Holy Spirit
Religious Education
Catechism Instruction: Elementary (k-6)
Curriculum
Seventh Grade
Theme: The mystery of the Incarnation fulfills the mystery of creation and in this mystery Jesus shows us how to live a spiritual life on earth, have intimacy with our Father through the Holy Spirit and face pain and suffering with joy.
Doctrine
At the end of Seventh Grade, students will demonstrate the following:
1. Be aware that God the Father reveals Himself fully in His Son, Jesus.
(CCC 102-103, 516)
2. Recognize Jesus as both God and Man. (Incarnation)
(CCC 464-469, 470-478)
3. Recognize Mary as the Mother of God and the Mother of the Church.
(CCC 487-495, 509, 723-724)
4. Recognize Jesus’ obedience to the Father throughout His life.
(CCC 517, 532, 606-607, 612, 615)
5. Realize Jesus’ role of redemption and explain what this involved.
(CCC 599-609, 613-617)
6. Realize that Jesus established God’s Kingdom during His lifetime by conquering evil, teaching us how to live by both His word and example.
(CCC 541-550)
7. Realize that Jesus kept the Commandments and introduced the Beatitudes.
(CCC 1716, 1724, 2053-2055)
8. Realize that faith is a relationship with the Lord Jesus and a loyalty to Him as His follower.
(CCC 143, 158, 161-162, 166-167, 222-227)
9. Know that one’s relationship with Jesus is sustained through prayer, both personal prayer and communal prayer (which includes liturgical prayer).
(CCC 2665, 2673, 2697-2699, 2744-2745)
10. Recognize in the sacraments the presence of the risen Lord today.
(CCC 714, 1088, 1373-1381)
11. Know that we are called to full participation in the sacramental life of the Church.
(CCC 1129-1130)
12. Realize that Jesus calls us to His way of serving others. Thus, as His followers, we have a responsibility to listen to His call and to use our talents.
(CCC 459, 1692-1694, 1696, 1724, 1728, 2429)
13. Esteem the saints, especially Mary who is the model of faith, as those who have responded to the call to follow Jesus.
(CCC 459, 1692-1694, 1696, 1724, 1728, 2429)
14. Realize that heaven is now open to us because Jesus redeemed the world. Know that hell is the result of fundamental choice to turn away deliberately from God and that purgatory is a state of waiting and purification.
(CCC 1020-1023, 1026, 1030-1032, 1033-1037)
15. Be aware that after His Ascension, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to be with us until the end of time.
(CCC 731)
16. Trust that the Holy Spirit inspires us to holiness and strengthens us to follow Christ through the gifts and fruits of the Spirit.
(CCC 684, 737, 739, 741, 799-800, 1303-1305, 2003)
17. Understand the Gospels as a faith-history of Jesus’ life on earth.
(CCC 76, 514-515)
18. Review:
• the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit
• the Sacraments
Scripture
Be familiar with passages and stories from Scripture, specifically:
1. Image of the Father - Jn. 1:15-18
2. Nativity Narratives - Lk. 2:1-20; Mt. 1:18-24; 2:1-12
3. Annunciation and Visitation - Lk. 1:26-56
4. Presentation in the Temple - Lk. 2:22-40
5. Purposes of Jesus’ coming - Lk. 19:9-10; Jn. 10:10b
6. Jesus’ power over evil - Mk. 1:23-28
7. Jesus’ compassion for others: cure of the leper (Mk. 1:40-45); feeding the hungry (Mk. 6:34-44); blessing the children - Mk. 10:13-16
8. Passages related to the Call: the Call of the Twelve Apostles - Mk. 3:13-19; Lk. 5:1-11 (Vocations)
9. Passages showing Jesus valued prayer highly - Lk. 6:12-16; 11:1-4; 11:5-13
10. Following Jesus’ Way - Jn. 13:34-35; Lk. 10:25-27; Lk. 6:27-49
11. Service through the use of your talents - Mt. 25: 14-30; I Cor. 12:4-11 (Stewardship)
12. Jesus’ teaching on the Last Judgment - Mt. 25:31-46
13. Stories of Jesus, nature miracles and miraculous cures
14. The narrations of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection found in the four Gospels
15. Jesus sends the Spirit - Jn. 14:26; 20:19-22
Prayer and Worship
During the Seventh Grade year the child will:
1. Know from memory the following formal prayers:
Sign of the Cross
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Prayer to the Holy Spirit
Angel of God
The Apostles Creed
The Angelus
The Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary
Hail Holy Queen
The Memorare
Blessing before and after Meals
Morning Offering
An Examination of Conscience
Act of Contrition
Aspirations (short prayers)
Prayer in the morning and evening
An Act of Faith, of Hope and of Love
Prayer to know one’s vocation in life (use “Vocation Prayer(s)” available through Chancery and utilized in many parishes in our diocese)
2. Begin to deepen the experience of prayer as a time to cultivate a personal relationship with Jesus.
3. Cultivate the habit of personal prayer with brief silent meditation, prayer with Scripture, centering prayer, prayer for discernment.
4. Be at ease with forms of spontaneous prayer and faith sharing.
5. Continue a habit of daily prayer to know one’s vocation. Reflect on Jesus’ call to various persons in the New Testament.
6. Experience such devotions as praying the Rosary, Stations of the Cross, prayer to patron saints and important saints on their feast days.
7. Participate with mind, heart and actions in the Mass.
8. Plan and participate in class/school liturgies, paraliturgies, a reflection day.
9. Recognize that we continue to live the Eucharist in our daily lives.
10. Be at ease with individual reception of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. (Rite I)
11. Experience communal celebration and personal reception of the Sacrament of Penance. (Rite II).
12. Recognize and describe the liturgical seasons, the Holy Days of Obligation and the feasts of importance.
13. Experience familiarity with the purpose and ritual of the Sacraments of Penance, Eucharist, Confirmation and Baptism.
14. Realize that the sacraments are signs of the action of the risen Lord, giving strength and life to His people. (Grace)
15. Some time within the year, try to incorporate a retreat experience which might vary in length depending upon resources.
Moral Development
The child will:
1. Recognize the responsibility to form one’s conscience in relationship with Christ and His teachings through the Church. (Prudence)
2. Deepen his/her awareness of making responsible choices in one’s personal life according to the mind of Christ. (Prudence)
3. Realize that Jesus expects His followers to keep the Commandments and to go beyond: “You shall love the Lord your God with your whole soul...and your neighbor as yourself.”
4. Know that sin, a deliberate choice of something one knows to be evil, can also result from the omission of good. The choice to do nothing is the evil.
5. Realize that emotions can be used for good or evil. Know the difference between emotion and sin.
6. Know the names and meaning of the seven capital sins and the corresponding Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
7. Chastity is the virtue which ensures that our thoughts, words and actions correspond to God’s plan for sexuality.
8. Come to a deeper awareness of asking forgiveness and giving pardon in the circumstances of daily life, recalling Jesus’ words, “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive...” (Faith)
9. Compare the moral values in media with the values of Catholic teachings. (i.e., T.V., movies, videos, popular music and lyrics, advertising) (Prudence)
10. Know that human rights, especially the right to life, are basic Gospel values. (Respect Life) (Hope)
11. Understand the importance of good decision-making regarding sexuality and sexual activity. (Temperance)
12. Realize that induced abortion is the directly killing of an innocent human being and is a grave sin against the fifth commandment.
13. Understand why addiction to drugs, alcohol, sex, materialism, and violence destroys the fullness of human life. Know some skills for preventing these abuses. (Temperance, Fortitude)
14. Articulate and use a method for moral decision-making, aware of the prayer dimension within this process. (Prudence)
15. Appreciate as moral models and vocation models the saints and contemporary Christians whose lives are exemplary. (Vocations)
e.g., St. Maria Goretti In the local Parish:
St. Stephen Extraordinary Ministers
St. Thomas Aquinas Cantors
Archbishop Oscar Romero Lectors
Dorothy Day Chaplains
16. Realize that using one’s gifts and talents is an opportunity and a responsibility. (Stewardship) Be attentive to the possibility of God’s call to priesthood and/or religious life. (Vocations)
17. Be involved (age appropriately) in peace and justice, care for the environment and any of the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.
18. Be knowledgeable of and appreciate the moral virtues and the Beatitudes.
19. Review the Commandments and Precepts of the Church.
20. Continue to enjoy the stories of the saints and good contemporary Christians whose lives are examples of the power of God.
Glossary
At the end of this grade level, students should know the following:
Abba absolution Annunciation
apostle Assumption of Mary canonized
catechumenate catholic (universal) covenant
crucifixion chastity disciples
Doctor of the Church Emmanuel Emmaus
encyclical epistles Eucharistic Celebration
Extraordinary Minister evangelists fruits of the Holy Spirit
Gentiles Gospel grace
gifts of the Holy Spirit hierarchy Holy Orders
homily imposition of hands incarnation
infallibility inspired writers Israelites
justice Kingdom of God martyrs
mediator mediate Messiah
miracles missionary mystery
New Covenant New Testament oral Tradition
Old Covenant Old Testament original sin
parables Paraclete Passion
Pharisees prophets publican
Paschal Mystery Redeemer Redemption
Resurrection retreat Revelation
reverence sacrament Sacraments of Initiation
Sacraments of Healing Sacraments of Vocation sacrifice
Sanhedrin Satan Savior
sexuality sponsor synagogue
Temple of the Holy Spirit Torah Tradition
Trinity Vatican Council II Virgin Birth
vocations