Teaching Exaltation of the Cross for Children

[Rome_Always]

Hi, my fellow Catholics! I am a CCD teacher and will be starting in about 3 weeks for our fall Faith Formation program. I am trying to look up articles for the Feast of the Exaltation or Triumph of the Cross for children. So, far, a little luck but nothing I fear that would be explainable to 5th graders. Our classes start on Sunday September 11th. I know this is a feast many do not hear about so any help would be appreciated.

God Bless,
Rachel:harp::getholy:

 

[5Loaves]

Hi, my fellow Catholics! I am a CCD teacher and will be starting in about 3 weeks for our fall Faith Formation program. I am trying to look up articles for the Feast of the Exaltation or Triumph of the Cross for children. So, far, a little luck but nothing I fear that would be explainable to 5th graders. Our classes start on Sunday September 11th. I know this is a feast many do not hear about so any help would be appreciated.

God Bless,
Rachel:harp::getholy:

Rachel-
The Exaltation of the Precious and Life-creating Cross is one of the Twelve Great Feasts for Eastern/Greek/Byzantine Catholic Churches. It is one of my favorite Feasts (tho I think I say that about every Feast ) I love the book The Twelve Great Feasts: Part 1 The Handbook put out by Eastern Christian Publications in Fairfax, VA, in their “Children’s Books” section. I use materials from this “children’s” book all the time for ideas for teaching on Feastdays for the adult RCIA in a Latin parish where I am a catechist. I don’t have the companion The Twelve Great Feasts: Part 2 The Toolkit so I’m not familiar with that more it contains.

There is also a *Twelve Great Feasts for Children *series which has a single small book for each of the feasts. These focus enough on the liturgical services, which are very beautiful, in our Eastern Catholic (and Orthodox) Churches that this book on the Exaltation of the Cross is probably not useful. If there is an Eastern Catholic or Orthodox Christian bookstore near you you could take a look at that book to see if there is anything useful to you in it. I see that series of books in every EC and Orthodox bookstore. I have not seen the Twelve Great Feasts: Part 1 The Handbook in any bookstore. I bought mine at a conference.

I’m not trying to insert inappropriate Eastern Christian material in here. As you say in your post the Latin Church has tended to not give much attention to this great Feast so the teachings that are available from your sister Eastern Catholic Churches might be very helpful to you. It’s a very rich and beautiful Feastday for us in the ECCs.

Kudos to you for giving this great Feast due focus with your children.

 

[Wesley7]

Hello Nice to meet you. I say prayers with a EO Byzantine Cross.

 

[puzzleannie]

Hi, my fellow Catholics! I am a CCD teacher and will be starting in about 3 weeks for our fall Faith Formation program. I am trying to look up articles for the Feast of the Exaltation or Triumph of the Cross for children. So, far, a little luck but nothing I fear that would be explainable to 5th graders. Our classes start on Sunday September 11th. I know this is a feast many do not hear about so any help would be appreciated.

God Bless,
Rachel:harp::getholy:

check the website of your textbook publisher and of the catechists magazines such as The Catechist and Creative Catechist as they may have free downloads on teaching feasts, saints etc of the season.

Loyola press has free webinars on the New Mass translation, for instance

your catechist guide should have a code somewhere near the title page that also allows you access to other areas of the website with a wealth of resources, check with your DRE

9/10 is our first day and our celebration will be combined with a commemoration of 9/11 with a discussion of the Cross and ground zero, and why that symbolism is so powerful, leading into a celebration of the Feast.

 

[5Loaves]

9/10 is our first day and our celebration will be combined with a commemoration of 9/11 with a discussion of the Cross and ground zero, and why that symbolism is so powerful, leading into a celebration of the Feast.

An especailly apt as well given the recent controversy in the news about the “…cross, which consists of two intersecting steel beams that were found intact in the rubble at Ground Zero…” I confess I hadn’t really realized how close the two dates are.

(Oye veh… just saw this article from “Christianity Today”