This is Daniel Pesta, and I will be teaching the 7th Grade Saturday evening CCD class this year. In the past, I have tried to keep parents updated via Email on what is going on in class, but with the introduction of the blog, I thought it might be a better medium. It eliminates manually opting in or out, for one thing. It also has a larger audience, but one that might not care so much about the goings on in 7thgrade. I will be outlining the content of our course of study, and my own thoughts about it, which may or may not have value to that wider audience. I welcome your comments and suggestions, whether or not you are directly involved in this class.
This will be the seventh CCD class that I have taught at St. John’s, after teaching 5th grade for five years and sixth grade for one. Every year I look forward to discussing religion with the new students. They invariably approach a subject in a way I hadn’t thought of before. And they are just great people. It is my great privilege to get to know them a little.
The class – Our focus will be defined with the Faith and Life Series book number 7, called “The Life of Grace”. Whereas fifth grade focused on the Holy Trinity, and sixth grade on the Ten Commandments, this book has grace as its theme, and how that grace works in our lives via the sacraments, and the gifts and the fruits of the Holy Spirit.
The ‘knowledge’ portion of CCD class is always the easiest to present and to measure. And if Christianity were a religion for smart people, we could all just learn our facts, take a test and go home. But it’s the ‘relational’ nature of Christianity that sets it apart. We discover our destiny in the relationships we have with other people and with God. God Himself IS a relationship. Over the past few years, I have struggled with how to emphasize this in class. One small way will be for the students to get to know each other a little. Most students in my fifth grade class did not know their classmates, even though they had been through the program with these same people for many years. I think this is valuable for the kids, and they seem to enjoy it.
I may not have time to write every week, but I will do my best to report on the previous class activities, and outline what will be accomplished the following week. This is also helpful if a student needs to miss a week, and you can also augment our course of study at home if you choose. Please feel free to leave a comment, or to contact me directly at towardus@comcast.net with any questions, comments or concerns.
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