Catholic Educators Newsletter - November 2005

 

 

Canonization and Beatification

 

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bullet The Process of Beatification in the Catholic Church - This page on the Web site of the the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart in Australia contains a good outline of the process of "making saints" in the Catholic Church. The article concisely answers the following questions: What does Beatification mean? What steps are required before Beatification? What does Canonisation mean? What are the steps to Canonisation?

Pope Benedict defined sainthood by saying a saint is “someone who is so fascinated by the beauty of God and by His perfect truth that he is progressively transformed by it. For this beauty and this truth he is ready to renounce everything, even himself.” -- Kairos Catholic Journal: Past Issues: Sainthood

 

 

bullet Canonization Process - Note released by the Holy See Press Office in 1997 on canonical procedure for causes of beatification and canonization.


Christmas Resources
Web Sites Worth Exploring

 

bullet The Catholic Information Service Society, a Jesuit organisation in India, offers online resources introducing Jesus, the Catholic faith, and the Bible for adults who have little or no knowledge of Christianity. They are written for India, but can certainly be used anywhere else in the world. The table of contents reads, in part, as follows:

  • Who is Jesus?
  • Correspondence courses - Notes for this course are all online and can be used without being registered for the course.
  • Bible Character for a Forthnight - A fairly extensive introduction to one major character in the Bible. The one being introduced this week is John the Baptist.
  • Introduction to the Bible
  • Introduction to the New Testament
  • Christian Religion

bullet WMC Clip Art Graphics (no longer available) - There are several sets of clipart illustrations of Bible scenes available on this Web site. Of particular interest are two set of brightly colored illustrations: one of passages in the Old Testament and the other of passages in the New testament.

bullet Interview With Jesus - Flash movie - A series of short (a few minutes each) Flash sideshows with beautiful photography and gentle instrumental music. Included are the following: Interviews with God; The Lord's Prayer; Love Verses (1 Cor 13); The Beatitudes; Psalm 23 and more - 16 meditations/prayers in all.

bullet For those interested in the relationship between science and faith and issues for Catholics stemming from developments in various scientific fields, the Institute for Theological Encounter with Science & Technology (ITEST) web site offers a large collection of articles by Catholic experts. ITEST is "an organization committed to ongoing dialog among contemporary thinkers, assessing developments in science and technology for their theological implications and to apply religious values to scientific processes."

bullet For those interested in the relationship between science and faith and issues for Catholics stemming from developments in various scientific fields, the Institute for Theological Encounter with Science & Technology (ITEST) web site offers a large collection of articles by Catholic experts. ITEST is "an organization committed to ongoing dialog among contemporary thinkers, assessing developments in science and technology for their theological implications and to apply religious values to scientific processes." bullet Religious Education Database - The Australian Catholic Education Commission has a searchable database of Web sites, learning objects and "faith quests".

Select a the type of resource you are looking for, the content area you are interested in and the year group of your students or simply use a keyword, press "submit" and get a listing of resources with brief descriptions of contents.

Quite a useful resource.

 

bullet Art Index for Sunday School Lessons - This Web page give access to a wealth of resources that can be used with younger children: Bulletin board ideas, art ideas, craft ideas, and even recipes - all presented with specific scripture themes in mind. Well done and well worth exploring even though the content is not specifically Catholic and some resources may have to be adapted somewhat.

bullet Ignatian Spirituality In Music (no longer available online)- Songs for Daily Liturgy and Retreats by Ruth Scherer Leacock - "A site offering new music and supportive materials for liturgy and retreats. It is especially appropriate for anyone interested in the spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Themes from his meditations are woven into the lyrics. If you have difficulty reading music... you can select a song and listen to it while viewing the musical score. "

The table of contents illustrates how this resource can be used:

  1. The Songs - View short descriptions of all of the songs. Link to sheet music, listening on line, and support materials.
  2. Retreat View - View the songs organized by their Ignatian themes. Link to sheet music, listening on line and support materials.
  3. Liturgical View View the songs organized by appropriate liturgical use. Link to sheet music, listening on line, and support materials.
  4. Listen Listen to midi versions of each of the songs online.
  5. Download Sheet Music or Midi files Download packets of sheet music suitable for printing and Midi files for listening. Both choral and simple melody versions are available.
In Review


bullet My Friend—The Catholic Magazine for Kids - By Diane Lynch

     Our young people are constantly being bombarded with media messages—many of them less than desirable. How can we counteract these negative influences? Here’s one answer! My Friend—The Catholic Magazine for Kids is a dynamic magazine of information, entertainment, and Christian formation for children aged 7 to 12 that leads them to the positive values all teachers and parents want to emphasize.

myfriend

     Every 32-page issue of My Friend includes terrific fiction stories that illustrate Christian values lived out by kids with whom readers will identify. You’ll also find the popular comic series Stepping Stones, featuring the adventures of four friends dealing with life’s challenges at home and in school. Another comic series, Saints of Note, follows brother and sister Paul and Cecilia as they travel back in time by playing special sheet music on an antique flute they’ve found in their attic. And just whom do they meet in their “notable” travels? Why, a number of most interesting saints!

     Each issue includes real-life stories of kids working to help others, crafts, recipes, activity pages, movie and book reviews, amazing science articles, and a monthly calendar featuring feast days, prayer suggestions, and liturgical reminders. The magazine runs a yearly writing contest; this year’s appears in November. Kids are given the first line of a story as well as the last couple of sentences. It’s up to them to write the best part—the part that comes in between! And this year, every issue includes a bonus pull-out-and-keep poster of one of the Beatitudes.

     My Friend—The Catholic Magazine for Kids is published monthly from September through June, and it’s a wonderful resource for classrooms and home schools. A subscription also makes a great gift for holidays, birthdays, First Communions—anytime. Order it soon for the children you love!

Articles Online

 

bullet What in the World is Faith Anyway? by Mark Shea, Holy Spirit Interactive, November 12, 2005

"Defining the word "Faith" seems to be one of the most baffling things in the world for most of us. Every day you'll hear people say stuff like "You just gotta have faith..." and then not finish the sentence. They will assure us in a time of crisis "Just believe. Your faith will make you strong." But when we ask the $64,000 question, "Just believe what?" many are not exactly snappy in their response."

bullet A Question of Humanity by Fr. Kevin Fitzgerald, SJ, Company Magazine, August 18, 2005 - a genetic researcher, explores A explains how genetic engineering calls on us to review our basic assumptions about being human.

bullet Five Helps for Prayer by Armand Nigro sj - Jesuit Fr Armand Nigro offers five simple ways to approach our prayer.

A Time to Smile

 

What does Love mean?

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, "What does love mean?"


"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore.
So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love." -- Rebecca- age 8


"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.
You just know that your name is safe in their mouth." -- Billy - age 4


"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other." -- Karl - age 5


"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs." -- Chrissy - age 6


"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired." -- Terri - age 4


"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK." -- Danny - age 7


"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more.
My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss" -- Emily - age 8


"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man
who are still friends even after they know each other
so well." -- Tommy - age 6


"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was
scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw
my daddy waving and smiling.
He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared
anymore." -- Cindy - age 8


 

"My mommy loves me more than anybody
You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at
night." -- Clare - age 6


"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of
chicken." -- Elaine-age 5


"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford." -- Chris - age 7


"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after
you left him alone all day." -- Mary Ann - age 4


"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me
all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new
ones." -- Lauren - age 4


"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you." (what an image) -- Karen - age 7


"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she
doesn't think it's gross." -- Mark - age 6


"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean
it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget." -- Jessica - age 8

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen." -- Bobby - age 7

"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate," -- Nikka - age 6

"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then
he wears it everyday." -- Noelle - age 7