Teaching A High School Class On Vocations

[N/A Gone]

(typing on my phone forgive spelling)

dear blessed ones on the discernment path...

i am a high school theology teacher. we are having a class that focuses on vocations and giving the students a push towards prayful discernment. i am a married laity seeking advice on any projects or activities you can recommend to help the class. thank you in advance for any help. i am blessed by the association on this phorum. i pray for all of you discerning Gods will.

jon

[tinytherese]

I'd say to bring in speakers such from the priesthood and the religious life and also having them read this one booklet called "The Meaning of Vocation" for the teens to reflect upon in a personal private journal, having them write down what quotes stroke their interest. There's also this awesome documentary called "Fishers of Men" about the priesthood.

[Maria Faustina]

I definetly second "Fishers of Men". My eighth grade religion class was shown that movie and everyone loved it. I like it because it doesn't dumb down the subject of a religious vocation and it shows a real life situation.

The other thing my teacher did was give us a list of really popular links to religious orders and institues and we had to go to the websites and write what the order's apostalate was, their habit, their foundation, their charism, and what their daily life was like. It was really neat and I think it really had an effect on some people.

Also, if you could get a priest and/or a religious sister to speak to your class, that would really help. You could see if they could lead your class on a retreat for a class period, one for the guys, and one for the girls.

Take sometime with the Blessed Sacrament also. We did this as a class and I know everyone in my class came to appreciate those times.

Soo yeahh... and definetly be open to any questions they may ask you. Even say up front that the studenst can write a question down anonymously and leave on your desk.

Good luck and prayers! Going to Catholic middle school has definetly helped me answer your questions, so if you need any more help, feel free to PM me

[CatherineM]

Instead of bringing in priest and nuns, bring in seminarians and postulants. Those who are closest in age to them, so that they can "see" themselves in that role.

[InHisLove726]

[quote name='CatherineM' post='1950195' date='Aug 15 2009, 11:09 PM']Instead of bringing in priest and nuns, bring in seminarians and postulants. Those who are closest in age to them, so that they can "see" themselves in that role.[/quote]

Or second year novices.

(First year novices are bound by Canon law to remain in the confines of the cloister to appreciate better contemplation.)

[VeniteAdoremus]

You're probably already doing this, but the thing I miss most in almost every vocational activity is the simple realisation that [i]everybody[/i] has a vocation. If you can teach them to really embrace that, you've won 90% of the battle.

[N/A Gone]

[quote name='tinytherese' post='1950063' date='Aug 15 2009, 08:14 PM']I'd say to bring in speakers such from the priesthood and the religious life and also having them read this one booklet called "The Meaning of Vocation" for the teens to reflect upon in a personal private journal, having them write down what quotes stroke their interest. There's also this awesome documentary called "Fishers of Men" about the priesthood.[/quote]

Where would I be able to get that booklet? Google was no help.

I really appreciate the advice and tips in this thread. The class is 11/12 grade.

[philosophette]

[quote name='InHisLove726' post='1950232' date='Aug 16 2009, 12:01 AM']Or second year novices.

(First year novices are bound by Canon law to remain in the confines of the cloister to appreciate better contemplation.)[/quote]

At least for us, as long as our assistant or novice directress is with us, the canonical year is considered valid. We are an active-contemplative order, though... so... we are probably different from others.

[N/A Gone]

Any of you in Minnesota and able to speak in front of a class?

[Thomist-in-Training]

High school. Hmm. One of the things that really cut down mental blocks for me were watching "The Passion of Bernadette" and seeing that she hummed songs in [i]patois[/i] while she was washing the floor, and that some of the other sisters were catty to her--i.e., that you're still human in the cloister, not a plaster statue. I guess the way to convey that in a class would be to find some short anecdote out of a religious' memoir, perhaps, or maybe one of the blog posts from monialesop.blogspot.com . Oh yeah, it also helped me that the Nashville Dominicans play soccer in their habits at recreation. Hmm... In This House of Brede has every kind of event you could possibly have happen to you in the cloister, including scandal (financial) and the persistent ex-boyfriend as well as the process of telling people. Maybe if you have more time, you could offer extra credit for a book report on it.

Also, it took me a long time to realize I could have a contemplative vocation, because I was just thinking "if I had a job, what kind of job would I have? maybe teaching. So that means a teaching order." Noooo. Is there a way you could convey to the class that all kinds have contemplative vocations, [i]not [/i]just people who are saints already (and not just people who don't talk a lot)?

There are lots of vocation short videos. A short video (up to 7-8 minutes perhaps) might be good. Longer = everyone zones out. I know the NJ OP have one, and the FI. [url="http://monialesop.blogspot.com/2007/01/here-sr.html"]http://monialesop.blogspot.com/2007/01/here-sr.html[/url]

[url="http://airmaria.com/?sn=37&vp=1988&prefx=finews&plyrnb=1&ttl=FI%20News"]http://airmaria.com/?sn=37&vp=1988&amp...p;ttl=FI%20News[/url]

Here is a very important story for those who think they already have to be holy and/or good at something to enter religious life. St Maria Bertilla Boscardin

[quote]The parish priest was also taken by surprise when the fifteen year old girl tells him that she wishes to consecrate her life to God, in any order, it was not important, he could choose,
“But you are not able to do anything! The nuns would not know what to do with you!”
“That is true, master” the girl candidly answered (in her dialect).
So he explained that it would be better if she remained at home and gave a hand with the work in the fields.
But when the priest was praying before the Blessed Sacrament and the things he had said did not seem to be so obvious.
When he met her again he asked her:
“Are you still decided on entering a convent? Tell me something: do you know how to peel potatoes at least?”
“Oh yes, Father, I am able to do that at least”.[/quote] "All right, well, let's say you enter the convent and peel potatoes."

[url="http://users.libero.it/luigi.scrosoppi/santi/bertillaing.htm"]http://users.libero.it/luigi.scrosoppi/santi/bertillaing.htm[/url]

[loveletslive]

have the girls watch Beloved. it's a documentary about the Nashville Dominicans. contact the vocations director at assorted orthodox religious orders. i know the ones at the nashville and ann arbor dominicans travel all over the country and talk to young women about vocations and often bring young novices with them.

also maybe show some saint movies? the movie "karol" about JP2 is awesome.

[MissyP89]

Please, please, please, if you're talking about vocations, don't neglect marriage. So many people think it's a
"default" vocation that, when they get there, they don't know how to live it out for God. The world needs more [i]holy[/i] marriages.

Also, a suggestion for an activity: journaling! This may not work for some, but I think being able to write things down, even in short phrases, webs or list, can help them to slow down and really think about their vocation. Things like what influences affect their vocational ideas, desires, perspective of God's will for them, etc.

[Thomist-in-Training]

[quote name='MissyP89' post='1950798' date='Aug 16 2009, 08:26 PM']Please, please, please, if you're talking about vocations, don't neglect marriage. So many people think it's a
"default" vocation that, when they get there, they don't know how to live it out for God. The world needs more [i]holy[/i] marriages.[/quote]

Yeah. But you've got to explain carefully the point that is beautifully and simply expressed by an illustration in the Baltimore Catechism. I'm looking to see if I can find it online. It's in Lesson 15 of no. 3 and has two pictures side by side: a couple at their wedding in church, and a nun before the altar. The first one is labelled "This is Good" and the second "This is Better."

[img]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DRrlBAjp-98/SZdlnFPp_-I/AAAAAAAAAB8/928-GPjOoRk/s320/This%20Is%20Good%202.jpg[/img]

The caption refers to Pope Pius XII's encyclical on Sacred Virginity: "The doctrine of the excellence of virginity and of celibacy, and of their superiority over the married state, was . . . revealed by our Divine Redeemer." It's p. 103 in the edition I have, copyright 1969. I didn't know that one was objectively better till I was in college. As the Saints and all spiritual directors are careful to remind us, religious life may not be [i]subjectively [/i]better for Mary Sue; perhaps it is God's will that she marry, and that [i]is [/i]better [i]for her[/i], but celibate chastity is more excellent.

*edit: found the picture!

Edited August 17, 2009 by Thomist-in-Training

[tinytherese]

[quote name='Revprodeji' post='1950559' date='Aug 16 2009, 03:15 PM']Where would I be able to get that booklet? Google was no help.[/quote]

[url="http://shop.catholic.com/product.php?productid=73&cat=14&page=4"]http://shop.catholic.com/product.php?produ...t=14&page=4[/url]

[Sr Marianne]

Have a look also on the xt3 site - go to the library and you'll find lots of talks / things to download on all things theolgical, including stuff on religous life:
[url="http://www.xt3.com/index.php"]http://www.xt3.com/index.php[/url]

Also there is a great video on religious life on youtube - you will find it if you type Catholic Religious Vocations - it also has music to go with it. You can download this to your computer or a USB stick using youtubecatcher.

Well done for your efforts!

Sr Marianne, UK