News from Level 2 Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, St. Teresa

The Gatekeeper
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Level II

March 3, 2009 - Level 2, Issue 9

In This Issue

City of Jerusalem

Lent

Scripture References

Quick Links

St. Teresa of Avila Parish Site

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd

Dear CGS Level II Parent

Lent is one week old, and St. Teresa's children have gotten a good start on their Lenten journey. This week in Atrium, the Level II children will work with the City of Jerusalem. This presentation helps the children know that the events we celebrate during Holy Week actually occurred in a real place and in a real time.

You might feel that it's odd to be talking to the children about the Easter Triduum events when Lent just began. But remember that Catechesis only meets every other week. Parents are the first teachers of the faith to their children. Please consider how you can support your child's learning. One way to help your child's connection between Catechesis and liturgy and life is to attend the celebrations of Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. Plan ahead to make these times a priority for your family.

In case it helps your overall understanding of the Lenten "plan" for Catechesis, we will meet two more times during Lent. The week of March 16th, the Level II presentation is "Origin of the Eucharist," which ties to Holy Thursday and the Last Supper. The week of April 6th, the Level II presentation is "Meditation on the Passion Narratives."

Peace,

The Level II catechist team:
    Liza Bloomer, Kathy Murdock on Tuesdays
    Jane Ott, Myrna Gomez on Wednesdays
    Barb McHugh on Thursdays
and Lina Hilko (editor)

The City of Jerusalem

In the atrium there is a model of a city with a wall around it. All of the main parts of this model (e.g., city walls and key buildings) are removable. The children can take it apart and re-build it like a three-dimensional puzzle. This is a model of the City of Jerusalem in the time when Jesus lived. The children have asked about the material all year long (or at least in Wednesday's atrium!) and are anxiously awaiting this presentation. Lent has arrived and it is time to present the city of Jerusalem to them.

Jerusalem is an important city in the life of Jesus, and therefore, we want the children to be able to experience what it might have looked like. Specifically in this presentation, we will review the last days of Jesus' earthly life, including the Last Supper, the Crucifixion, and His Rising. We will name some of Jerusalem's buildings like the Cenacle, where Jesus celebrated his last meal with his friends, along with places outside the city walls, like the Garden of Gethsemane (sometimes Garden of Olives or Mount of Olives) and Golgotha. The children will listen to accounts of Jesus' death and resurrection and be reminded that these events were real that took place in Jerusalem.

We also want to remind the children (and ourselves!) that the story does not end there. It is important to link the past with the present and future because they are all integral to the One Plan of God in salvation history!

The children will get to work with the model of the City of Jerusalem and relive the places and events of Holy Week. Perhaps you can remember the last days of Jesus with your children by reading these Scripture texts (see the references list at the end of this e-newsletter). All of these Scripture references are on two charts in the Atrium. Some of the older children can find Scripture passages on their own; have them look them up for you!

Lent

(This is the same article as included in Level I newsletter.)

One Lenten tradition that began in St. Teresa's Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program, this year started a transition away from Atrium and into liturgy. At Children's Liturgy of the Word last Sunday, the children decorated flowers with the "A" word on them. When the children rejoined the congregation, they first processed to the altar and put away their "A" flowers in a special box. This box will remain in the church throughout Lent, and on Easter the "A" flowers will be revealed again. One Lenten tradition of the Catholic church is to stop saying and singing this word (it's the one right before the Gospel reading). This is a joyful word, and we put it away for a while so we can say it and sing it with much enthusiasm during the Easter season.

During Children's Liturgy of the Word, the children also reflected on three activities to which we are especially devoted during Lent: almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. The catechist taught them gestures to remind them of each of these actions. For almsgiving, the children held up their two hands, palms out, sort of like they were going to wave with them both. For prayer, the children held their palms together. For fasting, the children rubbed their stomachs. Perhaps you want to incorporate these gesture into your Lenten prayers somehow. You could consider writing a prayer together to say at meal times during Lent, making sure that these three words are incorporated. Perhaps it seems daunting to write a prayer, but it really shouldn't be. It's great practice for a child to demonstrate that anyone can compose a prayer. It's just talking to a friend after all.

Scripture References

Feel free to provide comments about this newsletter to Lina Hilko, the editor, at LHilko@aol.com and/or Sarah Coles, St. Teresa's Director of Religious Education, at SEColes@gmail.com. Thanks!