Catechist Training Master 1 - Pflaum Home

ecruiting and 

training catechists 

5Chapter 

Chapter 

Finding Catechists 

Many parishes have a large 

turnover among catechists each 

year, but at the same time maintain 

a core of experienced catechists. 

Experienced catechists create 

stability in a program. 

A May appreciation party is a 

good time to sign up experienced 

catechists for another year. This 

event can be combined with an 

evaluation of the year. Honor 

catechists’ service and respond to 

their needs in order to form a group 

of able and experienced catechists 

who can not only teach children 

but also mentor new volunteer 

catechists. Some parishes pay their 

catechists modest stipends. 

Register children for religious 

education in August or preregister 

them in the spring, so you can 

determine how many children will 

be in your classes when they start 

in the fall. Class size is ideally 

between 10 and 20 children. New 

volunteer catechists succeed better 

with smaller groups. 

Begin recruiting catechists early. 

Involve the parish community 

by making your needs known. 

Consider: 

● Advertising in the parish 

bulletin; 

● Speaking from the pulpit; 

● Contacting potential recruits 

personally; 

● Offering a variety of ways 

parishioners can serve as 

catechists; 

● Requesting referrals from 

catechists, staff, and others; 

● Inviting new parishioners to 

join your team of catechists; 

● Allowing catechists to 

volunteer for a half-year or 

two months at a time and team 

teach in tandem with others; 

● Offering classes on different 

days, weekends, or at different 

times of day to allow more 

people to volunteer; 

● Holding classes in a different 

location than the parish 

buildings; 

● Offering the opportunity 

to team teach with another 

catechist for those who do not 

want to take on a class alone; 

● Partnering new volunteer 

catechists with experienced 

teachers for a year before they 

teach solo with children; 

● Having couples or teams teach 

classes rather than individuals 

teaching alone, or have teens 

work as aides with catechists to 

help with activities; 

● Creating a list of substitute 

catechists to call when regular 

catechists can’t make their 

classes. 

23 

Using Parish Talent and 

Resources 

To enhance your program, 

consider ways in which you can use 

parishioners’ creative resources to 

complement the lessons or themes 

of the liturgical seasons. Music, 

art, and puppets all offer additional 

avenues for learning our Christian 

tradition. For example, public 

schools no longer teach religious 

Christmas songs, so parishes should 

take up this tradition. 

Many people no longer attend 

the Holy Thursday, Good Friday, 

and Easter Vigil liturgies because 

they are working and not under 

any obligation to attend. Yet these 

celebrations, which involve the 

whole person with signs, symbols, 

music, and dramatic gestures, have 

more to teach children through their 

senses than any other liturgies of the 

year. The Weeklies strongly urge 

parishes to recatechize adults on the 

value of participating in the liturgies 

of the Sacred Triduum. 

● What special gifts do people in 

your parish have to bring to the 

religious education program? 

● Can you draw on parish 

musicians to teach songs to 

the young people regularly 

or for special seasons or for 

occasions such as the end of 

the year?

● Do you have storytellers who 

might do Gospel storytelling 

at the Seeds prereading 

level or who might use their 

storytelling abilities to enhance 

the children’s stories found 

in all of the Pflaum Gospel 

Weeklies editions? 

● Do you have puppeteers who 

can help children tell the 

Gospel with puppets? 

● Can you draw on someone who 

knows birds and flowers and 

might lead children on a nature 

walk? 

● What videos and music does 

your parish have that you can 

incorporate in the religious 

education program? What 

videos can you rent? 

Training Calendar 

Catechists are not born. They 

develop through training and 

experience. The Pflaum Gospel 

Weeklies provide online Resource 

Manuals for each edition. These 

manuals are every catechist’s 

primary training tool. They provide 

background for catechists in the 

faith development of children, and 

the design and flow of each lesson 

in the Weeklies. 

This chapter of the Handbook 

suggests three inservice training 

sessions with catechists each 

year and a concluding evaluation/ 

celebration session. 

Catechist Inservice Session 1: 

Orientation 


Advent/Christmas: Exploring the 

Incarnation Mystery 


Lent/Easter: Exploring the 

Paschal Mystery 

Evaluation and Celebration 

Drawing on the online Resource 

Manuals for training and discussion 

content, this chapter provides the 

resources the DRE needs to become 

the catechist to his or her catechists. 

Catechists’ Needs 

If the parish has experience 

using the Weeklies, the director 

must both meet the needs of new 

catechists and survey experienced 

catechists to identify their evolving 

needs. A director can draw 

experienced catechists into training 

and mentoring new volunteers 

and into helping one another learn 

new techniques. For example, 

a primary-level catechist who is 

a good storyteller or who uses 

creative drama effectively can help 

others develop these valuable ways 

of involving children in their own 

learning. 

Orientation of new volunteer 

catechists usually includes: 

● the flow of a Pflaum Gospel 

Weeklies lesson; 

● the management of class time 

and space; 

● guidelines regarding discipline, 

attendance, use of the building, 

and other expectations and 

responsibilities. 

When a parish shifts for the first 

time into a liturgical catechesis 

approach, the director needs to 

familiarize all catechists and parents 

with the aims and resources of 

the new program. Experienced 

catechists benefit from overviewing 

how the Pflaum Gospel Weeklies 

provide the elements of basic, 

comprehensive catechesis. They 

usually want to know where they 

offer lessons on concepts that they 

are used to teaching, such as Old 

Testament, Commandments, 

prayers, and Sacraments. 

All teachers, catechists, and 

parents need ongoing help 

internalizing the doctrinal themes of 

the liturgical year. Each inservice 

session should include time to 

identify the doctrinal themes of the 

24 

liturgical seasons that upcoming 

Weeklies explore. 

Tailoring Inservice 

Sessions 

Directors have the role of suiting 

inservice sessions to the specific 

needs of their catechists. This 

Handbook describes three inservice 

sessions, which can work in any 

of the implementation models that 

earlier Handbook chapters describe. 

Depending on the needs of those 

using the Pflaum Gospel Weeklies 

the director can plan training 

sessions for: 

1. Total group; 

2. Grade- or edition-level groups; 

3. Self-directed groups in which 

catechists work together; 

4. High-interest presentations by 

outside specialists. 

The important part of catechist 

training—and this also applies to 

training parents as catechists of their 

children—is to ensure that your 

catechists meet and exchange ideas 

with you and with one another, that 

they meet in smaller groups to plan 

especially for the edition levels 

they teach, and that they learn more 

about special topics. 

Inservice Topics 

Each online Resource Manual 

offers a menu of possible topics 

for inservice presentations. This 

Handbook provides training masters 

for those topics, especially useful 

for the first year of the liturgical 

catechesis approach. Directors 

can use the menu to create their 

own inservice sessions to respond 

to the needs of their catechists in 

subsequent years of implementation.

Overview of Training Sessions 

Catechist Training Master 1 (page 30) 

The Flow of a Weeklies Lesson 

Use Chapter 2 of the appropriate edition-level 

online Resource Manual with this Catechist 

Training Master. 


Liturgical Catechesis 

Use Chapter 2 of this Handbook with this 

Catechist Training Master. 


How Do Children at Each Pflaum Edition 

Level Learn? 

Use Chapter 1 of the appropriate edition-level 

online Resource Manual with this Catechist 

Training Master. 


How Does the Liturgical Catechesis 

Approach of the Weeklies Provide 

Catholic Instruction? 

Use Chapters 2 and 3 of this Handbook with 

this Catechist Training Master. 


Nine Steps to Maintaining Order and 

Organization 

Use Chapter 3 of the appropriate editionlevel 

online Resource Manual with this 

Catechist Training Master. 


Pflaum Gospel Weeklies Evaluation 

Prayer Services 

Prayer Service 1 (page 36) 

The Sower and the Seed 


The Way of the Lord 


The Grain of Wheat 


“And to Some the Gift of Teaching” 

25

Suggested Calendar for the Pflaum Gospel Weeklies Year 

Time of Catechist Meetings Class Sessions Special 

Year and Family Activities Celebrations 

August 

Catechist Training Session 1: Orientation 

Introduce liturgical catechesis and the flow of a 

Pflaum Gospel Weeklies lesson. Distribute first eight 

Pflaum Gospel Weeklies lessons to catechists. 

Prayer Service 1: 

The Sower and the Seed 

Late August 

Meet with families, or send letter to parents 

explaining program. 

Early 

September 

September, 

October, and 

November 

Consider using the Pflaum online 

lessons (pflaumweeklies.com/ 

earlystart) for the September 

Sundays prior to the first lesson of 

the Pflaum Gospel Weeklies 

Autumn Ordinary Time 

Lessons 1-8 

Thanksgiving prayer services 

and related activities. See 

individual lessons of the 

current Pflaum Gospel 

Weeklies. 

Before 

Advent 

begins 

Catechist Training Session 2: Advent/Christmas: 

Exploring the Incarnation Mystery. Introduce 

themes of Advent/Christmas and Sundays of Winter 

Ordinary Time. Distribute the eight Pflaum Gospel 

Weeklies lessons—Feast of Christ the King into 

January. The rest of the lessons for Ordinary Time 

will come in the packet with the first Sunday of Lent. 



Advent/ 

Christmas 

Winter 

Ordinary 

Time 

Christ the King, Advent/Christmas 

Lessons 9-16. Depending on the 

date of Easter, Winter Ordinary 

Time has as few as five or as many 

as nine Sundays. 

Christmas plays, programs, 

and prayer services are in 

individual lessons of the 

current Pflaum Gospel 

Weeklies. 

Before Lent 

Lent 

Easter 

Pentecost 

Catechist Training Session 3: Lent/Easter: Exploring 

the Paschal Mystery. Introduce themes of Lent and 

Eastertide using the Teacher/Parent Guide and unit 

overviews. Distribute the Pflaum Gospel Weeklies 

lessons for Lent. Send a parent letter summarizing 

the thrust of the Lent/Easter catechesis or meet with 

families. 

Lent/Triduum 

The Lent lessons include activities 

for the celebration of the Holy 

Week days. 



Ash Wednesday prayer 

service, class or all-school 

reconciliation service, 

Triduum liturgies, Passover 

meal 

Early May 

Send a letter to parents, alerting them to the end of 

the formal catechetical meetings for the school year. 

Eastertide: The number of lessons 

after Easter varies according to the 

date of Easter. 

Pentecost prayer services 

End of the 

catechetical 

sessions 

Evaluation and Celebration 

Use Training Master 6 as a way for your catechists to 

evaluate the catechesis and their experience. 

26 

Consider using the Pflaum online 

lessons (pflaumweeklies.com/ 

lateclose) for the May Sundays 

after the last lessons of the Pflaum 

Gospel Weeklies. 


“And to Some the Gift of 

Teaching” 

©2013 Pflaum Publishing Group, Dayton, OH 45439 Permission to reproduce this page is granted for use in your religious education program.

Catechist Training Session 1 

Orientation 

Preparation 

1. Send a letter of invitation to each catechist or 

parent well in advance of the meeting date. 

2. Collect and duplicate inservice materials you will 

need for the meeting: 

● Calendar for the year and room assignment chart; 

● Provide link to online Resource Manual for each 

catechist; 

● Scope and Sequence Chart (wall chart); 

● Scope and Sequence Chart for the current year 

found in the User’s Guide; 

● Weeklies’ first lessons at each level and 

accompanying Teaching Guides; 

● Lesson planning forms for each catechist 

(Training Master 1); 

● Liturgical Catechesis (Training Master 2); 

● The Sower and the Seed Prayer Service 

(Prayer Service 1); 

Session 1: Orientation 

1. Welcome 

● Affirmation of catechists, parents 

● Introductions 

2. Prayer Service 1: The Sower and the Seed 

3. Liturgical Catechesis 

● Training Master 2 

● Handbook Chapter 2 

4. The Flow of a Pflaum Gospel Weeklies 

Lesson 

● Catechist Training Master 1 

● Resource Manuals, Chapter 2. 

● The first eight lessons of the Weeklies and their 

Teaching Guides 

Break for Refreshments 

● Nine Steps to Maintaining Order and Organization 

(Catechist Training Master 5); 

Help your catechists or parents find the description 

of each part of a lesson in the online Resource 

Manual for their edition. Have them find the same 

parts for each grade level in the Weeklies and in the 

Teaching Guide. Enlist experienced catechists to 

work through the lesson plan with new catechists and 

parent catechists by edition level. 

3. Create supply boxes for each catechist or 

classroom. See Resource Manuals online. 

4. Prepare to lead a session such as the one outlined 

below. The agenda suggests addressing the needs 

of new and experienced catechists separately. 

Conclude by regathering as a total group to discuss 

what it means to be a catechist, to review the 

calendar for the year, and to answer questions. 

New Catechist Session 

Managing Class Time, Space, and Children 

● Resource Manuals, Chapter 3. 

● Catechist Training Master 5: Discipline 

● Partner with experienced catechists 

Experienced Catechist Session 

Doctrinal Themes of Autumn Ordinary Time 

● The first eight lessons of the Weeklies and their 


● Scope and Sequence Chart (wall chart) and 

Scope and Sequence Chart for the current year 

Total Group 

● Form small groups and discuss the key factors 

in being a catechist. Gather the large group and 

list on the chalkboard or newsprint all key ideas 

and thoughts that came from the small group 

discussion. 

● Review calendar for the year. 

● Take questions. 

27


Advent/Christmas: Exploring the Incarnation Mystery 

Preparation 

Collect and duplicate inservice materials you will 


● Weeklies second set of lessons at each level and 


● Eight lesson planning forms for each catechist 


● Provide link to the online Resource Manual for 

each catechist; 

● The Way of the Lord (Prayer Service 2); 

● How Do Children at Each Pflaum Gospel 

Weeklies Level Learn? (Catechist Training 

Master 3). 

Session 2: Exploring the Incarnation Mystery 

l. Greeting and Introductions 

2. Prayer Service 2: The Way of the Lord 

3. How Do Children at Each Pflaum Gospel 

Weeklies Level Learn? 

● Catechist Training Master 3 

● Resource Manuals, Chapter 1 

4. Doctrinal Themes of Second set of Lessons 

● Second set of lessons of the Weeklies and their 



● Three-Year Scope and Sequence 

Chart (wall chart) 


5. Lesson Planning 

Divide into five groups, according to which 

Pflaum Gospel Weeklies each person uses. 

Distribute lessons and lesson plan blanks. Have 

an experienced leader in each group help the 

group prepare a lesson plan for the 1st Sunday of 

Advent, adapting the lesson plans sugggested in 

the guides to the time available and other specific 

circumstances. 

6. Large Group 

Gather as a large group to decide on activities, from 

the Advent/Christmas lessons, that you may wish to 

use in all-school or all-religion-classes Christmas 

programs. 

7. Review Calendar 

Ask for questions about any aspect of the program. 

Take time to make sure your answers satisfy. If 

there are concerns that need more attention, put 

them on the next meeting agenda. 

28


Lent/Easter: Exploring the Paschal Mystery 

Preparation 

Collect and duplicate inservice materials you will 


● The Grain of Wheat (Prayer Service 3); 

● Weeklies third set of lessons at each level and 


● Eight lesson planning forms for each catechist 


● How Does the Liturgial Catechesis Approach of the 

Weeklies Provide Catholic Instruction? (Catechist 

Training Master 4); 

● Provide link to the Resource Manuals; 

● Three-Year Scope and Sequence Chart 

Session 3: Exploring the Paschal Mystery 

1. Welcome 

2. Prayer Service 3: The Grain of Wheat 

3. How Does the Liturgical Catechesis 

Approach of the Weeklies Provide Catholic 

Instruction? 


● Three-Year Scope and Sequence 

Chart (wall chart) 


4. The Doctrinal Themes of Third set of 

Lessons 


● Scope and Sequence Charts 

● Third set of lessons of the Weeklies and their 


6. Large Group 

Gather as a large group to decide on activities 

from the Lent lessons which you may wish to 

consider for use in all-school or all-religion-classes 

celebration of Ash Wednesday and the Holy 

Triduum. Consider ways to involve families and 

their children in the liturgies of Holy Week. 

7. Review Calendar 

Ask for questions about any aspect of the program. 

Take time to make sure your answers satisfy. Note 

that the next catechist meeting will be the last. 

5. Lesson Planning 

Divide into five groups, according to which Pflaum 

Gospel Weeklies each person teaches. Distribute 

lessons and lesson plan blanks. Have catechists 

work together to overview the upcoming lessons. 

29

The Flow of a Weeklies Lesson 

Catechist Training Master 1 

LLESSON PLAN STEPS PURPOSE, OBJECTIVES TIME MATERIALS 

NEEDED NEEDED 

1. Sharing Life Stories 

Liturgy of the Word Ritual 

Cover Activity 

Story or Article 

Discussion Questions 

2. Listening to God’s Word 

Proclaiming the Gospel 

• Reflecting on the Gospel 

Discussion Questions 

• Linking Story and Gospel 

3. Building Christian Community 

Gospel Activity 

Bible and Liturgy Features 

Doctrine 

Concluding Prayer 

Use with Resource Manuals, Chapter 2, and weekly Teaching Guides. 

30 


Liturgical Catechesis 

1. Define “lectionary”: 


2. Talk about liturgical catechesis and its relationship to the liturgical year: 

3. List the liturgical seasons and show how your catechetical schedule follows the seasons: 

Use the questions on this page to explore and discuss liturgical catechesis (Handbook Chapter 2). 

Read the chapter and discuss the questions in small groups. 

31 


How Do Children at Each Pflaum 

Gospel Weeklies Level Learn? 

Child Development Levels 

Seeds 

● eager learners 

● egocentric 

● physically vigorous/tire quickly 

● strong imaginations/interact with senses 

● need parental involvement 

Seeds presents the stories of Jesus in creative and 

engaging ways that enable preschoolers to share in the 

faith of the Christian community and to experience 

Jesus’ love in their everyday lives. 

Promise 

● hands-on learners 

● full of wonder/energy/noisy 

● share family faith 

● abstract thinking 

Promise helps catechists present the Gospel stories in 

a loving atmosphere and use hands-on ways to involve 

the children in those stories. 

Good News 

● concrete thinkers and learners 

● storytellers 

● first Eucharist 

Good News for Children helps second- and thirdgraders 

hear and retell the Gospel stories and use their 

senses to learn about their world. 

Venture 

● industrious data-gatherers 

● concrete thinkers 

● sense of moral reasoning 

● developing historical sense 

● enjoy doing projects together/time and space 

● able to use symbols 


Venture works with the abilities of middle-graders, 

who still think concretely but love to work together on 

elaborate projects. 

Visions 

● emotional and social development 

● maturing physically 

● new thnking capacity 

● wanting to belong to groups and make personal 

friends 

Visions leads junior-high students to stretch their 

developing abstract thinking skills and to apply them to 

going beyond the literal level of scripture stories. 

What thinking ability do the children at the age-level 

I teach possess? 

What are the moral reasoning abilities of the 

children I teach? 

How do the children I teach relate to one another 

and to others at their level of social development? 

What spiritual or faith development level can I 

expect of the young people I teach? 

Use this discussion aid with the appropriate levels of the Resource Manuals, Chapter 1. Read through the 

information on this page and work in groups that include catechists or parents from each of the five edition levels 

if possible. Have each person review the appropriate chapter in the Manual, make notes, and then report on and 

discuss what can be expected of a child at each age in terms of religion. 

32 


How Does the Liturgical Catechesis Approach of 

Weeklies Provide Catholic Instruction? 

1. Why is the lectionary called a privileged source of catechesis? 


2. How is liturgical catechesis both Christocentric and Trinitarian, and why is this important to Catholic 

instruction? 

3. Liturgical catechesis is richly scriptural. Talk about the major themes of scripture you will be studying 

with this approach. 

4. How are the aims of conversion and praxis in the liturgical approach of the Pflaum Gospel Weeklies 

different from the aim of simply understanding religious concepts? 

Use these questions to explore and discuss Chapters 2 and 3 in the Handbook. See also the Scope and 

Sequence Chart. 

33 


Nine Steps to Maintaining Order and Organization 

Step 1: Focus attention. Sister Ann begins class 

the same way each day, “Boys and girls,” she says, 

almost in a whisper, “stare at me.” Sister knows what 

she’s doing. Follow her example and get everyone’s 

attention before you begin a lesson. Invite the 

children to gather and to settle down. Then wait in 

silence until they do so. Your silence can be very 

effective. If someone is disrupting class by talking, 

don’t attempt to talk over him or her, simply be silent, 

and your silence will focus attention on you. 

Step 2: Explain what’s about to happen. “Tell 

them what you’re going to tell them,” has always been 

sound advice for teachers. Outlining what you and 

the children will be doing in a lesson not only tells the 

children what the lesson will be about, but also gives 

them something to anticipate. Anticipation makes for 

eager learners. 

Step 3: Circulate as you catechize. A favorite 

teacher says he always like to move around the room 

when teaching. “It’s harder to hit a moving target,” 

he jokes. But moving about to monitor the classroom 

is no joke. While your students are working on their 

own or in small groups, roam the room. Check on 

progress and offer help where needed. Students not 

yet quite on task will be quick to get going as they see 

you approach. Children will appreciate your personal 

and positive attention. 

Step 4: Model the faith. Albert Schweitzer once 

said, “Example is not the main thing in influencing 

others. It’s the only thing.” In like manner, the 

General Directory for Catechesis reminds us that 

“faith is more witnessed to than taught” (GDC #255). 

Teachers and catechists who evidence the Christian 

virtues and model compassion and justice provide 

powerful examples for their students and discourage 

misbehavior. 


Step 5: Control the environment. Strive to make 

your meeting space a warm, cheery place. Change the 

environment with the seasons—natural and liturgical. 

Pay attention to how your students react to the 

environment—too bland? Too spicy? See to it that 

the environment inspires order not disorder. 

Step 6: Accentuate the positive. Refuse to 

reward rowdiness. Don’t give a disruptive student 

any more of what he or she is craving—attention. If 

a student acts up, respond in a low-key manner, then 

calmly focus the child’s attention on the behavior you 

expect from him or her, not on the misbehavior, “I 

need you to...” or “I expect you to...” 

Step 7: Deliver “I” messages. Should the 

misbehaving continue, respond by describing (1) the 

problem behavior: “When you talk while I talk...” 

(2) the effect the behavior has on you or the class 

“... I don’t have time to help others...” (3) the feeling 

that the misbehavior generates in you “... I feel very 

frustrated.” 

Step 8: Expect the best. Use classroom guidelines 

that describe the behaviors you want, not those you 

don’t want. Instead of “no-gum chewing,” use “leave 

gum at home.” Instead of “no put-downs,” use “show 

respect for others.” 

Step 9: Catch students behaving. Be generous 

with praise. When you witness good behavior, 

acknowledge it. A kind word, a nod, a smile, a highfive, 

or a thumbs-up reinforces the behavior. 

Use these steps to explore and discuss concerns catechists may have about discipline in the classroom. See the 

Resource Manuals, Chapter 3. Experienced catechists can share ideas and techniques with new catechists. 

34 


Pflaum Gospel Weeklies Evaluation 


1. What aspect of the Pflaum Gospel Weeklies were you most hopeful about at the beginning? How has it 

succeeded? 

2. What problem were you most concerned about? How did it turn out? 

3. What elements of the Weeklies did you enjoy working with most? 

4. What elements did your students enjoy working with most? 

5. Which parts of the training were most helpful to you? Which were of little importance and need to be 

improved? 

6. How well do you feel the Weeklies’ liturgical catechesis fit with the catechetical guidelines outlined by 

the Catechism of the Catholic Church? 

7. In what ways did the Handbook and the online Resource Manual help you? (Check all that apply.) 

___ Explained the concept of liturgical catechesis (Handbook) 

___ Helped me see how a Weeklies lesson flowed (Resource Manual) 

___ Helped me with classroom organization and management (Resource Manual) 

___ Other ____________________________________________________________________________ 

_________________________________________________________________________________ 

8. Are you satisfied with student attendance and morale? Why or why not? 

9. Are you satisfied with parents’ support of the program? Why or why not? 

10. What have been your best accomplishments of this teaching year? 

11. What are your two best recommendations to make our religious education more effective? 

35 


Catechist Prayer Service 1 

OPENING SONG: Choose a song the group is familiar 

with. 

OPENING PRAYER: In every generation sowers 

must sow anew the seed that is the Word of God. In 

the parable of the sower, Jesus tells us some seed never 

sprouts, some withers, some gets choked out by weeds, 

but some falls on good ground and yields thirty, sixty, 

and a hundredfold. Our ministry is to sow God’s Word 

in the good ground of young people’s lives. 

SIDE 1: Let us plant the seeds of a joyful God. 

SIDE 2: Let us plant the seeds of love and forgiveness. 

SIDE 1: Let us plant the seeds of joy and thankfulness. 

SIDE 2: Let us plant the seeds of empathy and 

compassion. 

LEADER: That the Word of God makes us sensitive to 

the hurts and pains of others, we pray to the Lord. 

ALL: May all the seeds we plant fall on good ground. 

LEADER: That the Word of God sings in our hearts 

and voices, we pray to the Lord. 


LEADER: Loving God, may we and those we teach 

be good ground in which your Word flourishes and 

yields thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold. Help the seeds of 

justice, love, and peace sprout in those we teach. Amen. 

SONG: Conclude with a song everyone knows. 

READING: Mark 4.1-8 

REFLECTION: Let us share what attitudes and values 

we want to sow this year by what we teach and by how 

we teach. 

Take time for participants to contribute. 

LEADER: That the Word of God leads us to action 

the service of God, we pray to the Lord. 


LEADER: That the Word of God helps us listen to all 

God’s children, we pray to the Lord. 


LEADER: That the Word of God takes all judgment 

of others from our hearts, we pray to the Lord. 


Our ministry 

is to sow 

God’s Word 

in the good ground 

of young people’s lives. 

36 




OPENING SONG: “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” 

or another Advent song familiar to the group. 

LEADER: Let us pray in the name of God who gives 

all things life and sustains the world, in the name of 

Jesus in whom God comes among us, and in the name 

of the Spirit who frees us for God’s work in this world. 

ALL: Amen. 

SIDE 1: By your creative power, God, you separated 

the waters of the heavens from the springs of 

the earth, the dry land from the sea. 

SIDE 2: For Israel enslaved in Egypt, the way of the 

Lord was a dry path through the Red Sea. 

SIDE 1: For Israel exiled in Babylon, the way of 

the Lord was a smooth, straight road home 

through the wilderness. 

SIDE 2: For us, the way of the Lord is Jesus’ coming 

among us and going before us through death 

to life. 

ADVENT WREATH BLESSING 

ALL: Amen. 

BLESSING 1: The circle of the wreath is a sign of 

God’s endless love for us. May we show one another 

love in our families and community. 

ALL: Loving God, listen to our prayer. 

BLESSING 2: The candles mark the weeks of Advent 

with your holy light, Lord. May we follow that light on 

our journey this Advent. 


LEADER: The evergreen branches remind us that 

God sustains our lives in bountiful love. Help us to be 

thankful, God, for all your many gifts to us. 


ALL: God of all the Ages, we often walk in darkness 

and fear the light. Advent is a time to turn toward your 

dawning in our world and remember your promises of 

life and love. Make us be people of loving and joyful 

hearts. Help us reach out to others in need. Keep us 

open and alive to your love. Amen. 

LEADER: Advent is a time for preparing for 

the birth of Jesus. We await Jesus’ coming 

with faith and hope. Bless this wreath and 

the light it bears. Let us prepare our hearts 

by using the symbol of the wreath to 

reflect on our past, live in the present, and 

hope in the future. 

37 



PREPARATION: Make five groups by having people 

number off from 1 to 5. Each group reads the words 

in the Grain of Wheat Prayer Service corresponding 

to their number. Prepare seeds and dirt for planting. 

Choose a familiar song of thanks to end the service. 

Add sound dimensions to the Gospel tone poem by 

asking individuals to make certain musical sounds each 

time certain words occur; for example, improvise with 

such simple sounds as these: 

solemnly (tap pencils together rapidly), 

falls (run a pencil down the spiral of a notebook), 

dies (drum softly on a hollow object), 

ground (crumple paper), 

eternal life (jingle key rings). 

LEADER: In the Gospel for the 5th Sunday of Lent, 

cycle B, Jesus compares himself to a grain of wheat. 

A grain of wheat indeed must fall into the earth to 

germinate. It does not really die. A seed that falls 

into the earth and dies does not sprout. Jesus’ image 

is one of transformation. In the seed that sprouts, the 

life within the seed bursts its hull and takes new form. 

Listen to this tone poem version of the Gospel. Let the 

sounds fall and flow over and around you. What life 

within you wants to burst its hull? 


Gospel Tone Poem 

1 I tell you 

2 tell you 

3 solemnly tell you 

4 I tell you solemnly: 

5 Unless 

1 unless a grain 

2 I tell you solemnly 

3 unless a grain 

4 a grain of wheat 

5 unless it falls 

1 the wheat falls 

2 on the ground 

3 and dies, 

4 unless the wheat dies 

5 unless it falls on the ground 

1 it stays a single grain 

2 a single grain 


3 only grain 

4 lonely grain 


1 it stays forever 

2 forever alone 

3 a single grain of wheat. 

4 But if it dies 

5 if the wheat dies 

1 on the ground 

2 in the ground 

3 under the ground 


5 if it dies 

1 if a single grain dies, 

2 it yields 

3 it increases 

4 it multiplies 

5 it brings forth 


2 it brings forth 

3 from the ground 

4 it brings a rich 

5 a very rich 

1 an extremely rich 

2 a single grain brings forth 

3 a joyfully rich harvest 

4 many grains of wheat 

5 harvest of eternal life. John 12.24 

REFLECTION: Talk together about a seed within you 

that wants to burst its hull this Lent. How can each of 

us plant this seed and expect transforming growth? 

SIDE 1: Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth, it 

remains a single grain. 

SIDE 2: But if it germinates, it yields a rich harvest. 

LEADER: Lead us through Lent to transformation, 

Jesus. We want to germinate, sprout, and yield a 

hundredfold. We want to be fruitful in ministering your 

Word to those we teach. 

ALL: We are your seed, Christ Jesus. Amen. 

SONG: Sing a familiar song. 

38 


“And to Some the Gift of Teaching” 


OPENING SONG: Sing a song familiar to the group. 

LEADER: We gather together in friendship and 

thanksgiving for the many gifts we have received this 

year. We have also been gifts—gifts to one another and 

to our parish community. 

ALL: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of 

the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

LEADER: Happy are the just; they are like trees 

planted near running water. 

ALL: That yield fruit in due season and whose leaves 

never fade. 

LEADER: The Gospel writer Mark tells us two stories 

about Jesus feeding multitudes. In these miracle stories, 

Jesus responds to the needs of large groups and, in both 

cases, the feedings result in an abundance of food left 

over. In our work as catechists this year we have seen 

miracles, too. We responded in love and kindness to our 

students and we fed them with the Word of God. 

READING: Mark 8.1-9 

REFLECTION: What times during the past year have 

I needed a miracle? What miracles have happened? 

LEADER: Jesus, you are the Bread of Life. 

ALL: Help us to walk with you always. 

LEADER: Jesus, you reached out and taught others 

about your Father. 


LEADER: Jesus, you nourished those who were 

hungry and weak. 


LEADER: Jesus, you taught us through your actions. 


LEADER: Thank you for this great year of teaching. 

Thank you for the many friends we have made and for 

the children we have taught. Keep us all safe and close 

to you. We ask this in Jesus’ name. 

ALL: Amen. 

Happy are the just; they 

are like trees planted near 

running water that yields 

fruit in due season and whose 

leaves never fade. 

Psalm 1.1, 3 

39

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