"Memorize the Faith" by Kevin Vost

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I just ordered the book and can’t wait to get it.
I haven’t read all the posts so forgive me if this has been answered, Dr. Vost, but, does your book address how to memorize Scripture verses? I have the hardest time remembering them. Any tips?
 
Thanks for your comment Elzee. I hope you find the book worth the wait. Memorization of scripture verses is addressed in a few ways in the later chapters. There are tips for memorizing the exact words (which are best used to supplement plain-old concentration and repetition). This is illustrated with an example of memorizing one of the short prayers of St. Therese of Lisieux. The book also provides a system that converts numbers to letters and shows how to memorize the exact book, chapter, and verse for each scriptural quotation. The earlier chapters lay out the basic method of using locations and images (and provide plenty of practice) while the later chapters introduce methods for things like memorizing the wording of passages, as well as memorizing words from foreign languages – like Latin or Greek.

Please keep us posted on how things go once you get started.
Oh yes, there is also another thread on this forum that is all about memorizing scripture, entitled something along the lines of “How do Protestants Memorize Scripture?” Take care.
 
I love this book! Like some of the previous posters, I’ve now got the OT and NT books memorized, along with the beatitudes and much else.

I’m a brand-new CCD teacher at my parish, and I’d like to get my 9 and 10 year olds to memorize the books of the bible as part of our overview of salvation history this year. I’m a bit wary of using this method of loci to do it, though - any thoughts, Dr. Vost? We’re a group of seven or eight students, usually. We meet around a table in a partitioned parish hall between Masses for about an hour on Sundays.

Another idea is coming up with a song (unfortunately, I haven’t found any songs with all the OT books, as the songs I do find tend to be protestant in origin). I’ve come up with something on my own, but I think it’d be a bit weak without accompaniment and just relying on my voice!
 
I’m very glad you’re finding the book useful. I hope someday to produce a follow-up volume geared even moreso to children, complete with new materials, games, and exercises. As for 9 and 10-year-olds, I know Sophia Institute has received letters from parents of children as young as age 4 who have profited from variations of the imagery techniques. Since I definitely don’t think any songs sung with my voice would help :eek: , here’s a suggestion for your young charges based on the system of locations and images:

Let the first set of locations be *not the foyer *depicted in the book, but you and the children themselves as you sit around the table. So, right from the start you’ll have spots for images of the first eight or nine books of the OT.

Next, let each child draw a rough sketch of his or her own bedroom including the door, window(s), bed, TV, closets, etc. Let’s say each of seven children include about 7 key features and you draw another 7 for your room. (These will all be numbered consecutively. Let’s say Joe goes first and we number his door 1, bed 2, etc. Tina is next and we start with her door as 8 and so on.) We are now up to 64 or 65 “loci” (locations) for images representing the books of the bible.

Also, all the children will have a special sense of the 7 books in their room as being “their” bible books. They’ll be less likely to forget them, and even just the sight of each other sitting around the table will be a cue to all to remember Jen and sis, Exit sign, Levi’s jeans, Numerals, telescopes to"do astronomy," Joshua knocking down a wall, judges with gavels, and Babe Ruth (actually Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, and Ruth, if you will – stuff in the book.)

Now it is time to finish up the last 8 or 9 books using agreed upon locations in your church.

I’m not sure how quickly you’d like them to learn all the books, but the group could easily master (i.e., memorize) the locations and images for the table and then one or two or three children’s rooms (complete with the images for the books in Memorize the Faith!, or alternatives of your choosing) each week, building soon to all 73 books of the OT and NT.

If this actually seems to work, you could even run a Bible Book Bee, or something of the sort, where you could call out the number and the child would give the name of the book. (Once all had been named, you could give any kids who missed one a chance to answer the same question they failed on, so the goal would be not to have one child standing at the end, but all of them.)

Just some thoughts. Please let me know if the plan is not clear. Good luck and may God bless you with success with whatever method you use.
 
Kevin,
I just bought your book after hearing you on the show, sorry for the delay. It arrived yesterday and I cracked it open to skim through the topics and everything appeared great, until, I saw the chapter on the NINE Beatitudes.forums.catholic-questions.org/images/smilies/eek.gif I called CA today and Jim Blackburn helped me find the beatitudes in Matthew’s Gospel. There are nine items, however, every Catholic discussion that I have ever heard or read talks of the Eight Beatitudes. Our catechists’ books list the 8 beatitudes, the Catholic Encyclopedia discusses the 8 beatitudes, our parish priest told me there are 8. Even the Baltimore catechism teaches the 8 beatitudes.forums.catholic-questions.org/images/smilies/confused.gif
My question is why do you teach 9 beatitudes?
Thanks for clearing this up. It’s hard to find posters with the 10 commandments list the Catholic way, not the Protestant way, and I want to make sure I teach my students correctly.
Thanks again.
 
Hello kwamped,

Of course you, Jim of CA, your priest, the Baltimore Catechism, St. Matthew, and the Summa Theologica as well, are correct that there are 8 beatitudes listed in Matthew 5:1 - 11. This is indeed one of the few, and probably the biggest (I hope) of the little errors I generated that somehow got past my editor!

There are actually nine “blessed are’s” in the passage, but the last one in verse 11 shifts from the third person (blessed are the…or those…) to the second person (blessed are you when men revile you, etc…) It is this last blessed of reviling that makes the ninth “beatitude” in Memorize the Faith! that is not traditionally separated out. This was no attempt at any theological innovation, but a mere oversight on my part. St. Thomas himself writes of eight and I didn’t catch my error. Memorize was written when I had just come back to the Church, being strong on mnemonics, but just becoming refamiliarized with the rich traditions of our Church.

This shouldn’t hurt any if your goal is to use the technique to remember the 8 beatitudes. Just remember that the “pseudo” 9th in there can serve as a reminder that the next line does say you are blessed when reviled for your faith. Good eye. I hope that clears up any confusion, and I hope you like the book!
 
Guess what? I think I have a successful example of using the method of loci in my CCD class earlier this year.

When we were discussing the ten plagues of Egypt, I had spent a couple of weeks beforehand collecting different candies to represent each plague. There were (as providence would have it) nine students at class that day, so I put a wrapped container in front of each of us. We went around the table, opening each package and describing the plagues.
  1. The Nile turns red with blood (Twizzlers)
  2. Frogs (gummy frogs)
  3. Gnats/mosquitos (sno-caps - the tiny balls of sugar were the gnats)
  4. Flies (I cut up gummy caterpillars)
  5. Pestilence of livestock (made cow-shaped cookies)
  6. Boils (French burnt peanuts)
  7. Fire and hail (pink rock candy)
  8. Locusts (made locusts with marzipan and sliced almonds for wings)
  9. Three days of darkness (dark chocolate)
  10. Death of the firstborn (gingerbread men with Xs for eyes)
Even a month later, the students could remember the plagues in order because they could visualize the candy around the table, and who was opening it. We did this in November, and I can still remember them now.

“That was the best class ever!!!” they told me. I had a lot of fun too!
 
What a fantastic creative application!!! (though I may have lost my taste for French burnt peanuts. I might have to substitute Boston baked beans). You made the images so vivid and striking for the students and even included some old-fashioned edible positive reinforcements (the candy). I even know the plagues myself now (though I didn’t get any candy). I’m glad to hear the kids had fun with that learning experience. Keep up the good (and fun) work!!!

PS. Do you mind if I mention this application some time during an interview?

God bless,

Kevin
 
I don’t know about the baked beans… :hmmm:
There are gummy candies with liquid centers that would also make good boils (or maybe boiled peanuts, if you’re in the right region of the US?).

It wasn’t my original idea, but please do mention it with my blessings! It was a lot of fun for everyone involved and surprisingly effective.

(By the way, I love Fit for Eternal Life, too. Got it for my husband for Christmas a few years ago and ended up taking up high-intensity weight training for myself… amazing! I could go on and on about how it has improved my energy, self-image, mood, motivation… even my marriage. Thank you!)
 
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