As a teacher of eighth graders, I find most rewarding the times in their religious education when the students are given opportunities to express their faith journeys in projects that encourage personal expression. In class each week, we read the upcoming Scriptures for Sunday, and journal a wide range of personal responses. These weekly reflections helped to lay the foundation for the Lenten project I would like to share with you.
After we had prayed the Stations of the Cross using the traditional format, each student created a personal book of reflections on the Way of the Cross, focusing on ways that the body of Christ suffers in the world today.
Their books included for each station:
- A picture, taken from a magazine, an Internet source, or drawn by the student
- An explanation of the relationship between the picture and the station
- A prayer or reflection relating to the station
Students were given resources such as magazines, computer access, and art supplies. (It is important for the teacher to lead the students to the appropriate links when searching for images on the computer.) We devoted a sufficient amount of class time to the completion of the books, allowing for interaction and reflection among students and teacher.
I felt humbled by the insights many of these students showed. Additionally, I was enlightened by their incredible awareness of the world in which they are living.
A girl who is a poet at heart found words from contemporary songs to illuminate her pictures, most of which showed people in painful isolation: drug users, prisoners, the homeless, and the forgotten of the world.
An eighth grade boy, whose older brother was serving in the military, selected pictures from areas of the world that are experiencing armed conflict. His fifth station showed a picture of one soldier carrying another on his back. He found a modern day Simon of Cyrene, and his prayer was a heartfelt plea for the safety of his own brother and all who are facing war. His fourteenth station was a photograph of Arlington National Cemetery.
Another girl created a particularly inspiring project by using the suffering of the planet as a living organism in some of her reflections. I had never thought to relate the condemnation of Christ to the clear cutting of the rain forest, or the brutal death of Christ in relation to the extinction of animal species. I was grateful to have my vision enlarged by this student and by many others as well.
As a fitting way to conclude this project, the class conducted a prayer service for the rest of the school. The service incorporated their personal insights, prayers, and reflections. By using PowerPoint™ software, a projector for their pictures, and adding songs, the class provided some remarkable prayer experiences for our school during the season of Lent and Easter.
I have been truly blessed by this project and its creators, and I encourage others to try a similar meditation on the Way of the Cross, allowing middle grade children to explore their world and express their growing knowledge in the light of Gospel values and the Paschal Mystery.
Carol Alonso has been teaching in Catholic elementary schools for twenty-two years. She currently teaches eighth graders at Christ the King School in Pleasant Hill, California. Carol has been involved for many years in children’s liturgy and retreat work. She also serves as a parish cantor and pastoral musician. She is married and the mother of five.
