Page 12 - Lessons and Activities on What Makes Us Catholic

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BAPTISMAL DAYS
Objective
To enable learners to learn more about
the sacrament of baptism, especially their baptismal day, through interviews of people who celebrated the day
Background for Catechists
Baptism, the sacrament of the beginning of new life in Christ, is just that: a beginning. Baptism isn’t a once-and-done sacrament. We live our baptism and our baptismal promises each and every day.
One of the ways to keep our focus on the centrality of our baptism is to remember and celebrate the anniversary of our baptism: remembering with our families, reminiscing over photos, bringing out our baptismal candle and baptismal white garment, having a special meal, and praying together, especially renewing our baptismal promises.
Materials
□ Copies of the handout □ Blank paper □ Pencils or pens
Lesson Starter
Ask: Do you remember the day of your baptism? (Some might say yes because their family has talked about it with them, shown them the pictures, etc.) Do you know the date of your baptism? Who was there with you? Why did your parents have you baptized?
Talk with your children/youth about the im- portance of baptism in our lives: initiation into the Christian community, the bestowal of a name (our personal name and the name “Chris- tian”), renunciation of sin, the celebration that God has chosen us, the gift of grace, and the beginning of a new life in Jesus Christ.
Activity
Invite your children/youth to interview some people who were present at their baptism (their parents, godparents, grandparents, other relatives and friends, etc.). (Interviewing is
a helpful catechetical activity that involves family members/others in the community in the child’s faith formation, helps the children/ youth bene t from the wisdom of the larger community, and helps the learners to connect their classroom learning with the “real” world.)
Distribute copies of the handout and use it to help your learners prepare for the interview. Distribute blank paper and invite the children to write down some questions to ask for their interview. en draw them together to discuss some of their questions. Encourage them to use the papers as they conduct their interview.
Provide time in subsequent sessions for the children/youth to share their ndings with the rest of the group. Invite them too to share all that they found out with their parents.
Prayer Together
God of New Life, in baptism we were signed
with the cross, immersed in the saving waters,
and anointed with holy oil. You call us by name, calling us to grow in wisdom, age, and grace.
We promise to walk with others in your love, to care for others, and to be peacemakers in our world.
Options
▪ Invite the learners to create something to help them remember all that they have discovered: a booklet, a PowerPoint, a poster, etc., about their baptism.
▪ Encourage families to celebrate the baptismal anniversaries of every family member.
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Twenty-Third Publications Sample