Kim Donahue

Middle School Coordinator

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MiddleSchoolFormationClassDays/Times        (Days may very slightly in months where there are holidays) 

 Grade 6 - 5:30 - 8:30 pm the first Monday of the month. 

 Grade 7 - 5:30 - 8:30 pm the second Monday of the month 

 Grade 8 - 5:30 - 8:30 pm the third Monday of the month. 

  For 8th only

Wednesdays from 6-7:30 pm. ( Weekly schedule - Traditional Format)

The program is changing from the traditional catechesis of the past to a Dynamic Faith Learning Model - based on a Youth Ministry Format.

Each of the 8 sessions (October through May) will include these 5 componants:

1. Faith learning (a lesson)
2. Creative activity to enhance the learned experience. (Object lessons)
3. Prayer/Scripture
4. Service
5. Community building

Youth will gather together for opening prayer...and the topical lesson for the session. Then, they will rotate through the other 4 componants. At which point we will all come togeter for wrap up and closing prayer and a sending forth.

Here is a sample of a typical session:

 We Gather:      5:30 – 5:45 - Name Tags/Welcome/Opening Prayer and Introduction of Day 

Welcome the participants as they arrive. Make sure each person gets their nametag and gathers in their groups area in the church. Introduction of the leaders of the day. Then say:  We gather today to explore our images of God. We will spend time reflecting upon and learning about how we are all created in the image of God. We will explore Gods image as written in the scriptures. We will look at ourselves and see what images of God are present in us and in the people around us. We will have the opportunity to affirm the image of God found in the people gathered here.

Rotation 1: (All youth together for lesson stay in church)     5:45 – 6:10

Presentation Notes on Image of God

1. Introduce yourself
2. Share why you wanted to do this presentation.
3. Explain the point of the talk
4. We often feel judged by how we look.
5. Sometimes people think they know us, but they’re only seeing the outer part of who we are.
6. God knows us from the inside out!
7. Commonality of being judged by outward appearances
8. Share: When was a time that you felt overlooked or misjudged because of outward appearances?
9. Share: How did this make you feel?  Did you think that you were insignificant to God too?
10. Share: How does this realization change you?
11. We are called to live from the inside out
12. Physical beauty, athletic prowess, musical talent, intellectual greatness—these are all wonderful gifts, but they are not the sum total of who we are.
13. Share: What happened to change your perspective?
14. Share: What does it mean to live from the inside out? How does inner beauty show itself to others?
15. Each of us is called to live as sons and daughters of God.
16. Each of us is a treasured gift made in the image and likeness of God. 

 Rotation 2     Prayer and/or Scripture – Lesson        6:15 – 6:40 

Images of God—in Scripture   

In this activity, participants explore some of the images of God found in Scripture and the images they hold about God. The participants will share their experiences with each other so common bonds may be established and different visions may be respected.

 Divide the participants into small groups of four. Assign a small group leader to each group. Distribute Handout 2, God in Scripture, to the participants and be sure each person has a pen. Give these instructions to the group: 

In your small groups, please read aloud the Scripture passages listed on the handout. You will be answering all three questions for each Scripture reading. Read a Scripture passage, then answer the questions for that passage before moving on to the next passage. You will want to take some notes as you listen to each passage so that you can answer the final question on the handout without having to reread all the Scripture passages. After all groups have finished the worksheet, we will share some of the responses to the final question. There are no wrong answers to the final question.

After 10 minutes, check to see how the groups are doing. It may not be possible to get through all of the Scripture passages. Remind the small group leaders to allow some time for the participants to answer the final question. After 15 minutes, gather the participants together and invite a few to share their response to the last question.

          ▪ Were you surprised by the many ways God is described in Scripture?

          ▪ Why do you think there are so many descriptions?

Participants will likely say that God is difficult to describe because no one has actually seen God, and that God is quite beyond our imagination. There are so many wonderful aspects to God that our own human language isn’t quite capable of capturing everything that is God. We use art, music, stories, etc. to try to describe our experience and image of God. As we grow older, we continue to learn about God and continue to add to our images of him. Our image of God will always be limited.

End with a meditative prayer about our God given gifts.

Rotation 3: Object Lesson (activity)        6:45 – 7:10

Images of God—in Me

Divide the participants into small groups of four with a small group facilitator. The facilitator leads a discussion using the following questions:

          Ø What in [insert name of speaker from lesson] talk teaches us about being created in the image of God?

          Ø In your life, what does it mean to live from the inside out?

          Ø Name one aspect of your ‘inner beauty or goodness’.

Give the groups about 10 minutes to have their discussion. Gather together in the large group. Ask if anyone would like to share something they said in their small group. After the sharing, make the following comments:

          • It is not what is on the outside that makes us who we are but what is on the inside.

          • God created us good and beautiful—even with our faults and failings.

          • “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31) We can count on God’s goodness and presence in our lives to strengthen us to live  

              as he intended.

          • Living from the inside out means using our gifts and talents for good.

Rotation 4: - Community Building / Snack      7:15 – 7:40

Community Building: Image Trace

Divide participants into four teams. Have them sit on the floor in a line, cross-legged, facing the back of the person in front of them. The last person in each line is given a simple drawing. The first person in each line is given a piece of paper and a fine-point marker. The task is for the last person to trace the image on the back of the person in front of him/her without speaking. That person traces the image they felt onto the back of the person in front of them until the image has reached the person in the front. The person at the front of each line will draw the image on the piece of paper provided. This is done in silence and as quickly and accurately as possible. Students may draw the image only once on the back of the person in front of them. The images from each team will be compared with the original images.

▪ Why are the images drawn by the person at the front of the line different from   

  the image seen by the initial drawer?

▪ What affects our ability to draw, describe, or imagine something?

Rotation 5 – Service Project (seasonal based)        7:45 – 8:10

Making Apple Pies for Teen Homeless Shelters

Purpose:

Everyone needs to understand their value in this world, as we are all made in His image and likeness. But for some, loving themselves and others can be challenging.

During this event middle school youth learn about teen homelessness and learn how to make apple pies. The event can be extended to include a field trip to a local apple farm where the young people can pick the apples for the pies and to take home. The session concludes with a blessing of the food being sent to the shelter. This session is designed for large or small group of middle school youth.

Conclusion - Wrap up and closing prayer back in church. 8:15 - 8:30 pm

Go Forth – Blessing of Apple Pies being sent to the shelter

Prayer Leader:     And together, let us pray our closing prayer:

All: O God, we seek you and yearn to be close to you. Help us this day to see your presence in our lives. Help us see that we are created good—in your image and likeness. We ask this in the name of Christ Jesus, your Son and our Savior. 

AMEN

Parent questions about the new program:

1) What happens if my child misses a session?                                                                                                                                                    

Well, hopefully the only reason for missing their once a month session will be illness. For 6th and 7th grade, your child will be provided a make up homework packet based on the same objectives of the session missed.  For 8th grade Confirmation preparation students, there will be a makeup session scheduled for May or June.

2) What does Parental Involvement required mean?

All parents are being asked to volunteer to help out at 2 sessions. When you register your child for religious formation, you will be asked to sign up then so that you can get your dates on your caelendar. Grandparents are welcome as well as Confirmation sponsors. There will be no preparation on your part, just show up.  The archdiocese of Detroit requires adults who volunteer with youth to attend a protecting God's Children Workshop, and submit to a criminal background check, at no expense to the participants.

3) What about the required retreat?

As part of their 30 hours of required religious formation, the youth are being asked to participate in a retreat. For 6th and 7th grade the retreat will be a day long one. ( more details to follow)  With an optional overnight retreat at the parents expense. For 8th grade Confirmation, there will be an over  night retreat, but the cost of this comes out of the sacramenatl prep. fee.

Some Additional Information on Adolescent catechesis...which helped us to determine the direction we wanted to go with a new program:

Center for Ministry Development’s Approach to Adolescent Catechesis

All ministry with adolescents must be directed toward presenting young people with the Good News of Jesus Christ and inviting and challenging them to become his disciples. For this reason, catechesis is an essential component of youth ministry and one that needs renewed emphasis."

Renewing the Vision: A Framework for Catholic Youth Ministry
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 1997, p. 10

“…adolescent catechesis is most effective when situated within a comprehensive program of youth ministry that includes social, liturgical, and catechetical components as well as opportunities for service.”

 National Directory for Catechesis
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2005, p. 264

Parish communities across the United States have demonstrated that effective adolescent catechesis relies on the context of comprehensive youth ministry and the intentionality of a systematic approach. When asked about effective youth ministry, pastors, parents, parish leaders, and youth agree that learning and growing in faith is at the heart of ministry with young people. This experience matches with the direction provided by national documents for catechesis and youth ministry which converge around two important insights. First, youth ministry is effective when evangelization and catechesis are at the core of all pastoral efforts. Second, catechesis for youth happens most effectively in the context of broader youth ministry efforts. Within this context, informal catechetical moments help youth to make the connections between faith and life. Systematic, intentional catechesis helps youth develop as followers of Christ who grow to know, love, and live their Catholic faith. It leads them to ongoing conversion. Working together, these elements forge a connection for youth where faith becomes their compass for life, and formation in the faith becomes lifelong.

This connection is first nurtured in the family which remains the most important context for the support of faith formation throughout childhood and the teenage years. Parishes with vibrant youth ministry partner with families and provide support for parents to share faith, pray together, and serve together as a family. Involving youth in the whole parish community reinforces family faith formation and strengthens formation within gatherings of youth with their peers.

All of these efforts are supported by intentional formation of leaders and the use of dynamic resources that can help build the context and equip catechists to help youth grow in faith understanding and commitment. The Center for Ministry Development is committed to working closely with diocesan, parish, and school leaders to support the ongoing formation of leaders for ministry and to provide resources for catechesis that are faithful, dynamic, and practical for use in a variety of settings.