Confraternity of Christian Doctrine and Parishes Celebrating Together. Year of Grace Activities for Kindergarten SRE Classes (Pre-Stage 1) Note of Thanks to the Parramatta CEO for their generous sharing of their resource document for use by the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine in the support of SRE in the Parramatta Diocese.
Contents: How to Use this Resource Booklet Bishop Anthony Fisher OP - words on the Year of Grace Invitation to embrace the Year of Grace Year of Grace Logo explanation National prayer for Year of Grace Year of Grace & Faith Prayer for SRE Infant s Classes and Prayer Cube. Christ Our Light and Life Lesson themes & link with the Year of Faith & Grace for Kindergarten (Pre-Stage 1) SRE classes Appendix of Activities for School/Parish Significant Dates & Focus Resources for the Year of Grace can be accessed online at the following Website: www.yearofgrace.catholic.org.au Daily Year of Grace Prayer - Take 2 with Jesus To receive daily prayers email Prayer@rok.Catholic.net.au
How to Use this Resource Booklet As Special Religious Education teachers, the Year of Grace and Faith provides us with an opportunity to rediscover moments in the Christ Our Light and Life Curriculum where we can experience God s Grace with the children we teach. This booklet will help you identify how you can link your teaching material with the year of Grace. For your own understanding and knowledge of what the Year of Grace is celebrating we recommend that you read the Letter from Bishop Anthony Fisher OP and the Year of Grace material that precedes the lesson information. There is a suggested prayer for each stage and a table linking the Christ Our Light and Life lessons with grace. Of course the ideal would be that this link is continuous throughout the year. As this is not always possible we have chosen four key areas across the curriculum that can be used to highlight grace.: Creation Lent/Easter Pentecost Advent/Christmas Each has been colour coded for easy referencing in the table which also lists activities suitable for the children in your class. The activity sheets appear in the appendix section of this booklet. Each activity has clear instructions on the page. We recommend that where applicable, the page be enlarged to A4 and that you make up the activity for yourself first before introducing it to your class. Some activities may need some preparation work on the teacher s part before class so the children can complete the activity within the lesson time. Look out for the activities that will be running during the course of the year. You will find these on the back cover of the booklet. CCD Diocese of Parramatta June 2012
The Year of Grace and Faith explained: This year past the Diocese of Parramatta has celebrated its silver jubilee since Blessed John Paul II erected it on 8 th April 1986. In 2012 the whole Church marks another Anniversary: the golden jubilee of the opening of the Second Vatican Council. Another blessed pope, John XXIII, gathered the world s bishops together as one to consider how the Church might best renew herself and respond to the challenges - both internal and external of serving God and humanity today. Beseeching a new Pentecost, the Church had a Gospel confidence that Christ would be with her always and that her mission of worship and evangelization would be carried forward in new ways. To mark this the Church in Australia will be celebrating a Year of Grace from this coming Pentecost (27 May 2012 to 19 May 2013) and the Church throughout the world will be celebrating a Year of Faith from later in the year (11 October 2012 to 24 November 2013). Grace might be said to be our experience of God, especially of His free and undeserved gifts gifts like our very existence, our being redeemed by Christ, our participating in His word and Sacraments in the Church, our personal vocation as God s adopted children. Every God-given opportunity is a grace, from life itself to our family and friendships, from work and leisure to our participation in all that is true and good and beautiful. Faith is our personal response to those divine gifts or graces. It is our saying yes to them, internalizing them, responding to them. So our two overlapping celebrations of grace and faith over the coming year will, as Pope Benedict XVI has said, be a chance for an even fuller conversation to God, to strengthen our faith in Him and to proclaim Him with joy to the people of our time. (Most Rev Anthony Fisher op, Bishop of Parramatta. Faith in our Future. 2012)
Invitation to embrace the Year of Grace Grace is a free gift from a loving God. Grace is a relationship with God that is offered to everyone. God simply waits for our response. It enables us to be the person we are meant to be. St Paul tells us that Grace, comes to us through one man, Jesus Christ as an abundant free gift. Throughout the coming year we implore you to take every opportunity to strengthen your relationship with God and that your life will be a reflection of His love to those you meet on a daily basis. The Year of Grace committee as you have heard has developed a number of resources and planned events that will help you to celebrate some of the particular strengths of our Diocese. We are ethnically diverse as can be seen by attending Mass in any one of our parishes. As the fastest growing Diocese in the country we have many families in newly developing suburbs. Parramatta Diocese has the highest concentration of Indigenous people in an urban area. Through Catholic Care we are mindful of the needs and aspirations of people with disabilities in our community. Your support and attendance at these events is a visible sign of living out the command of Christ to love one another. As we are asked to put out into the deep and to start afresh from Christ we invite the Holy Spirit to enlighten our communities to open their hearts to God s Grace in the world. (Diocesan Committee for Year of Grace, 2012) Grace is favour, the free and undeserved help that God gives us to respond to his call to become children of God. (CCC :1996) Faith is a gift from God. I can only be born in the intimacy of a man s heart as a fruit of grace which moves and assists him and as a completely free response to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. (General Directory for Catechesis 55) Faith is a gift of God, a supernatural virtue infused by him. Before this faith can be exercised, man must have the grace of God to move and assist him (CCC: 153)
Explanation of the Year of Grace Logo There is no one symbol or message that the Year of Grace logo is intended to convey. It is a bright and stylish image which, in looking at it, has many significant symbols and connections that can be drawn: The cross The sun A circle that represents the infinity of God The halo incorporating a cross that surrounds the head of Jesus in Eastern iconography The host used at Mass The monstrance used in Eucharistic adoration A link with the artistic tradition of our Indigenous people The earthen, ochre colours of Australia A diversity of peoples and cultures, gathered into one community A star-burst Light There may be other ways in which the logo speaks to people.
Prayer for the Year of Grace The following is the text of the national Prayer for the Year of Grace. In reproducing it, (prayer cards, leaflets, etc.) please include the Year of Grace logo. Gracious God, You have blessed this ancient land with many gifts, especially its people. We thank you for the Year of Grace, a time to start afresh from Christ. You invite us to contemplate the face of Jesus your Son, that we may experience a new wave of grace, and that the light of Christ may burn more brightly in our lives. Attune our hearts and minds to the presence of your Holy Spirit, that our Church may be transformed, our relationships be healed, and our nation grow in compassion and justice. With the intercession of St Mary MacKillop, who showed us new ways of living the Gospel, we make our prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen. Mary, Help of Christians, pray for us.
Kindergarten Prayer for SRE Class Year of Grace 2012 Infants Prayer (can be said or sung to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star) Jesus now I want to be, Thankful for your gifts to me. Help me change and help me grow, So your grace I ll come to know. Guide me, teach me, heal me too, As I show my love for you. Class Prayer Cube Engage the students with prayer. Each week a prayer can be selected by rolling the prayer cube and praying the prayer that appears on the top face of the cube when it lands. Each side of the cube has a different prayer. There is a: Prayer of Praise Prayer for Forgiveness Prayer of Wonder and Awe of Creation Prayer of Thanksgiving Prayer to the Holy Spirit Prayer for Gifts and Talents Commence with the Sign of the Cross. Choose a student to roll the cube. When the cube stops, read the prayer. The class can pray with you by listening to the words or repeating the words after you. You can also select a student to read the prayer depending on their reading ability. The Prayer Cube will be given as a separate activity to this booklet.
The following table highlights, within the units of Christ Our Light and Life, where Catechists can make a connection with the year of Grace. The ideal would be for the connection to be continuous throughout the year. Early Stage 1 (Kindergarten) Unit of Study Lesson No. Lesson Title Connections which can be made with Year of Faith and Grace Activity (See Appendix for Instructions) Prayer 1 2 Our Prayer Place The Sign Of The Cross Grace is free gift of God. God offers this gift to everyone. We respond to the gift of Grace with prayer as the way we deepen our relationship with God by talking and listening. Parables 3 4 The Good Shepherd Lost And Found The Parables of Jesus give an example to us of how to respond in love to those in need and to show the grace of Jesus by our actions. Holy Week 5 6 Jesus Washes The feet of His Friends The Last Supper The Grace of God is revealed in the gift of His Son, Jesus. Jesus gave us a very special means of building our relationship with God, at the Last Supper. -Send home the Family Activity Page on Grace. Easter 7 8 New Life Jesus, Light Of The World God s Grace is reflected in the gift of his son Jesus, who died and rose again. - Make a Jesus Fish Symbol. 9 Alleluia! 10 Breakfast With Jesus Pentecost 11 The Spirit Comes The Pentecost event is a time when we reflect on and remember the gift and grace of the Holy Spirit. It is also a time of increased awareness and appreciation of the Christian community. - Send home an invitation to join with the parish Pentecost Mass. - Make a Spirit Flame. Creation 12 13 14 The World God Made The Animals God Made God Made Me God s grace is reflected in the gift of the beauty of Creation. We can show God s grace by caring for Creation - Make your favorite animal using playdough. My Family 15 This Is My Family God s Grace is reflected in the gift of my family, who love me as God loves me. We can show God s grace by being a loving person in my family.
The following table highlights, within the units of Christ Our Light and Life, where Catechists can make a connection with the year of Grace. The ideal would be for the connection to be continuous throughout the year. Unit of Study Lesson No. Lesson Title Early Stage 1 (Kindergarten) Continued Connections which can be made with Year of Faith and Grace Activity (See Appendix for Instructions) My Church Family 16 17 18 My Church Family We Visit The Church Together At Mass God s grace is reflected in the gift of the community of the Church. Members of God s Church family share his gift of grace by helping to serve and care for others. The priests in our parish help us to live as good people and share God s gift of grace. The Old Testament 19 20 21 22 Noah Abraham Baby Moses David The people of the Old Testament point the way to God s greatest gift of love, Jesus. God s gift of love is reflected in the people in their lives. To respond to the needs of others is to show the Grace of God. 23 Jonah Jesus Stories 24 25 Jesus Family Jesus is Found In The Temple Jesus showed us how to reveal God s grace to others in how he, himself, reached out to others in loving service. 26 Come, Follow Jesus Advent 27 28 29 30 The Long Wait Mary Waits For Jesus Get Ready For Jesus Advent The people in the Old Testament point the way to God s greatest gift of love, Jesus. God s gift of love is reflected in the people in their lives. To respond to the needs of others is to show the grace of God. God s grace is reflected in how Mary and Joseph waited for the gift of baby Jesus. - Make a Christmas Star to light the way. Christmas 31 32 Jesus Is Born Let s Celebrate God s grace is reflected in the birth of Jesus, the gift of His Son. We bring the joy of the Christmas message, the birth of God s own Son, to all we meet. - Send home an invitation to join with the parish Christmas Mass.
Invitation to embrace the Year of Grace Pentecost 2012 Pentecost 2013 Family Page Grace In 2012 the whole Church marks the Anniversary of the golden jubilee of the opening of the Second Vatican Council. Blessed pope, John XXIII, gathered the world s bishops together as one to consider how the Church might best renew herself and respond to the challenges - both internal and external of serving God and humanity today. To mark this the Church in Australia will be celebrating a Year of Grace from this coming Pentecost (27 May 2012 to 19 May 2013) and the Church throughout the world will be celebrating a Year of Faith from later in the year (11 October 2012 to 24 November 2013). Every God-given opportunity is a grace from life itself to our family and friendships, from work and leisure to our participation in all that is true and good and beautiful. Faith is our personal response to those divine gifts or graces. It is our saying yes to them, internalizing them and responding to them. Bishop Anthony Fisher op, Bishop of Parramatta. Faith in our Future. 2012 Read the words written above by Bishop Anthony. As a family, make a list of all the gifts of Grace which are evident in the lives of each member of the family. Decorate and display the list in your home. Share a Prayer Recognise God given Grace in your life Each evening, focus on a Grace given to your family and give thanks to God. The evening meal may be a good opportunity for this to take place. Dear God, You give us the free gift of Grace. The..family has received the gift of Grace in many ways, This evening we give thanks for the gift of.. Help us to find ways to respond in faith and use this gift to benefit others. We ask this in your name. Amen Thank you to the CEO Diocese of Parramatta for permission to use this page. Appendix 1
Jesus Fish Symbol This was such a simple process. Take a cardboard tube such as a paper towel tube and flatten it. Then cut it into strips. You ll end up with football shaped rings. Cut the ring apart at one fold, cut 2 slits, and fit together in the shape of the symbol for Jesus, a fish. Once you have your basic Jesus fish shape, you can craft with it however you want. It would be fun to just paint them, but we decided to glitter ours. You can paint the glue onto the Jesus fish symbol using an old paint brush. Once it s all covered in glue, it s time to add the glitter! Place the Jesus fish symbol on a piece of paper and shake the glitter over it. Appendix 2
An Invitation to join with Fr and the Parish Community of (Name of Parish) to Celebrate Pentecost Mass at (Parish Address) on Sunday (date) commencing at (insert time) Let s all celebrate together to thank God for all we have been given. Appendix 3
Instructions For Making a Spirit Flame One of the most important aspects of the Holy Spirit is that it first appeared above each Apostle as a tongue of fire. Create a fire craft by copying the heart shape onto cardboard. Ask the children to write or draw in the smaller heart one gift they are to other people e.g. I can share. Then apply glue all over the rest of the heart. Small pieces of red and orange tissue or crepe paper can be torn and stuck to the heart to create a fire. The fire heart can then be hung with a piece of ribbon. Appendix 4
Playdough Recipe 2 cups Plain Flour 2 cups of Boiling Water 1 cup Salt 4 tablespoons of Cream of Tartar 2-3 tablespoons of oil Food colouring Dissolve salt in boiling water and then mix all the ingredients together to form a firm ball. Appendix 5
Make a Simple Christmas Star Leave the front flap of the star unglued to draw a picture or write a message inside - which makes this fun as gift tags or greeting cards. You can even make an Advent calendar using 24 stars - one for every day of Advent - with a different picture or message inside. www.activityvillage.co.uk Keeping Kids Busy Appendix 6
An Invitation to join with Fr and the Parish Community of (Name of Parish) to Celebrate Christmas Mass at (Parish Address) on (day and date) commencing at (insert time) Let s all celebrate together to thank God for all we have been given. Appendix 7
Significant Dates and Focus Areas The Australian Catholic Church will be celebrating the Year of Grace from Pentecost 2012 to Pentecost 2013 (27 May 2012 to 19 May 2013). The Church throughout the world will be celebrating a Year of Faith from later in the year (11 October 2012 to 24 November 2013). Parramatta Diocese will combine the celebration of both of these to make The Year of Faith and Grace. The launch will coincide with the feast of Pentecost. Individual parishes will mark the focus of this year according to their own parish calendars. 2012 May 27 th - Year of Grace Launch July 1 st to September 24 th Focus: Our ethnic diversity - Vatican 11 documents via Sunday homilies Young families with Parramatta being the fastest growing diocese in the country. July 1st - Indigenous Australians with Parramatta having the highest concentration of indigenous people in the urban area. Dec. 2nd - People with disabilities and other needs to build on last year s focus of welcome and inclusion. October 11 - Year of Faith commences (50th Anniversary of Vat II) 2013 March 17 th - National Event Bringing our wounds to Jesus A Celebration of Repentance March 24 th - Local event Youth Palm Sunday (Cathedral) November 1 st - Face of Jesus, Faces we know A Celebration of Holiness - All Saints day.