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Video

CST 101 | Call to Family, Community, and Participation

Part of a collaborative video series presented by the USCCB and Catholic Relief Services on Catholic Social Teaching. Learn from Lisa Hendey, Msgr. Ray East, and Jonathan Reyes as they discuss the call to family, community, and participation.

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CST 101 | Option for the Poor and Vulnerable

Part of a collaborative video series presented by the USCCB and Catholic Relief Services on Catholic Social Teaching. Learn from Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Fr. James Martin, SJ, Kerry Weber, and Thomas Awiapo as they discuss the Preferential Option for the Poor and Vulnerable.

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Kid President - How to Change the World (a work in progress)

The video talks about how we can change the world in a positive way.

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The Body of Christ

This video is a student-dramatization of how the different parts of the body can accomplish great things when they work as one.

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CST 101 | Life and Dignity of the Human Person

Part of a collaborative video series presented by the USCCB and Catholic Relief Services on Catholic Social Teaching. Learn from Bishop Robert Barron, Jonathan Reyes, and Helen Alvaré as they discuss the dignity of the human person and our right to life.

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CST 101 | Care for God's Creation

Part of a collaborative video series presented by the USCCB and Catholic Relief Services on Catholic Social Teaching. Hear from Father James Martin, SJ, Dr. Carolyn Woo, and Cardinal Peter Turkson as they discuss Care for God's Creation.

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Catholic Social Teaching Movie

The video "Catholic Social Teaching Movie," available on YouTube (10:05), is an overview with music, photos, and quotes from various sources, of seven themes. It is best used on day 1.

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SJ Project 2012—Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers

The video "SJ Project 2012—Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers," available on YouTube (2:33), is a brief video that gives the students a modern look at the dignity of work and the rights of workers as told by students not much older than they are. The video notes that this charity is helping "working families" who, despite having jobs, still struggle with providing basic needs, like housing. It is best used on day 1.

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Don’t Laugh at Me

The song/video "Don’t Laugh at Me," by Mark Wills, is available on YouTube (3:35), describes the pain of being bullied. It is used on day 1.

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Seven Corporal Works of Mercy

The video "Seven Corporal Works of Mercy," available on ktd141’s channel on YouTube (3:17), shows the corporal works of mercy in action with a great song accompaniment. It is appropriate for opening or closing prayer on day 4.

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Consider the Lilies

The song/video "Consider the Lilies," performed by Sings Sampaguita, available on YouTube (3:59) can be used for opening prayer on day 2. In this version, the only visual is the performer, but the words are easier to understand.

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My Visit to a Leprosy Colony

The video "My Visit to a Leprosy Colony," by GospelForAsia, available on YouTube (3:35). is used on day 3.

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Say Yes

The song/video "Say Yes," by Michelle Williams, Beyonce, and Kelly Rowland, available on YouTube (4:12), offers a good introduction to day 4. The first 1:20 conveys the necessary content to engage the class.

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St. Teresa's Prayer

The song/video "St. Teresa’s Prayer," by John Michael Talbot, available on YouTube (2:39), is appropriate for use on day 4.

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Follow You

The song/video "Follow You," by Leeland and Brandon Heath, available on YouTube (4:29), is appropriate for use on day 2.

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Let Faith Arise

The song/video "Let Faith Arise," available on YouTube (4:39), is appropriate for prayer on any day.

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Do This in Memory

The song/video "Do This in Memory," by Chris Muglia, available on YouTube (9:54), is appropriate for use on any day. The song is found at the 3:48 point of an interview with the artist about the song.

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Reflections on Poverty in America

This handout provides a series of Scripture passages and real-life accounts to help students reflect on poverty in America.

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Dear Millie and Mike

This handout provides several real-life situations that teens might encounter. Students are challenged to respond to the situations and give advice to other teens.

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A Doctrinal Scavenger Hunt

A scavenger hunt to find important Church doctrines, teachings and beliefs in the Catechism.

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The Face of Christ (Black & White)

The song/video "The Face of Christ" by Chris Rice, posted by David Grove, available on YouTube (3:45), is artistically strong with black-and-white photography. It is best used on day 3.

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What Is Catholic Social Teaching?

The video "What Is Catholic Social Teaching?" with music “The Resistance,” by Josh Garrels, available on YouTube (4:42), is best used on day 2.

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Saint Mother Teresa—Inspiring ‘Everyone, Everywhere,’

The video "Mother Teresa—Inspiring ‘Everyone, Everywhere,’" by Anthony Ndaira, available on YouTube (10:20), is best used on day 4.

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What Is Social Justice?

The video "What Is Social Justice?" by the Love Alliance, available on YouTube (1:06), is a series of young people sharing answers to this question. It may be helpful on day 1.

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Voices of Youth on Social Justice

The video "Voices of Youth on Social Justice," by the International Labour Organization, available on YouTube (2:59), defines social justice. Young people from all over the world give examples of social justice. The video may be helpful on day 1.

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Song "You Are Near"

The song “You Are Near,” by Dan Schutte (Oregon Catholic Press), is a contemporary musical setting of Psalm 139, which is partially printed on pages 38–39 in the Handbook. You might like to play the song at the end of day 1.

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Hey, World

The song/video "Hey, World," by Petra and performed by Caroline Chevin, is available on YouTube (4:04). The song tells the story of courageous choices—choosing life instead of abortion or suicide—and affirms God’s gift of life. It is best used on day 1.

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What Can a Person Do?

This article gives several suggestions of how an individual can bring about distributive justice.

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Pushed Once Too Often

This handout presents a story about drug pushing in a school community. Students are challenged to reflect on several questions regarding the situation.

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Cases to Examine: Conscience and Guilt

Read the following cases. For each one, fill in the words that describe what kind of conscience and what kind of guilt the person has. Then write a sentence or two of advice that you would give to that person.

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The LISTEN Model

Briefly describe below a moral dilemma that an individual might face. For each section of the LISTEN process, fill in one or more things a person facing this dilemma might need to consider.

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Which Principles Apply?

he following moral principles (described in the text on pages 58–59) can be considered basic or foundational: a. Do good; avoid evil. b. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. c. The end does not justify …

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Getting to Know My Parents' Views

This checklist will help you identify how well you understand your parents’ (or guardians’) views on moral issues and whether you think that your parents understand your views on moral issues.

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Cases to Examine: Moments in Competition

Read the following cases of competition and answer in writing the question for each.

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Peace: Exploring Terms

In the first blank column, express your own sense of what it means to live out the following traits. In the second blank column, explain what you think the culture teaches you it means to live out each trait. Leave …

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Earth-Friendly Living

This is a scavenger hunt for earth-friendly products suitable for a bedroom: furniture, clothes, and so on. Your goal is to furnish this room in the most earth- friendly and inexpensive way you can, while still furnishing a room you …

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The Work of Art

Read the story below, and be prepared to discuss the questions that follow it.

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Work and Budgeting

Fill out the first empty column in this chart to reflect a family’s monthly budget. Leave the second column blank until you receive further instruction.

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Diversity Awareness

Read down the first column, and for each description, mark an X in all the columns that apply to you. (If there is a description you do not feel comfortable writing down, make a mental note of it and leave …

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Participation in the Media

This handout lists several key questions to use when reading or viewing various media from the perspective of different groups of people. Choose one of the following groups of people, and on a separate sheet of paper, write answers to …

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Choosing Life

A handout with different cases about life issues.

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How Does the Culture Value Me?

A list of different roles and conditions of males and females within society.

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Creating a Relationship Map

A relationship map provides a blueprint for justice—it reveals the conditions and relationships that are necessary to build a just situation. The following are steps to follow when creating a relationship map. To aid in understanding the steps, we will …

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Practicing Prophecy

An activity where students are given the opportunity to imitate the prophetic model by observing the world around them and attempting to interpret injustices.

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Laws to Live By Today

Translating Biblical laws into today’s world.

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What is Catholic Social Teaching?

A personal story about living out the principles of Catholic Social Teaching.

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Chapter 45 Activity: The Two Feet of Service and Justice

Caring for others involves both acts of charity and acts of justice. Review the illustration on page 498 in the handbook, and then complete the following chart. For every person or group of people in need described in the left-hand …

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Chapter 6 Activity: Recognizing God’s Goodness

Have you ever noticed how news reports often feature bad news: natural disasters, crime, accidents, and so on? Even in your own life, you may sometimes feel like there’s bad news all around. But the reality is that despite the …

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Celebrating Life: The Human Person and the Rules of God

A personal story about the life affirming ‘yeses’ within the Church.

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God Leads Us to Action

A personal story about leading a just life every day.

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Make a Connection with People in Need

A personal story about having a spirit of solidarity with those in need.

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Defending a Friend's Dignity

A personal story about defending the dignity of others.

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Putting the Circle in Action

A personal story about using the circle of social action.

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What are you Called to do?

A personal story about actively living out the principles of social justice.

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Obedience to God's Will: Our Greatest Happiness

A personal story about how rules are created out of love and how obedience to those rules ensures lasting happiness.

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Social Justice Organizations

A list of social justice organizations that can be cut out.

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Chapter 24 Activities

Activities for Chapter 24 Social Justice including a core activity, core activity extension, and additional activities.

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Jesus’ Teachings about How to Live

Bible verses that are able to be cut out.

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Human Rights

Several articles from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Convention on the Rights of the Child.

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"You Have Heard…But I Say"

An article about Jesus’ command to love everyone, even those who society has deemed unlovable.

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Living God's Call

A reading, with reflection questions, on living out God’s Call of unconditional love, agape, for all.

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Archbishop Romero

This is a short video on Saint Oscar Romero.

 

Click above to access this online resource for Live Jesus in Our Hearts: Revelation and the Old Testament.

 

Revelation and the Old Testament is the first semester course in the new high school series Live Jesus in Our Hearts. This series takes a fresh approach to the Framework outline, bringing in new themes such as in-depth use of scripture, extensive online resources, and an invitational, evangelizing approach.

Are you interested in seeing how we're reframing framework? Learn more about Live Jesus in Our Hearts!

Video

The Violence of Capital Punishment

Sr. Helen Prejean discusses the violence of capital punishment.

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Catholic Mission and Volunteer Organizations

A worksheet where students are asked to research a mission or volunteer organization and answer several questions about their findings.

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Final Performance Task Options for Unit 5

Several final performance task project options for Unit 5 of The Catholic Faith Handbook for Youth, Third Edition.

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Catholic Social Teaching Themes

A list of Catholic Social Teaching themes that can be used in conjunction with a homework assignment, from Section 5 Part 3 of “Jesus Christ: God’s Love Made Visible.”

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Invictus Forgiveness Reconciliation and Healing

Questions dealing with the issues presented in the film “Invictus.”

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War and Peace in Catholic Social Teaching

An article on war and peace in Catholic social teaching.

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The Challenge of Peace

An article on the foundations for a justified war and the just war doctrine.

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If I Ruled the World

A worksheet that asks students to think about how they would solve different social justice issues if they ruled the world.

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Case Studies: Attitudes of the Heart

Several different scenarios are listed where negative feelings are displayed, and the question “how can you change the attitude of your heart?” is posed.

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Principles of Catholic Social Teaching for Business Ethics

An article on the principles of Catholic social teaching for business ethics.

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Final Performance Task Options for Unit 5 of “Catholic Social Teaching: Christian Life in Society.”

A list of several final performance task options for Unit 5 of “Catholic Social Teaching: Christian Life in Society.”

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Violence versus Nonviolence

A worksheet where students fill in what they know and understand about violence and nonviolence.

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Sweatshop Inquiry

A sweatshop inquiry worksheet on different industries.

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"Homeless: Motel Kids of Orange County" Movie Guide

A movie guide with questions pertaining to the film “Homeless: The Motel Kids of Orange County.”

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Game Show Questions: Hunger in America

Several “game show” questions on hunger in America.

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Just Choices

A worksheet on just choices where students choose a topic to cover as well as a task based on their preferred learning style.

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Final Performance Task Options for Unit 6 of “Catholic Social Teaching: Christian Life in Society.”

A list of several final performance task options for Unit 6 of “Catholic Social Teaching: Christian Life in Society.”

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Mirror Exercise

An exercise that encourages students to reflect on how they are different from others, and how they can respectfully respond to these differences.

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Living As a Steward of Creation

An activity where students decipher the main ideas of several Church documents, and then make connections to Genesis creations accounts and the call to be stewards of creation.

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Create a Club

A helpful guide for creating a club, either in school or in the community.

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Final Performance Task Options for Unit 4

A list of several final performance task options for Unit 4 of "Catholic Social Teaching: Christian Life in Society."

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Final Performance Task Options for Unit 7 of “Catholic Social Teaching: Christian Life in Society.”

A list of several final performance task options for Unit 7 of “Catholic Social Teaching: Christian Life in Society.”

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Planet Partner Survey

A self-assessment survey on how well students are stewards of creation.

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Introspect and Interview

A worksheet on introspect and knowledge gained from interviews on important life issues including abortion, in vitro fertilization, stem-cell research, euthanasia, the death penalty, and immigration.

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Justice Conversation Starters

A list of several conversation starters or self-reflection questions on the topic of justice.

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Call to Compassion

A worksheet on responding to different topics with compassion, from “Catholic Social Teaching: Christian Life in Society.”

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Final Performance Task Options for Unit 8 of “Catholic Social Teaching: Christian Life in Society.”

Several final performance task options for Unit 8 of “Catholic Social Teaching: Christian Life in Society.”

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Critical Marketing Analysis

A critical marketing analysis, to be used on advertisements for products or brands, from “Catholic Social Teaching: Christian Life in Society.”

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Campaign Platform

A small-group assignment in which students will develop an imaginary political campaign to explore what it means to be a responsible citizen, both locally and globally.

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Electronic Media Log

An electronic media log to help students keep track of their media use, from “Catholic Social Teaching: Christian Life in Society.”

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Final Performance Task Options for Unit 3 of “Catholic Social Teaching: Christian Life in Society.”

Several final performance task options for Unit 3 of “Catholic Social Teaching: Christian Life in Society.”

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Unit 3 Preassessment

A preassessment for Unit 3 of “Catholic Social Teaching: Christian Life in Society” that deals with social sin, structures of sin, and social justice.

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Dilemma Questions

A set of questions based on real-world situations and dilemmas that a person may be dealing with.

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Pastoral Letters

A worksheet with short-answer questions about Pastoral Letters, from "Catholic Social Teaching: Christian Life in Society."

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Social Justice Papal Documents

An empty chart to be filled out during the class PowerPoint presentation on Social Justice Papal documents, from “Catholic Social Teaching: Christian Life in Society.”

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Action Plan for Living as a Disciple of Christ

A helpful chart that will assist each student develop an action plan for living as a disciple of Christ.

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Final Performance Task Options for Unit 2 of “Catholic Social Teaching: Christian Life in Society.”

A listing of several final performance task options for Unit 2 of “Catholic Social Teaching: Christian Life in Society.”

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Preassessment exercise for Unit 2 of “Catholic Social Teaching: Christian Life in Society.”

A preassessment exercise for Unit 2 of “Catholic Social Teaching: Christian Life in Society.”

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Catholic Discipleship

A worksheet on Catholic Discipleship.

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The Corporal Works of Mercy

An activity dealing with the Corporal Works of Mercy.

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Final Performance Task Options for Unit 1

Options for final performance tasks for Unit 1 of "Catholic Social Teaching: Christian Life in Society."

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Our Catholic Faith in Action

A chart that accompanies the Web Quest on our Catholic faith in action, from "Christian Morality: Our Response to God's Love."

Video

Cesar Chavez: Embrace the Legacy

A 5 minute documentary chronicling the life and mission of Catholic Cesar Chavez.

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Untold Stories

A documentary about the genocide in Rwanda produced by Holocaust Memorial Day.

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Joseph Cardinal Bernardine

A documentary about the life of Cardinal Bernardine.

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Words of Jesus: Catholic Social Justice - CF

A discussion among Social Justice Activists about their activities and Catholic Social Justice teachings.

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WE CRY JUSTICE! Trailer

A trailer of movie on Catholic Social Justice teachings. The trailer includes footage of the impoverished, excerpts from church teachings, and statistics on the number of individuals suffering varying injustices.

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Saint Mother Teresa Film Trailer

An educational glimpse of the life of Saint Mother Teresa.

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Saint Mother Teresa: The Legacy Trailer

An educational glimpse of the life of Saint Mother Teresa.

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God's Foot Soldiers - The Good Works of the Augustinians of Villanova Sharing their Mission in America and Around the World. Pt. 2

Narrated by actor, Sam Waterston, this documentary artfully relays the life of Saint Augustine, as well as the mission and domestic and international work of a group of Augustinians.

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God's Foot Soldiers - The Good Works of the Augustinians of Villanova Sharing their Mission in America and Around the World. Pt. 1

Narrated by actor Sam Waterston, this documentary artfully relays the life of Saint Augustine, as well as the mission and domestic and international work of a group of Augustinians.

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Catonsville Nine

Footage of the Catonsville Nine--a group of social activists and priests, including the Jesuit Berrigan brothers--protesting the Vietnam War.

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Join JVC

A brief description of the work and lives of the college-age volunteers of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC). JVC is an example of an organization putting the ideas of Catholic Social Justice into practice.

Video

Pedro Arrupe 5 of 5

A documentary made by Georgetown University on the life of the late Superior General of the Society of Jesus, Pedro Arrupe. Provides both an intriguing history of Arrupe and the dynamic time in which he lived and worked.

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Pedro Arrupe 4 of 5

A documentary made by Georgetown University on the life of the late Superior General of the Society of Jesus, Pedro Arrupe. Provides both an intriguing history of Arrupe and the dynamic time in which he lived and worked.

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Pedro Arrupe 3 of 5

A documentary made by Georgetown University on the life of the late Superior General of the Society of Jesus, Pedro Arrupe. Provides both an intriguing history of Arrupe and the dynamic time in which he lived and worked.

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Pedro Arrupe 2 of 5

A documentary made by Georgetown University on the life of the late Superior General of the Society of Jesus, Pedro Arrupe. Provides both an intriguing history of Arrupe and the dynamic time in which he lived and worked.

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Pedro Arrupe 1 of 5

A documentary made by Georgetown University on the life of the late Superior General of the Society of Jesus, Pedro Arrupe. Provides both an intriguing history of Arrupe and the dynamic time in which he lived and worked.

Video

Video: Dorothy Day

This video briefly describes the character and actions of Catholic activist Dorothy Day.

 

Click above to access this online resource for Live Jesus in Our Hearts: Revelation and the Old Testament.

 

Revelation and the Old Testament is the first semester course in the new high school series Live Jesus in Our Hearts. This series takes a fresh approach to the Framework outline, bringing in new themes such as in-depth use of scripture, extensive online resources, and an invitational, evangelizing approach.

Are you interested in seeing how we're reframing framework? Learn more about Live Jesus in Our Hearts!

Video

Fr. James Groppi and the Historic 1967-68 Open Housing Campaign in Milwaukee

A non-audio clip providing footage of and information on Fr. James Groppi, a Milwaukee priest and winner of a Pacem In Terris Award.

Video

10 Principles in the Social Teaching of the Church

Through pictures and quotations, this video clip underscores the central tenets of Catholic Social Teaching.

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Catholic Relief Services - General Awareness Video

A video explaining the work of the Catholic Relief Services.

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Of Gods and Men (2010) Trailer

Trailer of an award winning movie about the true story of a group of Trappist monks in Algeria. The trailer provides an incisive glimpse into both the daily life of a monk and the difficulties encountered by the monks in Algeria.

Video

Digital Story - Bartolome de las Casas

This video contains readings from the journals of Bartholome de las Casas, the priest who helped alter the inhumane treatment of Native Americans by the colonizers.

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Ordinary Discipleship and Matthew, Chapter 25

This activity is part of the Living in Christ Series. It focuses on Matthew 25, highlighting the works of mercy Jesus' speaks of, asking students to reflect on the skills need for each type of ministry and discipleship.

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The Church, Social Ethics, and Politics

This article is part of the Living in Christ Series. It is a great introduction to the Church, social ethics and politics in the United States.

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Service and Justice: A Conversion of Heart

This article is part of the Living in Christ Series. It discusses 5 stages in introducing service learning to a classrooom setting.

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Called to Holiness: Holiness in Modern Church Teaching

This article from the Living in Christ Series discusses holiness: what it is, who is called, and how to live it out. Both the Church and the people in it are holy.

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Praying with and for the Suffering Body of Christ

This activity is part of the Living in Christ Series. Students can research, present on, and pray for various countries in need.

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Catholic Mission and Volunteer Organizations

This activity is part of the Living in Christ Series. Students can research various Catholic volunteer and missionary organizations in order to find out more about the lifestyle, mission, history and spirituality of the organization.

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Leadership Quotations

This worksheet is part of the Living in Christ Series. It offers quotations from several historical leaders and asks students to reflect on various styles and characteristics of leadership.

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Working for Justice

Student handout: Activity for chapter 39, crossword

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A Place at Our Table

A class activity designed to raise awareness of the reality of hunger in our nation and world.

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Overview of Christian Morality and Justice Course

outlines course themes/sessions

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Mercy Works: The Hands-on Gospel

Activity in class

Article

A Friend for Life

  Editor's note: The names of the minors in this story have been changed to preserve confidentiality, in accordance with the wishes of Holy Cross Children's Services. DETROIT--When Tonya entered a youth detention home of the Holy Cross Children's Services …

Article

Highlights of Catholic Documents on Justice and Peace

Highlights of Catholic Documents on Justice and Peace The following link will take you to a PDF document that sumarizes many of the key points from Church documents addressing the social teachings of the Catholic Church. http://www.smp.org/Images/Complementary/Highlights.pdf

Article

Our Lady of Guadalupe: Icon of Justice

"Commitment to human life and dignity, to human rights and solidarity"; these are elements of what is commonly understood as social justice. In the Church today we have numerous "icons" we can look to in order to guide us in …

Article

January 22: Reflection on Roe vs. Wade

I walked with George the other day, And this is what he had to say: "If this is what its come to, then I'm glad that I've passed on. For the foundation laid so long ago apparently is gone. What …

Article

Soup or Bowl: A Game and Service Project for Super Bowl Sunday

OVERVIEW This combination game and service project is played in relay style by teams of young people with cans of soup that they bring as donations for the local food pantry. Suggested Time: A minimum of 10 minutes, or as …

Article

Build a Meal: An Outreach Activity for Thanksgiving

Build a Meal: An Outreach Activity for Thanksgiving OVERVIEW This outreach activity invites the young people to build holiday meals and memories for families that might not be able to afford a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Suggested Time: 10 to 15 …

Article

A Letter to Young People from the President of Saint Mary’s Press

Dear young friends, The recent, tragic events continue to leave us all shocked, confused, scared, and sorrowful. At this time, nothing is more important than to turn our hearts to Jesus. Perhaps, we can find comfort in the words of …

Article

A Christian Response to Violence, Part 2:

Pacifism: "We No Longer Learn War" How can we apply Jesus’ command to love our enemies when our whole nation has been attacked? Over the centuries, how Christians have attempted to apply Jesus’ teachings on violence to their lives has …

Article

A Christian Response to Violence, Part 1:

In the wake of the 11 September terrorist attacks, many people are calling for military retaliation against whatever group or country is ultimately found to be responsible. The desire to strike back at those who hurt us is understandable, but …

Article

Be At Peace Among Yourselves

"Be at peace among yourselves." (1 Thessalonians 5:13) "None of us is alone in this world; each of us is a vital piece of the great mosaic of humanity as a whole." (Pope John Paul II, Israel-Palestine) Think About That …

Article

On the Frontier of Justice in Ghana

"Africa has been the land of hope, salvation, and redemption. Abraham had come to Africa, Joseph from slave to savior. It was the land of refuge for Jesus and helped to carry his cross. Will we continue to dismiss Africa …

Article

Scenes from a Mexican Village

The Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration sponsor a program called Global Awareness Through Experience. The GATE program offers a rich opportunity to get to know the realities of Mexico, something I have wanted to do for years. At a point …

Article

Patch Adams - Movie Reflection

Patch Adams is a great movie to use with students! It is the fact-based story of Hunter "Patch" Adams, the founder of the Gesundheit Clinic. Robin Williams plays the lead character with grace and skill. Synopsis: After spending some time …

Article

Curriculum Integration in Service Programs

How can you begin working toward curriculum integration with your service program? Consider the following principles as a good guide. Connections Get to know the curriculum in other content areas. Study the program of studies of your school. Look at …

Article

Processing Service Experiences

I have been involved with our school's service-learning program for over ten years as a classroom teacher. Because the program is integrated fully in the religion, English, and social studies curriculum, we have made a commitment to processing the material …

Article

The Color Purple

A CAUTIONARY NOTE: One of the criticisms of The Color Purple is that it depicts the men in the story as primarily abusive. Also, this movie is PG-13, mostly because of the violence and strong language. We recommend the movie …

Article

Technology assignment - Catholic Social Teaching

Over ten years ago, I began using my home computer to file and create documents for my students. My high school, located in the heart of Silicon Valley, already had a very well-developed technological infrastructure. Internet searches, e-mail, PowerPoint presentations, …

Article

U.S. Students Work for Salvadoran Students

Katie Murphy visited El Salvador in the summer of 1999 as part of the Frontiers of Justice project, a learning opportunity for Catholic high school teachers cosponsored by Catholic Relief Services and the National Catholic Educational Association's Secondary Division. Her …

Article

Following the Spirit Down the (Yellow?) Brick Road

The road is really a five-foot wide path. The bricks are more dappled browns than yellow. But the journey does have a wizard and feisty little black terrier. And along the way we found our hearts, our minds, and our …

Article

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 outside"--that is, by those who do not share its communal life--Catholicism is probably most frequently identified by …

Article

Everyday Works of Mercy

Are you more Christian than you give yourself credit for being? My belief is that there are many like that--that many dedicated Christian people have compartmentalized their lives and have excluded important and central areas of their lives from what …

Article

The Death Penalty and the Catholic Conscience

Some proponents say the death penalty is biblical: "an eye for an eye." This moral theologian shows how they are misreading the Bible. If someone murdered your child or closest friend, what punishment would you want for the criminal? If …

Article

The Spirituality of Work

Teachers who structure justice into their workday lives model a moral vision for their students. I requested a review copy of all religion textbooks used in Catholic high schools some years ago and scoured over 30 books looking for references …

Article

Peace: The Countercultural Value

Ours is a violent society. Furthermore, evidence strongly suggests that we are learning to accept violence as normal behavior. As a people, we appear to be increasingly indifferent to daily images of warfare, racial hatred and ethnic cleansing. Murder and …

Article

The Community Service Dimension

A high school senior leans over the shoulders of two 9-year-olds struggling with math homework in a tutoring program at the community center. Two students carry food baskets up the narrow flight of stairs to the residents of a housing …

Article

Columbine High's Selfless Heroes

The stories of Columbine's heroes rise like a "tide of inspiration" for this Denver mother. Starting the third laundry load, I pause, puzzled by a pin on my daughter's t-shirt. At 14, she tosses shirts into the hamper with glad …

Article

Dance: An Awakening

Ms. Sawaya Lamb teaches dance at Judge Memorial Catholic High School in Salt Lake City, Utah. Mr. Wagoner, a former technical director at Judge Memorial Catholic High School, is now assistant principal at Saint Vincent School in Salt Lake City. …

Article

Getting to the Heart of the Matter

Step 1: Look at the situation What exactly is happening? Why is it happening? Who is involved? What are their motives? How is it happening, that is, by what means or method? When and where is it happening? Step 2: …

Article

Service and Justice

We are standing on the brink, and our bishops are urging us to jump. Many of us don't know where we'll end up, and we aren't sure whether we'll land in one piece. Yet the sense of urgency is building, …

Article

A One-Day Retreat on Service in the Inner City

Our sophomore class day retreat focuses on finding spirituality in the inner city. It is a kind of "urban plunge" experience within a spiritual framework, and students go on this retreat during the same semester that they take a social …

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The Harvest Is Abundant: Reflections on a Spirituality of Service

Service is a golden word these days. Everybody's doing it: governmental bodies, schools, churches, even neighborhoods and families. Court sentencing frequently includes community service, the federal government holds service up as a value in programs such as Americorps, and state …

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Building Faith Community in the High School

In a workshop entitled "The Catholic High School as Faith Community," religion teachers, campus ministers, and school administrators discussed, among many things, the obstacles they face in trying to build faith community in their school. One obstacle they addressed was …

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Community Service Courses:

This past semester, at the end of a year-long service program at a residential treatment center for emotionally disturbed youth, two students from my community service course wrote a poem to express the significance of their experiences. These are the …

Article

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 Mary’s 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 …

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