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SMP Activities
Saint Mary's Press Activity Resources
Adaptations for Home Use
Vikki Shepp
The following activities and ritual pertaining to the life of Pope John Paul II are easily adapted for families to use at home.
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Advent Buddies
This activity helps the young people each learn from an older person in the parish and establish a faith relationship with that person.
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Advent: Saint Joseph and Jesus
Michael J. Downey
If you are looking for retreat or reflection ideas for advent, this activity uses passages from the Gospel of Matthew to explore the relationship between Jesus and Joseph in order to facilitate dialogue between fathers and sons.
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Assumption of Mary - Mary as a Disciple
Janet Claussen
May is the month that we honor Mary. We celebrate the Assumption of Mary on August 15. This activity helps young people meet Mary in the Scriptures and understand her role as the first disciple.
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Discernment and the Council of Jerusalem
Christine Schmertz Navarro
Tracing the discernment process used at the Council of Jerusalem, this activity leads the students to use aspects of the process to assess issues facing their church and society today.
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Family Relationships
Edited by Laurie Delgatto
May is Family Reunion Month. This prayer activity focuses on family relationships and helps young people reflect on the need we all have for unconditional love and support, not only from our parents but also from a community of faith. This would be an appropriate reflection and prayer to use with youth around Mother's or Father's Day.
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February 14: Valentine Puzzles
Carole Goodwin
This activity helps young people explore Scripture in order to understand the true meaning of Valentine's Day.
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January 22: Saying Yes to Life
Janet Claussen
This activity, taken from the Voices series, helps young women reflect on the sanctity of life, the consequences of a crisis pregnancy and Mary as a role model for womanhood.
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Lenten Justice Crosses
Joseph Grant
Through this hands-on project, the young people help spread the Lenten message of conversion to justice. They also become familiar with the message of the prophet Micah and the traditional spiritual disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.
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Lenten Nails: A Reflection Exercise for Lent
Carole Goodwin
This two-part reflection exercise allows the young teens to evaluate their behaviors and attitudes and admit their faults, throughout Lent. The exercise is introduced at the beginning of Lent and concludes before Easter.
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A Listening Session for Teens on Sexual Abuse by Priests
Maureen P. Provencher
The purpose of this session is to allow young people in a school or parish to gather in a safe and trusting place to voice their feelings, thoughts, and
concerns, and to hear them in light of the recent publicity of sexual
abuse by priests. The author, Maureen P. Provencher, is the director for
ministry for youth, Saint Mary’s Parish, Chelmsford, Massachusetts, in the
Archdiocese of Boston.
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The Liturgy
Robert Feduccia
By connecting young people more with the liturgy, we can see a growth in their Catholic identity.
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Must--Should--Can
Vikki Kraetzer
This activity is intended to help youth explore the various responsibilities of the pope.
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A New Rock
Vikki Shepp
This catechetical session is intended to lead students to an understanding of Pope John Paul II's life and ministry. It can be used with youth or in an intergenerational session for families.
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Paul's Missionary Journeys
Tony Tamberino
Saint Paul's Feast Day is June 29. This activity about Paul's Missionary Journeys is from the leader's guide for Scripture Sessions on the New Testament. Based on Paul's journeys, students imagine their own missionary journey.
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Peace Creed
An activity and prayer service for encouraging peace and becoming peacemakers.
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The Power of Song
Laurie Delgatto
This activity helps young people explore African American history through the study of sacred song. The activity is taken from Church Women: Probing History with Girls but has been adapted for use by all students.
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September 11: In Memory and In Hope: A Prayer Gathering
Robert Feduccia
"Source of all love and life, we come to you with heavy hearts as we remember those who tragically died in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. May those who died be embraced by your eternal light and joy. . . ."
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Talking Hands--Personal Attitudes Toward Death
Nancy Marrocco
This activity looks at the tendency to deny death and helps students examine their attitudes toward death. This activity could be used in the context of a course or class on death or during Holy Week to reflect on Jesus's struggle with his own death.
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Youth Prayer Habits
Robert Feduccia
Here is information on teens and their personal prayer life. There are also conversation starters to discuss prayer with your teens.
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