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Welcome to the 2026–27 program year of the Pflaum Gospel Weeklies! Be assured of our prayers for you and the young people in your care as you embark upon another year of sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Every week in the GROW newsletter, you will find helpful tips for teaching your Gospel Weeklies lesson, a reflection on the Sunday Gospel, and links to online resources.
Videos of Sunday’s Gospel
Use these videos as you discuss today’s Gospel. Please preview all videos you plan to share with your class:
• Holy Heroes
• The Laborers in the Vineyard
• Odd Jobs: Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard
• Sunday Setup—Weekly Video and Post (courtesy of the Diocese of Bridgeport)
Other Resources
• Pope Leo XIV and the Papacy
• Special Message from Pope Leo to Young People (NCYC | November 21, 2025)
For Catholic Schools
• Albert’s Expeditions Join Albert, a fierce yet friendly Peregrine Falcon, named after Saint Albert the Great (who even gave the Peregrine Falcon its name 800 years ago!) on scientific expeditions all around the globe. From under the soil to the sky full of stars, discover the stunning natural world full of life that God has created. Meant for children ages 5–10 and all families who want to learn more about their beautiful world around them and the Divine Creator who formed it all.
Seeds
Lesson Theme: God’s love is generous.
NEW! You will find several changes in our Seeds 2026–27 program. Student lessons now include eight pages. We’ve expanded each lesson to integrate doctrinal content directly into the student materials. As a result, you no longer need to ask students to refer to the Catechism Handbook when teaching the doctrinal section of the lesson.
We’ve also added Optional Activities pages to support flexible teaching. These activities, marked as OA, can be used in three ways: 1. Individual work in class, for children who finish a task early. 2. Whole-group activity, to enrich your session with additional content. 3. Family engagement, sent home to be completed with parents or guardians. The Seeds Teaching Guide will provide step-by-step guidance for using these new features and implementing each lesson.
We suggest that you use a Church Year calendar every week with the children. Check to see if your parish or school already has Church Year calendars for 2027. The new Church Year begins on Sunday, November 29, so plan to have a 2027 calendar by that time.
We recommend that you set aside an area in your classroom for praying and proclaiming the Gospel. Cover a low table, desk, or a box with a simple cloth. Display a cross or crucifix and a battery-powered candle. You may wish to provide other décor, seasonal symbols, flowers, or pictures of saints. Try to highlight the liturgical color in your prayer space. Small sheets of felt are an inexpensive option.
For this week’s lesson, you will need pencils, crayons, name tags, a Church Year calendar, a Bible, and a [green] tablecloth.
This lesson will help children recognize that God speaks to everyone through the Bible. They will identify the Bible as the source of the Gospel readings they hear in class and at Mass each Sunday.
Teaching Guide
Family Companion & Weekly Parent Resources
Parent Teaching Pages
Parent/Grandparent Assistance for Home Study
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Word of the Week
Seasonal Resources
Videos
• Gospel Reflection and Saint of the Week with Miss Heidi
• Bible Bag: Kid-Sized Lessons on the Sunday Gospel with Mrs. Cole
Promise
Lesson Theme: God’s love is generous.
NEW! You will find several changes in our Promise 2026–27 program. Student lessons now include eight pages. We’ve expanded each lesson to integrate doctrinal content directly into the student materials. As a result, you no longer need to ask students to refer to the Catechism Handbook when teaching the doctrinal section of the lesson.
We´ve also added Optional Activities pages to support flexible teaching. These activities, marked as OA, can be used in three ways: 1. Individual work in class, for children who finish a task early. 2. Whole-group activity, to enrich your session with additional content. 3. Family engagement, sent home to be completed with parents or guardians. The Promise Teaching Guide will provide step-by-step guidance for using these new features and implementing each lesson.
We suggest that you use a Church Year calendar every week with the children. Check to see if your parish or school already has Church Year calendars for 2027. The new Church Year begins on Sunday, November 29, so plan to have a 2027 calendar by that time.
We recommend that you set aside an area in your classroom for praying and proclaiming the Gospel. Cover a low table, desk, or box with a simple cloth. Display a cross or crucifix and a battery-powered candle. You may wish to provide other décor, seasonal symbols, flowers, or pictures of saints. Try to highlight the liturgical color in your prayer space. Small sheets of felt are an inexpensive option.
For this week’s lesson, you will need pencils, crayons, a story coloring page (one per child, coming soon), a Church Year calendar, a Bible, and a [green] tablecloth for the prayer table.
This lesson will help children recognize that the Bible is the holy book that tells us about God´s love. They will identify the Bible as the source of the Gospel readings they hear in class and at Mass each Sunday.
Teaching Guide
Family Companion & Weekly Parent Resources
Parent Teaching Pages
Parent/Grandparent Assistance for Home Study
Extending Activities
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Assessments
Word of the Week
Seasonal Resources
Videos
• Gospel Reflection and Saint of the Week with Miss Heidi
• Bible Bag: Kid-Sized Lessons on the Sunday Gospel with Mrs. Cole
Good News
Lesson Theme: God’s Word is for everyone.
NEW! You will find several changes in our Good News 2026–27 program. Student lessons now include eight pages. We’ve expanded each lesson to integrate doctrinal content directly into the student materials. As a result, you no longer need to ask students to refer to the What the Church Believes and Teaches Catechism handbook when teaching the doctrinal section of the lesson.
As we begin a new year, we suggest that you use a Church Year calendar every week with the children. Check to see if your parish or school already has Church Year calendars for 2027. The new Church Year begins on Sunday, November 29, so plan to have a 2027 calendar in your classroom by that time.
We suggest that you set aside an area in your classroom for praying and proclaiming the Gospel. Cover a low table, desk, or a box with a simple cloth. Display a cross or crucifix and a battery-powered candle. You may wish to provide other décor, seasonal symbols, flowers, or pictures of saints. Try to highlight the liturgical color in your prayer space. Small sheets of felt are an inexpensive option.
For this class, you will need pencils, coloring tools, a stapler or tape, scissors, one poster board (optional), Bibles (one per child), a classroom Bible, and a Church Year calendar.
This lesson will help the children identify the Bible as a love story for all people. They will identify the Bible as the source of the Gospels you’ll share with them in class this year. This lesson will help them recognize that the same Gospels shared in their Good News lessons will be proclaimed during the Liturgy of the Word at Sunday Mass.
Find the answer key for “What Does It Mean to Be Generous?” (page 1) here (coming soon). You may wish to direct the children to look up and fill in the Bible passage first. This will help them fill in the spaces in the activity above.
Teaching Guide
Family Companion & Weekly Parent Resources
Parent Teaching Pages
Parent/Grandparent Assistance for Home Study
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Assessments
Seasonal Resources
Videos
• What Is the Liturgy of the Word?
• What Is the Mass?
Venture
Lesson Theme: God’s Word is for everyone.
As you begin a new year, we remind you to check our online resources for Venture, including lesson assessments, seasonal activity pages, weekly videos, and parent teaching pages for home use. The activity on page 1 in this lesson may be used as a pacing activity as the young people arrive in the classroom. While we discourage its use as a test, it will help catechists and teachers get some sense of the general faith knowledge and vocabulary of their students.
Supplies you will need for this lesson are scissors, tape, pencils/pens, and tagboard or poster board.
This lesson will help the children identify the Bible as the source of the Gospels you’ll share with them in class this year. This lesson will help them recognize that the same Gospels shared in their Venture lessons will be proclaimed during the Liturgy of the Word at Sunday Mass.
This Sunday’s Gospel may not seem fair. How can those who worked only a few hours receive the same pay as those who worked all day? Emphasize that this parable is not really about wages, but about God’s love. He wants all of us to receive the abundance of his blessings, no matter who came to him first. We encourage you to take this opportunity to give comfort to the young people who may feel unsure about everything that is going on around them and remind them that God cares for all of us, especially when we are going through difficult times.
Teaching Guide
Family Companion & Weekly Parent Resources
Parent Teaching Pages
Parent/Grandparent Assistance for Home Study
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Assessments
Seasonal Resources
Videos
• What Is a Parable?
• Saint Francis Xavier
Visions
Lesson Theme: God’s love abounds.
As you begin a new year, please refer to the online resources for Visions, including lesson assessments, seasonal activity pages, weekly videos, and parent teaching pages for home use. For this lesson, gather scissors, tape, and pencils/pens.
Some students love an ice-breaker activity like the one on this week’s lesson cover. For those students who hesitate, try to connect them with another student or kick off their “Know” chart by asking if you may initial one of their squares.
This Sunday’s Gospel may not seem fair. How can those who worked only a few hours receive the same pay as those who worked all day? Emphasize that this parable is not really about wages but about God’s love. He wants all of us to receive the abundance of his blessings, no matter who came to him first. We encourage you to take this opportunity to give comfort to the young people who may feel unsure about everything that is going on around them and remind them that God cares for all of us, especially when we are going through difficult times.
Teaching Guide
Family Companion & Weekly Parent Resources
Parent Teaching Pages
Parent/Grandparent Assistance for Home Study
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Assessments
Seasonal Resources
Video
• The Mass—Catholic Central
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