AN OVERVIEW

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AN OVERVIEW

• Born of the Spirit is a catechetical series for
  children in school, parish and home education
  settings from Early Childhood through Year
  (Grade) 6. It is written by the National Office
  of Religious Education of the Canadian Conference
  of Catholic Bishops.
• The Born of the Spirit series builds on the
  essential faith education that
• families provide. The series offers
• a progressive and systematic presentation of
  the basic content of the faith for children
• integrates the Catechism of the Catholic
  Church
• was developed by catechists, coordinators
  (from school and parish backgrounds), liturgists,
  theologians and curriculum specialists from
  across Canada.

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More Overview

• The Born of the Spirit series is an initiation
  into a lifetime of growing
• in faith
• Ages 45 (Early Childhood) Celebrating the
  wonder of
• childhood as a trace of God
• Year 1 Being invited to belong to God
• Year 2 Being called to break bread together
• Year 3 Gathering to celebrate as people of God
• Year 4 Knowing Jesus through those closest to
  him
• Year 5 Being one with the Lord, who lives on in
  the Church
• Year 6 Witnessing to Gods Spirit in the world
• Completely Revised
• The programs in the series have been completely
  revised or
• newly written.
• These programs offer
• updated theology

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CCCB Catechetical Resources

• Grades 1 - 10
• Published by the Catholic Conference of Bishops
  (CCCB) - Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
• This program is recommended in the Archdioceses
  of Saint Boniface, Winnipeg and throughout
  Canada. It offers a thematical, sequential
  approach to catechesis. It refers to the
  Catechism of the Catholic Church and in its
  newest revisions to the General Directory for
  Cathechesis. This national program responds in a
  unique way through enculturation, richly filled
  with Canadian content and references that other
  catechetical programs do not contain. Earlier
  editions of the Born of the Spirit program are at
  this time also used.

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BORN OF THE SPIRITPRIMARY CYCLE (CYCLE ONE)

• The Primary Cycle is about our belief in God. To
  glimpse God we look at Jesus the Word, who became
  flesh, living among us. We experience Gods love
  in and through the Christian community where the
  Holy Spirit of God is the force and the breath of
  these experiences. The Primary Cycle includes
  the following
• In God's Image (Ages 4-5)
• We Belong to God (Year 1)
• We Belong to the Lord Jesus (Year 2)
• In the Spirit We Belong (Year 3)
• In this cycle we view God as Trinitarian and
  Relational.

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Early Childhood IN GOD'S IMAGE

• IN GODS IMAGE is rooted first in the person and
  activity of Jesus who shows us that nothing truly
  human is unknown to God.  The life of the human
  person must be valued, explored and celebrated. 
  Secondly, it is rooted in the belief that the
  earth is Gods creation and that it manifests the
  glory of God.
• GOAL    The goal of IN GODS IMAGE is to
  give shape, form, and expression to the
  spirituality that is within each child
• to lead the children to recognize the sign of
  God 
• to keep the wonderment and awe alive in children,
  and
• to lead them into Gods presence to help them
  develop a friendship with God.
• AIM The general aim of IN GODS IMAGE is
  to affirm the child in all aspects of growth and
  to celebrate the wonder of childhood as a sign of
  God.
• Appropriate for ages 4-5.The resource honors a
  child's religious way of being in the world.

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 Year One   WE BELONG TO GOD

• GOAL WE BELONG TO GOD seeks to create a sense
  of "belonging."
• to God
• to our great Christian tradition, growing in
  friendship with Jesus
• to a people, the Christian community
• to the family building on the nurturing/care.
•  Symbol - Circle of Friends
• AIM The general aim of WE BELONG TO GOD is to
  build on the childs innate sense of mystery and
  ritual, and the wonderment of God and His
  creation. How do we get to know about God?
• Children are led to experience the Scriptures.
• Children discover the words, actions and
  personality of Jesus introducing them to God.
• The source is the Scriptures the person of
  Jesus.Appropriate for age 6.The resource
  honors the most fundamental kind of belonging for
  Christians our belonging to Christ through
  Baptism. 

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Year Two   WE BELONG TO THE LORD JESUS

• GOAL WE BELONG TO THE LORD JESUS, presents an
  invitation to the children to open up a space for
  Jesus in their hearts, so that they may have him
  as a companion on their journey through life.
• Symbol Eucharist
• AIM The general aim of WE BELONG TO THE LORD
  JESUS is to assist children in meeting Jesus in a
  similar way to the disciples on the journey to
  Emmaus. Children discover the actions of the
  Eucharistic gathering of Christians on Sunday.
  The entire year 2 focus is on the Eucharist. The
  experience of belonging to Jesus through the
  Eucharist and the Eucharistic community will
  deepen the childrens experience of belonging to
  God.
• Appropriate for age 7.
• The resource honors the Word of God and prepares
  children to feast at the Table of the Word and
  the Eucharist. 

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Year 3    IN THE SPIRIT WE BELONG

• GOAL IN THE SPIRIT WE BELONG invites the
  children to discover the work of the Holy Spirit
  in fulfilling Gods dream for the world which is
  to gather all people into one family of God. 
  Children discover themselves as part of the
  family of God.Symbol Tent
• AIM The general aim of IN THE SPIRIT WE BELONG
  is to deepen the children's experience of God,
  through the community of the followers of Jesus,
  who are gathered by the Spirit. Children discover
  the activity of the Holy Spirit in their lives,
  what it means to be the church, and God's
  continued renewal of creation through His
  Spirit.
• Appropriate for age 8.
• The resource honors the Scriptures
• that reveal God's continued presence
• through the Holy Spirit and the Church.
• The Church is the blessed gathering
• of the family of God.

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BORN OF THE SPIRITCHURCH CYCLE   (CYCLE TWO)

• Cycle Two, is centered on the knowledge of Gods
  unconditional love for us as revealed in Jesus
  Christ and handed on in the Church the Churchs
  lived experience and faith in Jesus the Church
  as a gathering of people of all nations,
  witnessing to the faith in and through the Spirit
  of God.  The Kingdom of God experiences growth by
  our acceptance and receiving of the gift of the
  word, by our participation in the actions of the
  Church, by our desire and action to become
  disciples of the Risen Jesus.
• Cycle Two includes the following
• Come and See (Year 4)
• May We Be One (Year 5)
• You Shall Be My Witnesses (Year 6)

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Year 4 COME AND SEE

• GOAL  COME AND SEE continues the theme of
  Church developed in Year 3. It opens the
  Scriptures to students and invites children to
  take ownership of their faith by discovering it
  in the Word of God. Students will encounter Jesus
  through the gospel accounts of the four
  evangelists.
• Symbol Bible
• AIM The general aim of  COME AND SEE is to
  meet the Lord Jesus through the living
  experience of Gospel witnesses and to
  explore what it means for us to be a
  disciple and friend of Jesus today. The
  foundational aim for the children is to
  know the stories of Jesus if the tradition
  is to be preserved. We are all to tell our
  friends about Jesus. Appropriate for age
  9. This resource honors the Good News,
  recognizing the Scriptures as
  foundational in the lives of children. 

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Year 5 MAY WE BE ONE

• GOAL MAY WE BE ONE invites the children to
  explore how the Church sets about fulfilling its
  mission, through 10 actions. The Church
  proclaims, believes, celebrates, expects,
  welcomes, acts justly, reconciles, loves,
  rejoices and witnesses.
• Symbol Rock
• AIM The general aim of MAY WE BE ONE is to
  assist children in exploring what the Church does
  as it gives witness to Jesus in the Spirit and to
  see the Church as sacrament.  The Church is
  presented as the community of Gods people where
  the Lord Jesus is visible, active and present in
  the power of the Holy Spirit.
• Appropriate for age 10.
• The resource honors the promise
• through covenant that we are rooted
• in the story of Israel.  The Church is
• to continue the ancient promise of God
• to gather/assemble a community of
• people, baptized in the name of Jesus. 

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Year 6 YOU SHALL BE MY WITNESSES

• GOAL YOU SHALL BE MY WITNESSES invites the
  young Christian to explore the Christian life in
  a methodical way and with a moral mission.  Their
  relationship to God is deepened, and they witness
  the lives of people who have been impacted by
  Gods justice, love and compassion.

Symbol Lantern AIM The general aim of YOU
SHALL BE MY WITNESSES is to invite the young
people to explore how young Christians are rooted
in the Christian tradition, and are witnesses to
Gods justice and love.  The young Christian is
invited to live a moral, Christian life to be a
disciple of a faithful and merciful
God. Appropriate for age 11. The resource honors
the exploration of Gods stories and His people. 
The ten image of God stories speak about Gods
faithful covenant to His people and of those
witnessing to God.  Our lives are to be like
light in the world.
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WE ARE STRONG TOGETHERTHE TRANSITION CYCLE I
THE CREED CYCLE THREE

• CYCLE THREE is based on characteristics of the
  Creed.  The core of our Christian faith is the
  mystery of Gods relationship with us as Father,
  Son and Holy Spirit.  Because of the Trinity,
  nothing exists without being in relationship.  No
  article of the Creed stands on its own.  The
  Creed affirms the whole story of salvation.The
  three years of this cycle assist young believers
  to nurture their relationship with God in and
  through Jesus Christ in the context of Christian
  community.  There are multiple opportunities for
  the young Christian to focus on life questions,
  experiences and issues of the young adolescents
  transition years.The three resources are
  excellent for post-confirmation catechesis. They
  are designed to be taught weekly or to be
  presented in a monthly retreat format. The three
  resource components are
• Believe in Me  -  Year 7
• Stand By Me  -  Year 8
• Be With Me    -  Year 9

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Year 7   BELIEVE IN ME

• GOAL BELIEVE IN ME invites the young believer
  to an orientation on the Creed, to discover that
  our Catholic faith is not a private relationship
  between the individual and God, but a faith lived
  out in community.  The young believer is invited
  to proclaim the Creed, and to think in
  conjunction with these beliefs.  This provides an
  invitation to think with the Church.

Symbol Creed AIM The general aim of BELIEVE
IN ME is to assist young believers in nurturing
their relationship with God, through Jesus Christ
and in the context of their being part of a
Spirit filled community. The faith summary of
the Apostles Creed and its use is
an encouragement given to young believers to
participate in the Church. Young people will
apply concepts they have learned from the Creed
to situations that are familiar to
them. Appropriate for age 12. The resource
honors the following Part I of the Creed God
the Father Part II of the Creed Jesus Christ
The two persons of the Creed/Trinity are seen
through the scriptures and the Church year.The
resource manual offers two formats 2 hour
session or a 1 hour session (condensed version)
Retreat format 4 6 hour format.  Can be used
in a variety of catechetical gatherings.  The
ritual format adds a catechetical dimension to
youth ministry programs.   
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Year 8  STAND BY ME

• GOALSTAND BY ME invites the young believer to
  continue an orientation on the Creed, to
  participate with the Church in exploring the
  dimensions of their relationship with God, Jesus
  and the community of the Holy Spirit. The young
  adolescent will experience on-going growth in
  their understanding of each statement of the
  Creed. Through an interactive approach, the young
  people are immersed in what it means to believe
  in the Church through the Holy Spirit and in what
  the Church teaches.

AIMThe general aim of STAND BY ME is to deepen
the opportunity for the young believers to expand
their sense of the social dimension of Church and
to feel a sense of belonging through the common
beliefs that bind us together.  The community of
young believers is assisted to put their faith
into words that resonate with their experience
and level of development.Appropriate for age
13.The resource honors the following Part III
of the Creed the Holy Spirit The third person
of the Creed/Trinity is seen through the Church,
through the seven sacraments and the
commandments.The resource manual offers two
formats 2 hour session or a 1 hour session.
(condensed version) retreat format 4 6 hour
retreat.  Can be used in a variety of
Catechetical gatherings.  The retreat format adds
a Catechetical dimension to youth ministry
programs.
Symbol Creed
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Year 9  BE WITH ME

• GOAL BE WITH ME invites the young believers to
  examine the attitudes and actions which
  characterize the Christian life, using the
  Beatitudes as a touchstone.  They are encouraged
  to understand and nurture within themselves the
  virtues which will enable them to deepen their
  relationship with the three persons of the
  Creed.Symbol - Jesus Teacher
• AIMThe general aim of BE WITH ME is to build
  upon the two previous years that centred on the
  Apostles Creed by examining the attitudes, and
  virtues which must be cultivated if the
  profession of faith is to have last meaning
• and impact on the students lives.  A catechesis
  of the
• beatitudes is central since they sum up the way
  of Christ.
• This is offered and the young believers explore
• implications of expressing their
  faith.Appropriate for age 14.The resource
  honors the young believers' entry into
• our faith tradition in light of developing faith
  questions.The resource is based upon Part 3 of
  the catechism
• of the Catholic Church Life in Christ
  providing an
• overview and experience of
• the Beatitudes
• three theological virtues (faith, hope and love)
• other virtues drawn from the Beatitudes
• and the Ten Commandments.

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The TRANSITION CYCLE IIYear 10 CHRIST AND
CULTURE

• GOAL Young Catholic Christians are invited to
  explore the foundations of Christ and culture and
  to name the principles that guide Catholics in
  understanding their role in culture. They are
  guided to further explore our culture in light of
  the principles of Christ that they have
  discovered. The adolescent is invited to make
  applications of these principles to oneself, the
  other person, civil society, the church, and the
  world.Symbol - Cross over the world
• AIM The fundamental aim of CHRIST AND CULTURE is
  to root the young believer in an encounter with
  Christ and to prayer. The general aim of CHRIST
  AND CULTURE is to assist young persons with the
  help of the Gospel and to participate as
  Christians in the shaping of our culture. The
  young believers are invited to explore major
  cultural issues from a Christological
  perspective, and in continuity with the Year 9
  program, BE WITH ME.  They are called forth to
  celebrate Christ in our culture.  The years work
  is drawn together in a celebration and with a
  Eucharistic catechesis.

Appropriate for age 15 grade 10. The resource
honors the diverse learning needs of the
adolescent persons, sacred Scripture/scriptural
prayer component, the young believers attempts
and focus to live in the light of the principles
of Christ, prayer and liturgies, examples of
Christian witnessing in our culture.  
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Year 12 IN SEARCH OF THE GOOD

• GOAL - seeks to help young adults in their
  knowing of God the God we profess as Father,
  Son, and Spirit.
• AIM The principal aim of In Search of the Good
  is to assist young men and women to understand
  themselves as moral persons living the way of
  Christ through an examination of ethical
  theories, the revelation of sacred Scripture, and
  the experience and teaching of the Catholic
  Church.
• Symbol - sextant
• Appropriate for ages 17 and 18, grade 12, but can
  be utilized with other adult groups
• This resource takes its primary inspiration from
  the Scriptures, and particularly from the
  proclamation of the Ten Words the Ten
  Commandments of the Lord on Mount Sinai and
  from Jesus Sermon on the Mount.
• Key features of the program
• strong connections with students daily lives and
  accessible presentation of concepts
• opportunities for discussion, research and
  inquiry
• exploration of religious experience, expression
  and diversity
• important place for the Scriptures and family
  life
• connections with other disciplines
• continuity with the Grade 9 , Be With Me, and
  Grade 10, Christ and Culture
• numerous options to appeal to a wide range of
  learning styles and abilities
• implications for Christian moral behaviour