![]() ![]() Don’t let them get lost in the end-of-the-year shuffle. These feasts are so essential that we really should do more to help children and youth learn to appreciate them. This would remind students that our faith is a lived experience and not just a body of knowledge to acquire. Consider bringing students and parents back for a rousing Pentecost celebration, sending them forth to spread the Gospel over the summer. However, we shouldn’t feel limited by the school year. ![]() Most religious education programs shut down annually before we celebrate these important feasts. Include appropriate music, such as “Send Down the Fire.” If you are going to have a celebration or gathering to close the year, have students make red and orange streamers or ribbon banners for decoration.Take some time to show the video “Pentecost in 2 Minutes” and discuss it in class.Invite older students to develop and act out a skit about the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost.Have students make “tongues of fire” headbands and flame-colored pinwheels.Teach them that the Holy Spirit continues to guide the Church. Use games and crafts to help younger students understand the Fruits of the Holy Spirit.For example, consider playing “That Where I Am” by Rich Mullins. Take some time to listen to music and allow time for reflection.Some versions on the internet use a cloud-covered paper cup at the top. Make a paper mobile with Jesus and some clouds.Have children discuss that and draw or act out what happened. Read the description of the Apostles staring up into heaven after Jesus᾿ Ascension (Acts of the Apostles 1:1‒11).Here are eight ways to include Ascension and Pentecost in your class. The mission Jesus gave to the disciples at his Ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost are crucial parts of his story and that of the Church. Jesus gave us a mission to “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15), and the Holy Spirit continues to strengthen and inspire us in this mission. But understanding Ascension and Pentecost is essential if our young people are going to grow into what Pope Francis has called a Church of “missionary disciples.” They may even occur after religious education programs have ended. Ascension and Pentecost-the two great feasts that signal the end of the Easter season-often occur at the end of the school year. ![]()
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