Six week class on liturgy--topics?

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I’m proposing a six week class for our homeschool co-op on liturgy–esp. focusing on the history of liturgical development. I want it to be very dynamic.
It would be for 6-9th graders.

I’m most excited about learning things myself. I’ll have to do a lot of research since this is a weak area for me. I also want to have guest speakers.

What would you cover–in six classes?
 
I was not homeschooled (went to public school and ccd, which was a total joke), so I don’t quite understand how that works or what is age and maturity-appropriate for this crowd, but at that age I would topics I would have wanted to know (and to some degree still want to learn) would be:
  • What are all the different things in the church used for? What is their proper name? What do they symbolize?
  • How is our liturgy similar to and different from other Christians (Orthodox, Lutherans, Episcopalians, Methodists, Presbyterians, etc)? Within the various Catholic rites?
  • How has liturgy generally evolved over time? How is it related to Jewish worship? When big clarifications or reforms made, why?
  • What is the scriptural basis for the Mass, Liturgy of the Hours (I didn’t even know that existed), and other liturgical services.
  • What is the form and function of the Eucharistic prayer(s) dissected?
  • What are the different forms that Mass takes (like Chrism Mass, the Triduum Masses, Nuptial and Funeral Masses, etc.)
  • What do the priest (and other ministers) do and say that the rest of us don’t normally “see”?
 
Start by getting each child and adult a Liturgical Calendar plus maybe a poster-sized classroom calendar:

yearofgrace.com/

You might be able to use this activity book and modify it for older children:

amazon.com/Childrens-Liturgical-Calendar-Activity-Book/dp/0809167255

I’d teach:
  • Times, Seasons, Colors, and Major Feasts
  • History of Feast Days, Holy Days, purpose and ranks of Feasts (solemnity, feast, etc, as well as moveable, fixed, etc)
  • Liturgy of the Hours as it relates to the Mass and Liturgical Calendar
  • The Mass - order of the Mass, origin of prayers, etc
For the order of the Mass I use a fun game. I put my CCD kids into teams, give them each a set of index cards, and have them put the 4 Parts of the Mass in order. I use color coded cards-- Introductory Rites in green, Liturgy of the Word in blue, Liturgy of the Eucharist in yellow, and Concluding Rites in orange for example. Then all the individual parts are written on the cards and they have to put them in order. We then discuss each part of the Mass and what things mean (like “epiclesis”, “Agnus Dei”, etc). Now, these are CCD kids so your kids may already know more…
 
1ke said:
Now, these are CCD kids so your kids may already know more…
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I hope so, but probably they only know the basics: liturgy of the word, liturgy of the Eucharist…

I like the activity. I do want it to be an as active as possible.
 
leonie said:
I’m proposing a six week class for our homeschool co-op on liturgy–esp. focusing on the history of liturgical development. I want it to be very dynamic.
It would be for 6-9th graders.

I’m most excited about learning things myself. I’ll have to do a lot of research since this is a weak area for me. I also want to have guest speakers.

What would you cover–in six classes?
Click to expand...
I am a religious educator and junior high is my specialization. The maturity development varies quite a bit from a sixth grader to a ninth grader so I would tend to find that if you gear this towards the sixth grade level all will satisfied. You will be surprised at how much the ninth graders can use the refresher.

To the poster who said that CCD was a joke, I am sorry. I put countless hours into our program and it sorrows me to hear that, but then again it is also a reflection on the parents whose main role it is to teach the children.

Now, as for your question. How long is each session?? How big are the classes? Are all grades present at once?? Do you have access to a Church?? Do the children have bibles of their own? What is the depth of your familiarity with the topic and how much will you be relying on a guest speaker?? These are all pertinent questions that will result in an adequate answer. I can give you six sessions but if the resources are not there then what will you do with my suggestions??

I wonder how you might make a dynamic presentation within an area of your weakness. Perhaps you might find someone who is strong in this area (this is one of my stronger areas) and co-teach these sessions with him/her.

Your fervency and passion is radiating from your post. Keep that going and give me some answers. We can go from there…God Bless…teachccd 🙂
 
First of all, start off with how it is biblically-based. Your age group probably will have some Protestant friends who may challenge them.as to how our Church is based on the bible. Suffice to say that starting off with a little bit of history from Exodus and Leviticus and showing how the worship of Ancient Israel is very similar to the worship found in the Church, who is the New Israel, certainlyi helps a lot. You will also find some of the terms very similar, like Tabernacle and the use of incense and Sacrifice. All too often, we forget that the Mass is the Holy Sacrifice.

Next, talk about how Jesus perfected what was celebrated at Passover by becoming the Priest, Lamb of Sacrifice and Altar at the Last Supper and Calvary. Remember. You cannot have the Last Supper without the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. All three are integral pieces of each other.

Pope Benedict XVI has written extensively on this. In fact, the homily he peached last year for the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper is an excellent reference for you. You can find it at www.vatican.va and click on to his picture. Then, click onto to homilies and go to 2007.

Scott Hahn also has an excellent book.

You might also want to go over the seasons of the Church liturgical year and explain to your students about colors and why we celebrate certain times. The Proclamation of the Feast of Epiphany is a good tool because it breaks down things into very elemental statements.

If you send me a PM, I have a book that I am writing that would be geared towards your age group.
 
I would do something like this-
  1. What the Mass means to Catholics, the Real Presence, and focus of Catholic worship.
  2. Mass in Sacred Scripture, talk about the sacrificial altars of the OT also. How often Jesus refered himself as the “Bread of Life,” and Lamb of God.
  3. History of the Mass, and the Early Christians, the Latin and Novus Ordo, what VII meant.
  4. The Church calendar, and seasons. (Ordinary Time, Easter, Lent, Advent.) and how the Readings are woven in relation.
  5. The Mass itself. Talk about the parts that make up the Mass, the Greeing, Sanctus, Homily, etc.
  6. Go to the Chruch and see things. Explain why we genuflect, the vestments and vessels, the stations of the cross, the tabernacle etc.
My :twocents:
 
teachccd said:
I wonder how you might make a dynamic presentation within an area of your weakness.
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I have no doubt that I can teach this. 🙂

I’ll just have to research a little. Plus, I do want to bring in some guest speakers.

And, Teaching is my talent (all glory to God).

🙂
 
BamaRider said:
I would do something like this-
  1. What the Mass means to Catholics, the Real Presence, and focus of Catholic worship.
  2. Mass in Sacred Scripture, talk about the sacrificial altars of the OT also. How often Jesus refered himself as the “Bread of Life,” and Lamb of God.
  3. History of the Mass, and the Early Christians, the Latin and Novus Ordo, what VII meant.
  4. The Church calendar, and seasons. (Ordinary Time, Easter, Lent, Advent.) and how the Readings are woven in relation.
  5. The Mass itself. Talk about the parts that make up the Mass, the Greeing, Sanctus, Homily, etc.
  6. Go to the Chruch and see things. Explain why we genuflect, the vestments and vessels, the stations of the cross, the tabernacle etc.
My :twocents:
Click to expand...
very helpful. Do you think I should look at liturgical music?
 
teachccd said:
I
Now, as for your question. How long is each session?? How big are the classes? Are all grades present at once?? Do you have access to a Church?? Do the children have bibles of their own? What is the depth of your familiarity with the topic and how much will you be relying on a guest speaker?? These are all pertinent questions that will result in an adequate answer. I can give you six sessions but if the resources are not there then what will you do with my suggestions??

🙂
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We will have a hour. The class will be about 14 students. No, unfortunately, we will be meeting in a Protestant facility. Our parish church won’t give us space. The kids have Bibles.

We have lots of resources. So, bring on the topics!!🙂
 
leonie said:
We will have a hour. The class will be about 14 students. No, unfortunately, we will be meeting in a Protestant facility. Our parish church won’t give us space. The kids have Bibles.

We have lots of resources. So, bring on the topics!!🙂
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I’m not sure what other topics/ideas you believe you need. You only have six one-hour sessions. The ideas provided here could easily cover twice that.
 
BamaRider said:
I would do something like this-
  1. What the Mass means to Catholics, the Real Presence, and focus of Catholic worship.
  2. Mass in Sacred Scripture, talk about the sacrificial altars of the OT also. How often Jesus refered himself as the “Bread of Life,” and Lamb of God.
  3. History of the Mass, and the Early Christians, the Latin and Novus Ordo, what VII meant.
  4. The Church calendar, and seasons. (Ordinary Time, Easter, Lent, Advent.) and how the Readings are woven in relation.
  5. The Mass itself. Talk about the parts that make up the Mass, the Greeing, Sanctus, Homily, etc.
  6. Go to the Chruch and see things. Explain why we genuflect, the vestments and vessels, the stations of the cross, the tabernacle etc.
My :twocents:
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I think this is good.
 
Oh you have to touch on Scott Hahn’s book “The Lamb’s Supper”.

It was an eye opener for me as to the intense reality the Mass brings to us.
 
1ke said:
I’m not sure what other topics/ideas you believe you need. You only have six one-hour sessions. The ideas provided here could easily cover twice that.
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True, but I really want to go past the basics. I want to make it interesting and revelant.

I want to go into the historical contexts of liturgical worship. I’m interested in topics that touch on things the kids may have not been exposed to in their Faith and Life or Baltimore catechisms.

all of these kids get religion class/catechesis on a daily basis in their curriculum. And, many are daily communicants. So, I am excited to see others who might be more liturgically minded might come up.
 
You might check into the book “The Mass of the Early Christians” (author’s name escapes me, and my copy is loaned to a friend).

It is a short book, quick read and will give an historical process.
 
kage_ar said:
You might check into the book “The Mass of the Early Christians” (author’s name escapes me, and my copy is loaned to a friend).

It is a short book, quick read and will give an historical process.
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I think it’s by Mike Aquila. You can find it on Amazon.com and, it’s a good little book. But, I think more than anything else, kids should learn the parts of the Mass and, if possible, their origins. Explaining this really helps to put things into perspective and will really shed some light into the salviffic mysteries that unfold before us week after week.
 
leonie said:
I’m proposing a six week class for our homeschool co-op on liturgy–esp. focusing on the history of liturgical development. I want it to be very dynamic.
Click to expand...
I would propose that you focus rather on the current liturgy, and save “the history of liturgical development” for a later time. The more people know about the current liturgy (Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms of Mass), the more they’d be receptive to the history of liturgical development, I think.

I’m working on a putting together a ten-chapter course on the Ordinary Form. Here’s the description I sent out to some of my fellow parishioners:
Our goal is to understand the origins and meanings of the parts of Mass, as well as see where in Scripture many of the elements and texts of the Mass come from. For instance, the greeting the priest gives at the beginning of Mass (whether it’s “The Lord be with you”, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all”, or “The grace and peace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you”) is taken directly from Scripture.

I’ve been working at putting together a “course of study” which is comprised of ten “sessions” (although we might meet more than once for a particular session):


  1. *]Introduction to the study group (purpose, background, etc.)
    *]The environment of church buildings
    *]Preparation before Mass of both laity and clergy
    *]Introductory Rites
    *]Liturgy of the Word, Part 1 (stopping short of the creed)
    *]Liturgy of the Word, Part 2 (creed and the general intercessions)
    *]Liturgy of the Eucharist, Part 1 (Offertory through the Sanctus (“Holy, Holy, Holy”))
    *]Liturgy of the Eucharist, Part 2 (the Eucharistic Prayer, looking at EPs I, II, II, IV, and the two EPs for reconciliation)
    *]Liturgy of the Eucharist, Part 3 (from the Our Father through reception of Holy Communion)
    *]Concluding Rites

    My vision for the group is that we would meet (preferably weekly, but every other week is fine too) and start with evening prayer (vespers) and then go into some conversation over a group of questions for the subject matter (e.g. What does a priest wear? What are the various liturgical colors? Why do we say “Amen” to prayers?). After we’ve looked at the questions and offered our own answers and perspectives (and probably asked more questions), we move on to the study part, where we would go through the material I’ve collected (and arranged in an orderly fashion) to see what the Church teaches about the particular parts of Mass – in other words, what the official and historical meanings and origins are (e.g. why water is mixed with wine, why we make the sign of the cross and why Eastern Catholics and Orthodox make it in the opposite direction, what the priest says in his silent prayers).

    The study is really an effort at “liturgical formation”. The goal is not just to be “book-smart” about the Mass but to help us to achieve that “full, conscious, and active participation” that the Second Vatican Council described as the very purpose of the liturgical reform. In order to actively participate (which is interior as well as exterior), we need to understand what we’re participating in: why we make certain gestures, why we say certain things, why priests don’t celebrate Mass in ordinary clothing, etc.

    It’s my hope that we can all learn something and come to appreciate the Mass more. It’s like a Bible Study, but it’s not just the Bible (although it’s more of the Bible than you might think).
 
japhy said:
I would propose that you focus rather on the current liturgy, and save “the history of liturgical development” for a later time. The more people know about the current liturgy (Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms of Mass), the more they’d be receptive to the history of liturgical development, I think.

I’m working on a putting together a ten-chapter course on the Ordinary Form. Here’s the description I sent out to some of my fellow parishioners:
Our goal is to understand the origins and meanings of the parts of Mass, as well as see where in Scripture many of the elements and texts of the Mass come from. For instance, the greeting the priest gives at the beginning of Mass (whether it’s “The Lord be with you”, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all”, or “The grace and peace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you”) is taken directly from Scripture.

I’ve been working at putting together a “course of study” which is comprised of ten “sessions” (although we might meet more than once for a particular session):


  1. *]Introduction to the study group (purpose, background, etc.)
    *]The environment of church buildings
    *]Preparation before Mass of both laity and clergy
    *]Introductory Rites
    *]Liturgy of the Word, Part 1 (stopping short of the creed)
    *]Liturgy of the Word, Part 2 (creed and the general intercessions)
    *]Liturgy of the Eucharist, Part 1 (Offertory through the Sanctus (“Holy, Holy, Holy”))
    *]Liturgy of the Eucharist, Part 2 (the Eucharistic Prayer, looking at EPs I, II, II, IV, and the two EPs for reconciliation)
    *]Liturgy of the Eucharist, Part 3 (from the Our Father through reception of Holy Communion)
    *]Concluding Rites

    My vision for the group is that we would meet (preferably weekly, but every other week is fine too) and start with evening prayer (vespers) and then go into some conversation over a group of questions for the subject matter (e.g. What does a priest wear? What are the various liturgical colors? Why do we say “Amen” to prayers?). After we’ve looked at the questions and offered our own answers and perspectives (and probably asked more questions), we move on to the study part, where we would go through the material I’ve collected (and arranged in an orderly fashion) to see what the Church teaches about the particular parts of Mass – in other words, what the official and historical meanings and origins are (e.g. why water is mixed with wine, why we make the sign of the cross and why Eastern Catholics and Orthodox make it in the opposite direction, what the priest says in his silent prayers).

    The study is really an effort at “liturgical formation”. The goal is not just to be “book-smart” about the Mass but to help us to achieve that “full, conscious, and active participation” that the Second Vatican Council described as the very purpose of the liturgical reform. In order to actively participate (which is interior as well as exterior), we need to understand what we’re participating in: why we make certain gestures, why we say certain things, why priests don’t celebrate Mass in ordinary clothing, etc.

    It’s my hope that we can all learn something and come to appreciate the Mass more. It’s like a Bible Study, but it’s not just the Bible (although it’s more of the Bible than you might think).
Click to expand...

  1. Might just me, but I’m afraid this flies over the head of 6th-9th graders. I just don’t think you’re gonna hold their attention long enough to talk about the opening greeting for a hour.
 
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