Church History
64 results
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Chapter J: Major Events in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries
Students order important events from the 19th and 20th centuries.
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Chapter F: Church Father Unscramble
Unscramble the names of the Church Fathers below. Then, under each unscrambled name, write one important contribution that the Church Father made to the Church.
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The Mission of the Church
Jesus has just risen from the tomb. Although you and all the other Christians are overjoyed, you now have to decide what to do. You are one of the followers who has been with Jesus for more than two years. …
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Revelation, Sacred Scripture, and Tradition
Using the information in chapter 1 of The Catholic Connections Handbook, find the word or words described in the clues below. Fill in the blank spaces below each clue. Then, use the letters from the numbered spaces to fill in …
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Chapter 23 Activity: How Much Do You Know about the Church?
The descriptions below relate to the Church, present and past. Write the word or name from the box that matches each description. Some words will be used more than once.
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Developments after the Second Vatican Council
A list of developments made after the Second Vatican Council that can be cut out.
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Final Performance Task Options for Unit 7
The final performance task options for Unit 7 of Church History: Apostolic Times to Today. The options include creating a children’s book about the Catholic Church in the United States, or creating a PowerPoint presentation about the Catholic Church in …
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Dialogue with Others
Excerpts from the address of Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday, April 17, 2008 at the John Paul II center in Washington D.C.
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The Council of Trent
An article about The Council of Trent, excerpted from The Catholic Church: A Brief Popular History, by Cynthia Stewart.
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Chapter 15 Activities
Activities for Chapter 15 The Last Things, including a core activity, core activity extension, and additional activities.
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Chapter 14 Activities
Activities for Chapter 14 The Organization of the Catholic Church, including a core activity, core activity extension, and additional activities.
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Chapter 13 Activities
Activities for Chapter 13 The Mission of the Catholic Church, including a core activity, core activity extension, and additional activities.
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Chapter 4 Activities
Activities for Chapter 4 Faith, including a core activity, core activity extension, and additional activities.
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Chapter 2 Activities
Activities for Chapter 2 Knowing God: Reason and Revelation, including a core activity, core activity extension, and additional activities.
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Chapter 1 Activities
Activities for Chapter 1: Being Catholic, including a core activity, core activity extension, and additional activities.
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Handout: Scripture in the Mass
Find the biblical passages assigned to you, and then write on the line the words from the Mass that refer to or echo the passage.
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Letters in Paul's Day
An article that discusses the format of Paul’s letters and how they are different from letters today.
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Ignatian Discernment of Spirits
An article that breaks down the differences between good and evil spirits.
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What Do Sisters Do?
An article that discusses the roles and responsibilities of religious sisters.
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“To Brother”: A Personal Story
An article written by Br. Armand Alcazar FSC, who discusses his view of his vocation as a verb, “to brother”, or “brothering” in teaching and community life.
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Catholic / catholic
A worksheet that visually explores the differences between Catholic and catholic.
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Researching the Role of the Magisterium
Several strips of paper that may come in handy when researching the role of the Magisterium.
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Where Does the Church Say…?
A chart outlining different types of Church documents, the author and audience of each particular document, and what’s in each document.
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Who? What? When? Where? How? in the Local Diocese
An activity where students are asked to locate information about their local diocese.
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My Charisms
A worksheet where students are asked about ordinary charisms and religious charisms.
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Gifts of Holy Spirit
A worksheet where students are asked to explain each of the seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit and then compose a short essay on instances where the gifts helped them out in difficult situations.
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Marks of the Church
A chart that students are asked to fill in with at least two examples of ways the Church models the four marks of the Church, and at least two examples of ways they model the four marks of the Church.
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Five Models of the Church
An activity where students are given a chart containing the meanings, strengths, and limitations of each of the five models of the Church and asked to answer related questions.
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Christian Persecutions in the Roman Empire
An article on the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire.
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Why the Second Vatican Council Really Is That Important
An article on the importance of the Second Vatican Council.
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Events at the Second Vatican Council
An article on the events that took place at the Second Vatican Council.
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The Two Pentecosts
A chart used to draw parallels between the feasts of Shavuot and Christian Pentecost.
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Final Performance Task Options for Unit 2
This resource is part of the Living in Christ Series. It offers ideas for assessing students who have recently learned about the Church, especially the birth of the Church at Pentecost.
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The List of Popes
https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12272b.htm
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Final Performance Task Options for Unit 5
This resource is part of the Living in Christ Series. It offers various project ideas for students who have recently studied the Paschal Mystery, especially the birth of the Church at Pentecost, the descent of the Holy Spirit, and the …
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Political and Religious Structure in Jesus' Time
This article is part of the Living in Christ Series. It offers an extensive overview of the political and religious structures and influences at work in Jesus' time.
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The Apostles
This article is part of the Living in Christ Series. It discusses the Apostles and followers of Jesus who are known in Scripture, including Peter and Mary Magdalene, among others.
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Canons and Their Development
This article discusses the development of the Old and New Testament Canons and provides charts which compare and contrast different Christian or Jewish canons.
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The Development of Catholic Trinitarian Theology
This handout is part of the Living in Christ Series. Students can fill in the blanks to learn or review key concepts about the development of Trinitarian theology.
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Vocabulary Review
This review is part of the Living in Christ Series. Students may use it to review key theological terms.
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Who Does the Movie Say Killed Jesus?
Much of the controversy about The Passion of the Christ centers around one question: Who killed Jesus? The Anti-Defamation League feels the movie lays the blame at the feet of the Jews. Mel Gibson, the movie's director, producer and cowriter, …
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Frequently Asked Questions About the Pope
What is the pope? The pope is the bishop of the Church of Rome, Italy. Because of the importance of Rome, Tradition recognizes the pope as the supreme pastor of all Christians. Why is the Church of Rome so important? …
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Until a "lack of discretion" do us part
Ever since the church got involved in the wedding ceremony, relatively late in Christian history, it has stood by its main belief about a marriage. Its the consent of the couple that binds. SEVENTH IN A 10-PART SERIES ON CHURCH …
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In the Name of the Father
Making the sign of the cross is a gesture that says, in shorthand, that a person is a Catholic. It appears as an icon in popular culture, and as a gesture it is scattered throughout film history, for example: movie …
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Fighting Catholic Amnesia
I was a high school junior before I learned that the Catholic faith was something more than Mass, folk songs and the Bible. Father Corry turned me on to Church history in his religion class. He showed me how our …
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The Church and the Bible: A New Understanding
The Catholic Church's attitude toward biblical study has undergone a sea of change in recent times. A world-renowned Scripture scholar explains why and how. Very often when older Catholics hear at Mass a presentation about the Bible they are puzzled. …
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Saint Jerome: The Perils of a Bible Translator
“WHAT IS THE BEST TRANSLATION OF THE BIBLE?” This is the question that people who teach biblical studies hear more than any other. A bewildering abundance of alternatives is available to those who want to begin reading the Bible. This …
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Six Ways to be Truly Catholic
I always thought that I would have made a great archbishop in Salzburg during the time of Mozart. But instead I'm the archbishop of Milwaukee in the time of rock 'n' roll. That's the way life turns out. We live …
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The Church
Central Characteristics of Roman Catholicism Catholicism is a remarkably rich religion, characterized by a complex tapestry of beliefs, practices, values, rituals, traditions, and more. When viewed from the outsidethat is, by those who do not share its communal lifeCatholicism is …
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A Christmas Legend: The Birth of Jesus and Gift Giving
Session Overview: This 2-hour session is designed to use role-playing skills for a presentation to an audience. Scripture: This session is based on Luke 2:1-20. Read the Scripture passage to the young people after the role-play, "Christmas Legend," has been …
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Using Literature in Theology Classes
Editor's note: The author of our feature article, Kathleen Hodapp, was one of the participants in last summer's workshop "The Catholic High School As Faith Community," held here in Winona, Minnesota, as well as on the East Coast and the …
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The Quincentenary
As we are all aware, 1992 marks the quincentenary of Christopher Columbus's landing in the West Indiesthus, the "discovery" of America. For religious educators, this anniversary offers an opportunity to examine the injustices done to Native Americans by the colonizers …
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Expect Much, Praise Much, Be Present to Them
Course materials, such as the high school religion textbooks and teacher's manuals published by Saint Mary's Press, are a significant ingredient in the education of our young people. But we all know that the most important factor in a student's …
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Curriculum Offerings of Theology Departments
For a couple of years, Saint Marys Press sponsored a listserv discussion group online. Discussions on a variety of topics were pursued via e-mail. In this section of the web site, I summarize some of the highlights from these old …