Family Name: ______
As the wise men followed a star to find the Christ-Child, we hope that by following your star you will be closer to Jesus in the New Year! We invite you to go on a journey through our Catholic Church (the following questions relate specifically to the Bentleyville church). We hope that along the way, you will uncover some interesting facts and discoveries about the unique objects that make our church one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. We can all become “wisemen” as we unfold the deeper meaning behind some of these unique objects and symbols. We will be available as guides if needed!
1. The cross is a symbol of the virtue of faith. Faith is a gift from God. Can you find 10 crosses in our Church? Draw a cross on the paper each time you find one. There are definitely more than 10!!
2. Whenever we enter and exit the church, we bless ourselves with holy water while making the sign of the cross. How many stoups do we have in our church? ______We bless ourselves to remind of us of the very first sacrament that we receive, the Sacrament of Baptism.
3. Symbols representing the three theological virtues of Faith, Hope, and Love are found in our church. The heart is a universal symbol of love. In our church, the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the symbol of divine love. Jesus’s Sacred Heart, pierced and wrapped in thorns, shows the depth of Jesus’s love. It indicates that he was prepared to die for all people and shows Jesus’s eternal love and compassion towards humanity. Can you find a heart in our church? Where is it located?
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4. The Holy Spirit can be symbolized by many different things (e.g., water, fire, wind, oil, light) The dove is one of the many symbols used to identify the Holy Spirit. In the Gospel readings, when Jesus was baptized, it is said that the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove (Matthew 3:16; Mark 1-10, Luke 3:22; John 1:32). Where in our church can you find the Holy Spirit symbolized as a dove? ______
5. A Christogram is a monogram or a combination of letters that form an abbreviation for the name of Christ. One of the oldest Christian Christograms is the Chi-Rho. It is made of the Greek letters X (Chi) and P (Rho), which are the first two Greek letters for the word “Christos”, translating to Christ. These two letters are layered on top of each other to form the Christian symbol for the name of Jesus.
Where can you find a Chi-Rho in our Church? ______
Draw a Chi-Rho - 6. A GPS, compass, or (in the case of the wisemen) a guiding star can help us when we are in need of direction. Before taking a seat in the pew, Catholics genuflect. Genuflect means to bend one knee reverently toward the ground as a sign of deep respect or worship. There is a definite direction that we are supposed to be genuflecting or bowing toward. Our GPS or guiding star should be pointing toward what item in the church? Why do we genuflect toward this item?
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7. There is a special lamp that lets us know that Jesus is present when it is lit. Find the Sanctuary Lamp. Draw a picture of our Sanctuary lamp.
8. Can you locate the special place for receiving the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation in our church? How many seats are in it? ______
9. Locate the Stations of the Cross. How many stations are there? ______
10. Locate the Paschal Candle in our church. What is different about it? ______
11. What is another name for the Paschal Candle? ______
12. Locate a Missal in one of the pews. A Missal is a liturgical book that has all of the readings and instructions used in Mass for an entire year. You can follow along on Sundays! Using the Missal, write down the page number that tonight’s Mass was found on: ______
13. Describe one of the stations of the cross and what it depicts. What number is it? ______
14. Which station does Jesus meet Veronica? Write the number down. ______
15. From the pews, list, describe or draw 4 items that you see in the sanctuary.
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16. What is the name of the cross with Jesus on it? ______
17. A symbol for the Virtue of Hope is an anchor. Can you find a symbol for the Virtue of Hope? Where is it located? ______
18. Can you find a picture of St. Kathrine Drexel? What message does she have written on her picture? ______
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19. Holy Mary is the Mother of Jesus and also the Mother of our church. Can you find Holy Mary in our church? How many times do you see our Blessed Mother? ______
20. The Fluer-de-lis is know as the flower of the Lily. The Lily is symbolic because it stands for purity and represents the Blessed Virgin Mary. Can you find a Fluer-de-lis in our church? Where is this symbol of the Blessed Virgin located?
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21. In the beautiful rose window in the sanctuary of our church, you will find symbols representing each of Jesus’s Apostles. Can you identify one Apostle by the special symbol? Study the window and write the name of one Apostle and his symbol.
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22. Holy oils are used for special occasions in our Catholic Church. There are three concentrated oils that are used for different purposes. The Oil of Catechumens is used for baptism. The oil of Sacred Chrism is used in various ceremonies. It is used for Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Orders, and the consecration of an altar or walls of a church building. The Oil of the Sick is used to anoint the sick. It is believed to give peace, courage, and comfort to the suffering. If a sick person is unable to go to confession, the use of this oil can be used to forgive sins. The Ambry is the name of the cabinet that the Holy Oils are kept in. Locate the Ambry and find the three bottles of holy oil. Write down the initials found on each bottle:
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23. The Alpha and the Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.’ (New International Version, Revelation. 1.8).” Find the Greek symbols for the Alpha and Omega. Where are these two letters located in our church?
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24. Locate the picture of The Last Supper in our church. How many apostles are seated around the table of the Last Supper? ______Who betrayed Jesus? ______How can you tell from the picture?
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25. Set your sights or set your star on a special item in our church. It can be absolutely anything!! Look for it every time you and your family attend Mass. As you look at it… remember that you are a special holy family and that Jesus loves you… always. Where does your star lead you??
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