solution to the human condition until you admit that.

 

Pavlov’s Rosary

Every time I sit down to pray, my dog brings me an object for fetch.   She was not very appreciative last night when I tried to explain that it was cold and dark now, and that I refuse to throw a frisbee in my bedroom.

(What does this say about my prayer life?  A.  I am still.  B.  I have at least one hand free.)

So today I made a point of tackling the ol’ rosary earlier in the day, when I could still pray outdoors.

–> Yes, that is where I stand on the piety-meter.  The Lord has sent me a german-shepherd-mix to help prevent excessive procrastination.  Very gentle about it.  All cute eyes and respectfully dropping the flying object closer and closer.   How could I not want to pray with a partner like that?

Or perhaps the Lord has sent me a rosary to make me get out and play with my dog more.

UPDATE: Edited to add a photo.  But I promise I am not turning into a pet-blogger.  No really.  Just seriously goofing off.