These resources were produced and kindly shared by Westminster Cathedral School:
"The Westminster Cathedral resource I created as I just hadn't appreciated how much theology was prevalent in each chapel, including the lady chapel where we have our weekly school mass. I wanted the boys to learn more about the Cathedral we are associated with, so I created the mini book and they study it in year 5 for a term. The Mary resource was a department wide effort and they were really keen to produce something on her. My reason for pushing for it was based on an Anglican colleague's comment, 'Why do you guys venerate Mary so much?' and hence the book was born, attempting to answer that and how she is venerated. The Head of Art and the Head of Music both teach RS, so they wrote the sections on Art & Music."
A new textbook and DVD by Cardinal Vincent Nichols, published by the Teacher Enterprise in Religious Education (TERE)
This new DVD offers a beautifully clear presentation of Catholic belief in the Eucharist. It will really engage the interest of young people as well as those who are helping them to deepen their faith in Jesus Christ. The Cardinal’s conversation with a group of students reveals their own understanding as well as their commitment to the Lord as they draw some profound insights from Cardinal Vincent. We see the young people’s participation in the Mass as the Cardinal leads them in worship and we see him explaining the Mass to them as a teacher of the faith. This high-quality film, with its accompanying textbook, will be a welcome resource to teachers and catechists and it could also be fruitfully used by parish groups or in the home setting.
The DVD is fantastic value for £35. It will get used over and over again in classrooms from KS2, even to KS5. Every Catholic school should have a copy. It is a privilege to intimately share the Mass with Cardinal Nichols. ***** (5/5)
The accompanying textbook provides a perfect, accessible companion. The activities and tasks enable the inexperienced teacher to help students digest and learn its contents. A real bargain at £7. ***** (5/5)
I am unaware of any other resource, published recently, that comes anywhere close to presenting the Mass as clearly as this.
What is it like to train to be a Catholic priest in the 21st century? What is involved exactly in preparing to be a priest? We went to St Mary's College Oscott in Birmingham to talk to some young men on the road to priesthood to answer some of these questions and see what the day-to-day life of a priest in training looks like.
“The body, in fact, and only the body, is capable of making visible what is invisible: the spiritual and the divine. It has been created to transfer into the visible reality of the world, the mystery hidden from eternity in God, and thus to be a sign of it” (TOB 19:4).
The Theology of the Body is the topic of a series of 129 lectures given by Saint Pope John Paul II during his Wednesday audiences in St. Peter’s Square and the Paul VI Audience Hall between September 5, 1979 and November 28, 1984.
Knowledge and understanding of the Theology of the Body will enhance teacher knowledge for ‘themes’ paper such as:
Religious Teachings on the Relationship and Families in the 21st Century [Edexel]
Religion, relationships and families [AQA]
It also closely links to Imago Dei in Creation units. The video may also be suitable for A-Level RS students to use.
Jonathan Doyle is a world renowned speaker on Catholic education who has spoken to hundreds of thousands of teachers.
Part 1 [10 minutes] – This provides a context to Theology of the Body reminding staff of Saint Pope John Paul II’s upbringing and early life:
Part 2 [30 minutes] – This provides an overview of the key ideas of Theology of the Body:
Jonathan has kind allowed us to share these videos:
In this intro session Jonathan explored some basic concepts of John Paul II’s Theology of the Body for a large group of Catholic teachers.
If you care about Catholic education or the formation of Catholic teachers and building great Catholic schools then this video is a great place to start.
Christmas can provide a perfect opportunity to revisit the story of the Nativity. It’s also a great opportunity to look at the scripture linked to the Incarnation. Andy Lewis wrote an article in 2014 about different ways to teach the Nativity story. Read it <here>and <here>
This video also provides a good summation of the actual Nativity story:
Philip Robinson contemplates the teaching of the Nativity:
If we only took Matthew’s Gospel, it looks like Mary and Joseph are form Bethlehem and they only move to Nazareth to avoid the threat of Herod after they have fled to Egypt falling the Magi’s warning.
If we only had Luke, they travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the census and then return to Nazareth afterwards. And of course, there is no flight into Egypt, nor Herod’s slaughter of the innocents.
You can harmonize these traditions or argue, (or let the kids argue) that the material here is a bit contradictory as the great Catholic scholar Raymond Brown does in his An Adult Christ at Christmas.
If the class works well, it could be that your group might identify the six key facts about which Matthew and Luke agree:
Jesus birth is announced by an angel (announced to Mary in Luke, to Joseph in Matthew)
Jesus is born of a virgin
He is conceived by the Holy Spirit
He is born in Bethlehem
His parent’s names are Mary and Joseph
Even though he is born in Bethlehem, he grows up in Nazareth
I would say that it’s not self-evident that there is one single story in the tradition from which Luke and Matthew write. Instead it seems clear that either Luke and Matthew had different sources or maybe more significantly had different audiences that they were writing for. At this distance we simply can’t referee which of them might have more timeline accuracy etc., but what we can notice is what kind of interpretation they put on these six core agreed facts. For example, when Matthew does his family tree, he takes it back to Abraham whereas Luke takes it all the way back to Adam. Traditionally this is explained by the idea that Matthew is writing for Jews who recognize Abraham as the father of their race and their faith – notice how many times he quotes the Scriptures to explain what is happening in his account. Notice that he has Joseph, a male, as the central character – a dreamer, like the ancient Joseph who helped to save Israel to survive when they were under the power of the Egyptians. Luke on the other hand is writing for non-Jews and emphasizes that all humanity is descended from Adam, made in the image of God. The central character in his drama is a female, Mary, whom he will have as the one who gives birth to Jesus in the flesh by the Holy Spirit, but who will be present at the birth of the Church in Acts 1-2, whereby Jesus remains present among believers who together form the Body of Christ.
The Apostleship of the Sea is a Catholic charity supporting seafarers worldwide.
We provide practical and pastoral care to all seafarers, regardless of nationality, belief or race. Our port chaplains and volunteer ship visitors welcome seafarers, offer welfare services and advice, practical help, care and friendship. The Apostleship of the Sea in Great Britain is part of an international network known to the maritime world as Stella Maris, working in more than 250 ports around the world.
