RESOURCES FOR CATECHISTS
- Links of Interest (Including Learning About Saints Through the Internet)
- How Can We Help Children Learn To Pray?
- (excerpt from How To Be A Better Catechist by C. Pfeifer and J. Manternach -- complete copies can be obtained at the Catholic Faith Formation office)
- "I always begin and end by classes with a prayer. but those I teach don't take it very seriously. I don't know what else to do, because I never was taught much about prayer..."
- For years we did just what you are doing, beginning and ending class with a prayer. Like you we gradually sensed that not much real prayer was going on...We worked at finding better ways of helping our students learn to pray.
- Here are some we found worked.
- 1) Pray yourself. Probably the most important tip is to become a more prayerful person. The place to begin is to learn more about praying so you can pray more throughout your life. Try out in your own life the ways of learning to pray we describe here.
- 2) Foster Dispositions for Prayer. In prayer we express our trust in God, our gratitude to God, our awe at God's greatness and goodness, our sorrow for hurting our relationship with God, out petitions for God's help. If prayer is to be authentic, it must flow out of genuine wonder and appreciation, thanksgiving, honesty, repentance, trust, and affection. We can expose our students to the marvels of creation, giving them opportunities to wonder. We can trust them, so they can learn to trust. We can express gratitude to them and guide them in learning to be thankful. We can apologize for hurting them, and forgive them for hurting us. In these ways we nurture the predispositions for prayer.
- 3) Plan for meaningful Prayer. Prayer in class needs to flow out of what is happening in that class. Any praying should rise up out of the life experience being explored and be enriched by the Catholic prayer traditions reflected in the lesson. the praying should be done at one or tow moments in the lesson where prayer best fits. This requires careful planning. Your textbook undoubtedly provides guidance in its lesson plans. Experience will gradually give you a keener sense of which moments in a given lesson are best for prayer.
- 4) Expand Their Experience of Prayer. The traditions of Catholic spirituality provide a wealth of ways to pray. fortunately, contemporary textbooks build various prayer forms into their lessons.
- Videos for Catechists
- Learn at home at your own pace. Please phone 587-4717 to reserve.
1. Enriching the Catechist Series:
 | Tape 1: Gospel Values; The Mystery of God |
| Tape 2: Jesus Christ - Human & Devine; The Church - God's People |
| Tape 3: The Sacraments |
2. Echoes of Faith Series:
The Catechist
| Tape 1: Getting Started |
| Tape 2: Roles of the Catechist |
| Tape 3: Person of the Catechist |
The Catholic Faith
| Tape 1: I Believe: We Believe |
| Tape 2: Liturgy and Sacraments |
Introduction to the Learner
| Moral, Psycho-Social & Faith Development |
3. Bible: And God Said What?
How the Bible was written and what it means. This is especially recommended for Level 6 Catechists.
4. Raising Children in a Violent World - Kathleen O. Chesto
The author cuts straight to the heart of the problem of the over dominance of violence in ore society (whether actual or in the media), and offers very practical advice on how to counteract this trend within our own hearts and families. Perfect for those preparing for marriage, parents of young families and educators.
5. Prayertime, Familytime - Kathleen O. Chesto
The author tells viewers that prayer is the way community celebrates all of life, emphasizing that one's first community is the family. She explores the importance of prayer in the context of the family and examines the essential nature of the ritual.
6. The ABC's of Discipline
