Objective: Cultivating a sense of appreciation for the memory of older/wiser people who teach us through their success stories and examples.
Welcome (1 min):
- The educator greets students and then reminds them about the theme of Sowing Hope and the importance of preparing the ground at the start of the year.
- The educator leads students to quiet down, starting with the sign of the cross and a simple thanksgiving prayer / a short moment of silence to think about the beauty of a new morning.
Video (4 mins)
- The educator introduces the November theme by saying that this month is traditionally associated with the departed and with the saints for believers.
- The educator asks reflectively about our relationship with those who are either older or wiser – still with us or not – and how they can help us sow hope.
- *(Optional) The educator tells students that there is a great hint in the following clip (strawberry from seed – 1:33 mins)
Reflection (4 mins):
*(If the video was unavailable the educator skips the first step of the reflection and explains that the fruit comes from the fruit of the previous season).
- The educator invites a student to describe the clip and then another student to interpret the clip in relation to how the older or wiser—still with us or not—can help us sow hope.
- The educator gathers thoughts by stating that hope, like a seed that we wish to flourish in our lives, comes from the fruit (the success stories and good examples) of older or wiser people.
- The educator leads students to think about a person/s that inspire/s them – be it a mother, a father, a teacher, a grandma/pa, a deceased loved one, or even a saint – and be grateful for that/those person/s.
Prayer (1 min):
Dear God, thank you for the persons you bring to our minds and the saints who inspire us to bear the fruit of hope. Help us learn how to follow them so that through our success stories and examples, we can also touch the lives of others. Amen.