Your school may be part of a parish, or your students may come to your school from a variety of parishes in the region. Aim to foster your students’ involvement in their local parish. Every parish, whether or not they are associated with your school, is called to be a welcoming family that supports your school’s work of catechesis and faith formation.
"The parish is where the Church lives. Parishes are communities of faith, action, and hope. They are where the Gospel is proclaimed and celebrated, where believers are formed and sent to renew the earth. Parishes are the home of the Christian community; they are the heart of our Church. Parishes are the place where God's people meet Jesus in word and sacrament and come in touch with the source of the Church's life." (Communities of Salt and Light, p. 1)
Your ministry as a religion teacher relies on the partnership between your school families and the parishes to which they belong. We know that many families are not well connected with their parishes, however. Although families with students in Catholic schools are more likely to attend Mass regularly, about half of Catholics overall say they attend Mass at least once in a while, including 4% who say they attend weekly, 28% who attend once or twice a month or a few times a year and 15% who say they attend less often. (Pew Research Center, 2015). Since the Covid shutdowns, the numbers have declined even more. We need to do whatever we can to encourage people to re-engage with their parishes.
Play Parish Bulletin Bingo. Here is an activity to strengthen the relationship between your students and their home parishes.
Have students bring a copy of their home parish bulletin to class. Supply copies of your own parish bulletin for anyone who does not bring their own copy or does not have a home parish. Create a bingo card that includes big squares with the following labels and room to write answers. Play a game where students write in the information needed to complete a bingo. The first student to complete a Bingo reads their answers to the class.
Suggested Bingo Square Labels
- A Parish Organization for Youth
- A Mass Time on Saturday evening
- Time for Daily Mass
- Name of a Parish Deacon
- A Mass Time on Sunday
- Name of a Parishioner Who Died Recently
- Name of a New Parish Family
- A Parish Organization for Parents
- Name of a Business Advertising in the Bulletin
- Name of the Pastor
- Sunday Gospel Reading Bible Verses
- Date and Title of an Upcoming Parish Event
- The phone number for Parish Office
Teaching Worship. Prepare students to participate more fruitfully participate their parish liturgical life. The second chapter of every unit of Blest Are We Faith in Action centers on How Catholics Worship. Share the Liturgy Background found in your teacher guide, as well as the Liturgy Connection throughout the units. Be sure to emphasize the Church’s feasts and seasons using the liturgical calendar in the Resources section.
About the Author
Dr. Lauri Przybysz specializes in equipping families to live their vocation to be domestic churches and signs of God’s love. Lauri received the Doctor of Ministry from the Catholic University of America, and she has been both a Catholic middle school religion teacher and a faith formation coordinator at the archdiocesan and parish levels. She is the mother of six children and grandmother of 21.
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