Daily Challenge: Sustainability In Style Video or TikTok. Find a creative, fun way to be sustainable and make a video of you being sustainable in style. Send to [email protected]
Parent/Child Activity: Read Genesis 1:1-2:3 with Lectio Divina Read aloud the passage a first time. This is an opportunity to get to know the Scripture passage. Listen carefully for any words or phrases that jump out. How many times God says He “saw that it was good”? ______Name all God created in 7 days:
o ______
o ______
o ______
Read the passage a second time. The second reading focuses further on the points I become aware of in the first reading. Often, I’ll just re-read a few verses so I can reflect carefully on where God has nudged me. What stands out most in the passage for you? For your children? Reflect on What God might be saying to you.
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Read the passage a third time. After the third reading, it is time to respond. Record your thoughts (I like to record my thoughts because I am very prone to forgetting what I’ve learned, even by the next day!) God creates good things. Reflect on what good things are in your life? What are you thankful for? How can you show that we are thankful? ______
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Daily Challenge: Creation Scavenger Hunt! Bring along a camera/phone to take pictures for this exciting scavenger hunt.
Do the Stairs Tik Tok Challenge Make a Rosary out of rocks Walk around your neighborhood Play catch at a ball park and ask your neighbors how they are doing (with parents Find 6 friends to make a pyramid permission only) Take a Hike Go for a bike ride Say a prayer for your pet Take a picture of a sunrise or Cross over a bridge sunset Do the Dare to Be Different Tik Help in your family’s garden Tok Challenge Water the plants around your Use a reusable water bottle house Spell out the word CREATION Take a turn doing chores using people Pick up trash around your Design a cross using nature – neighborhood leaves, sticks, rocks, grass, etc. Buy groceries with reusable bags Find 2 different sources of water Dress up like St. Francis of Assisi Build a fort out of natural Draw 3 plants and 3 animals with materials sidewalk chalk Find 3 different kinds of trees
Pray the Canticle of Creation Prayer Together: Be praised, my Lord, O Most High, all-powerful, good Lord God, for Sister Earth, our Mother, to you belong praise, glory, who nourishes us and sustains us, bringing honor and all blessing. forth fruits and vegetables of many kinds and Be praised, my Lord, for all your creation flowers of many colors. and especially for our Brother Sun, who brings us the day and the light; Be praised, my Lord, he is strong and shines magnificently. for those who forgive for love of you; O Lord, we think of you when we look at him. and for those Be praised, my Lord, for Sister Moon, who bear sickness and weakness and for the stars in peace and patience which you have set shining and lovely - you will grant them a crown. in the heavens. Be praised, my Lord, for our Sister Death, Be praised, my Lord, whom we must all face. for our Brothers Wind and Air I praise and bless you, Lord, and every kind of weather and I give thanks to you, by which you, Lord, and I will serve you in all humility. Amen. uphold life in all your creatures. Be praised, my Lord, for Sister Water, who is very useful to us, Watch the Catholic Social and humble and precious and pure. Teaching Video on Caring for Be praised, my Lord, for Brother Fire, through whom you give us light in the Creation: darkness: Search “CST he is bright and lively and strong. 101 | Care for God’s Creation” on YouTube. Talk it out and write it out: How are we called to care for God's creation? How can I care for my home? How can I care for the earth?
Story of St. Francis and the Wolf In this well-known legend, Saint Francis goes to the Italian town of Gubbio, where a fierce wolf had been terrorizing the village and even killing some of the people, including children. According to the story, when the wolf sees Saint Francis, he comes charging at the saint with his mouth open, ready to attack. Saint Francis immediately makes the sign of the cross over him and says, “Come here, Brother Wolf. I command you on behalf of Christ that you do no harm to me or to anyone.” As soon as Saint Francis did this, notes The Little Flowers, “the fearsome wolf closed his mouth and stopped running; and once the command was given, it came meekly as a lamb, and threw itself at the feet of Saint Francis.”
Then Saint Francis scolds Brother Wolf for destroying and killing the creatures of God. “The whole town is complaining about you,” Francis tells the wolf gently. “But I want to make peace between you and the people. And so I promise that I will have food given to you regularly, Brother Wolf, by the people of this town so that you will no longer suffer hunger. And I want you, Brother Wolf, to promise that you will never harm any human person or animal.” The wolf showed agreement by simply bowing his head.
And so Francis asks the people of the town if they will promise to provide food for wolf regularly. They all say they will. Finally, Saint Francis asks the wolf to give a guarantee in front of all of the people that he will no longer inflict harm upon the people of Gubbio or its animals.
“Then the wolf, lifting his right paw, placed it in the hand of Saint Francis. Because of this action…there was such rejoicing and wonder among all the people…that they all began to cry to heaven, praising and blessing God who sent Francis to them who, through his merits, had freed them from the jaws of the cruel beast.”
“Afterwards that same wolf lived in Gubbio for two years, and he tamely entered the houses, going from door to door, without doing any harm to anyone and without any being done to him; and he was kindly fed by the people….Finally after two years Brother Wolf died of old age, at which the citizens grieved very much.”
In part, what the story of Francis and the wolf reveals to us is that Saint Francis—as a follower of Christ, the Messiah foretold by Isaiah—is helping to bring about the same peace and reconciliation in this world. This peace, harmony and reconciliation is not only meant to exist between God and humans, but also between God and the whole family of creation! We, too, can be instruments of this peace. After learning about St. Francis and the Wolf, play a game of tag. One child is the Wolf. One is St. Francis. The rest are the villagers of Gubbio. On “go”, the Wolf tries to tag the villagers. If he does, they must freeze or lay down. Meanwhile Francis tries to catch the Wolf. If he does, he says, “In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, let there be peace between you and the people.” That round of tag ends. Make sure each person who would like to be the Wolf and Francis do so, one after the other.
about 125 -150 yds. Long. You have 10 seconds to Animal Relay Game run as far as you can. Record distance here: ______St. Francis of Assisi loved animals! See if you can follow these animals’ Station 5: A skunk can spray skills. its scent 5-10 feet with accuracy. Supply squirt guns Instructions: Try some of the amazing skills and targets (cup or small that animals have and see how you stack up to bucket) to see how accurately the animal world. Each person will need a you can spray water. Stand about 5’ from a cup and Creature Feat Sheet (check-off list at end of try to fill it with water with 20-30 pulls of the squirt gun trigger. Measure how much water was resources) to keep track of their own “score”. collected and record here:
______Station 1: A bird can beat its wings 3 times a second. See how many Station 6: An ant can carry times you can flap your “wings” 20 times its own weight. You (arms) in ten seconds. Need will need a 5 gallon buckets, someone to time and help count. rope and phone books. Tie the Record here: ______rope to the handle of the bucket and throw the rope A bullfrog can jump 7 Station 2: over a sturdy tree branch. Put a phone book in the feet. Draw out on pavement a bucket and see if you can pull the free end of the starting/jumping line and rope to raise the bucket off the ground. Keep additional lines at 6” to one foot adding phone books until the bucket can’t be lifted intervals from there –or- lay out COMFORTABLY. string on the grass as the starting/jumping line and use a tape measure to measure jump length. Stand Record here: ______at starting line and do a standing long jump – no Station 7: An elephant can pass water through its running start! trunk. Grab one reusable cup per player, a tub Record length of jump here: ______filled with water, and an empty tub (this can be a bowl, tub, cooler, etc.). The players will form one A snake is able to Station 3: team. Each team will stand in a slither on its belly under objects straight line, each person in front of without legs/feet. Set up three the other. The first person in line will heights of “limbo” poles and see if fill up the cup from the tub filled with you can make your way under each water. Pass the water overhead from pole without knocking off the pole. person’s cup to person’s cup and try The highest poles they can limbo under but the not to spill the water. The last person in line will lowest pole, you must slither on your belly! Record dump the water into the empty tub until it is filled success here: ______up to 3 inches. Station 4: A fox can run about 26 mph at top Record how long it takes here: speed = .43 miles (763 yds.) per minute = approx. ______125 yds. in 10 seconds. Create a running course Pray the prayer for the 5th Anniversary for Laudato Si: Starting with the letter “A,” find something along the trail that begins with “A”, and Loving God, continue on through the rest of the alphabet. Creator of Heaven, Earth, and all therein Take a picture with the thing that was most contained. challenging to find. Open our minds and touch our hearts, so that we can be part of Creation, your gift.
Be present to those in need in these difficult times, especially the poorest and most vulnerable. Help us to show creative solidarity as we confront the consequences of the global pandemic. Make us courageous in embracing the changes required to seek the common good. Now more than ever, may we all feel interconnected and interdependent.
Enable us to succeed in listening and responding to the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor. May their current sufferings become the birth- pangs of a more fraternal and sustainable world.
We pray through Christ our Lord, under the loving gaze of Mary Help of Christians.
Amen. Use the word bank below to fill in the fun facts about Pope Francis.
Pope Francis was What date was Pope born on What 3 languages does Francis elected by the ______in Pope Francis speak Papal Conclave? ______, fluently? ______Argentina. ______Pope Francis is the 1st ______pope. He is also the 1st pope from the Pope Francis ______for ______. himself, takes public Another fun fact about Pope transportation, and fights for Francis is that he is the first the ______. Pontiff to take the name He is known for being a man “Francis” after of deep ______and ______. ______.
What is Pope Before Pope Francis was elected, he Francis’ real was the ______of name? Buenos Aires. ______Word Bank March 13, 2013 English simplicity German humility Americas Italian Jesuit Jorge Mario Bergoglio St. Francis of Assisi Cooks Buenos Aires Archbishop December 17, 1937 poor Daily Challenge: Photo Challenge: Watch Video on Laudato Si Show a way that you care for creation ‘Praised Be’: and post a video/picture to Facebook in Search “Laudato Si – CRS Animated Brief” on the comments section. YouTube Talk it out: What stands out to you from the video? How can you be better stewards of the
environment in our community? At home?
Pray Together the Prayer to Our Common Home: Father of all, to those in poverty impacted by Creator and ruler of the universe, environmental devastation, You entrusted your world to us as a gift. and to future generations. Help us to care for it and all people, that we may live in right relationship-- Holy Spirit, with You, giver of wisdom and love, with ourselves, You breathe life in us and guide us. with one another, Help us to live according to your vision, and with creation. stirring to action the hearts of all— individuals and families, Christ our Lord, communities of faith, both divine and human, and civil and political leaders. You lived among us and died for our sins. Help us to imitate your love for the human Triune God, help us to hear the cry of those family in poverty, and the cry of the earth, so that by recognizing that we are all connected— we may together care for our common to our brothers and sisters around the home. world, Amen. 1. The encyclical (Church teaching) is for everyone. All can read and reflect over the words of Pope Francis in this encyclical. 2. Call to care for the earth. God created the world and entrusted it to us as a gift. Now we have the responsibility to care for and protect it and all people, who are part of creation. Protecting human dignity is strongly linked to care for creation. 3. Caring for the earth has been a concern of the Church for over 40 years. Pope Benedict XVI and Pope John Paul II speak about this concern. 4. Relationship is key. All people are in relationship with God, with our neighbor, and with the earth. If one relationship is harmed, the others are harmed as well. We are called to care for the poor and the earth. 5. Call to solidarity. People in poverty have contributed least to climate change, yet they are disproportionately impacted by it. Those who are poor experience pollution, lack of access to clean water, hunger, and more. We are one human family and have a shared responsibility for others and for creation. 6. A Change of Heart is Required. We can see the hurt relationship between God, people, and creation. Pope Francis shares his hope with us because God is with us. We can work as individuals and as a community to an “ecological conversion” of our hearts to make lifestyle changes (No. 49).