Author Archives: smallpencilcatechist

Advent is a word with Latin roots. It means “approach” or “coming.”  But what is Advent, really? Advent is the beginning of the new liturgical year for the Roman Catholic Church. On the first Sunday of Advent, which begins on December 1st this year (2020),  the Church celebrates its own kind of New Year’s Day. AdventContinue reading “Advent: a Season to Experience”

The Mystery of the Catholic Church In Him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in Him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people, to the praise ofContinue reading “Session 8: Why Do I Need the Church?”

The Mystery of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection. Then he said to them all, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” -Luke 9:23  Some parents find that discussing the Paschal Mystery with young children can be overwhelming, especially the Passion portion. The PaschalContinue reading “Session 6: The Paschal Mystery”

Just a Good Man or Lord of Our Lives? “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.Continue reading “Session 5: Who Is Jesus?”

Creation, Fall, and Redemption. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life.  John 3:16 The Story of Salvation is presented in 3 parts: Creation, Fall and Redemption. We are made in the image of God toContinue reading “Session 4: The Story of Salvation”

God’s Love Letter to Humanity Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105 This week we are discussing the Bible. The Bible is the written word of God meant to help us know God and His plan for our lives. There are two main parts of theContinue reading “Session 3: The Bible”

There are several books that we have used over the years with our children. Many are books about saints, specifically saints during the month of December. Our little Catholic Library began as a Christmas season book collection as a way to enrich the Advent Season with our children. From there we built on saints andContinue reading “Book Suggestions”

God is seeking us and is the compass for our lives. The teachings of Jesus were shared with the world first by the Apostles and St. Paul. They traveled around the world and taught as they went. They set up churches wherever they went and formed small communities of people who chose to believe inContinue reading “Session 2: Divine Revelation”

In addition to the following the plan for First grade Communion Prep and using the Baltimore Catechism for the basis of our curriculum we have been putting together some supportive material for our class. Based on the age range for our class there is quite a diversity in how to approach the lessons. From recentContinue reading “How to get the most out of your CCD year”

Mystery of the Holy Trinity: There are three persons in God and this is a mystery we call the Holy Trinity. Traditional graphics like the one above often can be confusing to children when teaching the mystery of the Holy Trinity. It can seem complicated for children to see the connections being made. We suggestContinue reading “Session 1: Journey of Faith”