DIOCESE OF BUFFALO Catholic Center

795 Main Street Buffalo, New York 14203

DEPARTMENT OF LIFELONG FAITH FORMATION

(716) 847-5505 www.officeoflifelongfaithformation.org

Lesson Plans for Sacraments and Prayer

Correlated with Curriculum Guidelines for Adolescent Catechesis and Confirmation, Diocese of Buffalo, 2004. Lesson Plan #1: SACRAMENTS OF HEALING (Sacraments and Prayer pp.112 113) Welcome: As students arrive, ask them to take a pair of scissors, a marker, and a felt square (or piece of construction paper) and be seated. Ask them to trace and cut out their hand from the felt square. On your felt hand on one side name a possible sin or two; on the other side print the first name or initials of someone you know who is sick, elderly, or suffering. Keep the felt hand in a book or tablet till needed later. Opening Prayer: Choose Luke 15:11-32, Luke19: 1-10, Mark 2: 1-12, John 8:1-11 or Matt. 6: 9-15 and ask students to think of forgiveness, healing, and reconciliation. Read the passage again and allow a few moments for reflection. Ask students for comments. About the Sacrament of Reconciliation: The Sacrament of Reconciliation is the process that works toward both settling conflicts and restoring relationships when sinful choices are involved. --The first step is become aware that we have offended. We ask ourselves: How am I treating others? How am I contributing to my familys well-being? How am I following Gods commandments? --The next step is to admit the fault to our own self and if possible to the offended person. --We express our sorrow by saying Im sorry. --If the other person accepts our apology, we are forgiven. --After we have been forgiven we try to change our conduct. This entire process is known as reconciliation. The elements of this process are present in the sacrament of reconciliation. They go by different names but the process is the same. Becoming aware you have offended is also known as an examination of conscience. Confession is another name for admitting your fault. Contrition is a word that means to express sorrow. In the sacrament of reconciliation, the priest prays a prayer of absolution--to take away sin when you are forgiven. The name for changing your conduct is penance. The priest usually has some suggestions for things you can do. The process of reconciliation is also found in gospel stories where Jesus offers or speaks about forgiveness. (We opened class with 5 of them.) Role-Play Set up 2 chairs facing one another in front of the group. Ask for 2 volunteers to take the parts of priest and penitent and briefly role play these main elements of the sacrament of reconciliation: 1. welcome, 2. sharing of scripture, 3. confession of sins, 4. act of contrition, 5. absolution, 6. giving of penance, 7. sending. Choose more volunteers to repeat the role play as time allows. Anointing of the Sick When you first arrived you cut out a hand from felt and wrote someones name on it. Our hands symbolize our efforts to reach out and offer healing to one another through empathy, actions, prayer. A Member of the Division of Catholic Education

Activity: What Jesus did was encounter the suffering, heal the suffering, and allow the person who was healed to respond. Mark 1:29-31; Matt. 9: 1-7, Luke 5: 12-16, Luke 7:11-17. For each of these gospel stories discuss: What was the Problem? What did Jesus do about it? What was the Response? (May be done as one big group with someone at the board or in small groups or privately in a journal). The second Vatican Council in the 1960s re-emphasized the ancient practice of anointing with oil, laying hands on any who suffer serious illness including the elderly, those facing major surgery, children with a serious illness as well as the dying. The sacrament is no longer thought of as the last rites and can be repeated as many times as necessary. The council also recommended that the sacrament be celebrated communally when possible especially within a Sunday liturgy. When the sacrament is celebrated in a home or at the hospital, the sick persons family and friends are encouraged to be present. Rite of the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick Whether the sacrament of anointing of the sick is celebrated with the entire faith community or just the sick person and his or her family the outline is similar. Introductory Rite The priest greets and blesses the sick person and guests and blesses them with holy water saying: Let this water call to mind your baptismal sharing in Christs redeeming passion and resurrection. If necessary, the priest may lead a penitential prayer or hear the sick persons confession. Liturgy of the Word The priest or another person presents reads from the scriptures words of hope, healing and restored dignity. Laying on of Hands/Anointing Imitating the actions of Jesus, the priest silently lays his hands on the sick person. After blessing the oil, he anoints the persons forehead and hands saying: Through this holy anointing may the Lord in His love and mercy help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit. Activity Suggestions 1.Challenge the class to offer services for an afternoon to someone who is ill. They can run errands or do household chores or yard work as the person needs. A list of the homebound or ill can be provided by the parish. 2. Attend a communal celebration of the Anointing of the Sick at the parish or a neighboring parish. After the celebration have the class share their impressions of how the healing presence of Jesus was made alive. Closing prayer: Have students hold the felt hand in their hand and ask them to individually pray aloud for the needs of the person they have printed using these or similar words: For _____name____ who suffers from __type of illness___ we pray, Lord Jesus, heal us. After everyone has prayed, let students place their felt hands on the prayer table to be remembered in future classes. Compiled and written by Elaine Dankowski, Department of Lifelong Faith Formation Phone (716) 847-5516 Email: edankowski@buffalodiocese.org

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Lesson Plan #2: Catholic Prayers and Traditions (Sacraments and Prayer pp. 115-117) The activities in this lesson may be used as a single lesson on the Rosary or Stations of the Cross. SUPPLIES: paper Pens/pencils Kaleidoscope(s)

TIPS FOR FACILITATING DISCUSSION Let them answer the questions waiting for answers is important Reflective listening repeat back what they say so that everyone hears it As discussion goes on invite responses from the introverts (more quiet students) *Please note that the possible discussion responses in italics are only suggestions. Feel free to come up with other discussion questions. The young peoples responses may take the discussion in a different direction than given in the lesson plan. If that direction corresponds to the theme facilitate it through that. ACTIVITY: My Life Timeline. Give the young people paper and a pen/pencil. Instruct them to draw a horizontal line across the center of the paper. Tell them to write their birth date at the beginning of the line on the left, and todays date at the end of the line. Instruct them to mark the events of their lives on the line. Getting a pet, going into high school, Baptism, making your First Communion, etc. All of these may be marked. Exact dates are not necessary. Divide the class into small groups (3 or 4 young people/group) and instruct them to share their timelines with each other. When they are done sharing tell them to select one event and think about what they learned from it. If they feel comfortable they may share this with their small group. Reconvene to a large group and ask if anyone would like to share one of their learnings from life. The Rosary Divide the young people into 5 groups (this may be just partners of 2.) Give each group one of the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary (Annunciation, Visitation, Birth of Jesus, Presentation of Jesus in the Temple and Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple.) Have each group determine the following about their mystery: a. What can we learn from this event b. What can we apply to our own faith journey c. What should we reflect on as we pray this mystery Reconvene to a large group and have each small group share their information. If time allows you can do this for all 4 Sets of Mysteries. Explain to the young people that when they learned to pray the Rosary as a child it was the repetition of the prayers. As we grow and continue on our faith journey we reflect on our prayers more. Even just the words of the Our Father and Hail Mary can be reflected on. When we pray the rosary the mysteries give us many things to reflect on. You can use this same activity for the Stations of the Cross.
20 min.

20 min.

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ACTIVITY: Pass around the kaleidoscope. Allow the young people to look inside it. The contents stay the same but as the kaleidoscope is spun the images change. The contents are like our prayers the structure stays the same. As we grow and change/spin what we experience/learn/see from the prayers changes. Our mass is very similar. The structure is always the same, but how we respond changes. The beauty of our Catholic prayers and traditions is that they continue to speak to us as we move along our faith journey. CLOSURE: Get 3/5 responses to the following depending on time: I now know . . . I still wonder about . . . I understand . . . CLOSING PRAYER: Pray the Rosary or the Stations of the Cross. Votive candles could be lit for each Hail Mary in the decades or one votive candle per mystery. Another option is to use the If God Should Speak dialogue on the Our Father from Vine and Branches, Volume 1 from Saint Marys Press.

5 min.

5 min.

10 min.

Compiled and Written by Denise Heineman York, Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministry Phone (716) 847-8789 Email: dyork@buffalodiocese.org Rev. 3-09

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