A guide to help catechists find ways of integrating lectionary readings with existing curriculum-based materials for children; includes practical ideas, sample lesson plans and a catechist formation program.

Christianity regards teaching as one of the most foundational and critically sustaining ministries of the Church. As a result, Christian education remains one of the largest and oldest continuously functioning educational systems in the world, comprising both formal day schools and higher education institutions as well as informal church study groups and parachurch ministries in more than 140 countries. In The Encyclopedia of Christian Education, contributors explore the many facets of Christian education in terms of its impact on curriculum, literacy, teacher training, outcomes, and professional standards. This encyclopedia is the first reference work devoted exclusively to chronicling the unique history of Christian education across the globe, illustrating how Christian educators pioneered such educational institutions and reforms as universal literacy, home schooling, Sunday schools, women’s education, graded schools, compulsory education of the deaf and blind, and kindergarten. With an editorial advisory board of more than 30 distinguished scholars and five consulting editors, TheEncyclopedia of Christian Education contains more than 1,200 entries by 400 contributors from 75 countries. These volumes covers a vast range of topics from Christian education: History spanning from the church’s founding through the Middle Ages to the modern day Denominational and institutional profiles Intellectual traditions in Christian education Biblical and theological frameworks, curricula, missions, adolescent and higher education, theological training, and Christian pedagogy Biographies of distinguished Christian educators This work is ideal for scholars of both the history of Christianity and education, as well as researchers and students of contemporary Christianity and modern religious education.

The Collegeville Pastoral Dictionary of Biblical Theology distills the best of biblical scholarship and pastoral theology and presents it in clear and concise articles. The dictionary is primarily (although not exclusively) pastoral, bringing to priests, religious, teachers, and educated laity a deeper understanding of the Bible and its central place in the life of the Church. Four types of articles comprise this dictionary: introductory articles, major articles, secondary articles, and brief entries. A chart of biblical history and maps of biblical lands are printed on the inside covers of this volume. With more than five hundred insightful and instructive entries, this practical pastoral dictionary is a primary resource for preaching and liturgy preparation, classroom teaching and learning, and Bible study and reflection.

This essential guide offers valuable insight into how leaders of children's Liturgy of the Word can best meet the developmental needs of children.

Children and Christian Initiation is a resource for Catholic parishes. If you’re starting or continuing the process of Christian initiation with children, this is the book for you. It gives complete, practical directions for preparing unbaptized or uncatechized children for the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and eucharist. Adapting the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults for children in age-appropriate ways, this resource includes an overview of children’s spirituality and the vision of the Rite, ideas for preparation before the rites and reflection afterwards, experiential activities that link scripture with daily life, background on each of the four periods, with sample sessions for each, a calendar of celebrations, which can be copied for families and a glossary of terms used in the initiation process.

Celebrating the Lectionary® is a supplementary catechetical resource that helps you bring the richness of the Lectionary and the liturgical year into your catechetical program. It can be used in Catholic school programs, during the process of preparing children for Christian initiation, or as a supplement to a traditional basal text for Catholic school or parish religious education programs. It has been changed from a school year annual to now follow the pattern of the Lectionary. It includes sessions for every Sunday of the liturgical year (Advent, Christmas Time, Lent, Easter Time, and Ordinary Time), sessions for each day of the Sacred Paschal Triduum, and sessions for holydays, solemnities, and feasts so that you can use it in a variety of catechetical settings. Each session is easily adapted to your specific needs and time constraints, with sessions designed so that you can lead class discussions and activities with minimal preparation and make use of the resources you have on hand. Each session includes: - Background information for the catechists - Ways to connect the children’s lives with the liturgical year - Full text of the day’s Gospel reading and an age-appropriate guided reflection - Gospel-related activities - A take-home page for the families to do during the week