Family: The Most Precious Human Treasure Faith Festival

Enjoy this free resource from Fashioning Faith and the Center for Ministry Development! To learn more about resources for family faith formation, visit our website at www.fashioningfaith.org or write to joanweber@cmdnet.org. Family: The Most Precious Human Treasure Faith Festival By Mariette Martineau Time: 90 minutes Purpose By Mariette Martineau Time: 90 minutes Purpose This Faith Festival is designed to help households explore Pope Francis quotes and teachings about family. As the Church prepares for the synod on families in Rome in the fall of 2014, this session facilitates a local conversation about family and its gift to its members and society. Session at a Glance Gathering and Welcome (5 minutes) Opening Prayer (5 minutes) Serving of Meal (45 minutes) Icebreaker Activity Family Treasure Hunt (15 minutes) Pope Francis Said Treasure Hunt Learning Activity (40 minutes) Where Your Treasure Is Learning Activity (25 minutes) Closing Prayer and Announcements (5 minutes) Materials Needed Pencils/pens Copies of the Family Treasure Hunt (Resource 4), one per family Treasure box (Resource 2): wooden or a cardboard one they build from template in resource section, one for each household 1

Quotes (Resource 3) printed and cut, one set cut per household Container (bag or basket) to hold the quotes Wooden or card stock paper coins- Resource 1, two sheets per family Fine-point marker, one per household Copies of Pope Francis Prayer to the Holy Family (Resource 5), printed on card stock, one per household (or purchase copies from Liturgical Press - http://www.litpress.org/products/4901/pope-franciss-prayer-to-theholy-family.aspx?menuid=9222) Scissors for families to cut out their coins and treasure box Tape and glue for each family Prepare in Advance 1. Invite participants to bring in a picture of their family, framed if they prefer, to place in the prayer center. It could be their immediate family, their extended family, whoever it is that they define as family for them. 2. Set up a prayer space by covering a table with a cloth that goes with the liturgical season or season of the year. If you have invited participants to bring in a family picture, make sure the table is large enough to hold all of them along with: a large candle, a bible, and a treasure box if you have one. (I found a large one at Michael s for a few dollars.) As participants come in, invite them to place their photos on the table. 3. Set up tables for refreshments and sign-in. Have one or two people at the sign-in table with check-in sheet and nametags and registration information (have a few extra packets on hand for walk-ins). Hospitality is important! As the leader, spend the arrival time moving among the participants, greeting and speaking with them. 4. Invite a musician to assist in selecting music and leading the singing for the opening prayer and closing prayer. 5. Prepare copies and all supplies. 2

Session Outline Gathering and Welcome (5 minutes) Warmly welcome everyone, potentially while wearing a crazy Mardi Gras hat. Welcome! We gather today to remember and celebrate families, our most personal and social treasures. We journey with Pope Francis in remembering the gift that families are, and I quote Pope Francis: The home represents the most precious human treasures, that of encounter, that of relations among people, different in age, culture and history, but who live together and together help one another to grow. For this reason, the home is a crucial place in life, where life grows and can be fulfilled, because it is a place in which every person learns to receive love and to give love. (Pope Francis, 5/21/13) Let our treasure hunt begin in prayer. Opening Prayer (5 minutes) I invite you to pause in silence for a minute to remember how family is a treasure for you. Whoever, whatever you define as family, let s quietly remember how your family has gifted your life. Begin by making the Sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit All: Amen We attend to God s most holy word: A reading from the Gospel of Matthew Matthew 6:19-21 We pray O generous God, you call us to love, to place our energy in loving others, for where our heart is, there will be our treasure too. Bless us as we gather to remember your precious treasure of family, a treasure so important that even Jesus was given one. Through the intercessions of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus, our holy family, we pray, Amen. 3

Serving of Meal (45 minutes) Ice Breaker Activity (15 minutes) The ice breaker activity for this faith festival is a family treasure hunt. Participants should gather in family units. Individuals who are participating can join with families in the activity or join with each other. Family groups are to find and get the signature of a family who meets the gift criteria. Challenge them to get only one signature per family unit so that their treasure sheet will have 12 difference signatures. Use Resource 4 to facilitate this activity. Once you have a family withthe treasure map completed, get the families that have signed up for the various gifts to stand up and reveal themselves. For example, read out the criteria from the winning family s list: Someone from this family serves as a liturgical minister in some way, and have the signing family stand. If time doesn t allow for this, simply applaud the winners and continue. Pope Francis Said Treasure Hunt Learning Activity (30 minutes) The point of this learning activity is to find the gold in Pope Francis quotes about family. Families are to read the quote, find the gold in it by pulling out one or a few words, write those words on a gold coin (paper or wooden depending on what you have), and place those coins in either a small wooden treasure box or a small cardboard one that they build. (See the template in the resource section.) If they need to build the treasure box, have them do that before explaining the activity. Explain the following to the participants. As we continue our search for gold, we are going to explore some of Pope Francis words about family. Your mission is to read one quote at a time out loud, mine the gold nugget of wisdom or affirmation it contains, and write that nugget onto one of the coins you have been given. For example, your family may read the quote that says, It means caring for one another in our families: husbands and wives first protect one another, and then, as parents, they care for their children, and children themselves, in time, protect their parents. (Pope Francis, 3/19/13) The gold nugget that stands out for you is the word caring, so you write that word on one of your coins and place it in your treasure box. Where Your Heart Is Learning Activity (25 minutes) Participants are now going to swap coins of family treasures with other families. To do this, they are going to write on more gold coins, but this time they 4

are going to name on the coins a few things that they do to help keep their heart in their family and to keep their families strong. For example, on one coin they might write pray, on another they may write serve together, on another they may write play together. Once all households have completed their family treasure coins, invite them to swap coins, one per family, with another family until they have given away all of their coins and received the same quantity in return. To explain this to the families, say: I now invite you to work on a second set of gold coins. These are coins that you are going to give away. I would like you to think about the activities or values that your family practices to help you be the treasure that Pope Francis says you are. Then I want you to write, one per coin, a value or activity that you practice. For example, you might write pray, or play, or trust on a coin. Don t put these coins into your treasure chest; these you are going to be invited to swap with another family, swapping one coin per family. The coins you receive from another family can be placed in your treasure chest. I will let you know when it is time to begin swapping your treasures Allow time for writing on the coins. Then invite families to exchange their coins. Once families have swapped, tell them they are to take their treasure boxes home with them after the closing prayer to remember where their heart is, there the treasure is too. Closing Prayer (5 minutes) Celebrating the Feast of the Holy Family on the first Sunday after Christmas, the Pope entrusted the work of the bishops to Jesus, Mary and Joseph and recited the prayer below. Give each household a copy to pray together: We now close our learning time together by praying together a prayer to the Holy Family given to us by Pope Francis: PRAYER TO THE HOLY FAMILY Jesus, Mary and Joseph, in you we contemplate the splendor of true love, to you we turn with trust. grant that our families too may be places of communion and prayer, authentic schools of the Gospel 5

and small domestic Churches. may families never again experience violence, rejection and division: may all who have been hurt or scandalized find ready comfort and healing. may the approaching Synod of Bishops make us once more mindful of the sacredness and inviolability of the family, and its beauty in God s plan. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, graciously hear our prayer.amen Copied from: (http://en.radiovaticana.va/storico/2013/12/29/pope_francis_prayer_to_the_h oly_family/en1-759667) This session was written by Mariette Martineau, an elementary teacher at St. Louis School in Kenora, Ontario, Canada. A former staff member of CMD, Mariette is daily challenged and enriched by journeying in faith with her students and family. 6

Resource 1 Treasure Chest Coins (Print on gold cardstock, 2 sheets per household.) 7

Resource 2: Treasure Chest Template (Print on brown card stock. Enlarge it as needed so it can hold the coins.) 8

Resource 3: Pope Francis Family Quotes It means caring for one another in our families: husbands and wives first protect one another, and then, as parents, they care for their children, and children themselves, in time, protect their parents. (Pope Francis 3/19/13) The home represents the most precious of human treasures, that of encounter, that of relations among people, different in age, culture and history, but who live together and together help one another to grow. (Pope Francis 5/21/13) The home is a crucial place in life, where life grows and can be fulfilled, because it is a place in which every person learns to receive love and to give love. (Pope Francis 5/21/13) What is God s plan? It is to make of us all a single family of his children, in which each person feels that God is close and feels loved by him, as in the Gospel parable, feels the warmth of being God s family. (Pope Francis 5/21/13) It is necessary to reaffirm the conviction that every family is the principal setting for the growth of each individual, since it is through the family that human beings become open to life and the natural need for relationships with others. (Pope Francis 6/20/13) Over and over again we see that family bonds are essential for the stability of relationships in society, for the work of education and for integral human development, for they are inspired by love, responsible inter-generational solidarity and mutual trust. (Pope Francis 6/20/13) 9

"The perfect family doesn't exist, nor is there a perfect husband or a perfect wife, and let's not talk about the perfect mother-in-law! It's just us sinners." A healthy family life requires frequent use of three phrases: "May I? Thank you, and I'm sorry" and "never, never, never end the day without making peace." (Pope Francis meeting with engaged couples, Feb. 14, 2014) How precious is the family as the privileged place for transmitting the faith! Speaking about family life, I would like to say one thing: today, as Brazil and the Church around the world celebrate this feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, Grandparents Day is also being celebrated. How important grandparents are for family life, for passing on the human and religious heritage which is so essential for each and every society! How important it is to have intergenerational exchanges and dialogues, especially within the context of the family. (Pope Francis Friday, July 26, 2014 Angelus) Not only would I say that the family is important for the evangelization of the new world. The family is important, and it is necessary for the survival of humanity. Without the family, the cultural survival of the human race would be at risk. The family, whether we like it or not, is the foundation. (Pope Francis Saturday, July 27, 2014 interview on Radio Catedral, radio broadcasting station of the Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro) In mission, also on a continental level, it is very important to reaffirm the family, which remains the essential cell of society and the Church; young people, who are the face of the Church s future; women, who play a fundamental role in passing on the faith and who are a daily source of strength in a society that carries this faith forward and renews it. (Pope Francis, Sunday, July 28, 2014 address to the Bishops of Brazil) 10

It is necessary to reaffirm the conviction that every family is the principal setting for the growth of each individual, since it is through the family that human beings become open to life and the natural need for relationships with others. Over and over again we see that family bonds are essential for the stability of relationships in society, for the work of education and for integral human development, for they are inspired by love, responsible intergenerational solidarity and mutual trust. (Pope Francis, June 20, 2013) 11

Resource 4: Family Treasure Hunt Find families who match the criteria below and have them sign their name in the box. Note: a family can only sign your sheet once! Find a family which has a pet. What is it and what is its name? Find a family which has lived in another state. Where? Find a family whose favorite baked good to eat is chocolate chip cookies or pies. Find a family who are close enough to the church that they can walk there. Find a family that has more than 2 children. Find a family in which someone can play a musical instrument. What do they play? Find a family which has someone who does a liturgical ministry (read, serve ) at mass. What is the ministry? Find a family which has travelled outside continental USA. Where did they go? sport? Find a family that likes to watch hockey or another sport together. Which Find a family that loves going to the movies. Can they name a favorite movie? Find a family which loves to play games together. Find out their favorite game! Find a family which likes to go camping find out their favorite place! 12

Handout 1 PRAYER TO THE HOLY FAMILY Jesus, Mary and Joseph, in you we contemplate the splendor of true love, to you we turn with trust. grant that our families too may be places of communion and prayer, authentic schools of the Gospel and small domestic Churches. may families never again experience violence, rejection and division: may all who have been hurt or scandalized find ready comfort and healing. may the approaching Synod of Bishops make us once more mindful of the sacredness and inviolability of the family, and its beauty in God s plan. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, graciously hear our prayer. Amen PRAYER TO THE HOLY FAMILY Jesus, Mary and Joseph, in you we contemplate the splendor of true love, to you we turn with trust. grant that our families too may be places of communion and prayer, authentic schools of the Gospel and small domestic Churches. may families never again experience violence, rejection and division: may all who have been hurt or scandalized find ready comfort and healing. may the approaching Synod of Bishops make us once more mindful of the sacredness and inviolability of the family, and its beauty in God s plan. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, graciously hear our prayer. Amen 13