By Julie A. Miller
Catholic Herald

Catechists find ways to make Lent meaningful

Catechists use a variety of methods to help children understand the significance of Lent, including video tapes that instruct and also keep the children's attention.

According to Kathy Doyle, media specialist at the Bishop George A. Hammes Center for Religious Education & Youth Ministry, there are more than 50 Lenten videos available at the center for religious education teachers to use. Most of them complement the religious education program text books.

Some videos explain the meaning of Lent, while others teach about Jesus' suffering, death and resurrection. Videos and books about Passover and the Seder meal are other popular choices, Doyle said.

The center also has a collection of audio tapes. A tape of the Stations of the Cross with contemporary music is a favorite with teens, Doyle said.

Many catechists also plan creative activities to illustrate and reinforce the lessons.

Among the special Lenten activities is a fourth-grade project at Our Lady Queen of the Universe Parish in Woodruff. Diana Maki, coordinator of religious education said the students, taught by Geralyn Nimsgern and Martha Annis, are preparing special gifts for their parents. Throughout Lent the children will assemble prayers, scripture passages and psalms. The result will be a book to use for family prayer in their homes.

According to Maki, another fourth grade project is a prayer tree. Children will commit to praying for certain people each day during Lent. To remind them of the pledge, they will write each person's name on a small heart and glue it to a tree.

As a community service project, Barb Freudigmann's fifth graders are collecting wash cloths, toothbrushes and trial size toiletries to help the needy, Maki said.

In the past, most religious education students at St. Anthony de Padua Parish in Park Falls haven't had the opportunity to receive ashes on Ash Wednesday, according to Deacon Chet Ball. This year the parish will have a special after school service for grades one through six. Students will take an active role in singing and in the Stations of the Cross, Ball said.

Students at Immaculate Conception Parish in New Richmond will also have a special Ash Wednesday service. Religious education coordinator Kim Palmer said the students in sixth, seventh and eighth grades will plan the entire service. They will write the petitions and act as song leaders and altar servers. In addition, Palmer said, the confirmation class is in charge of coordinating the Stations of the Cross on March 24.

According to Palmer, there will also be a joint school and religious education project. Each child will decide on one thing he or she wants to change during Lent and write it on a paper egg. A tree with the eggs attached will be moved into the church on Easter Sunday.

Students at St. Mary Parish in Tomahawk will participate in a Holy Childhood collection, said religious education director Sr. Casimira Benbenek, a Servant of Mary. "It's children helping children. They save their pennies nickels and dimes." Holy Childhood is a Catholic organization that helps develop children's understanding of the world and encourages them to share their wealth with children in poor countries.

At the Cathedral of Christ the King Parish in Superior, students will participate in a 24-hour food fast. According to religious education director Janette Gil de Lamadrid, the fast will raise money for Catholic Relief Services and give students an opportunity to learn about world hunger.

For Lent, each family with children in the religious education program at the Gilman-Jump River-Lublin-Sheldon Parish cluster will receive a special activity folder from Franciscan Sr. Ann Manthey. Manthey, pastoral associate for the cluster, said, "I try to expose them to very simple family (activities) to keep them aware of God's presence every day."

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