Monthly Readings!

Learning to Lead TACSC's Monthly Menagerie of Ideas June 2005 A Monthly Collection of LEADERSHIP Ideas! ~~Click here to view the full version of this page~~ THANK YOU for visiting TACSC's MONTHLY MENAGERIE OF IDEAS. Every month you will find more ways to boost leadership, morale and involvement at your school! If you would like to submit an article for www.tacsc.org or for TACSC's Leadership Times, please email us at tacsc@tacsc.org. We want to hear what is happening at YOUR school! THIS MONTH: Officer In-Service Article - Religious Activities Part II Last month, we discussed the responsibilities of the Commissioner of Religious Activities. There are so many opportunities to help students experience God on all grade levels. We also shared the holidays that you can plan liturgies around besides the big holidays like Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving. There are so many different things you can do as the Commissioner of Religious Activities, you only need to open your mind and dream of the possibilities. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE! Holiday Activity - Immaculate Heart of Mary The Nature of the Devotion The devotion to Mary's heart is concerned with the love that her heart has for Jesus, for God. The love of her heart is meant to be a model for the way we should love God. So as in all things Marian, she leads us closer to God, rather than becoming an obstacle in our way. The fact that her heart is immaculate, that is sinless, means that she is the only fully human person who is able to really love God in the way that he should be loved. Honoring Mary's Immaculate Heart is really just another way of honoring Mary as the person who was chosen to be the Mother of God, recognizing her extraordinary holiness and the immense love she bestowed on Jesus as his mother, the person who was called to share in and co-operate in his redemptive sufferings. Since May is also Mother’s Day, this is a good month to honor Mary as our Mother, too. Answer the following questions and share them with your classmates during your Religion lessons. How does loving and honoring Mary lead ME closer to God? How do I love God now? How would I feel if I were Mary and had to share in Jesus’ suffering? What is my relationship with Mary? How can I honor her during May and Mother’s Day? How can I honor my own Mother during Mother’s Day and May? What similarities do I see between my Mother and Mary? What are some differences? How can I love my Mother more? How can I love Mary more? How can love Jesus more? http://www.theotokos.org.uk/pages/fatima/immaculh.html http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07168a.htm Service Project - Choosing Your Volunteer Projects for the Summer School is out for the Summer -- Horray! It's time to relax and enjoy a few months of fun. But now that you have some free time, why not plan to help your community a bit? Think about 3 things you can do to help your neighborhood. You can water your elderly neighbors lawn, you can walk dogs, you can volunteer to babysit or you can help your neighbors recycle their glass, plastic and newspapers. You can volunteer to read books at the library. The possibilities are endless! Set a goal to help out at least 5 hours a week. You will feel good about making your community safer, cleaner and happier. Good leaders give great service! Keep a log and share it with your teachers, parents, and moderator. Get your friends involved, too. If you volunteer together, you will enjoy the time and make a larger impact in your neighborhood. Recognition Project - Birth of St. John the Baptist John the Baptist was the son of Zachary, a priest of the Temple in Jerusalem, and Elizabeth, a kinswoman of Mary who visited her. He was probably born at Ain-Karim southwest of Jerusalem after the Angel Gabriel had told Zachary that his wife would bear a child even though she was an old woman. When he was thirty, he began to preach on the banks of the Jordan against the evils of the times and called men to penance and baptism "for the Kingdom of Heaven is close at hand". He attracted large crowds, and when Christ came to him, John recognized Him as the Messiah and baptized Him, saying, "It is I who need baptism from You". John inspired many of his followers to follow Christ when he designated Him "the Lamb of God," among them Andrew and John, who came to know Christ through John's preaching. John is presented in the New Testament as the last of the Old Testament prophets and the precursor of the Messiah. His feast day is June 24th and the feast for his beheading is August 29th. We recognize John the Baptist for being a good friend, a good leader and faithful follower of Jesus and God. Who do you know that shares those same qualities? Look around at your family, your friends, classmates, teachers and neighbors. June is a good month to let them know you see their good qualities and appreciate them. Tell them how their faith, their friendship and their leadership help you to be a better person. Prayer Service - Prayer for the End of the Year As we look back over the school year and think about all the things we have done, we know we have many things to be thankful for. Please respond by saying, “Thank you God our Father”. For giving us good and loving parents who care about us, we pray… For being able to come to such a good school, we pray… For keeping us safe and healthy this school year, we pray… For our teachers who work hard to help us learn and understand so many things, we pray… For the priests and nuns who give there whole lives to help us know about God, we pray… For being able to pray and sing about God every day, we pray… Let us try to remember all that we have been taught. Let us remember during the summer that we show our love for God by obeying our parents and doing what we are asked without complaining. Let us remember to show our love for God by saying a prayer in the morning before we start our day and once again at night before we go to bed. And finally let us ask God to keep us safe and close to Him during our vacation. AMEN. Thank you for visiting LEARNING TO LEAD TACSC's MENAGERIE OF IDEAS at www.tacsc.org. See you next month!