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If you come across any really great resources, please do get in touch and us know about them!
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Bible Society’s Resources – centenary of the end of WW1
This November marks the centenary of the Armistice that ended the First World War, and the Bible Society has a range of resources for primary and secondary ages groups to explore the issues around the ‘war to end all wars’. Read more
‘Complex Catholicism’ report can inform your youth work
The latest research into the lives and faith of young Catholic adults is essential reading for youth workers, and the report is accompanied by a valuable tool for applying the findings to your work with those you already reach, and in giving insights to reaching beyond this group.
The documents can be downloaded from Camino House and CYMFed, and hard copies can be ordered.
See our news article for more on the research and the launch event.
Caritas Volunteer Service makes volunteer matching easy
Looking for the right volunteer opportunities (for yourself or for the young people you work with), or finding suitable volunteers for your project, can be a time-consuming process. If you’re in London or Hertfordshire, Caritas Westminster’s Volunteer Service can match volunteers to projects, with a wide range of opportunities to suit different skills and interests, and the time people have available. AND – here’s the best bit – they want to extend this free service to cover the rest of the UK, which sounds like an excellent idea! (And if you’re in London on Tuesday 5th June 2018, visit their Volunteer Fair)
‘Trust the Road’: Preparing young people for life after school
The end of the summer term is on the horizon, bringing a time of change for many young people face as they leave or move school. ‘Trust the Road’, by Fr David O’Malley SDB, is a compact and highly useful book from Don Bosco Publications, that aims to guide them through the changes and choices they face, and offer a map for the road ahead. It’s composed of thought-provoking scenarios from contemporary life that can be read by individuals, or used as a basis for discussion and activities in schools and youth groups. Read more
‘God Calls’ – an app for 16-29s to deepen their spirituality
Have you seen the God Calls app from the National Office for Vocations? The app, aimed at 16-29 year olds, brings together daily scripture readings with reflection points, prayers, inspiring biographies of the saints and news and events from the Catholic world.
Easter resources for younger children from the Bible Society
The Bible Society has a range of resources to use with children around Easter. The Seriously Surprising Story is a video of the disciples’ meeting with Jesus on the road to Emmaus. You can download it from the website , or play it on youTube. There is a booklet to accompany the film – minimum donation of £2 for a single copy, or £1 if ordering in bulk. Read more
NEW Lent in 3 minutes video from Busted Halo
You’ve probably seen the classic video from Busted Halo – well, they’ve produced a new version for 2018, so take a look at this one!
Missio Lent 2018 resources out now
For Lent 2018, Missio have produced Stations of the Cross for secondary schools and colleges. These accessible stations encourage young people to reflect on the lessons communicated through Jesus’ passion and apply them to contemporary issues. A series of CST assemblies to accompany each week of Lent are also available. Download their Lent resources at the Missio website
Mission Together Lent assemblies, activities and much loved daily Calendar, help primary schools journey meaningfully through Lent. Download all these resources at MissionTogether
Advent 2017 Assemblies for secondary & youth groups from Missio
Missio has created Advent assemblies to help schools, colleges and youth groups journey towards Christmas. The assemblies focus on Missio’s international projects, enabling pupils to discover how the Universal Church is bringing the Hope, Peace, Joy and Love of Christ to those living in poverty, regardless of background or belief. Read more
Primary resources for Advent 2017 from Mission Together
To help primary schools journey towards Christmas, Mission Together has lots of attractive Advent resources to offer a joyful and thoughtful approach to this wonderful season. Read more
Resources for National Youth Sunday out now.
Resources are now available for this year’s National Youth Sunday, on 26th November, the feast of Christ the King. Read more
Resources for World Day of the Poor – 19th November 2017
The very first World Day of the Poor, called for by Pope Francis, is on 33rd Sunday of the year, 19th November. Caritas Social Action Network has a range of resources available to help schools and parishes get involved. Read more
Resources from ACN for Red Wednesday – 22nd November
Now in its second year, Red Wednesday is the centre of a week of activities to show solidarity with persecuted Christians, organised by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). This year, it falls on 22nd November. Resources for 2017 are no longer available, but see the ACN website for news of the 2018 event Read more
The CAFOD Advent Calendar 2017 is here!!!
It’s that time of year already! CAFOD’s refugee-themed Advent Calendar is available to download now, and it’s great for KS3/KS4 and post-16 prayers. Read more
New A-level Religious Studies lesson from Pax Christi
The second in Pax Christi’s series of lesson plans and materials for A-level Religious Studies explores various forms of pacifism by looking at the lives of Christian men and women who have resisted war and violence.
New ‘Pop-up Nativity’ for 2017 from the Bible Society
It’s almost October – how’s your Nativity planning going?
The Bible Society‘s Pop-Up Nativity for 2017 offers a script, video, PowerPoint visuals and colouring sheets telling the story of The Greatest Journey – following Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem. Read more
More Education Sunday Resources
Further resources for Education Sunday 2017 are available to download from the Churches Together England website.
They include this cool KS 1 & 2 resource that’s based on Lego!
Education Sunday 2017 resources
The theme for this year’s Education Sunday , 10th September 2017. is ‘Gathered in my name’, and a range of resources for schools and parishes is available on the Catholic Education Service website.
CAFOD ‘Mountain top moments’ resources
CAFOD has two new films available to use with young people when they have experienced a faith-filled ‘mountain top moment’, typically after a retreat, a pilgrimage or an event like Flame, World Youth Day or Brightlights. The downloadable videos are supported by a pdf resource with activities to help young people explore the issues raised in the films, and encourage them to get involved in something that inspires them, to make a difference, to take action. Read more
Lent ideas from Brentwood Diocese
Brentwood Diocese has put together a range of links to Lent activities, from crafty projects like making a crown of thorns or stained glass window to freeze-frame Stations of the Cross.
CAFOD: Lent 2017 is fish-themed!
The new resources for Lent from CAFOD are online now and tell the story of how communities in Zambia are learning to grow and sell fish to make a living. Read more
Resources for Womens’ World Day of Prayer
Women’s World Day of Prayer 2017 is on Friday 3rd March. It’s one of the biggest ecumenical prayer events worldwide, and each year, Christian women from a different country write a prayer service for a new theme. This year’s theme , ‘Am I being unfair to you’ is about justice, and was inspired by the parable of the labourers in the vineyard. The order of service for 2017 was written by the women of the Philippines. Read more
Lent – resources from Mission and MissionTogether
Lent begins on 1st March, so any help we can get with our preparations is very welcome. Missio and MissionTogether have produced a range of downloadable resources for secondary and primary levels.
SECONDARY
Missio has created engaging presentations to help your school journey through the weeks to Easter. Their assemblies employ the relevant Sunday Gospel, highlight Lenten practices, and reference Catholic Social teaching, focusing on a different CST principle each week. The assemblies and available to download at MISSIO
PRIMARY
This year, Mission Together’s Lenten resources focus on the theme, Growing in Love. You will find the Lent Calendar, containing a prayer, activity or reflection for each day of Lent. and the primary resources including Lent Liturgy and accompanying activities, which you can download from MissionTogether.
National Youth Sunday 2016 – Mercy Rips Through
National Youth Sunday in 2016 marks the conclusion of the Year of Mercy The NYS website reflects on this Sunday’s Gospel, and on acts of mercy:
Assemblies for primary & secondary schools to conclude Year of Mercy
On December 8th 2015, Pope Francis initiated a Jubilee Year of Mercy. This special year concludes on 20 November 2016.
To mark this, Missio, the Pope’s official charity for overseas mission, and its children’s branch Mission Together, have produced Primary and Secondary versions of the assembly Our Mission; To Be Merciful. These assemblies focus on the key themes of the Jubilee, help explain mercy and mission, and emphasize the ongoing call to act mercifully. Our Mission; To Be Merciful can be downloaded free from our respective websites: www.missio.org.uk and www.missiontogether.org.uk
St Peter Claver Assembly & Lesson Plans
The Apostleship of the Sea has some great assembly and lesson plans based on the ‘Apostle of the Slaves’ on its website.
The resources are for Stage 2 and 3/4, and provide interesting material on his life and work, and on how the Apostleship of the Sea follows in his footsteps in ministering to seafarers today.
Games for Youth Ministry? There’s an App for that!
It’s a rainy afternoon, the activities you’d planned aren’t going to work now, and despite your wealth of youth ministry experience, Plan B is well and truly in the back of your mind and you’re struggling to bring it forward. Sound familiar? This could help!
Read more
Lampedusa Cross – Resource for reflection on the refugee crisis
Caritas Social Action Network (CSAN), Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) and CAFOD have come together to produce a resource to enable the Catholic Community to reflect on the European refugee crisis, drawing inspiration from the famous Lampedusa crosses.
A Song for the Year of Mercy from CJM
Inspired by Pope Francis’ Apostolic Letter Misericordiae Vultus, CJM Music has produced a song available for free download.
Video: Catholic Social Teaching in 3 minutes
Catholic Social Teaching in 3 minutes is a fast-paced animation from CAFOD introducing CST for young people. It can be used in classrooms, RE lessons, with youth groups, and particularly fits with Year 8 Unit 6 People of God: Called to Serve RE framework for 11-14s.