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Biography of Pope Saint John Paul II
Saint John Paul II was born Karol Josef Wojtyla (Voy-tee-wah) on May 18, 1920, in Wadowice (Vah-do-vee-juh), Poland, a small city just outside Krakow. He was the third and youngest child of Karol Wojtyla Sr., a lieutenant in Poland's army, …
Article
Self-Esteem and Sexual Activity: The Difference Between the Sexes
The American Academy of Pediatrics recently found a major difference between boys with hgh self-esteem and girls with high self-esteem. Boys with a high self-esteem were more likely to have engaged in sexual intercourse than boys with low self-esteem. Conversely, …
Article
Unchurched Teens: Teens Who Don't Profess Church Affiliation Rises
According to a 2002 study the number of teens with no religious affiliation has risen by over 15 million young people since 1990. That is an average increase of over 1.15 million young people annually. When presented with such statistics, …
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The Liturgy: The Source of Catholic Identity
I love the old Latin axiom lex orandi, lex credendi. Roughly translated, this means that the law of prayer is the law of faith. More simply phrased, we pray what we believe. If you want to know what Catholics believe …
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Contemporary Music, Ageless Wisdom: Using the Language of Teens to Speak the Gospel
It is no secret that teens are absolutely immersed in music. The question for those ministering to youth is, "Should we make a stance against the kinds of music kids are listening to or should we use their music to …
Article
Youth Prayer Habits
Through a grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc., the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill has established the National Study of Youth & Religion at the Odum Institute for Research and the Social Sciences. In there preliminary findings of existing …
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Let's Prove Them Wrong!
12 September 2001 As the truth unfolds behind who committed these horrendous terrorist attacks against the United States, I pray that we--as individuals and a country--will have the strength and courage to think deeply before we lash out in anger …
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A Letter to Young People from the President of Saint Mary’s Press
Dear young friends, The recent, tragic events continue to leave us all shocked, confused, scared, and sorrowful. At this time, nothing is more important than to turn our hearts to Jesus. Perhaps, we can find comfort in the words of …
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A Christian Response to Violence, Part 2:
Pacifism: "We No Longer Learn War" How can we apply Jesus’ command to love our enemies when our whole nation has been attacked? Over the centuries, how Christians have attempted to apply Jesus’ teachings on violence to their lives has …
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A Christian Response to Violence, Part 1:
In the wake of the 11 September terrorist attacks, many people are calling for military retaliation against whatever group or country is ultimately found to be responsible. The desire to strike back at those who hurt us is understandable, but …
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The Enuma Elish: A Babylonian Creation Story
The Genesis story is not the only ancient creation story. In fact, almost every ancient culture had its own story of how the world came to exist. Each story reflected much about how the people of its culture viewed their …
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Wrestling with Diversity
How do we welcome non-Christians into our schools and our religion classrooms, and at the same time give witness to our own Christ-centered faith? How do we invite students to learn from and respect other faith traditions without sending the …
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Religious Diversity in Catholic Schools
Pluralism of religions is a reality in the United States. We see it in the newspaper, and we encounter it in our own classrooms. Through television, the Internet, and the changing religious landscape of our own country, our students encounter …
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Scenes from a Mexican Village
The Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration sponsor a program called Global Awareness Through Experience. The GATE program offers a rich opportunity to get to know the realities of Mexico, something I have wanted to do for years. At a point …
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Curriculum Integration in Service Programs
How can you begin working toward curriculum integration with your service program? Consider the following principles as a good guide. Connections Get to know the curriculum in other content areas. Study the program of studies of your school. Look at …
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Parents As Members of the High School Faith Community
In 1977 when I began teaching and ministering in the high school apostolate, parents were not considered a part of the official work on student retreats. As the teachers, we had the answers for their sons and daughters; we had …
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Maturing in Faith
Have you ever heard a parent say something like,"People should decide for themselves how to express their faith and what church to belong to. So we don't make our kids go to Mass on Sunday. When they get old enough, …
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Listening to the Voices of Girls
God is with her. God works for her. God fills her. God chooses her. God accepts her. God praises her. God listens to her. God cries with her. God knows her. God loves her. We are her. In eleven short …
Article
The Buzz About the Theology-Technology Connection
"What's the buzz? Tell me what's happenin'!" I'm sure many of you recognize those lyrics from "Jesus Christ Superstar." I think of that song whenever the topic of technology comes up, which is often. In-services, workshops, and professional journals regularly …
Article
Teaching the Rite Way
Mix a little ancient Chinese with some fifth century Latin and you have "the rite thing" for teaching sacraments. Let me explain. I hear, and I forget. I see, and I remember. I do, and I understand. --Ancient Chinese proverb …
Article
Sacraments Outside the Box
I'm sure that one of the first things you did when you returned to school in September was to check your faculty mailbox. Most schools have a bank of neatly labeled cubbyholes. Get an image in your mind's eye: some …
Article
The Late Great Catholic High School
"Jesus is everyone's department!" That is what I found myself exclaiming as I argued with a fellow teacher and friend about why she only wanted the religion teachers in our high school to offer extra credit to students if they …
Article
Following the Spirit Down the (Yellow?) Brick Road
The road is really a five-foot wide path. The bricks are more dappled browns than yellow. But the journey does have a wizard and feisty little black terrier. And along the way we found our hearts, our minds, and our …
Article
Let the Church Say Amen
Amen is a cry of complete reliance, of heartfelt abandonment to something or someone that is true and trustworthy. THE TWO-SYLLABLE WORD COULD BE HEARD by all in the front quarter of the sizeable church. It was said by a …
Article
Theology for Teens
Adolescents' values and aspirations are in the process of formation and their capacity for commitment is just beginning to emerge. Europeans tell the story of a young man who was disturbed by the antireligious skepticism prevalent at his university and …
Article
The Saint Patrick You Never Knew
He didn't chase the snakes out of Ireland and he may never have plucked a shamrock to teach the mystery of the Trinity. Yet Saint Patrick well deserves to be honored by the people of Ireland and by downtrodden and …
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Until a "lack of discretion" do us part
Ever since the church got involved in the wedding ceremony, relatively late in Christian history, it has stood by its main belief about a marriage. It’s the consent of the couple that binds. SEVENTH IN A 10-PART SERIES ON CHURCH …
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Jesus Makes the Perfect Host
A recent classroom interchange at a Catholic university, in a history class on American Catholicism: Student: Interesting you should bring up Communion today. I just had a long argument with my parents about it. Professor: What was the argument? Student: …
Article
Young People's Beginning Experience
By now, divorce has touched the lives of many people in the United States--either directly or through a friend or relative. For a child or teenager, divorce can rip apart a comfortable home, leaving behind guilt, anger and depression. Today, …
Article
Catholic Youth and the Bible: Moving from Biblical Literacy to Biblical Spirituality
Developing one's biblical literacy As a college student back in the mid-seventies, I was invited to be part of an ecumenical student Bible study. Born and raised Catholic, I don't think I had cracked open a Bible more than two …
Article
In the Name of the Father
Making the sign of the cross is a gesture that says, in shorthand, that a person is a Catholic. It appears as an icon in popular culture, and as a gesture it is scattered throughout film history, for example: movie …
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Hinduism: What Do You Know About the World's Oldest Religion?
Many Americans, who probably have little chance to meet any Hindus, have a vague notion that Hinduism has something to do with bearded swamis, sacred cows, and Mahatma Gandhi. Although most of the citizens of the world's largest democracy are …
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Thinking Catholic
Thinking Catholic is a mind-set, an attitude of the heart, a bundle of insights and presumptions and priorities that are derived from faith. In our American society people used to agree that abortion was criminal, that divorce was bad, that …
Article
Fighting Catholic Amnesia
I was a high school junior before I learned that the Catholic faith was something more than Mass, folk songs and the Bible. Father Corry turned me on to Church history in his religion class. He showed me how our …
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Finding God in Silence
If you are feeling unfulfilled in your prayer life, take heart. This author says sometimes all it takes to is to be silent and listen. IS YOUR PRAYER LIFE IN A RUT? Are there days when you feel like quitting …
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Understanding New Approaches to the Gospels
The quest to trace the continuity between the Jesus of history and the Christ of faith is not new. It was the stuff of 18th-century Enlightenment debate and is still the topic of current scholarship. What does it mean to …
Article
Annulments:
Mary Sue Williams and Cathy Miettunen lived just a few blocks apart in a tree-lined, middle-class neighborhood in Saint Paul, Minnesota when both went through the Catholic Church's annulment process following their civil divorces. Williams and Miettunen belonged to the …
Article
Five prayers Catholics can take to heart
The issue of prayer is not prayer; the issue of prayer is God. One cannot pray unless he has faith in his own ability to accost the infinite, merciful, eternal God. --Jewish Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, Man's Quest for God …
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Lessons From the Book of Genesis: An Interview with Dianne Bergant
Dianne Bergant, C.S.A., Ph.D., is Professor of Old Testament Studies at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. For five years she was editor of The Bible Today and continues to serve on its editorial board, as well as that of …
Article
The Death Penalty and the Catholic Conscience
Some proponents say the death penalty is biblical: "an eye for an eye." This moral theologian shows how they are misreading the Bible. If someone murdered your child or closest friend, what punishment would you want for the criminal? If …
Article
Priesthood Today
Looking at changes in Baptism, Eucharist and Reconciliation is the key to understanding what's happening to the priesthood today. "IS IT HARDER TO BE A PRIEST TODAY than it used to be?" A parishioner who was wondering why there are …
Article
The Book of Revelation:
The Book of Revelation is not so intimidating once you understand what the author was up to. Are Catholics afraid of the book of Revelation? Do our minds become confused when we hear all those sevens and l2's, and all …
Article
The Church and the Bible: A New Understanding
The Catholic Church's attitude toward biblical study has undergone a sea of change in recent times. A world-renowned Scripture scholar explains why and how. Very often when older Catholics hear at Mass a presentation about the Bible they are puzzled. …
Article
Evil Never Looked So Good
Do you think you're a victim? Do you avoid making judgments because you'll hurt someone's feelings? Do you feel betrayed by your wrinkles or your balding dome? Be careful. You might be cuddling up to heresy, which just had a …
Article
A Note on Kneeling
IT WASN'T UNTIL I COULD NO LONGER kneel that I began to savor the lovely simplicity of this ancient act, and guess at its provenance, and savor its humility, and notice it not only in Mass but in many other …
Article
Letting Go and Letting God
*last name has been changed for this article Bernie Fenton* never minded that his office overlooked a cemetery. In fact, he kind of liked it. He'd glance up from his desk now and then catching glimpses of friends and family …
Article
Meeting the Rhinoceros
Thomas Merton makes a valuable role model for the spiritual journey of the adolescent rhinoceros. At times even the most optimistic teacher may despair of the possibility of ever communicating meaningfully with adolescents. The significant number of developmental tasks facing …
Article
Tuning in to youths' media culture
Rather than criticize teens' preoccupation with the media, these religion teachers use it in their faith formation efforts. Adolescents often feel most fully alive and in tune with their peers in the midst of a media experience--a rock concert, a …
Article
The Spirituality of Work
Teachers who structure justice into their workday lives model a moral vision for their students. I requested a review copy of all religion textbooks used in Catholic high schools some years ago and scoured over 30 books looking for references …
Article
Seven habits of highly effective Catholic college graduates
Evidence of a total Catholic education may be found in persons who have cultivated these principles of action. The title of Stephen R. Covey's long-running bestseller The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (Simon & Schuster) kept circling in my …
Article
Peace: The Countercultural Value
Ours is a violent society. Furthermore, evidence strongly suggests that we are learning to accept violence as normal behavior. As a people, we appear to be increasingly indifferent to daily images of warfare, racial hatred and ethnic cleansing. Murder and …
Article
A Multiple Intelligence Approach
Helping students discover how they are smart should be the goal of assessment. Is multiple intelligence instruction the way to proceed into the 21st century? Many educators in Catholic settings with whom I have worked remark that the theory reminds …
Article
The Community Service Dimension
A high school senior leans over the shoulders of two 9-year-olds struggling with math homework in a tutoring program at the community center. Two students carry food baskets up the narrow flight of stairs to the residents of a housing …
Article
Thou Shalt Not Kill: The Church Against Assisted Suicide
Will we allow doctors to become accomplices in self-destruction? That's a question the U.S. Supreme Court is facing. The results of its decision will be felt everywhere. WHEN I FIRST SAW my 39-year-old friend Jim lying in a nursing-home bed, …
Article
Thomas Merton: Something of a Rebel
One of the world’s leading Merton experts takes another look at the monk who changed the course of American spirituality from his monastery cell. ON A RECENT VISIT to a secondhand bookstore in a Midwestern city, I found an exceptionally …
Article
Saint Jerome: The Perils of a Bible Translator
“WHAT IS THE BEST TRANSLATION OF THE BIBLE?” This is the question that people who teach biblical studies hear more than any other. A bewildering abundance of alternatives is available to those who want to begin reading the Bible. This …
Article
Six Ways to be Truly Catholic
I always thought that I would have made a great archbishop in Salzburg during the time of Mozart. But instead I'm the archbishop of Milwaukee in the time of rock 'n' roll. That's the way life turns out. We live …
Article
Give Penance a Chance
Think back to the last time you did something that hurt someone, even if it wasn't intentional. How did you make amends? Did you apologize? Did you offer to make it up to them in some way? If so, then …
Article
The Ethics of Cloning
Amazing. Maybe it's because I can still be wowed by yet another Spielberg dinosaur film. Maybe it's because I find the processes of reproduction and the inner life of DNA to be as much about mystery as they are about …
Article
Top Ten Reasons to Be a Catholic
Many of us have been raised in the Church, but why do we remain Catholic? This author shares her favorite reasons and invites you to consider your own. “DO YOU ALSO WANT TO LEAVE?“ (JOHN 6:67). When Jesus first asked …
Article
Dance: An Awakening
Ms. Sawaya Lamb teaches dance at Judge Memorial Catholic High School in Salt Lake City, Utah. Mr. Wagoner, a former technical director at Judge Memorial Catholic High School, is now assistant principal at Saint Vincent School in Salt Lake City. …
Article
The Church
Central Characteristics of Roman Catholicism Catholicism is a remarkably rich religion, characterized by a complex tapestry of beliefs, practices, values, rituals, traditions, and more. When viewed “from the outside”—that is, by those who do not share its communal life—Catholicism is …
Article
Ideas for Teaching Feminine Spirituality
In 1994, I started teaching a course on women's spirituality for seniors at Holy Names High School, an all-girls school in Oakland, California. Finding materials for such a class was a challenge. No textbooks or other resources existed that were …
Article
Using Literature in Theology Classes
Editor's note: The author of our feature article, Kathleen Hodapp, was one of the participants in last summer's workshop "The Catholic High School As Faith Community," held here in Winona, Minnesota, as well as on the East Coast and the …
Article
Service and Justice
We are standing on the brink, and our bishops are urging us to jump. Many of us don't know where we'll end up, and we aren't sure whether we'll land in one piece. Yet the sense of urgency is building, …
Article
A Thousand Teenagers Singing at Mass?
Every August, despite our enthusiasm to bring fresh ideas to our classrooms and curriculum, the same question lingers for us as we plan for another year of all-school liturgies: How do we get a thousand teenagers to sing at Mass? …
Article
A One-Day Retreat on Service in the Inner City
Our sophomore class day retreat focuses on finding spirituality in the inner city. It is a kind of "urban plunge" experience within a spiritual framework, and students go on this retreat during the same semester that they take a social …
Article
The Harvest Is Abundant: Reflections on a Spirituality of Service
Service is a golden word these days. Everybody's doing it: governmental bodies, schools, churches, even neighborhoods and families. Court sentencing frequently includes community service, the federal government holds service up as a value in programs such as Americorps, and state …
Article
To Teach as Jesus Did: A Teacher's Reflections
"To teach as Jesus did." It's a phrase that must have been tucked away somewhere in my mind because it sprang to consciousness when I was asked to consider writing this article. "To teach as Jesus did." What an awesome …
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Leading Students to Hermitage:
Editor's note: A few months ago I met (by mail and phone) Sr. Mary Farrell, SC, who has taught at Saint Peter's High School in New Brunswick, New Jersey, for thirty-six years. Much of that time, she taught French and …
Article
Story Collections for Classroom Teaching and Youth Ministry
The following is a list of story resources and collections for teaching or ministering with teenagers. [Editor's note: See the article "Helping students Get the Most Out of Stories" for ideas on using these stories with young people.] Most items …
Article
Helping Students Get the Most Out of Stories
For the past six years I have been researching the power of stories for communicating Catholic religious and moral values. At the same time, I have been experimenting with stories in my high school classroom (tenth- and twelfth-grade classes in …
Article
Gospel Values Across the Curriculum
Given the current educational climate in our country, most schools are making a concerted effort to create a clear vision for education that will carry them into the twenty-first century. That forward-looking "visioning" and "refocusing" for the future includes an …
Article
The Power of Parables
We all know that a good story will almost always act as an excellent springboard for reflection. Jesus' most effective teaching tool was the parable. He would gather his disciples and tell them a story with a message that moved …
Article
When the School Play Becomes a Faith Experience
As a teacher in a Catholic school, I have always been concerned with trying to demonstrate to my students how, in a practical way, Catholic values and the Christian worldview are relevant to their lives. A Catholic school does not …
Article
Growing as a Faith Community
Over the past nine years as a campus minister and theology teacher at Saint John's Jesuit High School in Toledo, Ohio, I have witnessed and been part of the growth of our school toward the ideal of being a Christian …
Article
Schoolwide Prayer in the Words of "Me"
What distinguishes a Catholic school from a public school? The obvious answer is that, at least potentially, a Catholic school is a faith community. Whether it is truly a faith community depends on more than the offering of religion courses, …
Article
Pulling Threads: Unraveling the Scriptures
Young people, and adults as well, often feel inadequate when reading the Scriptures. Many believe that the Bible is something you only hear in church, not something you read on your own as well. They fear misinterpreting it or not …
Article
Stations of the Cross by Students: New Light on an Old Tradition
A pilgrimage is a journey to a sacred place, undertaken for a spiritual purpose. A pilgrimage in our modern age could take many forms. For the season of Lent last year, I invited my junior ethics classes to make a …
Article
ROCKS
"God, being a teenager has so many ups and downs, so many vital decisions. It is a time when the pressures of one's peers are at a high, and the choices that are made will inevitably follow people throughout their …
Article
Lessons from an Inner-City Parish High School
Saint Paul High School in San Francisco, where I teach, is an inner-city parochial school. It is a school that, for all its shortcomings, has much to teach other Catholic secondary schools, precisely in view of the two attributes cited--namely, …
Article
The Quincentenary
As we are all aware, 1992 marks the quincentenary of Christopher Columbus's landing in the West Indies–thus, the "discovery" of America. For religious educators, this anniversary offers an opportunity to examine the injustices done to Native Americans by the colonizers …
Article
Once Upon A Time: Using Student-Generated Stories in Religion Classes
Religion classes should be interesting, if not compelling, and they can be if what is interesting is determined by the students. This, of course, is not a new approach. Learner-centered educational theories have been popular for decades. Using story as …
Article
Expect Much, Praise Much, Be Present to Them
Course materials, such as the high school religion textbooks and teacher's manuals published by Saint Mary's Press, are a significant ingredient in the education of our young people. But we all know that the most important factor in a student's …
Article
Curriculum Offerings of Theology Departments
For a couple of years, Saint Mary’s Press sponsored a listserv discussion group online. Discussions on a variety of topics were pursued via e-mail. In this section of the web site, I summarize some of the highlights from these old …
Article
A New Look at the Sower and the Seeds
This is the text of a reflection given at the opening prayer service of the school year. The concept is interesting and could work well in a classroom or retreat setting. Scattered them wildly about (see Matt. 13:1-53; Mark 4:1-34; …
Article
Block Scheduling Tips
For a couple of years, Saint Mary's Press sponsored a listserv discussion group online. Discussions on a variety of topics were pursued via e-mail. It is my hope that I can summarize some of the highlights from these old files …
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