The Communion of Saints

UNIT 1, LESSON 5

Learning Goals Connection to the The Communion of Saints is the Catechism of the community of believers in Heaven, in Catholic Church Purgatory, and on earth. CCC 459 A saint is a holy person whom the CCC 828

having practiced heroic virtue and lived CCC 948 a holy, faithful life worthy of imitation CCC 1821 and who is in Heaven with God. CCC 2013-2016 We are all called to be saints. Vocabulary Icon Halo Saint Communion of Saints Church Triumphant Church Suffering Church Militant Corporal Works of Mercy

BIBLICAL TOUCHSTONES

So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of perfect. these least brothers of mine, you did for me.

MATTHEW 5:48 MATTHEW 25:40

85 Lesson Plan

Materials Disputation of the Sacrament Communion of the Communion of Saints Saints Assessment Fill-in-the-Blank Crayons, markers, and/ I Am a Member of the or colored pencils Communion of Saints Cardstock, cut into trading- Lives of the Saints card-size cards Teacher Resource: Litany of the Saints

DAY ONE Warm-Up A. Lead your students in the following prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, Thank you for your gift of the saints whose example helps make me holy and a better follower of you. May all the saints pray for me as I work on being holy. Help me, Lord Jesus, to answer your call to be a saint too. Disputation of the Sacrament by Raphael Amen. B. Have your students turn to Disputation of the Sacrament (page 62). Project an image of the fresco by Raphael. Give your students a few minutes to observe the image. Then ask:

painting? How does this painting make you feel? Describe what you see in this painting? What do you think this an image of? Heaven, the Communion of Saints, or all of the angels 62 and saints in Heaven. Where is Jesus in this painting? Why do you think the artist placed Him where He is? Who else is with Him? He is in the center of the circle (Heaven). The artist probably place Him there because He is the king of the

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universe and reigns over Heaven. He is with God the Father (above Him)and the Holy Spirit (as a dove beneath them) with Mary and Joseph to His sides. Where do you see angels in this painting? How do you know they are angels? At the top and on either side of Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit. We know they are angels because they are depicted with wings. Who are all of the other people depicted in Heaven with Jesus? The saints. What does Jesus (and the saints in Heaven) have around his head? What do you think this means? A halo. A halo is an artistic representation of a person’s holiness. Jesus (and often the angels and saints) are usually depicted with halos to show that they are holy. Jesus and Mary are also usually shown with halos. Who are the people at the bottom of the painting beneath Heaven? What are they doing? All of the people still alive on earth working out their salvation. They appear to be worshiping Jesus in the Eucharist which is on the altar. (The priests and bishops shown with them are directing the worship of the people towards Jesus in Heaven.)

Activity A. Have your students turn to Communion of Communion of Saints Fill-in-the-Blank Saints Fill-in-the-Blank (page 63) and 4. The Church ______are all the souls in Directions:Heaven Listen with to God. your teacher explain the Communion of follow along with your mini-lecture using 5. The Churchwords from ______the word bank. are all the souls

Word Bank with the correct word from the word bank as 6. The CommunionChurch ______Suffering are all the souls working on their holiness on earth.Heaven you explain the main ideas. You may choose Triumphant Church 7. The CommunionMilitant of Saints is the ______Saint . Holiness Virtue 8. The saints are our model of ______. students as you conduct the mini-lecture. 9. The saints practiced ______and lived 1. A ______is someone who has died and lives of service. B. Explain the following to your students in a whose soul is in Heaven with God.

10. God wants us to be in ______with Him. mini-lecture: 2. We can ______to the saints and ask them to pray for us. A saint is someone who has died and whose soul 3. The ______of Saints is the community is in Heaven with God. God calls us all to be saints — to eventually be in Heaven with Him. 63

64 by name. These are souls we are assured have lived holy lives and are in Heaven with God. We can pray to them and ask them to pray for us. We can also look to them as examples to follow. The Communion of Saints is made up of people who are living and people who have died. It includes all the souls who have gone before us and are now with God in Heaven. We call these souls the Church Triumphant. The Communion of Saints includes those who have died and are

UNIT 1, LESSON 5 87 LESSON PLAN

souls the Church Suffering. And the Communion of Saints includes all of us who are still working on our holiness by following Jesus here in our earthly lives. We call these souls the Church Militant. In other words, the Communion of Saints is the Church! The Communion of Saints is God’s household, not just in Heaven, but on earth, too. That includes

The saints are our models of holiness. Our spiritual lives require a lot of attention. It is not enough just to go to Mass once a week. We need to practice our Faith daily. Jesus is always our best role model, but the saints can also help us achieve a life of holiness. They are people who really lived like and for Jesus — they practiced virtue and lived lives of service, and we believe that they are in Heaven with God. God has blessed us with saints across the world and throughout time as models for us to follow on our journey to holiness. The saints include people from different walks of life, with different jobs, of different ages, and with different interests, gifts, and talents. God wants all of us to be holy, to become saints, and to live with Him forever in Heaven.

Formative Assessment

I Am a Member of the Have your students turn to I Am a Member of the Communion of Saints Communion of Saints (page 65). Make crayons, Directions: Draw your own face in the crowd listening to Jesus. markers, and/or colored pencils available, and have Next, draw the faces of some of your favorite saints. Then color the picture. your students draw their own face in the crowd surrounding Jesus. Have them draw the faces of some other saints, such as Mary, St. Peter, St. Francis, or Pope St. John Paul II. Then have them color the rest of the picture.

DAY TWO Warm-Up A. Lead your students in praying the litany of the 65 saints, found on Teacher Resource: Litany of the Saints (page 102 in this guide). Have your students respond, “Pray for us” after each saint’s name is invoked. B. Then review the previous day’s lesson by asking the following questions: What is the Communion of Saints? on earth. What is a saint? Someone who has died and whose soul is in Heaven with God.

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Who is part of the Communion of the Saints? The saints in Heaven with God (the Church

holiness on earth (the Church Militant). C. Then ask your students the following questions to lead into today’s lesson: Which saints can you name? Accept reasoned answers. In what ways do we honor and remember the saints? Name churches after them, celebrate them on their feast days, display their images in our homes and churches, and so forth. Accept other reasoned answers. Why do you think a saint’s feast day is the date of his or her death? That is when the saint joined God’s heavenly household. Another way to think of a saint is as a hero. What is a hero? Why do we admire a hero? Would you like to be a hero? Can heroes be ordinary people? Yes, saints were ordinary people who never gave up seeking holiness in their lives. You too can be a saint by following their example!

Activity and Assessment Lives of the Saints

Directions: Read about theSt. livesFrancis of these of saints.Assisi Then write about Have your students turn to Lives of the Saints how you can follow their example. St. Francis heard Jesus speak to Him. JesusSt. told Thérèse Francis, of “Rebuild Lisieux my Church.” St. St. Peter (page 66) and read about the lives of the FrancisSt. gave Thérèse away of all Lisieux of his wasmoney known and asall theof AD 1181-1226 his thingsLittle to Flower. theSt. poor. ShePaul He loved lived God a simple so much life Feast Day: and beggedthat everything for all he she needed. did she St. dedicated Francis not to saints. Have them consider how they can follow October 4 AD 1873-1897only built a physical church, but his example Him. She calledBeforeSt. it he her Teresa became Little ofWay Christian,Calcutta — loving he hunted Feast Day: Died AD 64 who helpedrenewed growGod the the inChurch evenholiness theand ofsmallest spread the entire deeds. Catholic Doing October 1 ChristiansSt. Teresa and handed was known them during over to her the life as the example of each saint in their own lives. You Feast Day: Christianity.Church. HeDied foundedsomething AD St. 67 Francis the as Christian simplewas kind as toholding animals a door open June 29 Mother Teresa.St. Maximilian She spent Kolbe most of her life andFeast caredfor Day: someone for all of cannature. be done He founded with great the love. caring for the extremely poor, the sick, and Gospel andFranciscan broughtJune 29 many Order people of friars. into the St. Maximilian Kolbe was a priest in ThérèseAD 1910-1997 becametraveled very throughout sick while the she world was and founded may choose to have students work individually to Church. stillFeast young. Day:many Even Christian though she communities. suffered greatly, He converted What is one thing you Teresacan do tohelped follow others to feel valued and sheSeptember still lovedmany 5 God thousands and lived of her people life with to Christianity joy. and What is onethe thing example you can of St.do ADFrancis?to follow1894-1941cared for athad the nowhere hardest tomoments go. The inNazis life. raided read all of the saint biographies, or arrange your the example of St. Peter? wroteFeast Shemany Day: founded letters ato religious teach them. order Some of sisters of who What is one thing you can doMaximilian’s to follow shelter and took him and HisAugust letters 14 are part of the New Testament. the example of St.continue Thérèse? herhis workcompanions with the topoor a death and sick. camp. There students in pairs or small groups and assign a Maximilian always put the needs of others What isWhat one is thing one youthing can you do can to followdo to follow ahead of his own. He gave away his food, the examplethe example of St. Paul?of St. Teresa of Calcutta? he heard confessions, and he said Mass. biography or biographies to each group and have One day Maximilian volunteered to take the punishment for another man who had a wife them report back to the class. and children. Maximilian was starved for two 66 weeks, and then the Nazis poisoned him, and he died. The man whose place he took survived the war.67

What is one thing you can do to follow 68 the example of St. Maximilian Kolbe?

DAY THREE 70

71 Warm-Up A. Explain to your students that, in his letters, which we read in the New Testament, St. Paul called ordinary living people “saints.” He believed that all who share Christ’s life here on earth are saints, or at least future saints. We, the saints on earth still working out our holiness and salvation, are united with the saints in Heaven, who have already run the race and won the

Saints to work together for the glory of God. B. Continue to explain that when we love and serve others, as Jesus commanded us to do, we are

UNIT 1, LESSON 5 89 LESSON PLAN

our lives in the Eucharist, our daily bread. But He also comes into our lives as the poor and the broken, the abandoned and the hungry. Serving these people, as the saints did, gives us the opportunity to serve Jesus Himself. C. Ask your students what things they can do to imitate, or be more like, the saints. Examples might include praying, serving the poor, attending Mass, performing acts of charity, and so forth.

Activity Note: In advance, cut a number of trading-card-size cards out of card stock, enough for each student

resources. Then have your students create Saint Trading Cards of two saints of their choice. Make crayons, markers, and/or colored pencils available, and have your students draw a picture of each saint on one side of each trading card. Then have them write on the backs of the cards key details about the saints, such as the time periods in which they lived, their feast dates, what they are the patron saints of, what special gifts or talents they had, and their accomplishments. Also have your students write at least one way in which they can imitate each saint. B. and have them take turns sharing about their saints using their Saint Trading Cards as an aid. Students may also trade their cards to build a collection of saints. C. Optional: Set up a Saint Trading Card section in your classroom using string and mini clothespins. Hang the string by both ends, and, using the clothespins, clip onto it the Saint Trading Cards that your students wish to trade. Make extra blank cards available for students

Communion of the to create additional saint cards when they have Saints Assessment Communion of the SaintsDirections: Assessment Read each statement. Circle “True” if it is a true statement or “False” if it is a false statement. new cards for those hanging on the string. Invite

Directions: Read each statement. Circle “True” if it is a true students from the whole school to participate. 1. Halosstatement are used or “False” in art toif itshow is a false that statement. True False someone is holy. Encourage your students to give their cards to 1. Halos2. are The used Communion in art to show of Saints that refers only Trueto True False False someonethe is holy. souls with God in Heaven. people in need, such as those in a nursing home or 2. The Communion3. A saint is of someone Saints refers who onlyhas diedto andTrue True False False hospital. the soulswhose with God soul in is Heaven. with God in Heaven.

3. A saint4. is Thesomeone Church who Militant has died refers and to the soulsTrue in True False False whose soul is with God in Heaven.

4. The Church5. Militant refers to the souls in True True False False Assessment who were trying to be holy “saints.”

5. 6. Only priests are called to be saints. True True False False A. Have your students turn to Communion of the who were trying to be holy “saints.” 7. When we serve others, we are really True False Saints Assessment (page 72) and determine 6. Only priestsserving are calledJesus. to be saints. True False

7. When we serve others, we are really True False whether each statement is true or false. serving Jesus. 72 B.

72 discuss the correct answers.

90 © SOPHIA INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS Disputation of the Sacrament by Raphael

UNIT 1, LESSON 5 91 Answer Key 1. Saint 2. Pray Communion of Saints 3. Communion Fill-in-the-Blank

Directions: Listen to your teacher explain the Communion of

words from the word bank.

Word Bank Communion Suffering Heaven Triumphant Church Militant Saint Holiness Virtue

1. A ______is someone who has died and whose soul is in Heaven with God.

2. We can ______to the saints and ask them to pray for us.

3. The ______of Saints is the community

92 © SOPHIA INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS Answer Key 4. Triumphant

5. Suffering 4. The Church ______are all the souls in Heaven with God. 6. Militant

7. Church 5. The Church ______are all the souls

8. Holiness

9. Virtue 6. The Church ______are all the souls working on their holiness on earth. 10. Heaven

7. The Communion of Saints is the ______.

8. The saints are our model of ______.

9. The saints practiced ______and lived lives of service.

10. God wants us to be in ______with Him.

UNIT 1, LESSON 5 93 I Am a Member of the Communion of Saints

Directions: Draw your own face in the crowd listening to Jesus. Next, draw the faces of some of your favorite saints. Then color the picture.

94 © SOPHIA INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS Answer Key St. Peter: Invite a friend to church, be an altar server, greet Lives of the Saints people at Mass, and Directions: Read about the lives of these saints. Then write about so forth. how you can follow their example.

St. Peter

Died AD 64 who helped grow the Church and spread Feast Day: Christianity. He founded the Christian June 29 Gospel and brought many people into the Church.

What is one thing you can do to follow the example of St. Peter?

UNIT 1, LESSON 5 95 Answer Key St. Francis of Assisi: Donate toys and St. Francis of Assisi clothes to local St. Francis heard Jesus speak to Him. charities, volunteer at an animal shelter, try Jesus told Francis, “Rebuild my Church.” St. to live in a holy way in Francis gave away all of his money and all of AD 1181-1226 your own life, and so his things to the poor. He lived a simple life forth. Feast Day: and begged for all he needed. St. Francis not October 4 only built a physical church, but his example renewed the holiness of the entire Catholic Church. St. Francis was kind to animals and cared for all of nature. He founded the Franciscan Order of friars.

What is one thing you can do to follow the example of St. Francis?

96 © SOPHIA INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS Answer Key St. Thérèse of Lisieux: Do chores St. Thérèse of Lisieux cheerfully, pray St. Thérèse of Lisieux was known as the often, remain joyful even when doing Little Flower. She loved God so much something you don’t that everything she did she dedicated to AD 1873-1897 like, and so forth. Him. She called it her Little Way — loving Feast Day: God in even the smallest deeds. Doing October 1 something as simple as holding a door open for someone can be done with great love. Thérèse became very sick while she was still young. Even though she suffered greatly, she still loved God and lived her life with joy.

What is one thing you can do to follow the example of St. Thérèse?

UNIT 1, LESSON 5 97 Answer Key St. Paul: Tell a friend or family member St. Paul that God loves him or her, tell others about the Great Before he became Christian, he hunted Commandments, Christians and handed them over to the Died AD 67 write a prayer, and so Feast Day: forth. June 29 traveled throughout the world and founded many Christian communities. He converted many thousands of people to Christianity and wrote many letters to teach them. Some of His letters are part of the New Testament.

What is one thing you can do to follow the example of St. Paul?

98 © SOPHIA INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS Answer Key St. Teresa of Calcutta: Visit the St. Teresa of Calcutta sick in the hospital, St. Teresa was known during her life as donate to a homeless shelter, serve with Mother Teresa. She spent most of her life your family at a soup caring for the extremely poor, the sick, and AD 1910-1997 kitchen, and so forth. Feast Day: Teresa helped others to feel valued and September 5 cared for at the hardest moments in life. She founded a religious order of sisters who continue her work with the poor and sick.

What is one thing you can do to follow the example of St. Teresa of Calcutta?

UNIT 1, LESSON 5 99 Answer Key St. Maximilian Kolbe: Stand up for St. Maximilian Kolbe what is right even St. Maximilian Kolbe was a priest in when it’s hard to do, put the needs of

AD 1894-1941 the Sacraments had nowhere to go. The Nazis raided Feast Day: frequently, and so Maximilian’s shelter and took him and August 14 forth. his companions to a death camp. There Maximilian always put the needs of others ahead of his own. He gave away his food, he heard confessions, and he said Mass. One day Maximilian volunteered to take the punishment for another man who had a wife and children. Maximilian was starved for two weeks, and then the Nazis poisoned him, and he died. The man whose place he took survived the war.

What is one thing you can do to follow the example of St. Maximilian Kolbe?

4. False Directions: Read each statement. Circle “True” if it is a true 5. True statement or “False” if it is a false statement.

6. False 1. Halos are used in art to show that True False 7. True someone is holy.

2. The Communion of Saints refers only to True False the souls with God in Heaven.

3. A saint is someone who has died and True False whose soul is with God in Heaven.

4. The Church Militant refers to the souls in True False

5. True False who were trying to be holy “saints.”

6. Only priests are called to be saints. True False

7. When we serve others, we are really True False serving Jesus.

UNIT 1, LESSON 5 101 TEACHER RESOURCE Litany of the Saints

Holy Mary, pray for us. St. Jude, pray for us. Holy Mother of God, pray for us. St. Matthias, pray for us. Holy Virgin of virgins, pray for us. St. Barnabas, pray for us. St. Luke, pray for us. St. Michael, pray for us. St. Mark, pray for us. St. Gabriel, pray for us. All you holy Apostles and St. Raphael, pray for us. Evangelists, pray for us. All you holy Angels and All you holy Disciples of the Archangels, pray for us. Lord, pray for us. All you holy Innocents, pray for us. St. John the Baptist, pray for us. St. Joseph, pray for us. St. Stephen, pray for us. All you holy Patriarchs and Prophets, St. Lawrence, pray for us. pray for us. St. Vincent, pray for us. Sts. Fabian and Sebastian, St. Peter, pray for us. pray for us. St. Paul, pray for us. Sts. John and Paul, pray for us. St. Andrew, pray for us. Sts. Cosmas and Damian, St. James, pray for us. pray for us. St. John, pray for us. All you holy Martyrs, pray for us. St. Thomas, pray for us. St. Sylvester, pray for us. St. James, pray for us. St. Gregory, pray for us. St. Philip, pray for us. St. Ambrose, pray for us. St. Bartholomew, pray for us. St. Augustine, pray for us. St. Matthew, pray for us. St. Jerome, pray for us. St. Simon, pray for us. St. Martin, pray for us.

102 © SOPHIA INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS St. Nicholas, pray for us. St. Mary Magdalene, pray for us. All you holy Bishops and Confessors, St. Agatha, pray for us. pray for us. St. Lucy, pray for us. All you holy Doctors, pray for us. St. Agnes, pray for us. St. Cecilia, pray for us. St. Anthony, pray for us. St. Anastasia, pray for us. St. Benedict, pray for us. St. Catherine, pray for us. St. Bernard, pray for us. St. Clare, pray for us. St. Dominic, pray for us. All you holy Virgins and Widows, St. Francis, pray for us. pray for us. All you holy Priests and Levites, All you holy Saints of God, pray for us. pray for us. All you holy Monks and Hermits, pray for us.

May the prayers of all the saints and angels in Heaven be heard and answered according to the will of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We ask for His blessing and His all-loving care as we pray: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

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