Teacher's Lesson Plan Station 1

Sign of the Cross Explain what is the meaning of the sign of the cross Why do Catholics make the sign of the cross When Catholics make the sign of the cross Then show how to make the sign of the cross (teacher demonstrates and has each student make it) Activity: Give form that stsudents need to complete. They should Fill in the boxes. (Attachment #1). Next: Take the cross and fill in the proper places that you would touch When making the sign of the cross (Attachment #2) Now with teacher observing and gently correcting, have each student make the sign of the cross together. Repeat if needed. Remind students that Holy is on the left shoulder and Spirit is on the right shoulder. Our Father Have the students pray "The Lord's Prayer" together. Repeat 2X Activity: Teacher will give each student a colored sheet of paper, a pack of cut out strips with the Our Father prayer, and a stick of glue. Students will be instructed to take the divided strips with The Our Father words on it and put them in order. Now have students say "The Our Father Prayer".

THE MEANING OF THE SIGN OF THE CROSS: The sign of the cross is a prayer, a blessing, and a sacramental.

The Christian begins his day, his prayers, and his activities with the Sign of the

Cross: "In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

How to Make the Sign of the Cross (As Roman Catholics Do) Using your right hand, you should touch your forehead at the mention of the Father; the lower middle of your chest at the mention of the Son; and the left shoulder on the word "Holy" and the right shoulder on the word "Spirit."

When do Catholics make the sign of the cross?

Making the Sign of the Cross may be the most common of all actions that Catholics do. We make it when we begin and end our prayers; we make it when we enter and leave a church; we start each Mass with it; we may even make it when we hear the Holy Name of Jesus taken in vain and when we pass a Catholic church where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved in the tabernacle.

Why Do Catholics make the sign of the Cross The combination of the words and the action are a creed—a statement of belief. We mark ourselves as Christians through the Sign of the Cross.

Our Father Prayer Activity Write the Our Father on strips of paper or card stock. Cut out strips and glue strips of the Our Father in the proper order on a piece of construction paper. (For younger students you can do this together as a group activity.) You can also play this as a game by dividing the class into teams and give each team the strips of the Our Father. See which team can put it in the proper order the fastest.

Lesson Plan Section 2

Teacher: Start off class by all students making the sign of the cross. Next have all students recite the Hail Mary Prayer. Activity: Teacher will give each student a pack with words for Hail Mary prayer, sheet of paper, glue stick. Students will put prayer in order. Next: All students will recite the Glory Be Prayer together. Then have each student recite the Glory Be individually. Activity: Complete the Glory Be Prayer by entering the correct words in the blanks. (Attachment 2 A)

Words for Glory Be Prayer

beginning ever Father World Holy Spirit Mary Son now forgive

Words for Glory Be Prayer

beginning ever Father World Holy Spirit Mary Son now forgive Words for Glory Be Prayer

beginning ever Father World Holy Spirit Mary Son now forgive

The Hail Mary prayer is separated into two main parts: 1. Recognizing Mary as the sinless mother of Jesus, the one who

gave birth to our Savior, and played a role in our salvation. 2. Asking Blessed Mary to pray for us “now and at the hour of our

death,” and to be our intercessor before her son. Pope John Paul II, who was devoted to Blessed Mary, wrote of the importance and meaning of this prayer in his apostolic letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae. Let’s take a closer look at this prayer to understand why it’s one of the top three prayers (along with the Our Father Prayer and Glory Be) of our faith.

Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with you

The opening line of the prayer is taken directly from the Bible when the angel Gabriel appears to Mary during the Annunciation of the Lord (Luke 1:28) informing her that she will become pregnant by the Holy Spirit. When he greets her he says “Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with you.” Here the angel is declaring his admiration to Mary for being born full of God’s grace, (or without original sin) and for being the woman worthy of praise for being chosen by God to carry our all-holy, all-powerful Savior in her womb—“the Lord is with you.”

Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus

After learning she was pregnant, Mary visited her relative, Elizabeth. As soon as Elizabeth laid eyes on Mary, she said with great awe the words, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.” (Luke 1:41). Like a star-struck fan a million times over, she is in awe of young Mary for being the most “blessed” of all women and being the only one worthy of carrying Jesus, the most “blessed” baby in her womb. In these first two lines, it’s important to recognize as Pope John Paul II explains that “although the Hail Mary is addressed to Our Lady, it is to Jesus that the act of love is ultimately directed.” Through their words, the angel Gabriel and Elizabeth are giving praise to God for the Incarnation and the mysteries of our faith: that God was born among us, walked the earth, and ultimately died on the cross for us and rose from the dead.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death

The second part of the prayer is where we declare that we are sinners and in need of lots of help. We all know that one day we will meet our maker and have been warned that living a life of sin can stand in the way of our salvation. We’re asking Blessed Mary to pray for us on our behalf to her son, our Lord, now, and most importantly, at the hour of our death. Again, here we are pointing out that Mary is the “Mother of God,” the God whom we acknowledge as being the Holy One and the Most High. He is the only one who can forgive us our sins.

Lesson Plans Station 3

Teacher will start with the sign of the cross.

First -Each student will be given an Act of Sorrow or Act of Contrition packet with card with prayer, and an explantion sheet for parent, and a magnet. Class will go over Act of Sorrow prayer together.

Activity: Each will take the magnet out of the bag and peel off backing of magnet and place on prayer card-the explanation on what to do with the card when they get home will be on the white sheet in the packet.

Next : Each student will be given a sheet that states "How to Go to Confession".

Teacher will demonstrate by putting two chairs together and having a child go on chair. She will act as the Priest and the children will do a mock going to confession with each child.

Discussion: Ask the questions to the students and discuss with them. So who were the first sinners? Adam and Eve. What did they do? God told them to not eat from the Tree of Knowledge and they did not listen. Do you do Confession yet? No When can you do it? In second grade (or whenever your church does First Holy Communion) or after you have been baptized and have done RCIA. Who do you make your confession to? A priest. How often should you go to confession? At least once a year. If it is a mortal sin, as soon as possible. Any Catholic who has done a mortal sin cannot receive Holy Communion until they go to confession (receiving sacramental absolution). A mortal sin is a grievous offense against the law of God. This sin is called mortal, or deadly because it deprives the sinner of sanctifying grace, the supernatural life of the soul. To make a sin mortal these three things are necessary: (Tick off each thing necessary on your fingers to emphasize them to the students) First, we have done something that is seriously wrong. Second, we knew it was seriously wrong, and; third, we freely and willingly chose to do it. This means that mortal sins cannot be done "accidentally." If one of these conditions is missing, the sin is not mortal. A person who commits a mortal sin is one who knows that their sin is wrong, but still deliberately commits the sin anyway. This means that mortal sins are done on purpose by the sinner and thus are truly a rejection of God’s law and love. A venial sin is a lesser sin that can be forgiven in other ways, but it is good to confess them in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We receive special help to overcome them in this sacrament. The priest can help us to get to the cause of our sins and bad habits. Why do we do confess our sins? We tell what our sins are so we can look at our sins and take responsibility for them. It opens ourselves to God and to the communion of the Church in order to make a new future possible. When we recognize that we have offended God who is all deserving of our love, we sense the need to make things right. We need to know that our sins are forgiven. There is something in our human nature that calls out to know that our sins are forgiven. Confession is the visible sign (something you can see) of God's mercy that gives us the clear understanding that God has forgiven us. You must also be truly sorry for your sins and not want to do them again. What should you do BEFORE you make your confession? We should prepare ourselves for a good confession by taking time not only to examine our conscience but, to excite in our hearts sincere sorrow for out sins and a firm purpose not to commit them again. Who do we confess our sins to? A priest. Only a priest can hear confessions and give absolution. What do you do during confession? 1. Greeting: The priest welcomes you warmly and greets you with kindness. 2. Sign of the Cross: Then you make the Sign of the Cross, which the priest may also make. 3. Confess your sins: You say, “Forgive me father, for I have sinned. It has been (say how long)

since my last confession. My sins are (state your sins)” and after you are done say, “For these and all my sins I am truly sorry.” What happens after we confess our sins to the priest? The priest may then speak to you. He may try to help you to see the source of your sinful actions. Usually, we're sinful because we're selfish. He will also remind and comfort you of God's love for you. He will then propose an act of penance, which you accept to make satisfaction for sin and to amend your life. What is penance? 1. Penance with a capital P is the sacrament in which all sins committed after Baptism are forgiven through the power received by the priest from Christ. 2. The prayers or good works that the priest asks you to do after you have confessed your sins. Why do I receive penance? Forgiveness takes away sin, but it does not get rid of all the behaviors caused by sin. While we are not capable of truly satisfying God for the evil we have done and its consequences, we therefore must make satisfaction for our sin through some action or prayer that will show our desire to make amends and to repair something of the disorder, damage, or harm which our sinful actions have done. The penance that is given to you takes into account your personal situation and serves to support your spiritual good. The penance also depends on how bad the sin is. It may be a prayer, an offering, works of mercy, sacrifices or service to another. But this penance is in a real way our share in the Cross and helps us to be more closely joined to Christ. Then what happens? The person says a prayer expressing sorrow for his/her sins, such as the Act of Contrition. Then what happens? The priest will extend his hand toward you, or perhaps lay his hands on your head as he prays the Church's Prayer of Absolution: God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, + and of the Holy Spirit. R/. Amen. Do you leave then? No, you wait for dismissal. The priest may pray a short closing prayer with you. He may also simply say, “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.” Your response can be very natural ... a simple “Amen,” or “Thank You” ... “Have a good day”. Then go to spend some time considering your Penance. Why do we continue to need forgiveness if we are already saved? Even though we have been baptized and our sins have been washed away and have been forgiven, we must continue to return to the sacrament of Penance to cleanse ourselves of sin and receive God's mercy. We are always in need of God's forgiveness through the sacrament of Penance if we are to grow in a life of grace. But isn't there something I can take along, so I won't feel like I'm forgetting something? Certainly! Some people bring a little piece of paper to help them remember what to

say. Can our sins be forgiven without sorrow? No. Even if we confess on sins and the priest gives us absolution, our sins will not be forgiven by God if we do not have sincere sorrow in our hearts. Sincere sorrow for sin is the most important prerequisite for celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Without it, your sins cannot be forgiven by God. If it has been a long time since you have been to confession, will your sins be forgiven? Yes. God will always forgive us if we are truly sorry for our sins.