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All of RCL Benziger’s parish resources are rooted in the rich and diverse tradition of the Catholic faith. Our faith formation programs provide an excellent foundation for a lifetime of faith. These parish resources nourish the spiritual wellbeing of each child with the richness of God’s Word, the Church’s teachings, and liturgical expression. Catechists and catechetical leaders are equiped with the tools to foster an environment of Catholic values for learners of all ages and to celebrate these diverse traditions within the Catholic Church. RCL Benziger is committed through our products to support parish life and faith formation by providing families energetic and engaging ways to express and celebrate the Catholic faith.
RCL Benziger’s complete solution to religion readiness education. Stories of God’s Love is available for both preschool (ages 3-4 or 4-5) and kindergarten. It follows the USCCB’s “Guidelines for Pre-School Materials” and was written by a team of early childhood specialists. This program also meets the early learning standards of the National Association of Education for Young Children (NAEYC). Stories of God’s Love serves as the foundational program for ages 3–4, 4–5, and kindergarten for parishes.
Be My Disciples is an innovative and complete religious education program that empowers students and their families to answer the call to discipleship. This new program will lead children and their families to grow in their conversion to Jesus Christ, to develop the habits of discipleship, and to decide each day to choose life in Christ. Using a balanced approach, Be My Disciples is validated by new insights in education today.
Be My Disciples:
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New Parish Program for Grades K–8
Key Features:
Each unit of Blest Are We Faith in Actionis based on a particular theme or area of Catholic belief and practice. This theme is studied over four individual chapters that correspond to the four pillars of the Catechism:
In this way the essentials of Catholic teaching are presented in an integrated and balanced approach that helps children learn and deepen their faith and Catholic identity.
The foundations of each of our Sacrament preparation programs are Sacred Scripture, Church teaching, life experience, ritual, and prayer. Our materials focus on engaging children, youth, and their families in developing deeper relationships with Jesus Christ; in preparing children and youth to receive the Sacraments; and in helping families become more active participants in the life of the Church.
RCL Benziger’s Family Life (K-8) integrates child safety content within the framework of moral catechesis and Catholic family living. New for the Family Life program is an online eAssessment platform which provides educators with the ability to measure mastery based upon parish, school, or diocesan requirements.
Features in the Parish student books serve the needs of religion programs with:
Separate Guides for Parish or School
Both teacher and catechist guides give you easy-to-follow, flexible plans, along with the background information, teaching tips, and resources you need to bring lessons to life for young people.
Simple, Yet Effective, Three-Step Process
The Engage, Teach and Apply, Connect format keeps young people focused as they discover and learn, then apply and reinforce learning with integration activities. Practical connections to real life help young people see that faith is alive and active.
Activities and Assessment Tools
A variety of activities and assessment instruments are included for every chapter and unit of each student book.
Called to Prayer and Liturgical Lessons
These reproducible resources for all the weeks of Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost connect teens with the liturgical life of the parish. Prayer services using a variety of styles of prayer inspire teens to worship.
Helping Kids Live Their Faith
This book explores the seven principles of Catholic Social Teaching and includes age-appropriate service projects.
Ordinary – it’s a word that implies “nothing special,” “commonplace,” having no distinctive features.
When we talk about Ordinary Time of the liturgical year in the Church, we may think of it as a time when nothing special is going on in between the beautiful and meaningful seasons of Advent and Christmas, Lent and Easter.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
While the special seasons of the Church include such important events as the Incarnation, Jesus’ death on the Cross, Jesus’ Resurrection and Ascension, and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Ordinary Time allows us to journey with Jesus as his life unfolds.
There is nothing ordinary about that.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishop’s describes Ordinary Time as “a time for growth and maturation, a time in which the mystery of Christ is called to penetrate ever more deeply into history until all things are finally caught up in Christ.”
As adults, we may have an understanding of what that means, but how can we impart such a complex concept to students?
Start with the small things. Children learn quickly that there can be no big things without the small things. Whether working with numbers or Legos or magnetic tiles, it’s visually obvious that the first small piece is needed in order to make something big.
It’s like that in religious education as well. With young children we start with something they understand – love – and repeatedly remind them that God loves them. Of course, love is not really a small thing or an ordinary thing, but it is a first thing if children are to grow into adults who want to know and love God, and to come to understand how each step in Jesus’ daily life, each decision, each person he met, each hour of prayer, led him to those important events that we remember, honor and celebrate during Christmas and Easter.
How can Ordinary Time be included in the classroom?
Begin with the color green – The liturgical color for Ordinary time is green. With younger students who cannot yet grasp the meaning of ordinary, changing colors on the prayer table or classroom displays can help them understand that this time in our faith life (when we try to get to know Jesus better) is a time of growth, like the flowers and plants of spring. Nature is a wonderful teacher for growing faith. Also, keep a liturgical color calendar in your classroom. It serves as a visible reminder to students that there are distinct seasons in the life of the Church.
Rewrite a chapter in Jesus’ life – Choose one of your favorite stories about Jesus from the Gospels, read it with the students, and then ask them how Jesus’ life, and the life of those in the story, might have changed if that event hadn’t happened. Bring the discussion back to the significance of the event, what it has taught millions of people since then, how it has been one of the building blocks of our faith. Following Jesus during Ordinary time helps us to build our faith.
Remind students they are disciples – Ordinary time is an opportunity to become familiar with the life of the Apostles, the first disciples, as they accompanied Jesus for three years on his mission. They were ordinary men, with distinct personalities, strengths and weaknesses. They were chosen by God for a purpose and made an extraordinary difference for the world to come. The calling of the Apostles appears in all four Gospels. Read, with or for students, Matthew 4:18-22, Mark 1:14-20, Luke 5:1-11, and John 1:35-51. Allow students to discuss their own strengths and weaknesses and ways in which they can use them to do great things for God.
For Teachers: For those who wish to gain a better sense of who the Apostles were, I enjoyed “Twelve Ordinary Men” by John MacArthur. MacArthur writes about the Apostles from known facts in the Bible, provides additional information from church tradition, and focuses on their character qualities. Ordinary time is the perfect time to consider the extraordinary possibilities of ordinary people.
To read more about liturgical year and seasons of the Church visit Liturgical Year and Calendar | USCCB.
About the Author
At the end of the Easter Season, we celebrate Pentecost, the birthday of the Church. On that day, the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles and transformed them into courageous witnesses to the Gospel, the Good News that mankind is not lost. God has entered into suffering humanity and taking it upon Himself has brought the good of our salvation out of the evil of His death on the cross. Sin and death no longer have the final word.
Mary, Mother of the Church. Mary was with the disciples when the Holy Spirit descended at Pentecost. By God’s design, Mary is crucial to the birth and growth of the Church. As she supported the first disciples with her presence and prayers, so now she supports us in the same way. If we seek to be a faithful and lively Church, we can rely on Mary’s directions to the wine servers at Cana: “Do whatever he tells you.”
Sent Out to Tell the Good News. Remember that the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles while they were gathered in a home. They received the courage to immediately go out into the town to tell others about Jesus. When we gather at church for worship at Mass, then we are sent out to tell others about God’s saving love, to “announce the Gospel with our lives.” What are some ways we can announce the Gospel by our actions?
Members of One Body. We experience ourselves as Church within our parish communities. Aim to foster your students’ involvement in their local parish. "The parish is where the Church lives. Parishes are communities of faith, of action, and of hope. They are where the Gospel is proclaimed and celebrated, where believers are formed and sent to renew the earth. 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)
The Church Prays and Celebrates. Prepare students to more fruitfully participate their parishes’ 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.
Our World-wide Church. The Church enjoys the many cultural expressions of its members. We bring our own styles of music, customs, decorations into our local church building and events. Explore the places that were homes to the saints in the interactive map here.
Evidence of the Spirit’s Presence. Ask students: Where do you see signs that Holy Spirit is at work today? What will you look for? Consider events at school, at home, in the neighborhood, and at church. Write down your observations, including the location and situation. Illustrate one of the events you witnessed.
About the Author
“We are an Easter People!”
That phrase was used by St. Pope John Paul II to describe the People of God, filled with joy and faith because of Christ’s Resurrection.
If we follow what happens to the Apostles and the Church after the Resurrection, we could also exclaim, “We are a Pentecost People!” That means we are a people powered by the Holy Spirit.
In a Pentecost Sunday homily, Pope Francis reminded the faithful that on Pentecost, the Holy Spirit transformed “timid disciples from fearful men, ‘huddled behind closed doors,’ to bold men who ‘bear witness to [Jesus]’.”
He was describing what happened following Jesus’ Resurrection, when the Apostles were often behind locked doors, afraid of the Jewish authorities. It was here that Jesus appeared to them for the first time.
During the next forty days, though Jesus continued to appear to them, some of the Apostles went back to their old lives as fisherman. On one occasion, Jesus appeared and told them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for “the promise of the Father,” which Jesus had spoken about.
I often wondered if he got wind of some of them planning to leave town!
It was after the Apostles witnessed Jesus’ Ascension that things began to change. They gathered together in the Upper Room, with Mary and some other women, to pray. They probably remembered Jesus’ promise that the Holy Spirit would come after Jesus went back to his Father.
It was then that the Holy Spirit arrived in wind and tongues of flame, transforming the ordinary disciples of Christ into bold, courageous proclaimers of the Gospel. On that day, Peter, once a fisherman with no higher education, the Apostle who, motivated by fear, denied he even knew Jesus after Jesus was arrested, rose to his feet and preached with the power of the Holy Spirit and 3,000 people were baptized. The Church was born.
While many lessons on Pentecost focus on the images of wind and flames and the color red, all of which are meaningful, I believe that the story of Pentecost can encourage today’s youth to have faith in the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.
In another Pentecost Sunday homily Pope Francis stresses that the Holy Spirit “sets our lives in order. He teaches us to accept one another, to forgive one another and to forgive ourselves; he teaches us to be reconciled with the past. And to set out anew.”
Teaching Pentecost in the classroom:
Your RCL Benziger grade-level texts will have excellent, valuable lessons on Pentecost. For middle school students and older, consider adding a conversation on transformation to the lesson. Be sure to include the story of Peter’s transformation.
• Can people change what’s in their hearts and minds? How does that happen? Has that ever happened to you or someone you know? How do you think the Holy Spirit, the third person in the Holy Trinity, can help you accept one another, forgive one another, forgive yourself, reconcile with past hurts and mistakes, and start out fresh?
• Add this brief prayer from Pope Francis as you begin each day: ‘Come, Holy Spirit, come into my heart, come into my day.’
For Teachers: Wisdom from two saints. In his own message for Pentecost Sunday 2001, St. Pope John Paul II shared the words of St. John XXIII about the power of the Holy Spirit. – "The light of the Holy Spirit breaks forth from the first words of the Book of the Acts of the Apostles.... The intense movement of the divine Spirit precedes and accompanies the evangelizers and breaks into the souls of those who listen, while extending the confines of the Catholic Church to the ends of the earth, allowing her to traverse all the centuries of history" (Discorsi Messaggi Colloqui del S. Padre Giovanni XXIII, II, p. 398).
About the Author
Here we are, moving through the 50 days of Easter toward Pentecost on May 28. This time, and, indeed, all the days ahead, provide us with the opportunity to be intentional in living the characteristics of Easter people, learned as we journeyed through Holy Week with Christ – courage, gratitude, generosity, prayer, sacrificial love and joy.
This is no small task, as we adults are well aware, life is challenging, not only for us but for our children. So, how can we live Easter intentionally all year ‘round?
First, focus on the joy – the reality and possibilities of new life.
For me, this has meant imagining Jesus as a man of joy. It seems unlikely that Jesus would have changed the world, with just 12 ordinary men as disciples, if there weren’t some element of joy in him – that deep, transforming quality that may not show itself in frivolity but lives root-deep in a person’s being.
I often imagine Jesus gathered with the Apostles around a fire, talking over the day’s events, their mission and sharing a meal. I’m certain there was a lot of laughter and animated conversation, and maybe even dancing. They belonged with Jesus. The image encourages me to ask Jesus to share that experience of joy with me.
That image also brings to mind a good friend who shared with me her fond memories when, as a teen, she and her CYO friends went to Mass every morning of Holy Week. That immersion in their faith, their participation together, sharing breakfast afterward, reinforced her sense of Catholic identity and unity. There was an underlying joy in the experience of putting normal daily activities aside to practice their faith, bringing with it a sense of grace that is worth seeking daily.
St. Pope John Paul II stresses that “joy is demanding.” He proposes that we “are not looking for a shallow joy but rather a joy that comes from faith, that grows through unselfish love, that respects the ‘fundamental duty of love of neighbor, without which it would be unbecoming to speak of Joy.’”
Classroom topics for living Easter throughout the year
There are unlimited ways teachers may incorporate these characteristics of Easter into lessons throughout the year. Share ideas with other teachers and remember to ask children lots of questions to help them express their understanding of these characteristics and offer suggestions about making them part of who we are as followers of a joyful Jesus.
Courage
My lessons in courage come from Mary, who had the faith to say yes to God, without certainty of the future. She journeyed with Jesus no matter how painful it was and stood at the foot of his Cross, watching him die, never losing her faith in God’s promises. We take on Mary’s courage when we walk with someone on their journey, when we stand steadfast in our faith, and when we raise our children to know and love God, especially in a world, described by Pope Francis as no longer “able to lift its gaze towards God.”
Gratitude
I recently read a wonderful description of gratitude as “the wardrobe of Easter.” The author reminds readers of St. Paul’s admonition to the Colossians: “Whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” In the coming year, put on gratitude daily.
Generosity
If we are to walk in the footsteps of Jesus, to be his hands and feet in the world, then we must remember that his life and death were supreme acts of grace and generosity. Our generosity is not confined to charitable donations. More important is a generosity of spirit which allows us to heal and renew relationships, forgive trespasses, love more fully, and listen with our ears and our hearts. Look honestly at your spirit and decide if more generosity is needed.
Sacrificial love
If there’s anything we should have learned through Holy Week and Easter is that Jesus’ love is selfless and sacrificial. We emulate that sacrificial love whenever we reach out to someone in need – whether it is a physical, spiritual or emotional need. We are presented with opportunities to volunteer in service to others through our parishes, in our communities, and in our classrooms. We can help children to prayerfully consider their response to others.
Prayer
In the book of Lamentations, Scripture assures us, “The Lord’s acts of mercy are not exhausted, his compassion is not spent; They are renewed each morning – great is your faithfulness!” Consider a new prayer practice. St. Cyprian offers this meaningful advice: "There should be prayer in the morning so that the resurrection of the Lord may thus be celebrated." Morning Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours is a good place to start, but if morning is a challenge, there is Afternoon Prayer and Evening Prayer.
A short, simple morning offering may be added to daily prayers: “Thank you, God, for giving us this day; help us to be like Jesus in all we think, do, and say. Amen.”
For older children, and adults, consider this morning offering, adapted from a prayer by St. Therese of Lisieux: “Dear God, I offer you all my actions of this day for the intentions and for the glory of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I desire to sanctify every beat of my heart, my every thought, my simplest works, by uniting them to you.”
A reflection for teachers: St. Pope John Paul II once shared wisdom that included a now famous quote: “We do not pretend that life is all beauty. We are aware of darkness and sin, of poverty and pain. But we know Jesus has conquered sin and passed through his own pain to the glory of the Resurrection. And we live in the light of his Paschal Mystery – the mystery of his Death and Resurrection. ‘We are an Easter People and Alleluia is our song!’”
About the Author
Sacramentals are sacred signs that prepare us to receive the chief effects of the seven sacraments we recognize: baptism, confirmation, the Eucharist, penance, holy orders, matrimony, and anointing of the sick. Sacramentals, like sacraments, use symbols to lead us to deeper meaning. Water, palms, ashes are some examples from natural objects used for sacramentals. Others are shaped by human hands for use in personal and public prayer, such as candles, statues, rosaries, crosses, crucifixes, and scapulars.
All created things are signs of God that we decipher in order to find our way to God. The very notion of “sacrament” depends on the idea that God can be found in this world. By the Church's prayer, sacramentals prepare us to receive grace and dispose us to cooperate with it (CCC #1670). Sacramentals are not magic talismans or amulets. They do not contain in themselves some powers. God can communicate grace through them. God can still communicate grace without us using sacramentals, of course, but sacramentals involve our senses as well as our minds. Once it is blessed, an object is set apart from the ordinary; it is holy. When a sacramental wears out or is no longer needed, it is disposed of respectfully.
How does an ordinary object become a sacramental? The Catechism of the Catholic Church (#1668) tells us, "(Sacramentals) always include a prayer, often accompanied by a specific sign, such as the laying on of hands, the sign of the cross, or the sprinkling of holy water (which recalls Baptism).” Blessings of bishops, priests and deacons, using the proper prayers, make water and other objects into sacramentals. The holy oils used in the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation and to anoint the sick have been blessed by a bishop.
Sacramentals in Your Classroom. Point out the sacramentals on your prayer table, walls, doors and shelves. Discuss how these objects remind us of God’s love. View “Setting the Prayer Table.”
Holy Water can be used by lay people in our prayers. It reminds us of life and our own Baptism. We bless ourselves with holy water when we enter church, for instance. Obtain some holy water from church and sprinkle the classroom with holy water as a symbol of Baptism and cleansing.
Sacramentals at Home. Bring some examples of blessed items you own. Tell the story of where you got them, where you use them, and why they are meaningful to you. Invite volunteers to talk about sacramentals their families have.
Holy Oils. Most Catholic churches have an ambry, a special box in which the holy oils are kept on display. Locate the ambry at your church. Invite a deacon or priest to bring the holy oils to your classroom.
The Saints Remind Us. Statues and images remind us that these holy brothers and sisters praying for us in heaven. Look in your Blest Are We Faith in Action and Be My Disciples program books for images of the saints and discuss what we can learn from them.
About the Author
Catholic Prayers and Practices and Catholic Prayers and Practices for Young Disciples offer explanations of how to pray the Rosary, including the Glorious Mysteries. Our Family Prays includes an Easter prayer candle activity and several suggestions for celebrating Pentecost Sunday.
As often happens when families gather around the table for a meal, even to celebrate holy days born out of the love of God, like Easter, discussions often become heated arguments with anger sending family members into other rooms to get away from the fray.
This year, the topic was guns and violence in our schools. Listening to the pendulum of opinions swing from one point of view to the other, with more and more force, was exhausting, and disruptive of any peace I may have felt on the occasion of Easter. So, I was the one who left the room.
As I reflected on the problem from a safe distance, I remembered that Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of April was for a culture of peace and non-violence. He shared, “We pray for the spread of peace and nonviolence by decreasing the use of weapons by states and citizens.”
Sometimes, I thought, sarcastically I’ll admit, the words we use are among the worst weapons.
In a press release for this month’s papal intention, Jesuit Father Frédéric Fornos, international director of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, said: “In the face of the violence of our time, Francis proposes a whole month to pray ‘for a more widespread culture of non-violence’. Peace among peoples begins, in fact, in the most concrete and intimate part of our hearts, when I meet my neighbors in the streets …
“When I see their face, their gaze, especially those who come from elsewhere, those who do not speak my language and do not share my same culture, those who are ‘strange’ in their attitudes and are thus called ‘foreigners.’ War and conflict begin here and now, in our hearts, every time we allow violence to replace justice and forgiveness.”
How can we help our students to appreciate the need for peace, to understand that peace starts in the hearts and minds of every person? What can we do in our classrooms to address the violence that exists in our communities, country, world, and, often, in our hearts?
These are questions, and responses, that need to be carefully evaluated for age-appropriateness. Teachers are the best guides for determining what children are prepared to understand and respond to positively.
Some steps, for any age, include:
• Prayer. Praying one decade of the Rosary with an intention for peace – in schools, in homes, in communities and countries. Add a closing Scripture quote about peace:
• Involve students in a peace art or writing project, limited only by teacher and student creativity, and available space for display. Visibility is important as a reminder that we must keep our eyes on peace if there is ever to be any.
• Help students evaluate their own attitudes, words and actions and how they sometimes contribute to bad feelings, division, and conflict. Even young students are beginning to understand, with help, the consequences of how they treat others. For students who have received the Sacrament of Reconciliation, help them to make an examination of conscience, as a means of building peace in their own hearts and encourage them to take their insights to Confession.
• Ask students to identify peacemakers in their families and among their friends. Discuss the qualities of a peacemaker. Talk about some of the saints known as peacemakers – St. Theresa of Calcutta, St. Catherine of Siena, St. John Paul II, and others. Check out this slide show from Aletia on five Catholic saint peacemakers.
• Using religion curriculum guides, have students find symbols of peace, and discuss what they stand for: eg. dove with olive branch.
Pope Francis quote for teacher reflection: “Living, speaking, and acting without violence is not surrendering, losing or giving up anything, but aspiring to everything.”
About the Author
Easter is a joyful time full of sacramental blessings. During the Easter Vigil, many of us welcomed new members into our Catholic faith community as they received the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist. During the Easter season, many children will receive their First Communions and other Catholics will be confirmed. Celebrating these sacraments of initiation effects the ones receiving them, but everyone in the pews is also reminded of their own faith journey.
Before it became normative to be a Christian -- because Emperor Constantine made it the state religion in the 3rd century -- the early Christians lived their faith in a society that did not have Gospel values. People were drawn to Christ by the witness of his disciples' lives. Catechesis again has the task of transmitting those values to the next generation, since ordinary culture may not.
St. Paul told the early Christians that we are all ambassadors for Christ. God has entrusted to us the Good News (2 Corinthians 5:17-20). New Catholics are watching us to learn how to live their faith. We have a responsibility for every member. Think of it this way: By the way they welcome the candidates as friends and coworkers, everyone in your parish is part of the Christian Initiation team. By the way they treat their own families and friends, everyone is preparing young people for Confirmation and First Communion.
Ambassadors for Christ. Ask children for their ideas for welcoming new Catholics, the newly initiated, first communicants, and recently confirmed. What will make new people feel at home in their parish? What would make them feel welcomed if they moved to a new parish or school?
What Do Sponsors Do? Explain the role of sponsors and godparents play in the ongoing faith journey of the newly baptized and confirmed. Look in the Index pages of your Blest Are We Faith in Action or Be My Disciples program books for lessons on the Sacraments of Initiation.
Acting Out What We Profess. The sacraments do not simply assert something is true; they make that truth more real to us by the sacred symbols, prayers and actions. Spend time with your students reflecting on how each member, new and lifelong, is called to build up the Mystical Body of Christ. We say that the Sacraments are by and for the Church. They are by the Church in that the Church decides how and when they will be celebrated. Sacraments are for the Church because they have power to create us as a community of faith.
Demonstrate Baptism and Confirmation. Show the symbols that are used in the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation: water and holy oils. Invite students to role play baptism of a baby and a baptism of an adult. Appoint students to play the priest or deacon, godparents and catechumens. For the Sacrament of Confirmation, students will play the roles of the bishop, the confirmandi and their sponsors.
Memories of the Sacraments. Ask your students to share their memories of receiving First Communion, witnessing a baptism, or attending a Confirmation. Some may even recall their own baptism if they were not baptized as infants. Who was there with them?
About the Author