Available
Now!
This dynamite new faith formation program introduces Catholic young adolescents to Jesus Christ in a new way and inspires them to follow him. Fostering the faith of young adolescents involves helping them to make connections between the Catholic faith and everyday life. It also means helping young people to strengthen their connection to the faith community. Catholic Connections aims to strengthen the participants' Catholic identity and inspire them to participate more fully in the Church's mission. In a world of laws of nations and laws of the heart, help them recognize that it is the power of the Holy Spirit that has united God's people in love and that continues to be a transforming presence.
Using an active, hands-on approach to Catholic religious education, Catholic Connections is a comprehensive parish religious education program for 6th, 7th and 8th graders.
The eSource Web site for both the program director and catechists features:
Program planning tools
Catechist training resources
Parent
resources
Seasonal and additional activities
Tip sheets, and more!
Catholic Connections Webinar training is available for diocesan groups. Please contact us at 800-533-8095 or smpress@smp.org for further details or view a pre-recorded training session now by clicking on the link below:
Get the complete program for only $323.05!
*includes a paper edition of The Catholic Connections Handbook for Middle Schoolers. For a hardcover edition, please call 800-533-8095 or send us an e-mail.
The Catholic Connections Handbook for Middle Schoolers welcomes
young adolescents in a fresh and vibrant way into the history and hope of
their ultimate belonging. Introduce them to the presence and people who
have lived before them yet looked for the same answers they seek today.
Assure them that even amidst the challenges and choices before them,
they can experience a belonging that is not based on what they do or
don't do, but based on the Father who created them, the Holy Spirit who
accompanies them, and on the love of Jesus, who says to each of them, "Come follow me."
The Holy Spirit is the creative breath of God that gives birth
to and sustains the life and mission of Jesus Christ. These
sessions help young adolescents recognize that it is the power
of the Holy Spirit that has united God's people in love and that
continues to be a transforming presence in the Church and in
the world today.
At the center of our faith is a person, Jesus Christ, the source
of our hope and our salvation. Jesus the Christ Catechist Guide
helps catechists lead young adolescents to know Jesus Christ
and inspires them to follow him.
Sacraments and Prayer Catechist Guide includes sessions
designed to help young adolescents better understand and more
fully participate in the Church's sacraments and prayer life.
The Eucharist is the center and high point of the Church's life.
These sessions aim to help young adolescents better understand
and more fully participate in the Eucharist.
Through the Ten Commandments, God provides us with moral
principles for living in right relationship with God and with one
another. These sessions help young adolescents understand
these basic moral principles and explore how we apply them to
the choices we make every day.
The Student Activity Booklet is designed to expand the students’ learning of the chapter content and to provide students with opportunities for reflection, for critical thinking about how what they have learned applies to their own lives, and for creative ways to explore the material.
Chapter tests for Catholic Connection’s Teacher’s Guides are available in this booklet.
Tests contain a combination of objective questions in a variety of formats, such as sentence completion and multiple choice, as well as essay questions.
Each test is weighted at 100 points. Each objective question has a value of 10 points and the essay question a value of 20 points.
Answers for the tests and the pages of the handbook on which test questions are covered are provided in the answer key, found at the end of the Test Booklet.
The Game On! card games provide a great way to learn and review the vocabulary and teachings that are part of the richness of the Catholic faith. Each of the fifty cards contains six questions from themes covered in The Catholic Connections Handbook for Middle Schoolers and the Catholic Connections religious education program.
