We can share a great gift with our students by developing their awareness of God's constant presence--the realization that God does not stay in church, but is with us at work, social events, home, and in the political sphere. Catholic youth are especially invested in our presidential election this year, which provides an opportunity to help them discern what it means to be faithful Catholics and good citizens of the United States. In the feature article, three veteran religion teachers from the West Coast share opportunities that the election season provides for them and their students. In "Making It Happen," these teachers offer engaging activity ideas for the classroom.

Feature Article | Making It Happen | Resources | From Saint Mary's Press

The early Dark Ages were not engaging for my two Church history sections of San Francisco sophomores in the dark, rainy weeks this past January, so I had to switch gears. My students were abuzz with talk about Obama, Clinton, Huckabee, McCain, and Paul. I observed the most enthusiasm and excitement for politics I have seen in my twelve years of teaching, so my objectives and scope and sequence had to change. The desert fathers and mothers and the Rule of Saint Benedict could wait.

Suddenly the study of Ambrose, Augustine, and Leo the Great could come to life--now was the time for my "church and state relations" unit and to ask my students to determine two things:

• To what degree can a U.S. president, amid the "City of Man," support the "City of God" through his or her policies?
• What is the role of Catholic faith in U.S. politics and government, and should the Church have a greater or lesser voice in American society?

I will pose these questions again leading into the general election, with two important assessments. The first is a "take a stand" class discussion that begins when students stand by posted signs reading "agree," "disagree," or "unsure," ready to explain their positions on two statements:

• People should not bring their faith into politics. The Constitution says they should be separate.
• The Catholic Church should have a greater voice in U.S. politics and society.

The second assessment is a brief research project where students determine which presidential candidate they think would best support the "City of God" based on the candidate's policy positions. I explain this project in "Making It Happen."

Identifying the "Pearl of Great Price"
by Sister Mary Annette Dworshak, SNJM

Early last spring some of my seniors joined thousands flocking to Seattle's Key Arena to hear Senator Barack Obama. Many of my theology students had parental permission to be excused from all their classes to get in line early, and some made arrangements to leave after their first two classes, anticipating they would still get a photo of the candidate or a chance to hear some of the speeches from outside the arena.

Later these seniors, along with some of their friends, rearranged their Saturday schedules to participate in neighborhood caucuses. In my many years of encouraging students to be informed about presidential election issues, to register to vote, and to get involved in our elections, I had not witnessed this phenomenon of engagement.

As I reflect on these memories of youthful enthusiasm for this fall's election, I ponder what we as theology teachers can do to invite each young adult to become the person in Jesus's parable who "is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it" (Mt 13:45-46, NAB).

In this market of election rhetoric and presidential debates, I have searched and found "a pearl of great price"--Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States (2007). I invite my colleagues and students to invest time and talent reflecting on this document, bringing a variety of perspectives and faith traditions into the discussion, so that "we focus on what protects or threatens human life and dignity" (no. 89) during this election year, animated by the spirit of Cardinal Joseph Bernardin's seamless garment approach to ethics rather than the single-issue agenda.

The "price tag" on this pearl of conscience formation demands that voters and candidates be accountable for issues of violence, immigration, poverty, health care, prejudice, and justice. Will we commit to this ongoing investment?

Laying Out Candidate and Church Positions
by Anne Herrick

As part of my approach to elections, I usually set up stations around my classroom for the various issues discussed in the election and send small groups around to each station. For this upcoming election, I will probably focus on health care, the war in Iraq, capital punishment, the economy, and Darfur.

In each station I include Scripture quotations and snippets from various relevant Church documents, such as encyclicals, pastoral letters, and the document Faithful Citizenship, as well as newspaper reports of each candidate's statements on these issues. In the 2008 election, most likely neither Barack Obama nor John McCain (nor our local California candidates) will emerge as candidates with consistent Catholic values. I want students to compile an image, however, of the "ideal" Catholic candidate by reading the Church's position. I find that the research process is good overall not because it reveals the candidate to vote for, but because it is an invitation for students to delve into the complexity of the issues and to realize the number of topics with which a presidential candidate must be familiar.

In "Making It Happen," I share some of the learning experiences that I link with each topic. As the students work at the various stations, they are preparing for a debate. The debate will be not only between the Obama and McCain groups, however, but will also include the "ideal" Catholic candidate third group. This hypothetical candidate helps the students begin to differentiate between the candidates in regard to the Church's teaching position.

Three Activity Ideas for Election Time

The "City of God" and the "City of Man"
in the 2008 Presidential Election
by Heidi Harrison

In preparation for a structured essay on the election, I ask my Church history students to complete some tasks on their own, and then I address other relevant issues in class with them.

The students complete the following tasks on their own:

• Select two viable candidates for president. These may be the front-runners in the Democratic or Republican parties, or you may select an independent or third-party candidate.
• Read the summary of Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States (2007) and select three themes of Catholic social teaching from the document.
• Listen to the podcasts for each of the three themes of Catholic social teaching that you have selected.
• Research your two candidates' positions using a well-respected, nonreligious source.
• Research the faith background of the two candidates.

Note: These recommended sources can be found on Web sites mentioned in the Resources section.

Further prepare the students with these classroom activities:

• Assign a journal assignment and follow-up discussion questions: What makes a good leader (whether in government, religion, school, sports, business, etc.)?
• Ask students to journal about and discuss the "City of Man" and the "City of God" from Saint Augustine by answering these questions: (1) Briefly list characteristics of the "City of God" and the "City of Man" and explain how the two are related to each other. (2) Where do you see the city of God and the city of man in society today?
• Conduct the "take a stand" activity as described in the feature article.

After the students have completed this preparatory work, have them write a five-part essay that answers the following question: Based on your reading of Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship and the candidates' positions, which presidential candidate would come closest to addressing some of the seven themes of Catholic social teaching and thus serve the city of God, even if imperfectly? The introduction should explain which candidate you think would best address some or all of the issues stated in the seven themes of Catholic social teaching should he or she become president. The subsequent three paragraphs should take the three themes of Catholic social teaching you selected and indicate the extent to which the candidate's positions line up with Catholic social teaching. The concluding paragraph should recommend one of the candidates for whom Catholics should vote.

Forming Conscience for Faithful Citizenship
by Sr. Mary Annette Dworshak, SJNM

As a way of evaluating the candidates' positions on important issues, I ask the students to assess the presence or absence of justice in the world today using the seven themes of Catholic social teaching, and then the students evaluate the candidates' responses to related injustices. Divide your class into seven groups and assign each group one of the following pairs of questions.

• Where is the right to life and the dignity of the human person threatened today? What are candidates doing to respond to these threats?
• Where is the call to family, community, and participation endangered today? What are candidates doing to respond to these dangers?
• Where are rights threatened today? What are candidates doing to promote these rights?
• Where is the preferential option for the poor and vulnerable being exercised and ignored today? What are candidates doing about the preferential option locally and globally?
• Where do persons need the dignity of work respected and the rights of workers protected? How are candidates addressing working conditions?
• Where is there a need for global solidarity with the poor today? How are candidates giving attention to solidarity?
• Where is stewardship of the earth needed? How are candidates addressing stewardship of the earth?

Ask each group to report to the class how the presidential candidates are including or not including these themes of Catholic social teaching in their proposed policies.

Ask each student then to choose the candidate whom she or he thinks best seeks justice based on the seven themes of Catholic social teaching and to argue why that candidate should receive this endorsement.

Election Learning Activity Stations
by Anne Herrick

I provide students with some initial material to use as they research issues specific to the election and prepare for a three-way debate.

To begin the students' education about the candidates' and the Church's positions, I use different learning activities at stations that represent important election topics. Students go to their stations in small groups. Students evaluate different specific issues for each front-running candidate as well as for a hypothetical "ideal" Catholic candidate. Here are some simple directions I place at each station:

Health care: Read the information provided and then create campaign posters for each candidate plus a poster for an "ideal" Catholic candidate on this topic.

War in Iraq: After looking at the information provided, write letters to each candidate expressing your views on this topic.

Capital punishment: In your small group, look at all the information about capital punishment and then have a group discussion about the topic, guided by provided discussion questions.

Economy: After looking at the information provided, create a song to sing depicting each candidate's solution to the failing economy and what the Catholic Church's position would be.(Humor is allowed.)

www.faithfulcitizenship.org by USCCB Publishing and the Catholic Communication Campaign offers an online version of Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States (2007). It also offers resources for families, parishes, and schools, and includes a wonderful interactive, multimedia site for youth themselves under "Young Catholics." All three teachers in this issue encourage their students to read a summary of this document or the document in full. Sr. Mary Annette Dworshak, SNJM, points to the value of the many teachers' resources, whereas Heidi Harrison invites teens to look into the site and watch the video, listen to podcasts, download material, take a quiz about their own citizenship, and contribute to the site themselves.

http://www.coc.org/election2008
is the Web site of the Center of Concern in Washington, DC. It has assembled information about various issues relevant to the campaign, and the material is meant to help people participate in the political process as informed Christians.



http://www.2008electionprocon.org
is an organization that strives to neutrally portray the positions of many candidates on various issues of current concern. The site provides "at a glance" information about whether a candidate is pro or con on a position, and it also offers access to more in-depth information such as speeches and videos of the candidates – in their own voices.



http://christianity.about.com/
provides information about the religious background of the candidates from their childhood through their adult years.

Sister Mary Annette Dworshak, SNJM, is the theology department chair at Holy Names Academy in Seattle, WA. She also coordinates the peace and justice program. Sister Mary Annette has an MA in philosophy, and last summer she facilitated English conversation classes with members of the Lovers of the Holy Cross in Vietnam.

Ms. Heidi Harrison (not pictured) teaches religious studies at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory in San Francisco, where she is also a planning and evaluation coordinator. In 2005, she received the Lasallian Educator Award at the school.

Anne Herrick, MA, (EdD cand.) is a theology teacher at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, CA. She is an experienced religion teacher and director of religious education, confirmation coordinator, and workshop presenter. Anne is a candidate for a doctorate degree at Loyola Marymount University in educational leadership for social justice. She is a faculty member of the Diocese of Orange Institute for Pastoral Ministry.

From the Press

All titles in From the Press are from Saint Mary's Press.

Faithful Citizen, Faithful Catholic:
Informing Your Conscience and Your Vote
Michael J. McDermott

During an election year teens are inundated with messages from candidates and interest groups urging them to vote for a candidate or for an issue. Their conscience, their experiences, and the teachings of the Church can help teens to cast their vote in a way that respects the dignity of human life and supports the common good. In this book teens will find an introduction to many of the issues they will have the opportunity to vote on as well as guidance in discerning where to cast their vote. Faithful Citizen, Faithful Catholic is just the beginning of their journey to becoming a faithful citizen and a faithful Catholic.

New this Fall!

Biblical Literacy Made Easy:
A Practical Guide
for Catechists, Teachers, and
Youth Ministers
Brian Singer-Towns

We all share the responsibility for teaching biblical literacy, even if our course is not specifically on the Scriptures. This brief guide provides the foundational background necessary to form biblically literate young people. In just a few hours, learn the ABCs of teaching biblical literacy skills.

Catholic Quick View, Second Edition
Beliefs, Definitions, Prayers, Practices, Saints, and Symbols
Marilyn Kielbasa, Brian Singer-Towns, and Robert Feduccia

This handy guide is concise and small enough to throw in your backpack or briefcase. It offers speedy access to some of the core elements of Catholicism, including these:

Creation Chronicles
on Stage
Comedy, Drama, and Insight
from the Old Testament

Fish Eyes
on Stage
Comedy, Drama, and Insight
from the New Testament

Christine Schmertz Navarro, development editor

e-mail: connect@smp.org

Connect is a complementary newsletter from Saint Mary's Press for high school religion teachers, campus ministers, and principals. It is edited by Christine Schmertz Navarro and is published online each October, January, and April. Copyright © 2008 by Saint Mary's Press. All rights reserved.

To become a free subscriber, please visit our Web site, www.smp.org/Connect and click on "Send me the next Connect Update." Direct all correspondence and phone calls about ideas for newsletter articles to Connect Editor, at the above e-mail address or at 800-533-8095.

Acknowledgments
The quote by Saint John Baptist de La Salle on page 1 is from Meditations by John Baptist de La Salle, translated by Richard Arnandez and Augustine Loes, edited by Augustine Loes and Francis Heuther (Landover, MD: Christian Brothers Conference, 1994). Copyright © 1994 by Christian Brothers Conference.