It’s that time again! School supplies and supply lists are in stores. Parents are making sure their children get haircuts and have the “right” clothes and shoes. And kids are either moaning about the approach of the school year or counting the days in anticipation. Some school districts have already started classes while others won’t begin until after Labor Day. Check out our Summer Solemnity Units, Early Start Lessons, and Back to School Prayers to help you get off to a great start!
Pflaum Gospel Weeklies lessons for the 2024–2025 year begin on Sunday, September 22. If your classes start before then, take advantage of:
Summer Solemnities Unit
This eight-lesson unit covers some of the most important themes of our faith as celebrated in these solemnities:
• The Ascension of the Lord
• Pentecost Sunday
• The Most Holy Trinity
• The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi)
• The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist
• The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
• Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles
• The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
While these celebrations take place between May and August, no dates appear on the lessons. This gives you more flexibility to use the lessons when and how you choose. Learn more here.
Early Start Lessons
There are three Early Start lessons available in the Activity Books, which are available for every level of the Pflaum Gospel Weeklies Faith Formation Program in both English and Spanish.
There are also three online Early Start lessons available for each level:
• Seeds / Semillas
• Promise / Promesa
• Good News /Buena Nueva
• Venture / Aventura
• Visions / Visiones
Unlike regular Gospel Weeklies lessons, these cover general topics, including Bible basics, a Gospel primer, and prayer. Since they’re not connected to a Sunday Gospel, they may be taught in any order, at any time. Each lesson includes a lesson plan, materials list, gathering and closing prayers, and activity sheets that may be downloaded and printed. And don’t forget the videos! We offer short videos to accompany and enhance these online Early Start lessons.
And Don’t Forget to Begin with Prayer!
Every week, the Pflaum Gospel Weeklies lessons begin and end with prayers of the Church, prayers of the season, or spontaneous petitions and prayers of thanksgiving, so it’s fitting that catechists and teachers begin in prayer as they gather to start a new year. Pflaum offers Back to School prayer services for catechist formation and welcome sessions for primary and intermediate students. Leader guides and participant handouts for each of the prayer services are available to download and print.
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