FROM OUR EDITORS—December 3, 2023 – 1st Sunday of Advent

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This Sunday, the Church starts a new Liturgical Year with the beginning of Advent. Around the world, millions of people begin to prepare their hearts, their homes, and their churches for the coming of our Savior. As parents, catechists, and teachers, it is our mission to help the children under our care to experience the holiness of this time and be ready to celebrate with joy the Nativity of 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 information about our online resources and seasonal activities. Here are tips for teaching the Gospel Weeklies lessons this week:

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:
     Mark 13:37 by Little Feetz Ministries
     Gospel Reading and Reflection for Kids
     Sunday Gospel Cartoon Reading and Lesson
     Holy Heroes
Advent Videos
     A Journey Through Advent with Miss Heidi and John Burland
     Liturgical Calendar: Saints & Seasons with Shannon
     Advent in 2 Minutes
     What Is an Advent Wreath?
     Find the Perfect Gift

Seeds
Lesson Theme: Advent prepares us to celebrate Christmas.
For this lesson, you will need crayons, scissors, envelopes, a story coloring page (one per child), and a Church Year calendar. We recommend that you have an Advent wreath with battery-powered candles for your classroom.

In this lesson, the children will work on an Advent Candle and an Advent Calendar to help them wait until Christmas Day. Make sure you have envelopes ready to send these two activities home, along with a puzzle activity and this week’s Family Corner and Eucharist Quote. The instructions for all the lesson’s activities are on page 2.

NOTE: There is a bonus Immaculate Conception activity on page TG2-36. If you wish to use it in class or send it home, make sure to make photocopies of it in advance.

Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
Parent/Grandparent Assistance for Home Study
Extending Activities
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
     What’s What in the Church: Advent Wreath

Promise
Lesson Theme: Jesus promises to come again.
For this lesson, you will need crayons, pencils, scissors, tape or a stapler, large envelopes, a Church Year calendar. The children will make pinwheels that you will put together to create an Advent wreath. You will need to supply a base (heavy paper or cardboard) and paper candles with paper flames for this wreath. We suggest that you separate pages 1–2 from 3–4 in advance. If time is limited, you may also wish to cut out the pinwheels (pages 3–4) in advance. There is a bonus Immaculate Conception activity on page TG2-36. If you wish to use it in class or send it home, make sure to make photocopies of it in advance.

NOTE: In the Teaching Guide on pages TG2-14 and TG2-15, there are two sentences about the “We Get Ready for Christmas” Advent calendar on page 2 of the Promise lesson that are incorrect. On page TG2-14, column two, the sentence that reads “Note that Saint Nicholas’s feast day is really December 6, but it falls on a Sunday this year, so he appears on December 5—the day children put out shoes or stockings for his visit that night” does not apply to 2023. On page TG2-15, column two, the sentence that reads “Note that Saint Lucy’s feast day is on a Sunday this year, so she is not pictured on the calendar” also does not apply to 2023. We apologize for any confusion that may have caused.

Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
Parent/Grandparent Assistance for Home Study
Extending Activities
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Lesson Assessment
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
     What’s What in the Church: Advent Wreath

Good News
Lesson Theme: We prepare for Jesus’ coming.
For this lesson, you will need an Advent wreath, a Church Year calendar, crayons, pencils, and scissors.

For this lesson’s Closing Prayer, we suggest that you adapt the Family Forgiveness Prayer to use with your class. You’ll want to give some thought in advance to how you will do this. Make the connection between asking for and offering forgiveness with being prepared for Jesus’ return at his Second Coming.

NOTE: There is a bonus Immaculate Conception activity on page TG2-36. If you wish to use it in class or send it home, make sure to make photocopies of it in advance.

Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
Parent/Grandparent Assistance for Home Study
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Lesson Assessment
Seasonal Resources
Videos
     What’s What in the Church: Advent Wreath
     What Is the Symbolism of the Advent Wreath?

Venture
Lesson Theme: God cares for us.
The story in this lesson is a play that imagines three generations of a family away from their homeland during the Babylonian Exile. You may wish to prepare some props for the play, but don’t let that intimidate you. Props aren’t necessary. Gestures and creative expression can go a long way to help the young people engage with the story.

Turn to page 65 (inside back cover) in the What the Church Believes and Teaches handbook. Share with the children that this Sunday marks the start of a new Liturgical Year in the Church and a new liturgical season. As a reminder, direct the children’s attention to the band at the bottom of the lesson cover. (It’s violet for Advent.) Encourage them to notice the color change in the sanctuary in church.

NOTE: There is a bonus Immaculate Conception activity on page TG2-36. If you wish to use it in class or send it home, make sure to make photocopies of it in advance.

Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
Parent/Grandparent Assistance for Home Study
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Lesson Assessment
Seasonal Resources
Videos
     What Is the Symbolism of the Advent Wreath?
     The Meaning of the Advent Wreath
     “Amazing Grace”
     Saint Juan Diego

Visions
Lesson Theme: Be ready.
This week, we celebrate the beginning of the season of Advent, as well as a new Liturgical Year. Remember to have an Advent wreath ready to light during your gathering and closing prayer rituals or bring the materials to create a wreath in class. Follow parish and/or school guidelines regarding open flames. You may wish to use battery-powered candles.

In the Living the Gospel activity (pages 6–7), the young people will work on an Advent calendar to take home. Make sure to keep one copy of this calendar in your classroom, so that you may refer to it throughout the season. You may wish to use the calendar to plan service projects with your class during Advent (or plan ahead for Lent). Encourage the students to share the origins of our Advent traditions with their families, especially younger siblings (see page 5).

NOTE: There is a bonus Immaculate Conception activity on page TG2-36. If you wish to use it in class or send it home, make sure to make photocopies of it in advance.

Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
Parent/Grandparent Assistance for Home Study
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Lesson Assessment
Seasonal Resources
Videos
     What Is the Symbolism of the Advent Wreath?
     The Meaning of the Advent Wreath
     Beautiful Chapel Made of Ice
     “We Are Marching”
     “He Came Down/We Are Marching”

Image credit: Francisco Xavier (@Franx via cathopic.com)