TEACHER RESOURCE MANUAL GRADE God With Us 5Publications TEACHER RESOURCE MANUAL GRADE God With Us 5Publications Catechesis is a work of the Church, a sharing in the teaching mission of the Body of Christ. Catechetical material, like iconography or liturgical chant, strives to speak of the Tradition of the Church. The individual's insights, perceptions, and experiences become significant in that they personalize this Tradition and give witness to it in our contemporary world. Accordingly, each text is the work of the Byzantine Catholic Churches in the United States which participate in ECDD, the catechetical arm of the bishops of Eastern Catholic Associates. We Are God's People is the work of Marie Yaroshak Nester, M.Ed, in English, B.S. in Secondary Education. The work was reviewed and approved by all the hierarchs of the participating eparchies, their directors of religious education, catechetical staffs, and a review board drawn from the clergy and laity of these eparchies. Therefore, it represents the common faith and vision of their communities. This project is being funded in part by the USCCB Committee on Home Missions, the Greek Catholic Union, the Koch Foundation, the John Victor Machuga Foundation, and the Providence Association for the Ukrainian Catholics in the United States. No part of this book, except the handouts, may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from GOD WITH US PUBLICATIONS P.O. Box 99203 Pittsburgh, PA 15233 Printed in the U.S.A. Copyright 2004 GOD WITH US PUBLICATIONS All rights reserved Photo Credits: p. 36, 57 M. Haritan p. 101,132, 154, 174 Courtesy of Cover: Courtesy of Saint John the p. 37 Roman Iwasiwka, St George Helen Protopapadakis- Baptist Church. Syracuse, NY Church, New York, NY Papaconstantinou p. 1, 7,17,19,30,46, 56, 57, 66, 70, p. 43,53,71 Deacon Edward Faulk p. 103 Courtesy of Rev Emmanuel 83 Marie Nester p. 48 Courtesy of David Young McCarthy p. 2, 20, 89, 105, 126,151 p. 47, 62, 81 Courtesy of Sister p. 107 Courtesy of Sisters of Rev. Mark Melone Elizabeth Bcrtoldi St. Basil the Great p.3,4, 14,15, 18,41,64,86,133, p. 67 Courtesy of "Awakening to p. 111 Courtesy of Basilian 149,154-173 Come Bless the Our Treasures," Stamford, CT Salvatorian Order Lord Icon Packet Courtesy of Immaculate p. 114 Courtesy St Andrew's p. 5. 25, 63, 73, 80, 87, 98, 99, 104, Conception Church, Palatine, Church, Sacramento, CA 110,123,124,126,138, IL p. 115,117 Courtesy of Mar Elias inside back cover Courtesy of p. 72 Courtesy of University of Educational Institutions, Rev. Mark Melone Scranton Center for Eastern Ibillin, Galilee p. 8,10, 12,14, 57, 77, 78, 92, 95, Christian Studies p. 116 Courtesy of "ARKA," Lviv, 134, 142 Deacon Thomas p. 74 Courtesy of St Ann's Church. Ukraine Stadnik Harrisburg, PA p. 119 Courtesy of St Elias Church, p. 13,140 Veronica Varga p. 76, 102,121, 131,143 Courtesy Cartaret, NJ p. 22 Sister Marion Dobos of Holy Cross Church. p. 120 Courtesy of Deacon p. 24 Bob Kasarda Placentia, CA Christopher LiGreci p. 28,29,42,51,52,65, 113 p. 79, 109 Madonna House Archives p. 122 Courtesy of Rev John Azar Courtesy of "Sower." p. 84 Archdeacon George Yany and Sharon Gill-Kolasinski Stamford, CT p. 91 Courtesy of Rev Damon p. 137 Courtesy of Novalis p. 32 Courtesy of Ukrainian Geiger p. 146 Mary Grace Ritchey Women's Association of p. 95 Courtesy of Holy Reserrection Canada Monastery, Newberry Springs, p. 35, 38 L Kuchma, SS Volodymyr CA & Olha Churcch, Chicago, IL. Page After Table of Contents is Blank Table of Contents Part 1: The God With Us Series I. Total Eastern Christian Formation ........................................................7 II. Introduction to the God With Us Series ................................................9 III. The Catechetical Program and the Catechist........................................11 IV. Overview of the God With Us Series Curriculum ..............................15 V. The Icon Corner ....................................................................................17 VI. Series Overview by Grade ..............................................................19 VII. Bibliography ......................................................................................37 Part 2: We are God’s People I. Introductory Notes ..................................................................................47 II. Suggested Letter to Parents ..................................................................55 III. Liturgical Texts According to Jurisdictions..........................................57 Part 3: We are God’s People Lesson Plans ..............................................................................................69 We Are God’s People Grade 5 GOD WITH US PUBLCATIONS 2004 Catechesis is a work of the Church, a sharing in the teaching mission of the Body of Christ. Catechetical material, like iconography or liturgical chant, strives to speak of the Tradition of the Church. The individual's insights, perceptions, and experiences become significant in that they personalize this Tradition and give witness to it in our contemporary world. Accordingly, each text is the work of the Byzantine Catholic Churches in the United States which participate in ECDD, the catechetical arm of the bishops of Eastern Catholic Associates. We Are God's People is the work of Marie Yaroshak Nester, M.Ed, in English, B.S. in Secondary Education. The work was reviewed and approved by all the hierarchs of the participating eparchies, their directors of religious education, catechetical staffs, and a review board drawn from the clergy and laity of these eparchies. Therefore, it represents the common faith and vision of their communities. This project is being funded in part by the USCCB Committee on Home Missions, the Greek Catholic Union, the Koch Foundation, the John Victor Machuga Foundation, and the Providence Association for the Ukrainian Catholics in the United States. No part of this book, except the handouts, may be reproduced in any or by any means without permission in writing from GOD WITH US PUBLICATIONS P.O. Box 99203 Pittsburgh, PA 15233 Printed in the U.S.A. Copyright 2004 GOD WITH US PUBLICATIONS All rights reserved Photo Credits: Cover: Saint John the Baptist Church, Syracuse, NY Artwork: Reverend Mark Malone: pages 244 Archpriest John Matusiak: pages 220, 221, 235, 244, 256, 257, 268, 269 Our Common Heritage The Byzantine or Greek tradition of Eastern Christianity grew out of the Greek-speaking cities of Asia Minor, especially Antioch and Constantinople. It took root throughout the Byzantine Empire and spread throughout eastern Europe as missions were developed. Thus, the same Byzantine spirituality formed Christians in areas as different as Sicily, the Slavic nations, and the Middle East. Today in America several Churches of Byzantine heritage with varied ethnic roots exist side by side. Of these, the Ruthenian Metropolia of Pittsburgh, the Ukrainian Metropolia of Philadelphia, and the Melkite Eparchy of Newton cooperated in the preparation and distribution of this series that is intended to serve Byzantine communities. The God With Us catechetical series highlights what is common to each—the Byzantine spirituality which is at the heart of each of these Churches' lives—and does not speak of particular differences. Each local church may choose to add particular material from its own ethnic heritage in its actual catechetical programs. The God With Us series, however, seeks only to provide a common witness to the Byzantine Catholic spirituality which is the hallmark of all these Churches. We are God’s People Part 1: I. Total Eastern Christian Formation . .7 II. Introduction to the God With Us Series . .9 III. The Catechetical Program and the Catechist . .11 IV. Overview of the God With Us Series Curriculum . .15 V. The Icon Corner . .17 VI. Series Overview by Grade . .19 VII. Bibliography . .37 5 Page 6 is Blank 6 I Total Eastern Christian Formation O Lord our God, who dwell in light unapproachable: You are the fountain of wisdom and knowledge! Through the visitation of the all-holy Spirit You taught wisdom to Solomon and showed forth the fishermen as disciples and apostles, heralds of the Gospel Lord, who said "Let light shine forth from darkness," now shine Your eternal light in the hearts of those who teach and learn the knowledge of Your truth. Bestow on them the spirit of wisdom, the spirit of understanding. Brighten the eyes of their souls to understand and do Your will. Let them be seen to be children of the light, bringing forth good fruit abundantly in every good deed through wisdom from on high. Grant that it be so through the intercession of Your all-holy, spotless and all-blameless Mother, of the holy and glorious apostles worthy of all praise, of the glorious hierarchs and teachers Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom, and of all Your saints. Amen. The Goal of Christian Life and Catechesis The goal of Christian life as intended by God is our divinization. The Scripture tells us that God has accomplished His divine plan in Christ so that we "might become sharers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:3-4). The Eastern Fathers stressed that this divinization was a process, one that begins in us with the mystery of baptism but which will not be completed until the resurrection of the dead on the last day. At baptism the divine light is kindled in our hearts, thus one of the patristic names for baptism was photismos or illumination. We are called to grow and deepen in the divine life so that the flame enkindled in baptism may flourish and eventually transfigure us with its radiance. For this to happen, we must come to an awareness that we have indeed "put on Christ" (Galatians 3:27). As Saint Simeon the New Theologian states, "We who have been divinized by grace and by adoption in baptism are also to be divinized in awareness and knowledge." Catechesis is one way to realize this call to divinization. (In Saint Paul, "catechesis" refers to oral instruction, a handing on of all that has been received in and through Christ.) Catechesis makes us aware that we are in the light of the Lord and motivates us to manifest the life of the Spirit within us.