by Dr. Lauri Przybysz, D.Min.
The annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is a response to Christ's prayer “that they all may be one" (John 17:21). It is an eight-day period of prayer in which all Christians are invited to participate. The week is celebrated each year from January 18-25, concluding on the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. Praying together for Christian unity allows us to reflect on what unites us and commit ourselves to confront oppression and division amongst humanity. We ask God to teach us how to love one another as Christ loved us and help us to show one another the unusual kindness that can only come from knowing his Son, Jesus.
It is likely that some of the families of your students are interchurch, two baptized Christians who have chosen to raise their children in the Catholic Church and send them to your school. You may also have students who have only one Christian parent who may or may not be a Catholic. They have chosen to partner with you and your Catholic school in this endeavor. We are glad to help them in their important task. We can help them focus on what our faith traditions have in common.
United in Service. Families can express their common faith in action. In many parts of the country, churches work together to feed the hungry, help immigrants, aid those who are incapacitated and perform other works of mercy. Often, we get to know other Christians by sharing the work involved in caring for those in need. Through our common commitment to Christ, we often come to a deeper understanding of one another. All are called to do their part in making Christ’s love, joy and compassion present as they go about their lives together.
Sharing the Scriptures. Whenever we focus on learning about the Bible, we help interchurch families have a common language of faith. At each level of Blest Are We Faith in Action, there is an introductory lesson on the Bible that helps young people develop an understanding and appreciation for the Word of God.
Care for our Common Home. Christians from every tradition, indeed all people of good will, can come together to work for the environment. Unite the hearts of your students around this theme. Download “Helping Kids Care for Creation” activities and a prayer service from the free Catholic Resources.
Together for Good. Each year, a different theme is chosen for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The theme for 2023 is "Do good; seek justice" (Isaiah 1:17). Consult your Flourish account and Blest Are We Faith in Action index for activities related to justice and the common good.
Family Time for at Home and in Community. The Family Life series, at every level, features lessons about living together in peace and unity. Use these lessons as part of your Week of Christian Unity planning.
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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by Dr. Lauri Przybysz, D.Min.
In the noisy world of social media, an “influencer” is someone who suggests a product they may never have used to their audience of people that listen to what they have to say. By this definition, influencers are selling something they may or may not believe in. They attract an audience by the force of their personality, but their hearts may not be in their flashy words.
Catholic teachers do want to be influencers, but with a vital distinction: we aim to authentically share the faith we believe in with our students and their families. A better term to describe us would be “evangelist.” Unlike flashy social media influencers, evangelists practice what they preach. In the media world, evangelizers not only show you products or ideas but they also believe in them and use them themselves. As teachers of the Catholic faith, we aim to positively influence our students by the sharing in the Good News in both word and action. When we teach from our personal convictions about our faith, we hope to build our students into “evangelizing influencers” who will carry on the mission of Jesus.
- Professional Development. Each of us can recall a teacher who influenced us and whom we consider a role model. What qualities did that teacher possess that made a difference for you? How do you hope to emulate that special teacher? Being an influential teacher starts with who you are. If you develop positive qualities in your own life, your students will see them and copy them. Here are some positive qualities to consider:
- Be an affirming teacher by giving the praise they crave.
- Be a visionary teacher, seeing and communicate a picture of their future.
- Be a celebratory teacher who commemorates milestones and successes.
- Be a comforting teacher by creating a safe space in your classroom.
- Be a patient teacher. Count to 10 when situations get stressful.
- Be an attentive teacher. Listening well to hear what they don’t say. •
- Be a prayerful teacher who demonstrates reverence and love for God.
- More on Student Wellbeing. Listen to the research-based webinar by RCL Benziger expert, Susan Ferguson, “Catholic Schools Celebrate Social, Emotional & Spiritual Wellness."
- Thanking Our Role Models. Write a letter of appreciation to a favorite teacher in your own life. If they are living and you know how to reach them, send the letter. Even if you have lost touch, write the letter anyway. Consider sharing the letter with your students and telling them your story. Invite students to write a letter of appreciation to someone who has positively influenced them.
- Resources for Managing the Influence of Social Media. Sign on to your Flourish account for the Family Life Series to access resources to share with parents. Under Catholic Parenting 101, see “Navigating the Shoals of Online Social Networks,” by psychologist Dr. Tim Hogan. In Videos from Experts, see Dr. Hogan’s video, Children and Electronic Media, and view family ministry expert Dr. David Thomas’ short videos on Competing Influences, Part 1 and Part 2.
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.
by Mary Clifford Morrell
More and more, one of the most common words I hear from parents is “overwhelmed.”
It’s easy to understand the feeling, especially as we continue to deal with the life-changing challenges of a pandemic. Even without a pandemic, parenting can sometimes leave us feeling like we are drowning, and no one is throwing us a life jacket.
Exhaustion, overwork, a sick or medically compromised child, inadequate finances or health insurance, fear about children’s safety, sibling jealousy, trying to balance more plates than is humanly possible and then faulting ourselves for dropping some. The reasons for feeling overwhelmed may be different for every parent, but for most they are almost too numerous to list.
What then, could I possibly suggest, as a help for overwhelmed parents? The Internet is already full of suggestions. The last thing I’d want is to regurgitate someone else’s ideas.
Then I remembered. Years ago, I wrote a small book entitled, “Through the Strength of Heaven.” I haven’t thought much about it since it went out of print. It was a collection of my columns written to encourage parents and others who were struggling for one reason or another.
I borrowed the title from the Lorica of St. Patrick, a prayer attributed to the well-known saint who faced kidnapping, enslavement, hunger, and brutality but never gave up his God-given mission to the Irish people. He wrote that he was able to accomplish what he did “through the strength of Heaven.”
I was happy when a Catholic publisher decided to publish the book, but I was disappointed when they wanted to change the title to something “catchier.” They chose a title from one of my columns, “Angels in High Top Sneakers,” and developed the cover around it. But I was sorry to lose the strength of heaven, because it spoke so deeply to how I got through so many rough patches in my parenting life.
Certainly, it was prayer and a reliance on God’s strength that got me through when my own strength was waning, and believe me, there were times when waning meant running on empty. What I began to realize is that it wasn’t just strength I found in prayer, but guidance in making decisions, insight when I needed it, wisdom in relationships and being led to the right people and right resources to lighten my load and help me for the good of my family.
When I read the Lorica of St. Patrick, I cried, because it was exactly what I had been experiencing, even with my poorly composed entreaties for help—also known as prayers.
A lorica is known as a prayer of protection, so the full prayer is also known as the Breastplate of St. Patrick. Because of its length I will share those parts that were most helpful to me in overcoming the sometimes overwhelming experience of parenting, and reinforced the truth I felt every time I prayed, “I arise today thought the strength of heaven…
I arise today
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of sun
Brilliance of moon
Splendor of fire
Speed of lightning
Swiftness of wind
Depth of sea
Stability of earth
Firmness of rock.
I arise today Through God’s strength to pilot me:
God’s might to uphold me,
God’s wisdom to guide me
God’s eye to look before me,
God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me …
I arise today Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the Thrones,
Through confession of the Oneness
Towards the Creator.
St. Patrick’s prayer for protection became an important part of my prayer life, but I suggest to anyone who needs healing of some kind to pray in a way or with prayers that are most meaningful for them. Established prayers are easy to remember because for many of us we memorized them as children. But the saints tell us that what’s needed most in prayer is love, honesty and humility.
The best way to pray is to say what’s in your heart and ask for what you need, especially if you need encouragement to pray. As another beloved saint, St. Francis of Assisi, reflected, “Prayer is true rest.”
What parent doesn’t need some rest?
Mary Regina Morrell, mother of six and grandmother to nine, is a Catholic journalist, author, and syndicated columnist who has served the dioceses of Metuchen and Trenton, New Jersey, and RENEW International in the areas of catechesis and communication.
by Mary Clifford Morrell
When I was a child, I had a special outdoor place that was all mine, a hide-away place where I could make-believe, dream or read my favorite Nancy Drew books beneath the thick cover of weeping willow branches stretched to reach the ground. It was a magical place, made more so by the frequent visits from lady bugs or grasshoppers or the one-eyed squirrel my mom fed every day, and where the only music I heard was bird songs. It was my version of a tree house which never got off the ground, but I loved it.
For my husband, his go-to place was the woods behind his house, complete with a small creek. He says most of his childhood was spent in those woods, exploring, building, collecting lizards and such, and making up games to play with friends.
In our generation, kids and outdoors were perfect together.
Today, many children are said to be suffering from what is referred to as nature deficiency disorder. Children’s natural connection to nature is being disrupted, with sad consequences for them and for nature.
Without time for free exploration of the outdoors, to observe, absorb and build connections with the wild things of earth, children will not learn to carry nature in their hearts and may not learn to care for the earth which provides so many blessings. For a child or young person who is by nature sensorial, needing to touch, smell, hear, and see, being outside is a rich sensory experience that cannot be matched indoors.
Of course, not everyone has a yard to play in or even open green space in their neighborhood. There is a true inequality of outdoor space distribution across cities and suburbs. So, sometimes we need to build in time for nature by taking nature walks in our neighborhoods, visiting national parks, which often have special activities just for children, or a local park where climbing and playing in the open air surrounded by trees and grass under their feet can be invaluable to a child’s mental and physical health.
Other times, bringing nature indoors may be a good solution—plants to care for, a bird nesting box on a window for viewing, treasure boxes for collecting nature’s simple gifts like pinecones, stones, a variety of leaves, seeds, shells, or sea glass if a beach trip is possible.
Children who can write may enjoy keeping their own explorer journal where they log their finds and answer questions like, “What does it feel like? Look like? “How is it used?” “Can it grow?”
Binoculars, magnifying glasses, shovels, inexpensive cameras, and plenty of containers of varying sizes support the young nature lover. Budding artists can be inspired with an easel and their favorite paints set up outdoors, invited by an almost unlimited supply of subjects and no paint on the floor.
Children have a remarkable ability for wonder, and nowhere will they experience it in such variety as in nature. Sharing that wonderful work of miracles with our children is the perfect time to teach them that the earth belongs to God and was created by God for our good. Then they may look forward to their role as future stewards of creation with love and joy.
Mary Regina Morrell, mother of six and grandmother to nine, is a Catholic journalist, author, and syndicated columnist who has served the dioceses of Metuchen and Trenton, New Jersey, and RENEW International in the areas of catechesis and communication.
A common goal for parishes and schools is to create a healthy environment where children and families thrive. Preventing bullying is a key element to providing a safe and secure community. There are life-skills and patterns of behavior we can practice in order to strengthen our everyday commitment to healthy relating. When members know and agree to social norms of a loving Christian community, we provide an optimal environment for living, learning, and praying together.
Lo que me encanta del Papa Francisco es que es tan accesible y práctico. Su sonrisa es contagiosa, su amor genuino, y no tiene miedo de hablar sobre sus propias experiencias y relaciones. Entonces, cuando el Papa Francisco anunció el Año Jubilar de la Misericordia y el tema para la Jornada Mundial de la Juventud 2016 en Cracovia, supimos que entendía y vivía la misericordia en su propia vida.
What I love about Pope Francis is that he is so approachable and practical. His smile is infectious, his love genuine, and he is not afraid of talking about his own experiences and relationships. So, when Pope Francis announced the Jubilee Year of Mercy and the theme for World Youth Day 2016 in Krakow, we knew he understood and experienced mercy in his own life.
We were that “Church family.” House decorated for liturgical seasons, seven children, family service projects, music lessons, chore charts, family meetings and retreats, on our third copy of Prayers for the Domestic Church.
Like other dutiful and thoughtful dads and moms on the road, I frequently returned from trips with treats for our children. When they were young, these gifts were expected. It was what they asked about as soon as I arrived home. Often their interest was stated in an almost formulaic question: What did you bring us?
When our son was seven, I held his hand as we walked on a frozen road with his little brothers when he broke away from me and ran ahead. He was so quick, I could only watch in terror and call out, “Wait! Be careful!” By the grace of God he was safe, but it was a defining moment for me as a mother. I realized I wouldn’t be able to protect him forever.