An Edge Night on the Communion of Saints

ONE DIRECTION AN EDGE NIGHT ON THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS

SCRIPTURE KEY WORDS MEDIA Malachi 3:3 Communion of Saints SUGGESTIONS John 14:6 Saint • Video: “You're Not Dead. Romans 6:8 Purgatory Now What?” by Outside Da Intercession Box (outsidedabox.com) CCC 954 SUPPLIES NEEDED • Song: "Litany" by Matt 956-958 • Saint stories Maher (The End and The • Skit props Beginning, Nufy Music YOUCAT Productions) 126 146 • Edge Video: "Communion of Saints Teaching" (Edge Video Support 15)

EDGE NIGHT GOAL this Communion of Saints. The Break gives the The goal of this Edge Night is to explain to the youth youth an opportunity to discuss the role they what is meant when we proclaim in the Apostles’ play in this communion and also to act out the Creed that we believe in the Communion of Saints. story of a saint. The Edge Night will conclude with The will come to a greater understanding of the a time of prayer for those who are a part of the role that they play in the Communion of Saints as communion on earth, those in Purgatory, and the

OUTLINE well as how to call upon our brothers and sisters saints in heaven. in heaven to intercede for them.

ENVIRONMENT EDGE NIGHT AT A GLANCE Set up the room like a concert for a popular new The Gather is a simple and fun game that will band. Have a few Core Members be the new band lead into the Proclaim, which covers the three and have them playing a concert as the youth levels of the Church community that is a part of walk in. Get creative in coming up with this new band name and have a few other Core Members

ONE DIRECTION be all out fans and make specifc T-shirts for this

84 EDGE SEMESTER PLANNING GUIDE band. You can either have the Core Team playing • What can you do to play your part and participate actual instruments, if they have those talents, or in the Communion of Saints on a daily basis? you can play music and they can mimic playing instruments. Put up posters of other bands and • How can you make this topic more relevant to any other fan memorabilia around the room. our middle school youth?

CORE TEAM FORMATION TO THE PARENTS The Communion of Saints includes all those who Today we talked about the Communion of are baptized in the grace of Christ both living and Saints and the three levels of the Church this dead (CCC 962). This is a communion of love and encompasses: those who are saints in heaven, we are a part of a family that is much greater than those who have died and are in Purgatory, simply the church community at our parishes. It and those who are still pilgrims on earth. It is is important that we are mindful of our brothers important that we are mindful of how big this and sisters who have already died, both those who Catholic family is and to call upon the prayers of are in heaven and those who are in Purgatory. our brothers and sisters in Christ to help us on We should pray for the intercession of the saints our journeys to heaven. Make it a point this week for they have already accomplished what we to pray for any of your deceased family members are striving for and for all the souls sufering in and for all the souls in Purgatory. Here are some the purifcation of Purgatory. If you are unclear questions to ask your child this week: about the Church teachings on Purgatory, read CCC 1030-1032. Here are some questions to think • What is the Communion of Saints? about before this Edge Night: • How are you a part of this communion and how • Who is your patron saint from your can you participate in it? Confrmation? What is their story? Why did you choose them? How often do you ask for his or • Who was the saint that you learned about in her intercession? small groups? What is his or her story?

• Who are some other saints you look to for • What is one thing you learned that you didn’t prayers and inspiration? already know?

• What was your view on Purgatory before • How can you grow in holiness this week? tonight? How has it changed from reading the CCC references? • What are some ways we as a family learn more about the saints?

TWO DIRECTIONS GATHER (15 min)

Instruct the youth to get into groups of four. Then OUTLINE WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION have the youth form two circles, an outer circle (5 min) and an inner circle, and have two youth from the group of four be in each circle. Start playing some Welcome all the youth, and introduce any who fun music (or have your Core Team band continue are at Edge for the frst time. Recognize any to play their concert) and have the outer circle birthdays, give a brief introduction to the Edge start moving clockwise, and the inner circle start Night, and begin in prayer. moving counter clockwise. ONE DIRECTION

EDGE SEMESTER PLANNING GUIDE 85 When the music stops the youth will have fve • What are three things that you can ask the seconds to reform their groups of four and have saints to intercede for you for? them strike their best rock band pose, have the youth minister or a Core Member do a count • What are three things that you can do to help down. Any group that is not formed in fve seconds your brothers and sisters here on earth in their is out. Continue playing until there is one team journey to heaven? that wins who formed their group the fastest. Have a camera ready to get some pictures of all SAINT SKITS the funny poses the youth come up with. (15 min)

Supplies • Saint stories PROCLAIM • Skit props

Assign each small group a saint and have the Core “ONE DIRECTION” TEACHING Member give the youth a brief explanation of the (10 min) saint’s life (see below for some examples). Then allow the youth some time to come up with a one The teaching for this night can be found on pages to two minute skit of their saint’s life. 88 to 90. Here are the main points of the teaching: Once all the youth have their skit ready, come • The Communion of Saints is made up of three back to the large group and have them share the parts: the pilgrims on earth, the souls in skits with the rest of the group. Purgatory, and the blessed in heaven. • St. Patrick: St. Patrick was born in 387 A.D. and • The saints can intercede for us on earth and we spent the frst 14 years of his life in Scotland. can pray for those in Purgatory. When he was 14 he was captured and taken to Ireland. While he was there, he was forced into • The Communion of Saints is a family that works shepherding for six years — during this time together to help one another achieve heaven he grew more in his belief in God through daily through prayers, works, and most especially prayer and learned the language and customs of the Holy Eucharist. the people. When he was 20 he fed his captors and went back to his family. After some time however, he felt the call to go back to Ireland to preach the Gospel. So he became a priest BREAK and went back to Ireland and evangelized the people and started up many churches there. SMALL GROUP DISCUSSIONS (15 min) • St. Rose of Lima: St. Rose was an incredibly beautiful woman who was very in love with God. Break the youth into their small groups and As she grew up, she became more and more discuss the following questions. beautiful to the point that when people saw her they could not take their eyes of of her. Even • What is the Communion of Saints? though she was so beautiful she never married

OUTLINE because the only man she ever wanted to love • What is a saint? What is intercession? was Jesus. Saint Rose was so humble that often times her beauty made her uncomfortable • Had you heard of Purgatory before tonight? and she never wanted to lead others to sin or Have your thoughts about it changed after this jealousy because of her beauty, so one day she teaching? took pepper and rubbed it all over her face until it was red and blistered. She lived a humble • What can you do in your daily life to remind life serving and supporting her parents, she sufered many things but that never changed ONE DIRECTION yourself to pray for the souls in Purgatory?

86 EDGE SEMESTER PLANNING GUIDE her incredible love of Jesus. After her death • How can you be an example to others in your there were many miracles attributed to her. faith and call them on to be holier?

• St. Joseph of Cupertino: St. Joseph of Cupertino If you want to give your 8th graders even more of was a very difcult and forgetful child, and as a challenge, call them on to leadership and have he grew up he was never able to get a proper them join small groups with the younger grades education. At the age of 17 he decided that and help them with their skits. Make sure that he wanted to become a friar, but none of the they are in the skits too and give an example for friaries would accept him because he did the younger youth that it is okay to be silly and not have an education. Finally he was able to participate. work with the friars and help with main tasks around the monastery, because of his actions of joy and love the friars accepted him into their order. Shortly after this, St. Joseph of Cupertino was preparing to become and priest and had to SEND pass a test which was nerve-racking because he PRAYING FOR EACH OTHER had never been particularly intelligent, but the (15 min) bishop asked him one question from one of the few verses of the Bible he actually knew and he End the night with a simple prayer and then ask for was ordained a priest. St. Joseph of Cupertino any prayer intentions from the youth explaining was also known for his intense visions during that since we are a part of the Communion of which he would hear heavenly music and Saints, as pilgrims here on earth we must pray actually levitate; he thus became known as the for each other. Flying Friar. Then include prayers for our brothers and sisters • St. Elizabeth of Hungary: St. Elizabeth was in Purgatory, pray this popular prayer of the born into royalty and was never wanting for Church for their souls: anything, yet in the midst of the riches, she had an incredible desire to do the will of God. She Eternal Father, I ofer you the most Precious Blood of was betrothed at the age of four to another Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said royal and married at the age of 14. She was a throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in very faithful wife and mother and on top of Purgatory. Amen. that she dedicated her life to the poor. She built hospitals and shelters for the poor and visited Finally, conclude the prayer time by asking for them daily. Saint Elizabeth was also known to the intercession of our brothers and sisters who spend nights in prayer vigils and fasting, all the have made it to heaven and are now saints. Using while not letting this interfere with her life in the the saints that each small group learned about, royal court or her duties as a wife and mother. end the night praying for the intercession of each

saint by saying their name and having the group TAKING IT DEEPER: SMALL GROUP respond together by saying, “Pray for us.” ADAPTATIONS FOR 8TH GRADE: If your 8th graders need more time for discussion, FURTHER ADAPTATION IDEAS continue to discuss the topic with them using • Ask the Core Members ahead of time if there is these additional questions: a particular saint that they like and know a lot about, and allow them to use this saint for their OUTLINE

• What did you learn tonight about the small group skits rather than one of the ones Communion of Saints that you did not know listed in the Break section. before? • During the Send do a Litany of the Saints or play • Do you really believe that you are called to be the song “Litany” (See Media Suggestions) a saint? ONE DIRECTION

EDGE SEMESTER PLANNING GUIDE 87 ONE DIRECTION TEACHING

KEY WORD through the grace of Christ Intercession - A form of DEFINITIONS and receives the reward of prayer on behalf of others. eternal life. Communion of Saints – Purgatory – A state of fnal The unity in Christ of all the purifcation after death redeemed, those on earth before entrance into heaven and those who have died. for those who died in God’s friendship but still need to be Saint – The “holy one” who purifed of the efects of sin. leads a life in union with God

BLESSED IN HEAVEN Often times when we think about the Communion of Saints, the frst thing we think about are the saints already in heaven. Saints Key Word are people who have died and we believe are already in heaven CCC 956 because of the lives of holiness that they led and the miracles that Romans 6:8 were performed through their intercession.

Many of you know the names of saints such as St. Joseph, St. Patrick, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (allow the youth to participate and tell a few more names of saints they know). A lot of times we can ask these saints to pray for us when we need help. For example a lot of times when people lose things they pray for the intercession of St. Anthony to TEACHING YouCat 126 help them fnd the lost item(s). When we ask for the intercession of CCC 957 saints we are not praying to them but simply asking them to pray for us, much like we would ask our parents or our friends to pray for us. The only diference is that these saints are in heaven and stand before Jesus Christ Himself and have a greater power of intercession since they are already in heaven. ONE DIRECTION

88 EDGE SEMESTER PLANNING GUIDE It is important to remember our brothers and sisters in Christ who are in heaven and to ask for their help because we are all a part of this journey to heaven together. The Communion of Saints does Key Word include the saints who are already in heaven, but it also includes those who are on their way to heaven and are in Purgatory, and those of us still on earth.

THOSE BEING PURIFIED All those who have been baptized in Christ are a part of this communion, both living and dead. One such category of people in this communion are the people who have died and are in Purgatory. CCC 958 Purgatory is not something like an in-between like we see in movies, or a place for the undead and zombies. But rather, Purgatory is a state of purifcation.

Those who are in Purgatory are being cleansed of the last remnants of sin before they enter into heaven. Just think, if you were invited to have dinner at the house of the most important, most famous person on earth, wouldn’t you want to take a shower, get clean, and YouCat 159-160 look your best? This is what Purgatory is for our souls; it is a place Malachi 3:3 where our souls are purifed and cleaned up so that we are prepared. So that we look our best, so to speak, when we meet Christ for the frst time in heaven. It is also important to know that if you are in Purgatory you are for sure going to go to heaven, it is just a matter of how much time it will take for you to be cleansed for heaven.

Those who are in Purgatory can no longer pray for themselves or ask for prayers. That is why it is so important to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ, in this communion our love extends past death. Our fasting, our prayers, our good works, and especially the celebration of the Holy Eucharist can bring graces upon those of our brothers and sisters who are in Purgatory.

PILGRIMS ON EARTH This Communion of Saints includes those who have died, but also CCC 954 us who are still here on earth. By our baptism and the grace of Jesus Christ we are a part of this communion as well.

On earth we participate in this Communion of Saints by partaking in the works of the Church. In receiving God’s graces through the sacraments and sharing those graces with others so as to bring more and more people to Jesus. We also participate of this communion when we pray for the intercession of the saints, when we pray for the souls in Purgatory, and when we pray for our brothers and sisters on earth with us. TEACHING

Jesus tells us that He is the “way, the truth, and the life,” and as long as we live, we are called to follow Him through the Church John 14:6 which He has established. We are the pilgrims on earth who are striving towards heaven and it is our duty to do everything we can to participate in the blessed life of love and community that Christ is calling us to. ONE DIRECTION

EDGE SEMESTER PLANNING GUIDE 89 ONE COMMUNITY, ONE DIRECTION The Communion of Saints is all about love. We are one family in Christ and we are all called to walk with one another on our journeys CCC 959 to Christ. Some of us are closer to Him and have already won the YouCat 126 prize of heaven, and some of us are still a long ways of from the end of our journeys.

The whole point is that you are not alone. You are not alone in your struggles and your hardships here on earth, and even when you die and are possibly in Purgatory being purifed, you are still not alone. Christ loves us so much that not only does He walk with us every step of the way, but He gives us this incredible family to be a part of to bring us up and show us how to be better and to love better. We are all going in this one direction and we are all in this together because that is what community and the Communion of Saints is all about. TEACHING

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90 EDGE SEMESTER PLANNING GUIDE Notes

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EDGE SEMESTER PLANNING GUIDE 91 ONE DIRECTION CHECKLIST EDGE NIGHT CHECKLIST

EDGE NIGHT DATE: WEEK PRIOR TO EDGE NIGHT:

______⃞ Hand out/email the Edge Night to the Core Members EDGE NIGHT TOPIC: ⃞ Assign duties to the Core Team ______⃞ Pick videos and/or songs

CORE TEAM ASSIGNMENTS: ⃞ Gather all the supplies

Environment ______⃞ Email Core Team the Edge Night Core Formation

Opening Prayer ______WEEK OF THE EDGE NIGHT: Games ______⃞ Prep for games and the environment Proclaim ______⃞ Meet with the Core Member doing the Proclaim Closing Prayer ______(if applicable)

Videos: ______DAY OF THE EDGE NIGHT:

______⃞ Email parents the information about the Night and any announcements ______⃞ Gather and set-up for the night Songs: ______⃞ Pray! ______

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Notes

CHECKLIST ______

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92 EDGE SEMESTER PLANNING GUIDE ONE DIRECTION EVALUATION EDGE NIGHT EVALUATION INSTRUCTIONS: Evaluation is a key to successful ministry. Use the following questions to discuss and evaluate your Edge Night.

What is going well at our Edge Nights? What can Would you be interested in leading prayer, we improve? explaining games, or giving a Proclaim teaching?

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Was there one particular part of this Edge Night Are our Core meetings efective? How can I you did not think was necessary? What and better serve you as a youth minister? What can Why? we do to better serve our youth?

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______EVALUATION

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