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Let’s be Basic September 18 th , 2016 Purpose: To give the teens an introduction to Catholicism and to answer some basic questions they may have about Scripture & Tradition. Reminders before class starts: Take time to reflect about how you like to read the Bible and what your favorite Bible verse is What Devyn Will prepare: Make sure there are enough Bibles in each classroom Outline: 5:30-6:30pm: Youth Mass 6:30-7:00pm: Snacks, icebreaker, opening prayer in dining room 7:00-7:10pm: Gather Time in classroom Welcome the teens Take attendance Ask 3 teens to share something good that happened to them this past week Welcome any new teens who have joined the group 7:10-7:15pm: Introduction to the night Explain that tonight we will be an introduction to Catholicism. We will talk about how the church was formed, why we do a lot of the things that we do and we will have a time for the teens to ask questions about their faith. Get a feel for your class: o Have the teens all put their heads down on their desks. Tell them that you are going to ask them to gauge where they are in their faith formation. Tell them they will have three options and should raise their hand for the option that sounds the most like them. Read all the

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Let’s be Basic

September 18th, 2016

Purpose: To give the teens an introduction to Catholicism and to answer some basic questions they may have about Scripture & Tradition.

Reminders before class starts:

Take time to reflect about how you like to read the Bible and what your favorite Bible verse is

What Devyn Will prepare:

Make sure there are enough Bibles in each classroom

Outline:

5:30-6:30pm: Youth Mass

6:30-7:00pm: Snacks, icebreaker, opening prayer in dining room

7:00-7:10pm: Gather Time in classroom

Welcome the teens Take attendance Ask 3 teens to share something good that happened to them this past week Welcome any new teens who have joined the group

7:10-7:15pm: Introduction to the night

Explain that tonight we will be an introduction to Catholicism. We will talk about how the church was formed, why we do a lot of the things that we do and we will have a time for the teens to ask questions about their faith.

Get a feel for your class:o Have the teens all put their heads down on their desks. Tell them that you are

going to ask them to gauge where they are in their faith formation. Tell them they will have three options and should raise their hand for the option that sounds the most like them. Read all the options out loud first, and then read one at a time asking the group to raise their hand for the one that applies to them.

I don’t know anything about church. This is my first time in a faith formation class and I rarely go to Mass.

I know a little bit of church stuff. I have been to faith formation before and I mostly go to Mass

I have been in Faith Formation for most of my life and I go to church every Sunday.

o (Use this information to gauge how to present the information to your class for most of the year.)

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7:15-7:25pm: Scripture & Tradition

Say the following points in your own words:o The Catholic Church is over 2,000 years old and traces its roots directly back to

Jesus Christ. Jesus was the Son of God and came to Earth to die for our sins. o We believe that our God is a triune God- which means he is One God but Three

Persons. The three persons are the Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit.o We believe our God is the same God that the Jewish and Muslim people believe

in. Christianity, Islam and Judaism are called Monotheistic religions because we believe in one God (Mono means “one” and Theo means “God.)

o Catholicism is a Christian denomination. We are Christian because we believe in Jesus Christ. There are hundreds of Christian denominations (like Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, etc.) but Catholicism is the original Christian Church and is the largest. There are over 1 BILLION Catholics in the world!

o Since the Catholic Church is so old and so large there are so many teachings and traditions that can be overwhelming at first! However, this just means we have so many options to get involved and connect with God because we are Catholic.

o The Catholic Church teaches that there are 2 equally important components to our Faith: Scripture and Tradition. Because the church is so old and has been guided by the Holy Spirit for so long we hold scripture (the Bible) and Tradition to be equally important.

Quiz Break: Ask the teens the following questions and give a piece of candy to whoever gets it right

o How many Catholics are there in the world? (Over 1 Billion)o Who established the Catholic Church? (Jesus Christ)o True or False: Catholics, Muslims and Jewish people believe in the same God?

(True)o Who are the three Persons of God? (The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit)o The Catholic Church holds which two components of our Faith to be equally

important? (Scripture & Tradition) Say the following about Scripture:

o The Bible is extremely old. There are many authors of the bible and some passages date back to thousands of years before Jesus was born on earth. As Catholics we believe that all of the books of the Bible were “divinely inspired,” meaning that the Holy Spirit guided each author with what to write.

o There are two parts of the Bible: the Old and the New Testaments.o The Old Testament includes stories before Jesus’s birth and the New Testament

includes the Gospels (the 4 books about Jesus’ life) and other books and letters written about what happened after Jesus ascended into heaven.

7:25-7:35pm: Bible Scavenger Hunt

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o Hand a Bible out to each of your teens. If you don’t have enough then allow 2 teens to share.

o Explain that the best way to get to know the Bible is by actually exploring it. Tell the teens that you will list out a series of challenges and the first person to complete each one will receive a piece of candy.

o Give the teens about 2-3 minutes to get familiar with their Bibles. Tell them they should be looking for the differences in the Old and New testaments and looking at the names of the books.

o When the teens have had some time to flip through their Bibles name the following challenges and give the fastest person a piece of candy. Allow each teen a few seconds after the winner is announced to try and complete the challenge themselves. A teen can only win candy twice.

Show me the first page of the New Testament Show me the Table of Contents that lists the books of the Bible. Show me a verse with the name of Jesus in it Show me the last book of the Bible (Revelations) Show me a book that starts with the letter “A” Show me the first page of one of the Gospels Show me a Psalm Show me a Bible verse with the word “God” in it Show me a Bible verse that is the numbers of your birthday. (Example:

December 24th could be Luke 12:24) Show me a book in the Old Testament that is shorter than 10 chapters. Show me a book in the New Testament that is longer than 10 chapters. Find John 3:16 Find Romans 8:26 Find a Bible verse about Moses (if the need a hint tell them to look in the

Old Testament. If they need another hint tell them to look in Exodus.) Find a footnote and point to it

7:35-7:45pm: Thoughts about the Bible

Spend about 5 minutes talking to the teens about how you like to read the Bible and any favorite Bible verses you have. Encourage them to find the Bible verse with you when you say it.

Take some time to ask the teens about their Bible experiences. Ask them questions like:o How many of you own your own Bible?o When do you like to read the Bible?o Do any of you have a favorite Bible verse?o Do any of you read the Bible as a family? o Why do you think Catholics have the reputation of not reading the Bible?o How many of you talk about the Bible to your friends?o What are some questions that you have about the Bible?

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7:45pm-8:00pm: Tradition

Give the teens about 5 minutes to fill out their “My Catholic Traditions” worksheets. Discuss them as a class. Include some of your own memories when sharing with the teens.

8:00-8:15pm: Connections to Catholicism

Say the following in your own words: Like we talked about earlier, the Catholic Church has so many resources for helping us

connect with God. I am going to name a couple of characteristics and if they apply to you please stand up. I will then explain how the Church can help you build your relationship with God using your character traits.

o Stand up if you like doing art. (pause) Did you know that the Catholic Church has a huge artistic tradition? Our churches and cathedrals are decorated beautifully to help people feel awe and wonder while worshipping God. Many artistic people like you talk to God through their art.

o Stand up if you know someone in the military or are interested in joining the military (pause) Did you know that St. Sebastian is the Patron Saint of soldiers? He joined the Roman army to help protect Christians in secret as a Roman soldier. He was martyred for his faith and never failed to stand up for Christ. He was a strong Christian and can be an inspiration to many other soldiers.

o Stand up if you like to play sports (pause) Did you know that there are tons of Catholic athletes? Offering up your game and talents to God is a great way to Praise him. If you feel strong, confident and joyful when you play your sport that is because God has given you these gifts and is enjoying watching you use them. Always remember to have good sportsmanship and to honor God in all of your games.

o Stand up if you like to play music or sing (pause) Did you know that the Psalms are some of the oldest songs? Christians have been using music for thousands of years and for a very long time music was used only for worship. God has given you special musical talents and he loves when you use them well. Honor God with your voice and your music, and look into playing some Worship songs or classic Christian music.

o Stand up if you like to read (pause) As Catholics we not only have the Bible but we have thousands of Catholic books, biographies and devotionals that we can read to grow closer to God. Take a few moments to read the Bible each day, or check out a Catholic book from the library. Reading about the lives of the Saints is how St. Ignatius converted to Catholicism. Reading can be a very powerful worship tool!

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o Stand up if you like technology, computers, or video games (pause) Did you know there is a patron saint of these things? St. Isodore of Seville lived long before computers were invented, but he used new ways of thinking to enlighten the people of Spain and to bring them closer to God. He had a great love of learning and used his intellect to lead others to Christ.

o Stand up if you are a young person (pause while everyone stands) Did you know that youth have a huge influence on the Church? Mary was only 14 when she said “yes” to be the mother of Jesus. Don’t let anyone tell you that you are too young to do anything. Catholics baptize infants because we believe in immediately bringing young people into the church. Why do you think we have so many babies? The Catholic Church puts a lot of hope into you, and you can take comfort by knowing you can be fully initiated at such a young age, and your Catholic studies can continue for the rest of your life!

8:15-8:25pm: Catholic Questions

Give the teens flash cards and have them write down questions they have about the Catholic Church. Tell them to think about things that their non-Catholic friends might have asked them as school.

Collect them and tell the teens that we will be addressing the questions throughout the year.

If there are any that have to do with topics we talked about tonight you can answer them as a sort of review. Other topics we will be talking about at upcoming sessions.

After class leave the flashcards in your cabinet and Devyn will go through them during the week. If there are any questions that are not already planned to be addressed in the coming weeks she will pull them out and give you a suggested response sheet.

8:25-8:30pm: Closing Prayer- The Nicene Creed

Ask the teens if anyone can name the prayer we say after the homily each Sunday (The Nicene Creed.)

Tell the teens that this creed was compiled in the year 325AD and it was a way for Catholics to fully list everything that we believe in. The word “Creed” Comes from the word “Credo” which means “I believe.”

For the closing prayer today we will say the prayer together as a reminder of what the Catholic church

The Nicene Creed can be found on the back of the “My Catholic Traditions” worksheet.

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Name: Age:

I have received these Sacraments:

My family members who are Catholic:

My earliest Catholic memory is:

My most inspirational family member is (and why):

My favorite Catholic memories are:

My biggest Catholic hero is (and why):

My favorite part about being Catholic is:

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I believe in one God,the Father almighty,

maker of heaven and earth,of all things visible and invisible.I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,

the Only Begotten Son of God,born of the Father before all ages.God from God, Light from Light,

true God from true God,begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;

through him all things were made.For us men and for our salvation

he came down from heaven,and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,

and became man.For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,

he suffered death and was buried,and rose again on the third day

in accordance with the Scriptures.He ascended into heaven

and is seated at the right hand of the Father.He will come again in glory

to judge the living and the deadand his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,who proceeds from the Father and the Son,

who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sinsand I look forward to the resurrection of the dead

and the life of the world to come. Amen.

The Nicene Creed