The Toronto Catholic District School Board Course: Grade 9 Religion Discipleship and Culture Date/Lesson Number: Lesson 8 Unit: Prayer and Sacramental Life Lesson Topic: The Growth of Religious Orders Focus Question: The purpose of this lesson is to help students learn about the growth of religious orders following the French Revolution. Instructional Objective(s): 1) The students will learn about the revival of piety among the laity following the French Revolution. 2) The students will be introduced to the life and the pastoral work of St. John Vianney. 3) The students will learn about several of the numerous religious orders that were founded during the nineteenth century. New Evangelization Essential Element(s): Key Element II: Sacraments and Liturgy: How We Celebrate. Key Element V: Education for Living in the Christian Community: How We Live in the Community, the Church. Key Vocabulary: Jesuits Salesians Oblates Key Scriptural Passage(s): Key Catechism Reference(s): CCC 931
Key People: St. Ignatius of Loyola St. John Vianney St. John Bosco Blessed William Joseph Chaminade Mother Cabrini Internet Link(s): www.vatican.va www.cccb.ca Materials required: 1) The NRSV Bible 2) The Catechism of the Catholic Church Prayer learned or reviewed: St. Francis Cabrini s Prayer for Peace of Mind Fortify me with the grace of Your Holy Spirit and give Your peace t my soul that I may be free from all needless anxiety, solicitude, and worry. Help me to desire always that which is pleasing and acceptable to You so that Your will may be my will. Amen. Step by step procedures: Task 1: French Revolution Review Briefly review with the students the impact of the French Revolution on religious sisters and brothers: the closing of monasteries and convents, the brutality that many religious experienced, and the suppression of religious orders such as the Society of Jesus. (5 minutes) Task 2: Faith Grows in the Most Challenging Times Teach the students that after the French Revolution there was a revival in Catholic piety, particularly in France. Catholics again began to live lives of prayer and sacrifice. The churches were crowded again for Sunday Masses, and the seminaries became full.
Among those who were exemplary guides for the faithful was St. John Vianney, the Curé (or pastor) of the little town of Ars in central France. Assigned to the parish in Ars in 1818, the young priest had had a difficult time in the seminary because he did not know Latin well. It is thought that he had been ordained because of his obvious love for God more than for his theological training. But he soon became famous for leading a very austere life and for his spiritual gifts. He was known to spend sixteen or more hours each day in the confessional, since people came to him from all over France to receive the Sacrament of Penance. To allow time for prayer, saying Mass each day, and teaching the catechism, he slept only about three hours each night. After he died at the age of 73, a large basilica was built near his parish church in order to accommodate all the pilgrims who came. Today he is revered as the patron saint of priests. (10 minutes) Task 3: The New Orders Teach the students that in the decades after the French Revolution many religious orders that had been banned were reopened and experienced very rapid growth. The Jesuit order, for example, which had been suppressed in 1773, more than two centuries after its founding by St. Ignatius of Loyola, was re-established in 1814. Since it quickly had thousands of young men who wished to join, the Society of Jesus grew so quickly that it was able to expand throughout the Catholic countries in Europe. Dozens of new religious orders were also founded throughout Europe, including the following: Blessed William Joseph Chaminade, exiled from France during the French Revolution, developed a devotion to Our Lady of the Pillar during his time in Spain. Regarding Mary as the greatest model for a life of discipleship and simplicity, he founded the Marianists. The Congregation of the Most Precious Blood was founded in Italy in 1815 by Gaspare del Bufalo in order to provide missions for the people. This order also spread to North America. In 1816 the Oblates of the Blessed Virgin Mary were founded with the intention of converting families to Christianity through home visits. St. John Bosco founded the Salesian Order in Italy in 1859. The Salesians were named for St. Francis de Sales, and their charism was to care for and provide an education to young boys. In 1880 St. Francis Cabrini founded the Institute of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Italy. The pope asked Mother Cabrini and her sisters to go to the United States to care for the numerous Italian immigrants. This led to the founding of many schools, hospitals, and orphanages in both New York City and Chicago. St. Madeleine Sophie Barat founded the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the early nineteenth century in France. By the time of her death in 1925 her order had opened more than one hundred convents and schools in twelve countries, including the United States.
Note that by 1877 there were more than 30,000 men and nearly 130,000 women in religious orders in France alone. (15 minutes) Task 4: Group Discussion Have the students divide into small groups to read and discuss paragraph 931 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Encourage them to focus on the reasons why the Church emphasizes the relationship between consecrated persons surrender to God and the obligation to become involved in missionary work. Assessment Assignment: (10 minutes) Assessment Assignment sheet is at the end of the lesson. Thought Provoker Did you know that the mandolin used by chefs is based on the guillotine? Alternate Assignment: Suggest that the students investigate one of the religious orders mentioned in this lesson and write a two-page report that summarizes their findings.
Adaptations (for students with learning disabilities): Have the students interview a local religious sister or brother about their order, including the year of its founding, its charism, and the good works that the community has undertaken. Schedule a time when the students can present their findings to the class. Extensions (for gifted students): Suggest that students prepare a class report on the life and work of St. Francis Cabrini, who was the first American citizen to be canonized.
Grade 9 Religion Discipleship and Culture Prayer and Sacramental Life The Growth of Religious Orders Assessment Assignment Teacher: Due Date: Let us pray to the Holy Spirit to guide us; then we will act on the Spirit s gentle inspiration. Let us accustom ourselves to walking in these divine paths, following grace and not nature. When we go too fast, it is easy to be influenced by the second. Ah! It is a great art to act only by the Spirit of Jesus. - St. Madeleine Sophie Barat Because St. Francis Cabrini acted only by the Spirit of Jesus, He worked through her to accomplish much good for the European immigrants who had come to America during the last years of the nineteenth century. She lived for sixty-seven years, and was a religious sister for forty of those years. During that time she began so many schools, orphanages, hospitals, and other institutions to serve the poor that their number equals that of her age. Think about what you might do if you were to become a religious brother or sister. Make a list of the projects that you would undertake for the building up of the Church and the service of God s people one for each year of your life.