|
|
|
Teacher Mission Partners | Fall 2013
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Greetings!
Greetings! Thank you for joining with us and your fellow educators as a Maryknoll Teacher Mission Partner. Pope Francis recently spoke of the Church in this way: "We have to be a leavening of life and love, and the leavening is infinitely smaller than the mass of fruits, flowers and trees that are born out of it."
As a mission educator, you are a leavening force of God's love in your students, school community, the Church, and the world. The Pope goes on to explain that, "our goal is not to proselytize but to listen to needs, desires and disappointments, despair, hope. We must restore hope to young people, help the old, be open to the future, spread love."
In this newsletter, you will find resources and opportunities to support you in responding to that call. Maryknoll Mission Education and the Missions Office of the Archdiocese of Seattle are here to support and collaborate with you in your mission education efforts. We are here as your partners in forming the next generation of missioners!
Peace and blessings,
Kevin Foy,
Associate Director, Western Region
Maryknoll Mission Education and Promotion
206-322-8831 / kfoy@maryknoll.org
|
|
|
2014 Bolivia Immersion: Now Accepting Applications!
 Teachers in the Archdiocese of Seattle seeking to bolster the Catholic Identity of their students and school communities through mission are invited to apply for the Maryknoll Immersion Program.
Thousands of Bolivians from rural communities have migrated to the impoverished sprawl area of southern Cochabamba. Participants will travel with Maryknoll to visit these communities and the Catholic missioners who partner with them. Our immersion will focus heavily on experiencing daily life, encountering the missionary Church, and professional and spiritual development.
Date: August 6-18
Spanish language skills NOT required!
Scholarship funding from the Missions Office is available for teachers willing and committed to bringing mission back to the classroom and school community through this experience. For more information, please view our application for participation.
|
|
Mission Education Training Program
 Our Mission Education Training Program is designed to help teachers develop a basic understanding of mission through Scripture, history, Church teaching and practice, and spirituality. We will also consult with you on developing mission in the curriculum.
We are also available to schedule the program for your school faculty, either on-site at your school or for a group of up to 15 at our Northwest Mission Education Center in Seattle. Please email Kevin Foy for more information or to schedule.
Discounted rates for Catholic educators:
The program consist of 4 sessions, 2.5 hours each for a total of 10 program hours. We encourage donations to help us offer this program and materials, at a discounted suggested rate for Catholic educators. However, for those teachers/schools unable to make a donation, we are happy to offer this program as our gift. Suggested donations:
- School site: $75 per instructional hour
- Maryknoll site: $30 per participant
|
|
Mission and Scripture: A Basic Approach
 All scripture is a call to mission. God is love (1 Jn 4:16) "expresses the Christian image of God and resulting image of humanity and its destiny" (Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est). You can help students view Scripture through the lens of God's love by approaching every story with these questions:
- How does God show love in this passage (and call others to show love?)
- How do the people in the story react to that love/call?
- What are the consequences of those reactions (positive or negative)?
- How are we called to act?
Because God is love, we can also look at those times when people reject God's love and ask this question: How does God reach back out in love?
|
Where Does Mission Happen? Scaffolding Across Grade Levels
We were made in God's image to be in loving relationship with the whole world. Mission occurs everywhere, so as we seek to build a culture of mission among our students, it is helpful to work from the inside out:
You can use this inside out model to help students adopt a holistic missionary identity. As students progress across grade levels or even throughout the year, help them practice living the Gospel first in their naturally occurring relationships, and slowly build the definition of community outward as they intentionally engage more of the world around them: |
|
Gathered and Sent: the Classroom as Small Christian Community
 Prayer, liturgy, and contemplation are vital to living the mission: they are when we are present to God in order to be present to the world. While all-school masses and liturgies are important means of uniting the community in the Body of Christ, we often neglect to offer students the nourishing experience of small Christian community. Through classroom and small group Mass, Liturgy of the Word, and other prayer/reflection experiences, we invite students into fuller participation in the life story of Jesus.
Here are some ideas:
- Allow students to craft prayer services around the needs of classmates, community members, and the world
- Prepare and invite students to lead theological reflections of Scripture passages, considering what they think, wonder, and feel about the passage, and how they are called to act
- Help students collaborate to develop group prayers of the faithful based on a common vision for their community and the world
- End prayer services with students reflecting upon and sharing calls to action ("How will you announce the Gospel with your life?")
- Encourage students to develop concrete plans out of their prayer experiences for engaging the world around them in mission
|
|
Maryknoll Resource: Photos from Around the World
 A great resource for journal reflections and meditations, our collection of photos is available to teachers seeking to bring the world into the classroom. Make sure to check out our photos of mothers and children for your Advent lessons!
Note: These pictures are provided as a resource for teachers and remain subject to copyright protection. Permission is given only for limited educational, catechetical or spiritual use within a ministry or educational context and the images may not be reproduced or used for commercial or business purposes.
|
|
Outside Resource: "I Will Be a Hummingbird"
Are you doing your best? This video from KTN Kenya was submitted to TMP by a teacher at St. Louise Parish School in Bellevue. This can help you to engage students of all ages around questions of our responsibility to the world, and our call to do our best for the good of all, even though the solutions may be beyond our power or control.
 | | "I will be a hummingbird" - Wangari Maathai |
|
|
Share Your Ideas!
The best resource that teachers have is one another! If you have resources, lesson plans, activities, or ideas that may help other teachers in their mission education efforts, please share them with us so we can share them with members of this list, acknowledging you as the originator.
|
|
 NW Mission Education Center
Maryknoll Mission Education and Promotion
Western Region
958 16th Ave E
Seattle, WA 98112
(206) 322-8831
General Hours
Mon.-Fri. 9am-4pm
Web: www.Maryknoll.us
Donate: Click here to donate $10 by credit card to support Maryknoll's mission activities here and around the world. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
