World Day of Peace

Celebrating 50 Years Catholic Campaign For Human Development

2021 marked the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD)—that’s 50 years supporting initiatives that empower families, immigrants, new mothers, the elderly, and those in need. Through our work across the U.S., we’ve also empowered individuals to become active participants in their communities by partnering with other local organizations.

Join RCL Benziger in celebrating CCHD’s 50^th anniversary and social justice work. Below you will find RCL Benziger resources supporting CCHD’s 50^th Anniversary celebration.
 

Catholic Schools Week Extras 

Catholic Schools Week
January 26 - February 1, 2025
Free resources and ideas from RCL Benziger

Marian Devotions

Saturday, February 4
Celebrating Families

Today we celebrate the domestic Church, the “Church of the home” and the support that parents and guardians provide to Catholic schools. 

Parents are the first teachers of the faith to their children. Catholic schools support parents in their ministry of handing on the faith to the next generation. The Take Home and Get Connected pages in each chapter of Blest Are We Faith in Action and the With My Family page in each chapter of Be My Disciples help parents continue reflection on God’s Word, prayer, and faith-sharing in the home. 

Three Ways to Celebrate the Family-School Connection

1. Create a large-scale family tree celebrating all families in the school.
2. Host a potluck dinner and a game marathon for families and friends of the school.
3. Send families a care package that includes a recipe/coupon, prayer, and game to play together. Include the Take Home, Get Connected, or With My Family pages from Blest Are We Faith in Action and Be My Disciples. Our Family Prays is a resource with blessings, traditional prayers, and prayers for families throughout the liturgical year. Consider gifting this to families as part of the care package.

• Send families a digital care package that includes a recipe/coupon for pizza, prayer, and game to play together/video to watch. 
• Invite families to submit a photo to be used to create a school family digital photo album. 
• Host a family prayer, inviting families to log on to pray a decade of the Rosary together or pray a special prayer for families. A resource that will assist in planning a prayer service is Our Family Prays with blessings, traditional prayers, and prayers for families throughout the liturgical year. You may want to consider gifting to families in thanksgiving for their support to your school.

Product Highlight:    
Family Life, Our Family Devotions, and Our Family Prays 

In addition to its best-selling Family Life series, RCL Benziger offers two resources for devotional and seasonal prayer in the home. Our Family Devotions celebrates the many ways that Catholics throughout the world celebrate their faith. Each of the thirty-nine devotions provides a background page and suggestions for celebrating the devotions as a family. Our Family Prays offers seasonal and daily prayer suggestions for families.

Find additional resources for families from RCL Benziger at - OurFamilyFaith.com 

Friday, February 3
Celebrating Faculty, Staff, and Volunteers

Today we express our gratitude to the many people who work for and support our Catholic school.

We practice so many things in life, but how often do we practice gratitude? We receive so much joy when we tell others how much we appreciate them. Invite the students to name those in your school and parish who serve your school community. Decide on some random acts of kindness or little things you could do to say “thank you” to those people throughout the day.

Four Ways to Celebrate the Faculty/Staff/Volunteer-School Connection

1. Host a breakfast or a traveling treat cart for faculty, staff, and volunteers.
2. Host a fun staff versus students trivia contest. Include trivia facts about your school and parish.
3. Gift faculty, staff, and volunteers with one of the personal or classroom-friendly resources listed below.

• Host a drive-by and pick-up contact-free breakfast bag or special treats for the day for faculty, staff, and volunteers.
• Gift faculty, staff, and volunteers with one of the personal or classroom friend resources listed by having it available for a drive-by/pick-up or mail to them.
• Involve older students in preparing a prayer service that includes a special blessing.
• Have the students write thank you notes to the janitorial staff who serve in your school.

Product Highlight:
The Bible for Little Ones, Catholic Prayers and Practices, Our Family Devotions, Our Family Prays

This year, give faculty, staff, and volunteers prayer resources for personal and/or classroom use. The Bible for Little Ones is a great gift for preschool, kindergarten, and first-grade teachers, or for parents of young children. Catholic Prayers and Practices is a wonderful prayer resource for any adult. Teachers will find many fun and useful suggestions for celebrating seasonal and devotional prayers in the classroom in both Our Family Devotions and Our Family Prays.

Find additional resources for families from RCL Benziger at - OurFamilyFaith.com