Dear R.E. Teacher / Chaplain,
With the oral and practical examinations over and the journal work completed I hope things may be a little calmer this week in your school. To make the week a little easier have a look below at the links to some new resources for you to use with your R.E. classes and there are also details about upcoming events and a new R.E. textbook.
Reflection on Gospel reading: John 13:31-35 – Love our Neighbour
The gospel for Sunday 28 April was John 13:31-35: “I give you a new commandment: love one another.” I have put together a resource ‘Love our Neighbour’ and it includes reflections, activities and a slide show video ‘All you need is love’ which can be shown at the end of the lesson. If you are one of the few schools which doesn’t allow access to YouTube the video can also be viewed on the Animoto website.
Each month since September I have been adding resources to our website related to religious festivals/significant days & events and the full list of resources for the nine months of the school calendar can be viewed here.
The May Calendar Resources include resources on the Month of Mary, Pentecost and Graduation/End of Year resources. I hope you have found these resources useful and it would be very helpful to get some feedback in terms of planning for next year.
Upcoming Event
Darkness Into Light – May 11th 2013
Last year 13,000 remarkable people including many young people and school groups took part in Darkness into Light the flagship fundraising and awareness event for Pieta House. Pieta House have helped over 7,300 people in distress over the last 7 years.
Click on the link above to get more details and to register and below are some brief details about the event this year.
Starting at 4am, and crossing the line just as dawn is breaking, Darkness into Light, Pieta House’s annual 5km walk/run, is celebrating its 5th year. Join them on Saturday 11th May 2013 for another unforgettable morning in one of the 20 venues across Ireland.
There are 3 Venues in the diocese: Phoenix Park; Newbridge House, Donabate; Arklow.
Rio In Dublin – 27/28 July
The atmosphere of World Youth Day will be recreated at St Mary of the Angels, Capuchin Church and Day Centre, Church Street, Dublin 7 on 27th / 28th of July 2013.
General Programme of Events:
-
Pilgrim walk to Church Street from 7 locations around the city
- All Night Vigil
- Catechesis / Music / Prayer / Workshops / Reconciliation
- Live broadcast of the Closing Mass of WYD
How to get your senior students involved?
They can sign up on our Facebook Page: RioInDublin2013 stating their name, age and parish. Proof of age will be requested on arrival for the vigil event
e-MAIL: evangelisation@dublindiocese.ie
For further updates ‘Like’ our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter (@RioInDublin2013)
New Book – Seek and Find
Seek and Find is a new senior cycle non-examination text from Veritas and it retails at €26.99. Click here to view a sampler of Seek and Find. It is co-authored by Katherina Broderick, Elaine Costello and Brendan O’Regan. Many of you will be familiar with Brendan through the excellent R.E. workshops he delivers with the RESS/PDST and his website www.faitharts.ie. Brendan sends out a free weekly newsletter focusing on matters relating to religion and the arts, especially coming events. Click here to get details on how to sign up and I highly recommend that you do as Brendan also generously shares high quality resources with his subscribers.
Finally, I will leave you with a thought-provoking parable about life after this one which I read recently and it might be one you share with your students this week:
In a mother’s womb were two babies. One asked the other: “Do you believe in life after delivery?” The other replies, “why, of course. There has to be something after delivery. Maybe we are here to prepare ourselves for what we will be later.”
“Nonsense,” says the other. “There is no life after delivery. What would that life be?”
“I don’t know, but there will be more light than here. Maybe we will walk with our legs and eat from our mouths.”
The other says “This is absurd! Walking is impossible. And eat with our mouths? Ridiculous. The umbilical cord supplies nutrition. Life after delivery is to be excluded. The umbilical cord is too short.”
“I think there is something and maybe it’s different than it is here.”
The other replies, “No one has ever come back from there. Delivery is the end of life, and in the after-delivery it is nothing but darkness and anxiety and it takes us nowhere.”
“Well, I don’t know,” says the other, “but certainly we will see mother and she will take care of us.”
“Mother??” You believe in mother? Where is she now?
“She is all around us. It is in her that we live. Without her there would not be this world.”
“I don’t see her, so it’s only logical that she doesn’t exist.”
To which the other replied, “sometimes when you’re in silence you can hear her, you can perceive her.” I believe there is a reality after delivery and we are here to prepare ourselves for that reality….
Gary
Email: garyabrahamian@gmail.com