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“To sing is to pray twice.” The saying is often attributed to Saint Augustine. When we sing, we experience God’s presence in a new way. Singing in your classroom adds a fresh and lively dimension to your faith formation lessons. Pope Saint John Paul prayed that every Catholic, by “expressing their faith harmoniously and solemnly in song, will experience its richness ever more fully and will abide by the commitment to express its impulses in their daily life.”
When they sing together in class, children learn about God in a deeper way. Singing adds to our praise and worship of God—that our voices are gifts, with which we can make music to the Lord. Sung prayer expresses the joy of the heart, the happiness resulting from one who has encountered Jesus Christ and experienced his love. Sung prayer reminds us of the choirs of heaven, with whom we are called to praise God eternally in heaven.
Singing together in the classroom prepares children to participate more fruitfully at Mass, too. Sung prayer reaches its high point in the sacred liturgy, the public worship of the Church. The Second Vatican Council taught that “liturgical worship is given a more noble form when the divine offices are celebrated solemnly in song, with the assistance of sacred ministers and the active participation of the people.” When the sacred liturgy is sung, it becomes more beautiful, and more reflective of the beauty of the Most Blessed Trinity.
Christians have sung in sacred liturgy since the Church’s earliest days. And the Jewish people have sung praise to God, in the context of holy worship, for thousands of years. The Psalms are the record of the liturgical song-prayers of the Jewish people. When we sing in the context of Holy Mass, we join a tradition of sacred worship that goes back to at least the time of King David himself. “Let us come before him with a song of praise,” wrote King David, “joyfully sing out our psalms.”
In addition, music can improve learning and increase a positive classroom atmosphere. Researchers are beginning to discover that singing is like an infusion of the perfect tranquilizer, the kind that both soothes your nerves and elevates your spirits. Music exerts a powerful influence on human beings. It can boost memory, build energy for learning, lighten your mood, reduce anxiety, and calm emotions.
Sing to the Lord a New Song. Sing or play a recording of a song that is suggested as a resource for the chapter you are teaching. See the chapter’s Resources pages in the Be My Disciples and Blest Are We Faith in Action Teacher Editions.
Online Music Programs. Students can become more engaged in learning when you add music specifically related to the lesson. Both the Be My Disciples and the Blest Are We Faith in Action series offer an Online Music Program to supplement all grade levels. The six-year license allows you to include songs to enhance each chapter, unit, and liturgical year celebration, adding fun for your children as they learn about their faith.
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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Be My Disciples for Schools
Build a world filled with Christ’s disciples with the Be My Disciples religious education program, designed to empower students and their families to grow in their relationships with Jesus Christ and to develop the habits of lifelong discipleship. Students will learn to take their place in the midst of the Catholic community and to grow in their identity as daughters and sons of God through each lesson.
Be My Disciples offers:
- A comprehensive and complete program for Catholic school religious education
- Innovative features to develop religious literacy and invite the integration of faith and life
- Online resources for children, parents, catechists, and program directors
- Engaging lesson plans, as well as an easy-to-use lesson planner for each chapter