Catechesis: Grades 6 – 8

WE ENCOUNTER God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

• There is a hunger for God in every human heart. 
• We can know God through creation, human reason and divine revelation.  God the Father established a relationship of intimacy with his people through his Son, Jesus. 
• We are led to the Father’s love through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. 
• Jesus revealed God’s compassion and love through his teachings, his miracles, his passion, death and resurrection. 
• Jesus Christ is the Son of God and King of Heaven and Earth. 
• The writings of the New Testament (the Christian Scriptures) reveal how Jesus Christ fulfilled the old covenant and established a new covenant. 
• “Paraclete” is another title for the Holy Spirit; it means “advocate and consoler.” 

WE ARE FORMED  in one, holy, catholic and apostolic church. 

• Mary was the mother of Jesus and is called the Mother of God.  
• Catholics believe God’s grace was with Mary from the moment of her conception; this is called “the Immaculate Conception.” 
• Christians hope for eternal life after death because we believe in the resurrection of Jesus. 
• When we die we will experience a particular, or personal, judgment and enter heaven, hell or purgatory. 
• The final judgment, or “Last Judgment,” will happen at the end of the world when Christ returns in glory. 
• In the course of a year, the Church celebrates the whole mystery of Christ—his incarnation and birth, resurrection, ascension, Pentecost and the awaiting of his second coming at the end of time.  
• The Church is the Body of Christ and temple of the Holy Spirit. 
• All baptized Christians are called to carry on the mission and ministry of Jesus through discipleship and evangelization. 
• Sunday is a holy day of obligation for Catholics; on Sunday we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection by attending Mass and resting from unnecessary work. 

WE LIVE as disciples of Christ helping to build the Kingdom of God. 

• Stewardship means being a disciple of Christ who shares time, talent and treasures with our families, community, and Church. 
• Catholics are committed to the common good of every person through the sacrament of baptism; the common good means protecting the dignity, prosperity and peace of every person. 
• God calls people to be married, ordained, consecrated religious or single; this calling is called our “vocation.” 
• Catholics celebrate our share in God’s life through the sacraments, which are rooted in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. 
• The Holy Spirit calls baptized persons to participate in various ministries in the Church. 
• The teachings of Jesus and the Church and the power of the Holy Spirit help us make good moral decisions. 
• We can think about and experience the presence of Jesus through meditation and centering prayer. 
• A litany is a form of prayer in which we ask for the help of Mary and the saints. 
• Human dignity and sexuality are gifts from God that should be honored and respected in ourselves and in others.   
• Chastity is a habit or virtue which helps use use our sexuality according to God’s plan; we need to treat our own sexuality and that of others with respect and reverence. 
• Christians need honesty, discipline, and self-control in order to make good decisions about sexual intimacy, personal relationships, good health, and the appropriate use of alcohol and drugs. 
• We may not inflict physical or sexual violence on another person; we should report any physical or sexual violence inflicted on us to an adult we trust. 
• It is important to think about the meaning of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. 
• We should learn and pray: the Nicene Creed, the Prayer to the Holy Spirit and the Angelus 
• We should know and observe: the Holy Days of Obligation and the Regulations for Fast and Abstinence 
• We should know and practice: the Three Theological Virtues and the Four Cardinal Virtues.