1. According to the Scripture Passage, How Should Deacons, Priests and Bishops Lead Us?

A: Holy Orders

Last month, we learned that God created each of us for a very special purpose or Vocation. Our vocation is what God calls us to be in this world. Since God made us especially for our vocation, it is also how we can do the most good on Earth and what will bring each of us the most joy!

This month we are learning about a very special vocation. The men whom God created for this vocation receive the sacrament of Holy Orders and are united to Jesus in a very special way. Like Jesus, these men give themselves completely to God’s Church in service and sacrifice.

Matthew 20:26-28

“...whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man [Jesus] did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life…for many."

Discuss:

1. According to the scripture passage, how should deacons, priests and bishops lead us?

2. What do you think our responsibilities towards deacons, priests and bishops are? Activity B: One Vocation, Three Levels

There are many different jobs that need to be done in the Church. All of the men who receive Holy Orders are called to be leaders, but not all of these men are called to do the same job. This is why there are levels to Holy Orders. These levels include:

1. Deacons: This is the first level. Deacons assist priests and bishops. They are especially united to Jesus the servant, but they also have authority from God to baptize, bless marriages, preach the Gospel and be special leaders in the community.

2. Priests: This is the second level. These men are special co-workers with the bishop. They are normally responsible for a specific church, or parish, but can have other jobs as well. They can, with permission, perform all sacraments except Holy Orders.

3. Bishops: This is the highest level of Holy Orders. These men have the fullness of the priesthood. They can perform all sacraments, including Holy Orders, and are the modern- day Apostles. Each bishop has an area entrusted to them, called a diocese, which they are responsible for. The head of all of the bishops in the world is called the Pope. We sometimes refer to him as the “Holy Father.”

Discuss:

1. What is the name of our current deacon, priest, bishop and pope? (If you don’t know, ask around the class.)

2. Who would you go to if you wanted the sacrament of Reconciliation?

3. If you had a child, who could baptize your baby?

4. If you felt called to be a priest or deacon, who could ordain you? The sacrament of Holy Orders gives deacons, priests and bishops all of the graces to do their own particular job. It also puts a permanent mark on the soul of any man who receives it. This mark changes a man’s soul so that it resembles Jesus even more than ever before. Priests and Bishops are united so closely to Jesus in this sacrament that we can say they stand “in the person of” Jesus at mass. In other words, when they say Mass, it is the same as Jesus saying Mass.

Discuss:

1. Do you remember what other sacraments put a permanent mark on our soul? (Hint: There are two others)

Men do not marry after they are ordained as deacons, priests or bishops. This is because they are trying to live as much like Jesus as possible and Jesus’ bride is the whole Church.

Discuss:

1. How are marriage and the priesthood similar?

2. How are they different? C: The Apostles

Everything began with Jesus. (Literally) Jesus had many followers who loved Him, but while He was on Earth He picked only twelve men to be His special representatives. These men were the twelve Apostles. When it came time for Jesus to Ascend into Heaven, He gave the Apostles this order:

“Go…and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.’” Mathew 28:18-20

Jesus also chose one Apostle, St. Peter, to be the leader of all the others. Jesus said:

“I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not conquer it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.” Mathew 16:18-19

Peter means “rock.” Jesus was saying that it was Peter’s job to be the head Apostle and the first Pope.

Discuss:

1. Do you ever disagree with your family? About what?

2. What is it like when you disagree? How do you feel?

3. How are disagreements settled in your family?

4. The Church is a family too. Do you think people in the Church sometimes disagree?

5. The Pope is the head bishop. Why might it be good to have a head bishop in our Church family? With all of the gifts God gave His Church, She began to grow very quickly. The Apostles soon realized that there were too many people for only twelve men, so they chose new men to help them preach, teach and baptize. When these men were chosen, an Apostle prayed and laid hands on them. These became the first priests and deacons.

“They appointed presbyters (priests) for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, commended them to the Lord in whom they had put their faith.” Acts 14:23

As the Apostles grew older and the Church continued to increase in size, the Apostles chose Bishops to be their successors and take over for them. We call this Apostolic Succession. It means that every deacon, priest and bishop comes from a direct line going all the way back to the Apostles. Look at the picture below to see how this works. D: Activity: The Universal Church

The Church now has members and bishops all over the world. To better see this, we are going to make a poster of how the Church works. Follow the directions below.

1. Get a blank poster from your catechist.

2. Draw a large oval on it to represent the world. (This should be almost the entire poster.

3. Roughly, sketch the main continents onto the poster from the map below. 4. The Pope lives in the Vatican. The Vatican is in Italy. Find Italy on the map you made and put a star there. Draw a line from the star to the left.

5. Cut out and paste the map of Italy at the end of the line you drew. Draw symbols for the Pope. [Ideas: Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, a Rock, etc…]

6. Now, find about where you think Minnesota is. Put a star there and draw a line from that star to the right.

7. Minnesota is divided in several dioceses. Cut these out from the sheet provided and put them together in the shape of the state. Paste them to the poster.

8. Put a star in the Diocese of Winona. That is our diocese. Bishop Quinn leads our diocese. Put some symbols next to Winona that represents the Bishop. Ideas below:

A Miter (Bishop’s Hat): The Bishop’s Coat of Arms:

(Every bishop has a different coat of arms. Bishop Quinn’s is below.)

Symbols:

A. An eagle with outstretched wings, symbolic of Bishop Quinn's baptismal patron, St. John the Evangelist. St. John is usually thought of as the "eagle of theology."

B. This eagle clutches a snake in its left talon. This predatory grasp signifies sin and evil being overcome by this mighty word of God.

C. The green of the bottom portion of the shield signifies hope.

D. The open book is placed as a symbol of Bishop Quinn's vocation as a teacher of theology.

E. The shamrock overlaid on the book is a symbol of the Holy Trinity.

F. Wavy lines, alternating between silver and blue: These represent the Detroit River. Bishop Quinn was born in the city of Detroit.

G. At the top of Bishop Quinn's Coat of Arms is the gallero. In English, it is also known as the "pilgrim's hat" because it was commonly used to protect travelers from the heat of the sun. The gallero indicates a person's willingness to journey for the sake of the Gospel while expecting God's protection from all that might be harmful. 9. Find where our parish might be on the map of Minnesota. Draw a picture of our parish with you, your family, Fr. Wilmot and Deacon Doyle.

D: The Rock

Jesus promised that the gates of hell will not conquer the Church. He did not promise to make our bishops and priests perfect in this life. They are human just like us. They are tempted to sin just like us, but God has called them to do an extraordinary job. We need to pray for our deacons, priests and bishops everyday so that they can do the best job possible.

Discuss:

1. How can your family help support deacons, priests and bishops?