Monstrance

Monstrance

Friday, June 6, 2014

Happy Birthday!

Whew! Pentecost is nearly here and I have been an absent blogger in recent weeks. I apologize, folks.

It's with good reason, though. I have been busy getting a Vacation Bible School program ready for a friend's parish and busy job interviewing (please pray I get a position as a campus minister at a local Catholic high school). Next week I head to Indianapolis for a week to teach a Pre-K and Kindergarten program I wrote to accompany Totus Tuus. As you may have read from my earlier post, Totus Tuus is my favorite, Catholic VBS program (though they prefer to call it a camp). The only, minor downside, is that it is for grades 1st and up. Many parishes like to cater VBS to the younger set. I have had success in the past using the daily themes to write my own companion curriculum which allows the little ones to attend too. I make it clear that this is my program and is not endorsed by Totus Tuus. It's had great response in the past and, hopefully, will this time too. I am super stoked that my best friend's awesome daughters will be in this class. Her oldest will be in the 4th grade class and her toddler will be doing his best to eat the crayons and supplies while his mom assists me. I cannot wait! If you are interested, please use this blog to contact me so we can get something ready for next year for your parish. And you don't have to bring me in- I'll send you complete lesson plans and materials for a nominal donation towards my ministry.

That said, I have been working hard to bring you a Pentecost/birthday gift: another FREE SAMPLE of my Liturgical Reflections curriculum. There are 3 different .pdfs which you can access by clicking on the level you desire. Level I (marked by 1 diamond) is for the 3-6 year-old mentality, Level II is for the 6-9 mentality, and Level III is for the 9-12 year old set. I use the diamonds so those working with special needs students can give them an appropriate material that is not blazoned with "designed for ages 3-6" if they are 20 years of age. We want all of our children to feel grown up when using these. It also allows you to challenge your advanced student with something better suited to their needs.

It is my preference and desire that these reflections be used before or after Mass and not during. That said, I understand how useful it can be to have something to give your more "active" child during a long homily and respect your parental choice to use these reflections in ways best suited to your needs. Also, please note that I used the Sunday readings and not the Vigil ones. If you attend Mass Saturday evening, you may have different readings.

I really hope you enjoy this Pentecost gift. I am so eager to share it with you! All the images are stock images and I do everything via MS Publisher. It's very labor intensive to get a good layout and find proper images to meet my needs. I would love to find a Catholic, graphic designer to collaborate with as  I write 3 year's worth of these reflections for use at home, school, and/or religious education. If you know someone, please encourage them to contact me through this blog.

Each bulletin is 4 pages long. Since they are on 8 1/2 x 11, you should be able to easily print them on your home computer and staple them together for each child. Once I get an artist and funding for a better computer and printer, I'll get them printed on 11 x 17 folded into a handy bulletin for easy distribution.

Please pass this link onto your Catholic friends and family. Share it with your pastor, DRE, or theology teacher. Most importantly, print to use with your own children and provide me with feedback in the comment section. Share the Pentecost joy with everyone you meet! My goal? 500 views by Sunday morning. Do you think we can do it? As Bob the Builder would say, "Yes, we can!"

Veni, Sancte Spiritus!

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