These are my personal recommendations to achieve the end of optimal effectiveness in Adult Catechetical Formation. These tips are based on over three decades of Adult Formation and RCIA Catechetical experience.
Music can be a powerful teaching tool, and Luther knew that well. Learn about his six catechetical hymns and download a set of devotions based on the hymns.
We have all heard the song, The 12 Days of Christmas, a delightful but apparently nonsensical rhyme set to music.However, it is a good deal more
Šiandien Aušros Vartai daugumai žmonių asocijuojasi su maldos namais.
Religious education ideas for Catholic teachers, homeschoolers, and catechists- crafts, lessons, and printables on Sacraments, Scripture and Prayer.
Eileen Morgan suggests ways to incorporate the worship space into catechetical sessions.
The Apostles' Creed is widely used by most Christian denominations for both liturgical and catechetical purposes.
FREE Catholic Mantilla Veils. 20 Colors, 3 Lace Prints, $5 ea. for S&H individually wrapped, Catechetical Pamphlet
Help young children delight in the goodness, truth, and beauty of the Catholic faith through whimsical, inspiring, and catechetical children’s books.
Visit our website at www.coffeewithsistervassa.comPlease support our show at https://www.patreon.com/user?u=2781217&alert=1&ty=hA weekly, catechetical progra...
Resources for celebrating the Catholic Faith. Catechetical resources for parents, parishes, catechists, teachers, schools, homeschooling. Resources on the Saints, the Liturgical Year. Sacraments, Sacramentals, Ritual, Gesture, Feast Days.
Theodore of Mopsuestia quotes from Theodore of Mopsuestia→ Previous Next Theodore of Mopsuestia (c. 350 – 428) was a Christian theologian, and Bishop of Mopsuestia from 392 to 428 AD. Theodore was an early companion and friend of John Chrysostom. Extant Writings: Catechetical Homilies Commentary on the Lords Prayer, Baptism and the Eucharist The Incarnation Commentary on
St. Clement of Alexandria quotes from Clement of Alexandria:→ Previous Next Titus Flavius Clemens, also known as Clement of Alexandria (150-215 CE), is a Church Father and was ordained to the priesthood by Pope Julian sometime before 189. He was a theologian, and philosopher who taught at the Catechetical School of Alexandria, where among his pupils were
Origen of Alexandria quotes from Origen:→ Previous Next Origen of Alexandria (184-253), also known as Origen Adamantius, sought martyrdom with his father at a young age but was prevented from turning himself in to the authorities by his mother. When he was eighteen years old, Origen became a catechist at the Catechetical School of Alexandria.
My True Love Gave to Me: A Catechism for the Twelve Days of Christmas, written by Katie Warner and illustrated by Elizabeth Zelasko, is a visual delight. The colors are intense and the images incorporate elements from illuminated manuscripts, iconography, mosaics, classic works of art, stained-glass windows, and more. The illustrations are catechetical lessons in
The hypogeum of Santa Maria in Stelle, located below the church of Santa Maria Assunta, in the heart of the Valpantena valley just east of Verona, is a very special archaeological site. It started as a Roman aqueduct built to capture the water from the spring that flows in that area. It has undergone many changes over the centuries, from a pagan sanctuary dedicated to water nymphs in the 3rd century AD to an early Christian place of worship and a mediaeval pilgrimage destination. In the 9th century, the hypogeum was consecrated by Pope Urban III and made suitable for liturgical celebrations.In 2020, in the final stage of a lengthy restoration project, the new lighting system was designed by Lucearchitettura of Verona, lighting designers Cinzia Todeschini and Lorella Marconi. The project’s initial study and development was made possible by the collaboration of Ing. Luigi Antolini as a historical consultant for the site. The lighting system was designed to take visitors – a maximum of four at a time to keep CO2 levels under control – on an experiential journey. The lights, activated by the guide with an app, illuminate one scenario at a time, magically revealing the story.A flight of stairs connects the entrance to the subterranean complex. At the foot of the stairs, a statue of Publius Pomponius Cornelius, the location’s creator, is fully illuminated thanks to the 13°x52° elliptical optics of the Ginko 2.0 projector. In the passage, an indirect, diffuse light, dimmed to 30% and directed downwards, creates a contemplative environment that prepares visitors for the frescoed scenes. A single Ginko 1.0 projector (3.5W, 36°) shines a grazing light on a precise point on the wall halfway along the route, revealing the first important evidence of the hypogeum's transformation from a pagan place to a sacred one: an engraving made by Bishop Zeno depicting the Chi Rho, the early Christian monogram cross While you continue along the conduit towards the atrium, the latter is shrouded in darkness to emphasise the tunnel’s visual continuation on the other side, where it is lit with a blue light to evoke the water that still flows, but whose only sign now is a gurgling sound. As you step into the atrium, the lights come up on the magnificently frescoed vault.Here, as elsewhere, the significant constraints that an archaeological site of this kind brings with it have been skilfully overcome thanks to the creation of pedestals designed by Lucearchitettura. In this space, in fact – the first room with catechetical scenes and with a decorated ceiling – the vault and frescoes are lit by a number of Ginko 2.0 projectors (7W CRI >90 3000K, 34° and 45°), mounted on 900mm cor-ten-painted stainless steel poles positioned at the four corners of the room. The fixtures are fitted with snoots to avoid dazzling anyone standing close to them.The southern cell embodies the hypogeum’s dual soul: it contains a Roman altar with two inscriptions, pagan on the front, facing the entrance, and Christian on the back. It is set off with dramatic bilateral lighting through the use of two narrow-beam (11°) projectors. The north cell is the better preserved and has a unique subject on the ceiling: a motif of clay vaulting tubes, the building elements used in the construction of vaults and domes. To light the works in the north cell, two free-standing pedestals were used, equipped with nine projectors with different light emissions and colour temperatures.The reliability and resistance to oxidation and corrosion of the material used in L&L Luce&Light's lighting fixtures were the factors that led to the choice of Ginko projectors for this location with its high humidity percentage.
Catechism of the Catholic Church CCC 23 The Catechism emphasizes the exposition of doctrine. It seeks to help deepen understanding of faith. In this way it is oriented towards the maturing of that faith, its putting down roots in personal life, and its shining forth in personal conduct. Catechism of the Catholic Church CCC24 By design, this Catechism does not set out to provide the adaptation of doctrinal presentations and catechetical methods required by the differences of culture, age, spiritual maturity, and social and ecclesial condition among all those to whom it is addressed. Such indispensable adaptations are the responsibility of particular catechisms and, even more, of those who instruct the faithful: Whoever teaches must become "all things to all men" (1 Corinthians 9:22) , to win everyone to Christ. . . . Above all, teachers must not imagine that a single kind of soul has been entrusted to them, and that consequently it is lawful to teach and form equally all the faithful in true piety with one and the same method! Let them realize that some are in Christ as newborn babes, others as adolescents, and still others as adults in full command of their powers. . . . Those who are called to the ministry of preaching must suit their words to the maturity and understanding of their hearers, as they hand on the teaching of the mysteries of faith and the rules of moral conduct. (1 Corinthians 9:22; 1 Peter 2:2) Above all – Charity Catechism of the Catholic Church CCC 25 To conclude this Prologue, it is fitting to recall this pastoral principle stated by the Roman Catechism: Let them realize that some are in Christ as newborn babes, others as adolescents, and still others as adults in full command of their powers. . . . Those who are called to the ministry of preaching must suit their words to the maturity and understanding of their hearers, as they hand on the teaching of the mysteries of faith and the rules of moral conduct.(1 Cor 9:22; 1 Pt 2:2) [Sinuman ang magturo ay dapat marunong makibagay sangkatauhan” para maakay ang bawat isa patungo sa Panginoong Hesukrsito] Katekismo ng Simbahang Katolika Bilang 23 Binibigyan diin ng Katekismo ang mailantad ang doktrina. Layon nito ang makatulong palalimin ang pananampalataya. Sa ganitong paraan ay magkakaroon ng kamalayan tungo sa paglago ng pananampalataya, magdulot ng pundasyon sa personal na buhay, at masalamin sa personal na pag-uugali. Katekismo ng Simbahang Katolika Bilang 24 Bilang desenyo, hindi layunin ng Katekismo ang magbigay ng naaangkop na presentasyon ng doktrina at giya pangkatekismo na kailangan ng magkakaibang kultura, edad, paglago pang-ispiritwal, at pangkomunidad at pangsimbahang kondisyon kung saan sa kanila ito ibinabahagi: Sinuman ang magturo ay dapat maging “lahat bagay sa kaninuman” (1 Korinto 9:22) upang mahikayat ang bawat isa patungo kay Kristo….At higit sa lahat, hindi dapat iniisip ng tagaturo na ang isang uri ng kaluluwa ay ipinagkatiwala sa kanya, at dahil dito, makatarungang magturo at hulmahing pare-pareho lahat ng mga binyagan sa pamamagitan ng makatotohanang kabanalang kaakibat ang magkaparehong pamamaraan! Hayaang mapagtanto na ang ilan ay na kay Kristo bilang mga bagong silang, samantalang ang iba ay bilang matatanda, at iba namaý bilang mga matatanda na may taglay nang kakayahan…Sinuman ang tinawag sa minesteryo ng pangangaral ay dapat na magkaroon ng nababatay na pananalita hango sa edad at pag-unawa ng mga tagapakinig, sapagkat silaý tagapagdala ng katuruan ng misteryo ng pananampalataya at alituntunin pang moralidad (1 Korinto 9:22; 1 Pedro 2:2) Higit sa lahat – ang Pag-ibig Katekismo ng Simbahang Katolika Bilang 25 [Upang magtagumpay sa panimulang ito, narararapat lamang na ipaalala ang prinsipyong pangpastoral na ito ng Katekismo Romano: Ang buong layunin ng doktrina at katuruan nito ay dapat nakaangkla sa walang katapusang pag-ibig. Maging ito man ay mungkahing paniniwala, para sa pag-asa o para sa gawain, ang pag-ibig ng ating Panginoong Diyos ay dapat gawing abot-kamay, upang makita ng bawat isa na ang lahat ng mga gawa ng kabutihang-walang bahid pangkristiyano ay nag-ugat sa pag-ibig at walang ibang hangarin kundi ang magtapos sa pag-ibig (1 Korinto 13:8)
From Patras on the 16th of November 2023 Protocol Number 329 Encyclical 454th CHRYSOSTOMOS BY THE MERCY OF GOD METROPOLITAN OF THE MOST HOLY AND APOSTOLIC METROPOLIS OF PATRAS To the Christeponymous Body of the Holy Metropolis of Patras My blessed children, Today is a day of celebration and gladness for the city of Patras. The Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, following the august announcement by His All-Holiness and Ecumenical Patriarch, Mr. Bartholomew, ranked among the Saints of our Orthodox Church, the sanctified spiritual father and Preacher of Patras, the fervent teacher of the divine Dogmas of the Church, the God-loving, Saint-loving and People-loving, the Priest of the poor and refugees, the nurterer of widows and orphans, the founder of the first Catechetical School in Greece, the student of Saint Nektarios, the grandfather of the people of Patras, Venerable Gervasios Paraskevopoulos, the renowned and sign-bearing Priest, the beloved of the people, the zealous and ardent worker of the Lord's Vineyard. We glorify and praise with hymns the all-holy name of our God worshiped in Trinity, who lavishly gifted and grace these People, the descendants of the Proto-apostle, the fisher of souls, Andrew, who like Jesus Christ, stretched out his arms on the Cross. Today, the heavens above shine with spiritual lightning. Today the sweet Mother of our Lord, the Theotokos, the mother and comforter of the orphaned little George and later Father Gervasios, celebrates with the angels. Today, the Hierarch of Pentapolis, Saint Nektarios the miracle-gusher, is rejoicing in heaven, for his holy Disciple. Today the renowned and great Hierarch of Patras Hierotheos Metropoulos, the protector of Venerable Gervasios, enjoys the spiritual inheritance of his son in heaven. Today, the blessed Hierarch of Hydra, Hierotheos of eternal memory, the excellent disciple and devoted spiritual child of Fr. Gervasios, with sweet-sounds and modesty, glorifies the Lord with gladness and spiritually cries out: "Who is so great a God as our God, You alone are the God who works wonders." Today the revered Priests, those in Patras who share in the calling, the association, with hands and hearts lifted to heaven, bless the blessed and tireless Priest with songs and hymns and spiritual odes. Today, the village which gave birth to him, Granitsa, or Nymphasia of Gortynia and all of saint-producing Arcadia spiritually celebrates for her holy son. Today also my Elder of eternal memory, the sweet High Priest, the man of love, the late Metropolitan of Mantineia and Kynouria, Mr. Theokletos, together with the Church in heaven, crowns Gervasios with songs, the Gervasios who gave him the testimony to enter the ranks of the Sacred Clergy. Today, the High Priest of Patras, by the mercy of God, that is, I, the least of all, with what power I have in my heart, exclaim in glory to God: "Great are You, O Lord, and wonderful are your works, and no word can suffice to hymn your wonders," and kneeling down from the depths of my soul, most-reverently and in tears I cry out: "Through the intercessions of Venerable Gervasios, O Lord, have mercy on the city of Patras and its chosen people." Lord, through the intercessions of Venerable Gervasios, pacify your war-torn world. Lord, through the intercessions of Venerable Gervasios, keep His All-Holiness and Ecumenical Patriarch and bestow upon him the most abundant things, consecrated, full of heavenly graces, to the glory of Your All-Holy Name and the good repute of your Holy Orthodox Church. Beloved children in the Lord, today on this clear day, we will hasten all of us Clergy and People, to the land of the Saint, where the tomb of Saint Gervasios is located, where is the Temople of Saint Paraskevi in Sychaina, within which are kept the sacred and myrrh-scented Relics of Venerable Gervasios. Today at 5 p.m. in the evening, the People of Patras, with much reverence will venerate the Saint, and those who glorify him will be exalted by the Lord. Let us all hasten there, where the Saint is, where his Relics are, giving thanks to God, blessing the Most Holy Theotokos and Venerable Gervasios, and venerate with much reverence. Brothers and sisters and children in the Lord. Glory be to God for all things. With paternal blessings and love in the Lord, THE METROPOLITAN CHRYSOSTOMOS OF PATRAS Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
St. Jerome (Feast Day - June 15) Verses Jerome the great died, Not dissimilarly remaining great crowned. Saint Jerome of Stridon was born around 347 into a Christian family in the city of Stridon located on the border between Dalmatia and Pannonia. His full name is Eusebius Hieronymos Sophronios. His parents sent him to Rome, where he studied the secular sciences. At the beginning of his life in the capital, the youth was captivated by worldly vanities and fell into temptations of the flesh. To appease his conscience, he would visit on Sundays the sepulchres of the martyrs and the Apostles in the catacombs. This experience would remind him of the terrors of hell: "Often I would find myself entering those crypts, deep dug in the earth, with their walls on either side lined with the bodies of the dead, where everything was so dark that almost it seemed as though the Psalmist's words were fulfilled, Let them go down quick into Hell. Here and there the light, not entering in through windows, but filtering down from above through shafts, relieved the horror of the darkness. But again, as soon as you found yourself cautiously moving forward, the black night closed around and there came to my mind the line of Virgil, 'Horror ubique animos, simul ipsa silentia terrent' ('On all sides round horror spread wide; the very silence breathed a terror on my soul')." Jerome the resolved to change his life and to live in virtue and purity. While in Rome Jerome studied under Aelius Donatus philosophy and rhetoric as well as learning Koine Greek. When the youth was about twenty years old, he accepted holy Baptism. After several years in Rome, he traveled with his friend Bonosus to Gaul and settled in Trier where he seems to have first taken up theological studies, and where he copied, for his friend Tyrannius Rufinus, Hilary of Poitiers' commentary on the Psalms and the treatise De synodis. Next came a stay of at least several months, or possibly years, with Rufinus at Aquileia, where he made many Christian friends. Some of these accompanied him when he set out about 373 on a journey through Thrace and Asia Minor into northern Syria. At Antioch, where he stayed the longest, two of his companions died and he himself was seriously ill more than once. During one of these illnesses (about the winter of 373–374), he had a vision that led him to lay aside his secular studies and devote himself to God. He seems to have abstained for a considerable time from the study of the classics and to have plunged deeply into that of the Bible, under the impulse of Apollinaris of Laodicea, then teaching in Antioch and not yet suspected of heresy. Seized with a desire for a life of ascetic penance, he went for a time to the desert of Chalcis, to the southeast of Antioch, known as the "Syrian Thebaid", from the number of hermits inhabiting it. During this period, he seems to have found time for studying and writing. He made his first attempt to learn Hebrew under the guidance of a converted Jew; and he seems to have been in correspondence with Jewish Christians in Antioch. Around this time he had copied for him a Hebrew Gospel, of which fragments are preserved in his notes, and is known today as the Gospel of the Hebrews, and which the Nazarenes considered to be the true Gospel of Matthew. Jerome translated parts of this Hebrew Gospel into Greek. Returning to Antioch in 378 or 379, he was ordained by Bishop Paulinus, apparently unwillingly and on condition that he continue his ascetic life. Soon afterward, he went to Constantinople to pursue a study of Scripture under Gregory the Theologian. He seems to have spent two years there, then left, and the next three (382–385) he was in Rome again, as secretary to Pope Damasus I and the leading Roman Christians. He was invited originally for the synod of 382, held to end the schism of Antioch as there were rival claimants to be the proper Patriarch in Antioch. Jerome had accompanied one of the claimants, Paulinus, back to Rome in order to get more support for him, and distinguished himself to the Pope, and took a prominent place in his synods. In Rome he was surrounded by a circle of well-born and well-educated women, including some from the noblest patrician families, such as the widows Lea, Marcella and Paula, with Paula's daughters Blaesilla and Eustochium. The resulting inclination of these women towards the monastic life, away from the indulgent lasciviousness in Rome, and his unsparing criticism of the secular clergy of Rome, brought a growing hostility against him among the Roman clergy and their supporters. Soon after the death of his patron Damasus (10 December 384), Jerome was forced by them to leave his position at Rome after an inquiry was brought up by the Roman clergy into allegations that he had an improper relationship with the widow Paula. Still, his writings were highly regarded by women who were attempting to maintain a vow of becoming a consecrated virgin. His letters were widely read and distributed throughout the Christian empire and it is clear through his writing that he knew these virgin women were not his only audience. Additionally, his condemnation of Blaesilla's hedonistic lifestyle in Rome had led her to adopt ascetic practices, but it affected her health and worsened her physical weakness to the point that she died just four months after starting to follow his instructions; much of the Roman populace were outraged at Jerome for causing the premature death of such a lively young woman, and his insistence to Paula that Blaesilla should not be mourned, and complaints that her grief was excessive, were seen as heartless, polarising Roman opinion against him. In August 385, he left Rome for good and returned to Antioch, accompanied by his brother Paulinian and several friends, and followed a little later by Paula and Eustochium, who had resolved to end their days in the Holy Land. In the winter of 385, Jerome acted as their spiritual adviser. The pilgrims, joined by Bishop Paulinus of Antioch, visited Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and the holy places of Galilee, and then went to Egypt, the home of the great heroes of the ascetic life.. At the Catechetical School of Alexandria, Jerome listened to the catechist Didymus the Blind expounding the prophet Hosea and telling his reminiscences of Anthony the Great, who had died 30 years before; he spent some time in Nitria, admiring the disciplined community life of the numerous inhabitants of that "city of the Lord", but detecting even there "concealed serpents", i.e., the influence of Origen of Alexandria. Late in the summer of 388 he was back in Palestine, and spent the remainder of his life working in a cave near Bethlehem, the very cave Jesus was born, surrounded by a few friends, both men and women (including Paula and Eustochium), to whom he acted as priestly guide and teacher. Amply provided by Paula with the means of livelihood and of increasing his collection of books, he led a life of incessant activity in literary production. To these last 34 years of his career belong the most important of his works; his version of the Old Testament from the original Hebrew text, the best of his scriptural commentaries, his catalogue of Christian authors, and the dialogue against the Pelagians, the literary perfection of which even an opponent recognized. To this period also belong most of his polemics, which distinguished him among the orthodox Fathers, including the treatises against the Origenism later declared anathema, of Bishop John II of Jerusalem and his early friend Rufinus. Later, as a result of his writings against Pelagianism, a body of excited partisans broke into the monastic buildings, set them on fire, attacked the inmates and killed a deacon, forcing Jerome to seek safety in a neighboring fortress (416) Saint Jerome lived through the fall of his beloved city Rome, which was sacked by the Goths in the year 410. In the year 411 a new ordeal beset the Saint: Bethlehem was invaded by wild Bedouin Arabs. Only through the mercy of God was the community of the aged ascetic saved from complete destruction. He finished his life at the cave in Bethlehem. Saint Jerome is believed to have reposed in 420. His remains, originally buried at Bethlehem, are said to have been later transferred to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome in 642, though other places in the West claim some relics — the Cathedral at Nepi boasting possession of his head, which, according to another tradition, is in the Escorial. His hand is enshrined in a church near Rome’s Piazza Farnese.
