JUNIOR YOUTH ACTIVITIES FOR THE LENT AND EASTER SEASONS Steve Mason and Sandy Rigsby Paper, $36.95 168 pages, 8½" × 11" ISBN 0-89390-510-0 View Table of Contents View Excerpt Quantity:

This book has everything a catechist needs to create fun and meaningful experiences throughout the season of Lent and Easter for young people in the fifth through eighth grade. Material for each week of Lent and Easter includes commentary for the catechist on the Sunday lectionary readings, a preparation section, a detailed supply list and a session plan outline. Each session includes a detailed activity based on the lectionary, followed by questions and suggestions for guiding an extended reflection period. The format works for general catechesis, youth ministry and the catechumenate. Appendix includes a theme index. Some materials may be photocopied.

 Review

 "These activities are not simply icebreakers but are integral to the message of the lesson. Through a multitude of well-crafted questions, the young people then reflect on the activity, its connection to the Scripture passage and life's meaning as lived by youth in our culture today. This book is guaranteed not to sit on your shelf, as its format is easily adapted to many different catechetical situations."
— Patricia Mueller, associate director, Office for Catechetics/Religious Education, Archdiocese of Detroit

 About the Authors

 Steve Mason

Steve Mason is a graduate of St. Meinrad Seminary and has worked for more then 12 years as a catechist, youth leader, camp director and coach. He has led workshops on enhancing religious formation with interactive learning techniques and is currently teaching Confirmation at St. Matthew Parish in Franklin, TN. Steve and his family live in Franklin, TN.

Sandy Rigsby has worked in religious formation for more than 15 years. She has conducted workshops on the use of interactive learning techniques in adolescent catechesis. She is currently the director of Youth Ministry and Confirmation at Our Lady of Refuge parish in Orchard Lake, MI. Sandy and her family live in West Bloomfield, MI.

Preface
Introduction
How to Use this Book
Tips for Getting the Most Out of These Sessions

Part 1: Lent

1st Lent (A, B, C)
2nd Lent (A, B, C)
3rd Lent (A)
3rd Lent (B)
3rd Lent (C)
4th Lent (A)
4th Lent (B)
4th Lent (C)
5th Lent (A)
5th Lent (B)
5th Lent (C)
Palm Sunday (A, B, C)

Part 2: Easter

Easter Sunday (A, B, C)
2nd Easter (A, B, C)
3rd Easter (A)
3rd Easter (B)
3rd Easter (C)
4th Easter (A, B, C)
5th Easter (A)
5th Easter (B)
5th Easter (C)
6th Easter (A, B, C)
Ascension (A, B, C)
7th Easter (A, B, C)
Pentecost (A, B, C)

Appendices

Index of Scripture Passages
Index of Sessions
Cross-Reference by Theme
Catechumenate Connection Cross-Reference
Cross-Reference by Section of the Catechism of the Catholic Church
Liturgical Calendar for Lent and Easter Seasons

For whom this book is written

This book is designed as a resource for catechists and ministers working with youth between ten and fourteen years of age (fifth through eighth grades.) The material is particularly well suited for religious education classes, retreats, days of recollection, junior youth ministry meetings, and children's catechumenate during the extended catechetical sessions.

The liturgical seasons

Each session focuses upon the Gospel reading for a particular Sunday of Lent or Easter (except those for Ascension and Pentecost which use the first reading from Acts.) Parishes that base their religious education, RCIA, and youth ministry activities on the Sunday lectionary readings will find sessions for the entire Lent and Easter seasons.

In parishes using non-lectionary based curriculum, the cross-reference sections make it easy to use these sessions to supplement a theme or explore a Scripture passage.

This book focuses only on the Lent and Easter seasons; other books in this series will focus on the rest of the liturgical calendar. Sessions are provided for Sundays in each of the three years of the liturgical cycle. In some cases one session may be used for the same Sunday in all three liturgical years. A liturgical calendar has been included to help easily identify which session to use on any given date during the Lent and Easter seasons.

How the sessions are structured

The sessions are divided into two parts: an activity followed by a group discussion period. (Palm Sunday is the exception.) The activities may take place outside, in a gymnasium, throughout the parish facility, or in a meeting room. By contrast, the discussion period is held in a separate area preferably away from the activity site. Day chapels, side chapels, churches, and quiet areas outside are ideal for this reflection and discussion time.

The written sessions have been formatted to anticipate the sequence a catechist or youth leader may follow to plan a session. Each session is titled for a particular Sunday and liturgical year. A word or two stating the general theme along with the lectionary readings for the Sunday are provided next. These headings make it easy to quickly identify the session, its theme, and the scriptural passages on which it is based. Choosing the correct session should be simple.

The next step in preparing a session is to become familiar with the material. The Theme section begins by instructing the leader to read the Scripture passage. Two or three paragraphs are then provided to explore the scriptural themes and establish a context for the session. In the second half of this section, the Scripture passage is explored through questions designed for the youth. The focus here shifts toward the youth's perspective. These questions highlight important areas of discovery for the youth and allow the leader to begin reflecting on how to best facilitate this discovery.

The themes and activities in this book rely on a metaphorical approach to Scriptures. Certainly other interpretations are accurate, but the point here is to make simple and direct connections between the youth and Scriptures. Typically two or three main themes are featured to keep it practical and age appropriate.

With the theme well established, the next step in the process is to move from the abstract to the concrete. Two short sections of each session are dedicated specifically to this transition. The Activity Summary section begins this process by introducing the activity to the leader. Here the goals of the activity are expressed and a brief description of the activity is provided. The transition is made more concrete in the section entitled Bridging the Activity and Reading. This section is composed of three or four points showing how a bridge will be formed between the reading and activity. After reading these three sections, the leader should be well acquainted with the Scripture passage, have a good idea what the activity is about, and understand how the activity relates to the Scripture.

The next step is to begin preparing for the activity. The Preparation section offers detailed steps of everything the leader must do to prepare for the activity. Instructions are also provided on how to introduce the activity to the youth and guide them through it. A Supply List section is included listing all the supplies needed for the activity.

At this point, the leader has everything in place for the activity and is ready to focus on the group discussion. This second part of the session provides the youth an opportunity to reflect on their experiences and discover the truths contained within the Scripture passage.

The Reflection section instructs the leader to begin by reading aloud the featured Scripture passage. Once everyone has listened to the reading, the leader guides the group in discussion. The questions provided in the Questions for Discussion section are specifically designed to let the youth verbalize their insights and uncover meaning in the Scriptures. Questions typically fall into one of three categories: questions to explore the Scripture passage; questions to explore the activity; and questions to explore the relevance of these truths in life. Often the questions are grouped in a way that builds one upon another in order to help explore a particular theme. Emphasis is always upon the youth discovering and verbalizing. The leader's role here is to facilitate the youth's discovery of truth.

The final section of each session is designed for children's catechumenate leaders. The Catechumenate Connection section can be used in the extended catechetical sessions to explore themes, sacraments, and traditions of the Catholic Church. The topics and questions provided here are intended to supplement the questions found in the Questions for Discussion section. One goal of this section is to introduce the youth to the teachings of the church. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is referenced often and should be readily available to accompany this section.

How to use this material in your ministry

This book is designed for use in four different youth ministries: religious education, days of recollection or retreats, junior youth ministry programs, and children's catechumenate programs. This section discusses how to efficiently use this book as a resource in these ministries.

Many parishes follow the liturgical cycle as the basis for their various ministries. Such parishes use the Sunday readings and its themes as the focus for these ministries. This book is easily adaptable to this format. The sessions are clearly marked in the heading to correspond to each of the Sundays of Lent and Easter. The Liturgical Calendar in the appendix matches each date of the Sundays in Lent and Easter with the corresponding session to be used through the year 2030. Because the sessions take about an hour and fifteen minutes to complete, catechists and ministers may simply use these as their entire session during these seasons. If another liturgical-based curriculum is used in the program, these sessions may be used to supplement or add variety.

Parishes using curriculum not based on the Sunday liturgical readings may also wish to supplement their programs with these sessions. These curriculums often explore themes or Scriptures central to the faith, themes that may be found throughout this book. Days of recollection and retreat experiences may also be dedicated to exploring certain themes and Scriptures. In both of these cases, the three cross-reference sections in the appendixes will be helpful.

Often a catechist or minister may need an activity or discussion questions to help explore a particular Scripture passage. The Index of Scripture Passages was designed with this in mind. Each Scripture passage is listed in order along with the corresponding Sunday title, activity and page number. This tool is particularly helpful in planning activities around a specific Scripture passage.

The Cross-Reference by Theme alphabetically lists each theme explored in this book. For every theme one or more sessions are available to choose from. The corresponding activity, Sunday title and page number are provided to make finding the specific session easy. A catechist or minister looking for an idea or an activity to fit a theme needs to simply look here for several ideas. The Index of Sessions lists all the Sundays of Lent and Easter in chronological order. Again the corresponding activity and themes are listed.

This book has also been designed for use in extended catechetical sessions of the children's catechumenate process. The lectionary-based format of this book makes it easily adaptable for this ministry. Often, however, parishes have few youth in this age group going through the process at any given time. These limited numbers may require the catechist to creatively change the activities to accommodate the small group. At other times it may be impossible to do the activity. In these cases, the Reflection section of the session along with the Questions for Discussion and the Catechumenate Connection sections can still be used. Some discussion questions, however, should be omitted if the activity is not used.

The Catechumenate Connection Cross-Reference in the appendix lists the Sundays in chronological order along with the corresponding theme, Catholic tradition and Sacraments to be discussed in each week's Catechumenate Connection section. These sections are provided at the end of each session specifically for use in RCIA. Because these youth are exploring the Catholic faith, the Catechism of the Catholic Church is referenced extensively as a resource. The various sections of this document used for discussion are listed for each week in the Catechumenate Connection Cross-Reference and Cross-Reference by Section of the CCC. These cross-references are not only helpful in planning RCIA, but can be used as idea resources for exploring any of the themes, Sacraments and traditions of Catholicism.

These cross-references can quickly provide ideas on many themes. If more information is needed about a particular session or activity, the Activity Summary section in each session can be used for a quick synopsis.