rights and responsibilities · rights and the responsibilities of catholics to secure and respect...

RIGHTS and Responsibilities

Potential UsesPreparation programs for parish-sponsored justice projects, Church year feasts or seasons with justice themes, feast days of saints or justice advocates, or a justice event from the calendar.

Church SeasonsAdventLentChrist, the King Sunday

JanuaryMigrant and Refugee Week (1st or 2nd week, USCCB ) Poverty Awareness Month (CCHD)Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday (3rd Monday)March3: Saint Katharine Drexel24: Archbishop Oscar Romero30: Sister Thea BowmanApril7: Saint John Baptist de la SalleJune3: Pope John XXIIIAugust11: Saint Clare of AssisiSeptember10: Blessed Mother Teresa27: Saint Vincent de PaulOctober4: Saint Francis of Assisi16: World Food DayRespect Life Sunday (1st Sunday, USCCB )Children’s Sabbath (Children’s Defense Fund)November3: Saint Martin de Porres13: Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini17: Saint Elizabeth of Hungary29: Dorothy DayCatholic Campaign for Human Development SundayDecember1: World AIDS Day2: North American Martyrs in El Salvador10: Human Rights Day (United Nations)12: Our Lady of Guadalupe16–24: Las Posadas

Background ReadingsDeBerri, Edward and James Hug. Catholic Social Teaching—Our Best Kept Secret (Fourth Revised and Expanded Edition). Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2003.

Massaro, Thomas. Living Justice—Catholic Social Teaching in Action. Franklin, WI: Sheed and Ward, 2000.

McKenna, Kevin. A Concise Guide to Catholic Social Teaching. Notre Dame, IN: Ave Maria Press, 2002.

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Sharing Catholic Social Teaching—Leaders Guide. Washington, DC: USCCB Publishing, 1998.

Session FocusThis Acting for Justice session on Catholic Social Teaching explores Rights and Responsibilities. The right to life is fundamental. Other basic human rights stem from it: a right to food, clothing, shelter, rest, medical care, and essential social services.

As the U.S. Catholic Bishops explain, “Every person has a fundamental right to life . . . faith and family life, food and shelter, education and employment, health care and housing. We also have a duty to secure and respect these rights not only for ourselves, but for others. . . .” (Faithful Citizenship, USCCB, 14)

Learning Objectives• realize and comprehend the lack of human rights experienced by

people around the world and the conditions that promote injustice (know-what)

• value and appreciate the significance of Catholic teaching on human rights and the responsibilities of Catholics to secure and respect human rights (know-why)

• learn to live the responsibilities for creating a more just world by engaging in action, locally and globally (know-how)

Catechism Connection1905–1917, 2459

9780159015902_1_001 1 10/19/10 3:19 PM

Before the SessionEnvironmentSet up a display of symbols and items that represent each of the human rights explored in this session: food—a table with food, a large pitcher of water; shelter—furniture and appliance items; education—textbooks, storybooks, music; employment—work clothes, computer; and health care—medical supplies.

Home Kit

Learning Together

People of Faith

Volume1:ActingforJusticeIssue2:RightsandResponsibilities

Review this magazine before the session as preparation for presenting to the assembly as part of the Home Kit.

Action Projects BookletFeatured on CD-ROM

Each of the six justice sessions includes the creation of an Action Projects Booklet. There is a handout, “Action Project Ideas,” from which you can select ideas and projects that you want individuals, families, or the entire parish community to adopt. The handout lists a variety of projects that will make great parish-wide action projects.

Guest PresentersIn addition to your presentation of the booklet of action ideas and featured projects, you might want to invite several representatives from local service organizations or social justice leaders in your parish community to share their thoughts about the importance of serving and acting for justice.

Optional Visual PresentationOne of the options for presenting the story, “A World without Human Rights,”in Part 2, is to create a visual presentation, using PowerPoint® or other presentation programs, that illustrates the story and the reduction of the standard of living.

• Start with pictures of a typical middle class lifestyle and then select pictures that illustrate each loss. For pictures of global images, go online to National Geographic or Catholic Relief Services. Have a different reader for each “take-away.”

• Multimedia Option: As an addition or alternative to exploring the written stories in Part 3 (In Depth Learning), you can use a video story. Maryknoll Productions has created “Children of Earth,” a series of videos that tell the story of children in different parts of the world. Each video is 28 minutes long and features the story of two children. Be sure to preview the videos to select the story that portrays people experiencing a lack of human rights.

Materials for the SessionGathering• Name tags• Community-building activities (on CD-ROM)• Opening Prayer Service• Bible and Children‘s Bible (used throughout)

AllAgesOpeningLearningExperience• Handout• Meditation: A World without Human Rights (on CD-ROM)• Equipment for visual presentation: multimedia projector

and screen• Newsprint and markers

In-DepthLearningExperiences• Handouts• Promoting the Church’s Message Creative Activity

materials (for each group): poster board or newsprint, (washable) markers, a variety of news magazines and newspapers, pen and pencils

SharingLearningReflectionsandHomeApplications• Handout

ClosingPrayerService• Closing Prayer Service

Multimedia Resources

Forfullcontents,seeCD-ROMataGlanceonpage25.

•planningworksheets •customizableprayerservices •handouts •otherresources

TheActing for JusticeMusicCDoffersfivesongsforthissession.Seepage27.

Visitwww.osvcurriculum.com •curriculumdesignresourcesand

planningoverviews •age-specificactivitysheets,puzzles,andmore •linkstojustice-relatedorganizationsand

associationsreferencedinthissession

Session Resources

9780159015902_2_001 2 10/19/10 3:19 PM

Session at a GLANCE

Rights and Responsibilities 37

OR

Part One

• Adobe Acrobat Reader and directions for use

• Microsoft Word™ Planning checklist to track decisions made during the planning and preparation stages

• Microsoft Word™ Customizable icebreaker and community-building activities

Part OneOpening Prayer Service for assembly useAvailable in Microsoft Word™ format—in Spanish and English for customization

Part TwoHandout for use in Part Two

#1 A Personal and Home Inventory Available in Spanish and English

Part ThreeIn-Depth Learning Experiences, pages 8–21, reproducible format

Handouts for Part Three#2 Stories from People Around the World#3 Why Are People Denied Basic Human Rights?#4 Seven Reasons#5 Roots of Injustice#6 Who Is Vulnerable? (adolescent and adult)#7 The Situation of Human Rights in Our World#8 Rights and Responsibilities: The Bible Teaches?#9 Rights and Responsibilities: The Church Teaches?

#10 Beliefs that Lead to Action#11 Millennium Goals#12 A World Fit for Children#13 The Two Feet of Social Action#14 Action Project IdeasAvailable in Spanish and English

Part FourHandout for Part Four#15 Reflecting on a Justice and Service ExperienceAvailable in Spanish and English

Part FiveClosing Prayer Service for assembly useAvailable in Microsoft Word™ format—in Spanish and English for customization

CD ROM at a GLANCE

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

10–15 minutes

Gathering page 38

20 minutes

All Ages Learning Experience page 40Pastoral Circle: Involvement—Experience

75–90 minutes

In-Depth Learning ExperiencesChoose a Learning Group Format page 44

Whole Group Format All participants remain in the same room.

Age Group Format Participants go to separate rooms for parallel learning: families with children, adolescents, adults.

See pages 8–9 for an overview of learning group formats.

Conduct Learning Experiences page 46

Learning Experience OneWhy Are People Denied Basic Human Rights?Pastoral Circle: Exploration—Analysis

Learning Experience TwoWhat Do the Scriptures and Church Teachings Say About Human Rights?Pastoral Circle: Reflection

Learning Experience ThreeHow Can We Protect the Human Rights of All People?Pastoral Circle: Action

See pages 44–45 for a detailed outline of each learning experience.

20–25 minutes

Sharing Learning Reflections and Home Applications page 58

10 minutes

Closing Prayer Service page 60

R05POFPPM_Rights.indd 37 3/7/05 2:04:01 PM

Part

One

only for ourselves, but for others and to fulfill our respon-

sibilities to our families, to each other and to the larger

society.” (Faithful Citizenship, USCCB, 14)

In this program we are going to see that many people

around the world are denied basic human rights like food

and water, shelter and housing, work and employment,

education, and medical care. We are going to look at what

our Catholic faith teaches us and what responsibilities we

have for creating a world that protects human rights.

Present an overview and the schedule of the program.

1 Group FormationORGANIZE people into small groups. Ask all members of the same family to sit together for the All Ages Learning Experience. Organize other participants into kindred groups of six–eight people—adolescent groups, young adult groups, adult groups.

CONDUCT an icebreaker or community-building activity if you wish. A variety of activities are included on the CD-ROM. Customize the activities for your own purpose and timeframe.

2 Opening Prayer ServicePreparation

The prayer service on page 3 can be reproduced for assembly use.

Available in Microsoft Word™ format—in Spanish and English for customization

Prayer Table Materials

Make a sign for each of the five human rights and post each on the wall or on stands or easels around the room. Items on the prayer table represent each of the human rights to be explored in the session. Food—food items, a large pitcher of water; shelter—furniture and appliance items; education—textbooks, storybooks, music; employment—work clothes, computer; healthcare—medical supplies.

10–15 minutes

PreparationRegistration and Hospitality

• Welcome people and ask them to sign in for the program.

• Provide name tags or invite people to make their own.

• Distribute the Home Kit for the session, includ-ing any handouts participants will need for the session. (You can also distribute handouts for the In-Depth Learning program at the beginning of the activity.)

• Invite people to share a meal; depending on the time of day, the program may end with a meal instead.

Welcome the participants to the program and intro-

duce the theme of the session, using the words below

or your own words.

This session on Catholic Social Teaching explores Rights

and Responsibilities. We are all familiar with human

rights. Do these words sound familiar: “We hold these

truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,

that they are endowed by their Creator with certain

unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty

and-the pursuit of Happiness.” The Declaration of

Independence begins with a statement that we are all

endowed with unalienable rights.

The Catholic tradition has always taught that the right to

life is fundamental. Other basic human rights stem from

it: a right to food, clothing, shelter, rest, medical care, and

essential social services. As the Catholic Bishops of the

United States explain “Every person has a fundamental

right to life—the right that makes all other rights possi-

ble. Each person also has a right to the conditions for liv-

ing a decent life—faith and family life, food and shelter,

education and employment, healthcare and housing. We

also have a duty to secure and respect these rights not

38 People of Faith: Generations Learning Together



Part One

Reader: For all those families in our world who do not have a house to live in or adequate shelter to protect them, we pray . . .

All: Lord hear our prayer for justice.

Reader: For all those children who are unable to attend school and obtain an education that will prepare them to work and sup-port their families when they are adults, we pray . . .


Reader: For all those mothers and fathers around the world, who cannot find a job and who work at wages too low to support their family with food and shelter, we pray . . .


Reader: For all the peoples of our world, especially children, who are suffering from prevent-able illness and do not have access to medical care, we pray . . .


Reader: Together, let us pray the Lord's Prayer.

Go ForthLord Jesus Christ, friend of the poor,

Every person has a right to life and to the condi-tions for living a decent life: food, shelter, educa-tion, employment, healthcare, and housing. We recognize that we have a special responsibility to assist people in need.

Help us to see that in serving the needs of the poor-est in our world, we are serving you.

Sing one of the songs suggested above.

Readers

INVOLVE several readers in the prayer service. For each of the prayer petitions in the Prayer for Human Rights, have one or more younger children hold up the symbol(s) for that particular human right while the reader prays.

Suggested songs from the Acting for Justice Music CD

Lord, Every Nation (Psalm 72)—Jesse Manibusan, Track #1.

Lead Me, Lord (Beatitudes)—John Becker, Track #2.

What Is Our Service to Be—Scot Crandal, Track #3.

God of the Hungry—Scott Soper, Track #4.

Go Make a Difference—Steve Angrisano, Track #5.

GatherWe gather today to remember people everywhere who do not have food, housing, or jobs.

Let us pray,

God of justice, open our eyes and ears to the suffer-ing of our neighbors around the world.

Move us to have compassion for those who lack the basic necessities of life. Strengthen us to act for jus-tice and serve the needs of your people.

We ask this in the name of Jesus, our Lord, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

RespondToday, O God, you bring before us the poor of our world. You remind us that we are called to serve them as we would ourselves. We offer to you now these special needs. Please respond “Lord, hear our prayer for justice.”

Reader: For all the peoples of our world, especially the young, who are hungry and poor, and for those who die each day from lack of food and water, we pray . . .



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PREVIEW the story below and select the option that will work best with your group.

A Story: A World without Human Rights

Share the story using the words below or your

own words.

What would a world without basic human rights look

like? I would like to take you on an imaginary journey. I

want you to imagine what I am describing is happening

to you and your family (or household).

I want you to close your eyes. Please do so now. Imagine

your life and your home today.

The first thing I’m going to take away from you and your

family is relatively easy to part with: Clothing.

I’ll let you keep the clothes you’re wearing right now,

and you’ll be able to wash them as often as needed.

But all of the closets in your house are now empty. It’s a

bit embarrassing to wear the same clothes every day—

people look at you strangely. Although you’re somewhat

discouraged and suffer from low self—esteem, all things

considered, your life is still reasonably good. And you

manage to cope.

But I’m afraid I’m going to have to take away item

number two: Energy—heat, light, and power.

This, as you can imagine, is more of a problem. Now your

house is always dark and usually too hot, which you can

live with, or too cold, which is a bit more difficult. And you

can now only wash and dry your clothes by hand, which is

awkward because you have nothing to wear while they’re

being washed. Showers are cold, too. And you have to do

the dishes by hand. There’s no TV, no computer, no radio,

no telephone, and no stove for cooking . . . you must now

build a fire. And, of course, you don’t have a car, either.

Now you have to walk to the store for food. Life is pretty

miserable, and you’re starting to feel desperate in many

ways. You’re depressed and feeling alone and singled

out . . . a victim of a system that doesn’t treat everyone

20 minutes

Involvement Phase of the Pastoral Circle ProcessThe All Ages Learning Experience is designed to help participants feel and understand how a partic-ular social issue affects the lives of all people, including themselves. The first step in the Pastoral Circle process—and the basis for any action—is Involvement. Through learning activities we con-nect the participants with the social issue to be explored, helping them “feel” the issue being ana-lyzed, and exposing them to what is happening in their local community or world. This helps the par-ticipants “hear” and “think” from a broader perspec-tive. Once people are connected with an issue or situation, they are ready to move to analysis, to ask the “why” questions from a firsthand perspective.

1 Personal and Home InventoryPastoral Circle: Involvement—Experience

Handout #1

ASK each family, as a family, and each adolescent and adult individually in small groups to use the handout, “A Personal and Home Inventory,” to develop a personal and home inventory.

Give them several minutes to complete the worksheet.

2 Experiencing the Loss of Human Rights

Pastoral Circle: Involvement—Experience

PreparationThe story, “A World without Human Rights,” can be utilized in three different ways:

OPTION A Guided Meditation

OPTION B Visual Presentation with a Dramatic Reading, see materials on page 00.

OPTION C Dramatic Presentation


OR

OR



Part Two

Takeaway number five is devastating: Food.

No more grocery store. This is the biggest challenge so

far. You can grow a few things in the yard—but not for all

12 months of the year. You and your family have become

pretty resourceful at picking through your neighbors’ gar-

bage. It’s amazing what people throw away: half-eaten

apples, chicken bones with half the meat still on them,

week-old casseroles. Your neighbors’ trash is your trea-

sure! Forget about any sense of nutrition. Just when you

think you’ve sunk as low as you can sink, sickness and

disease strike with a vengeance. Your weakened immune

system can’t cope with even ordinary colds, viruses, and

bacterial infections. You’re also dealing with things like

head lice, rickets, hepatitis, parasites and an incredible

number of ailments you didn’t know existed.

I’m terribly sorry but now I’m going to take away item

number six: Health Care.

Incredibly, before your very eyes, your brother dies

from—of all things—diarrhea. How could that happen in

your area? This seems like an unbelievably bad dream.

Maybe now you’re wondering what else could possibly be

taken from you. You’ve already lost everything. Not quite.

The seventh and last thing has already been taken away

from you: Hope.

Hope for the future, hope for your family, hope that

tomorrow might be better than today.

(silent pause for a few moments)

You may now open your eyes. I wanted each of you to

feel what it is like to live in a world without basic human

rights. I know that this story sounds unimaginable, espe-

cially in North America. But this is the reality of one in six

people on our planet today!

(Originally developed by Heather MacLeod and World Vision, USA.)

USE one of the following options.

fairly. But as they say, you still have your health . . . and so

your family adapts the best it can.

But just as you are starting to adjust to all of this. I have

to come along and take away something else. This is only

the third takeaway . . . but it is a big one: Water.

This is a real problem. Just for drinking water, you now

have to walk over a mile to a muddy stream with a cou-

ple of old milk jugs and lug them all the way back home.

It’s not just hard work, but also time-consuming. And the

dirty water often makes you sick. That brings fever, dis-

comfort, nausea, and diarrhea. And, of course, the toilets

don’t work either. Now you have to go outside in the

yard behind your house. This creates obvious sanitation

problems, not to mention the inconvenience. It’s also kind

of degrading, and now you and your family get sick even

more often. You don’t really care anymore about the little

things. Forget washing your clothes, doing the dishes, or

trying to cook a decent meal. No showers at all now.

You’re always dirty, and you feel even dirtier and

ashamed. It seems like you’re always at the doctor’s

office. But at least the heath care is good in your area.

And you’re thankful for the fact that you’re still eating

well. It’s quite a walk to the grocery store, but that seems

like a pretty small thing at this point.

I’m afraid its time for another takeaway. Now number

four: Your House.

Don’t worry, though. I won’t leave you totally without

shelter. I’m just going to trade in your home for a three-

room shack of corrugated tin . . . about 300 square feet

(that’s 15 feet by 20 feet). Oh, and it has no windows,

beds, or couches. It does have a couple of wooden

benches and chairs, though. The floor is dirt, and, of

course, it gets muddy when it rains, which is a bit of a

problem. You and your family all sleep on the floor—two

or three to a room. Rats and bugs are also nuisances. The

worst part now is seeing your family like this. The chil-

dren don’t laugh anymore; they only cry and whimper.

Their faces are often blank, their eyes vacant. Their spirits

are crushed. The adults are tired and worried.



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Visual Presentation with a Dramatic ReadingUSE the visual presentation created before the

beginning of the session. When the meditation is finished, ask the participants to remain silent for a minute or two, getting in touch with the thoughts and feelings they had during the meditation.

WRITE these questions on newsprint or create PowerPoint slides with the questions.

ASK them to consider these questions:

• How did you feel as you gradually lost all of your “rights”?

• Take a look at the results of your personal and home inventory. What would it be like to gradu-ally lose most or all of these items?

• Is it difficult for you to imagine this situation happening to you or in your area?

• Is it hard for you to imagine that this situation is the reality for one in six people around the world? (That’s over one billion people.)

Guided MeditationA guided imagery experience provides an opportu-nity to open ourselves, in a small way, to what it would be like to lose all of our basic human rights.

PREPARE the group for a guided imagery experience. Dim the room’s lights (if possible), play soft back-ground music, and ask the participants to make themselves as physically comfortable as possible and to close their eyes.

GUIDE the participants through the meditation activity. Use several different voices to read the med-itation. If possible have different readers for each of the seven “take aways.” When the meditation is fin-ished, ask the participants to remain silent for a minute or two, getting in touch with the thoughts and feelings they had during the meditation.


ASK participants to consider these questions:





OPTION A

Whole Group Format • All AgesAge Group Format • All Ages

OPTION B




Part Two

Planning Notes

Dramatic PresentationDEVELOP a dramatic interpretation of the story by

creating a model of a typical middle class house, complete with everything that is going to be taken away in the story, e.g., tables and chairs, appliances, TV, CD player, food, etc.

Try to obtain a large refrigerator box to replace the house when you finally lose it. Continue through each “loss” until there is literally nothing left.

HAVE a “family” role play the story and express the emotions appropriate for each step of the story. Select a different reader for each “take-away.” Have “stage hands” take away things as the story is read.

When the drama is finished, ask the participants to remain silent for a minute or two, getting in touch with the thoughts and feelings they had during the meditation.


ASK participants to consider these questions:





OPTION C



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ee

75–90 minutes

Whole Group FormatThis format guides the entire assembly through each of the learning experiences.

You might choose this format if you have:

• a large physical space with good acoustics/sound system and furniture to comfortably accommo-date the learners

• a competent large group facilitator/master of cere-mony able to provide clear directions and to man-age the dynamics and energy of a large group

• a group of catechists who feel comfortable mov-ing through the assembly offering assistance, or a large enough team of table leader catechists to have one catechist work with each table group

• a learning topic that lends itself to everyone learning the same thing at the same time, but in different ways, in the same space

Facilitation Tips for This Format

GUIDE small groups through each of the activities at the same time.

• Organize people into table groups based on age-grouping: families with children (grades 1–5), middle school adolescents, high school adoles-cents, young adults, and adults.

• The lead facilitator guides the entire group through each of the learning experiences. All presentations and activity instructions are given to the whole group.

• The age-appropriate activities within each learn-ing experience are conducted in table groups.

• Where needed, catechists/small group leaders facilitate the work of the table groups.


Choose a Learning Group Format

Whole Group Format Outline

Learning Experience OneWhy Are People Denied Basic Human Rights?Pastoral Circle Process: Exploration—Analysis

1 Stories from People Around the WorldOPTION A Dramatic Presentation All Ages

OPTION B Reading the Stories All Ages

2 Analysis of the SituationOPTION A Personalize the Statistics All Ages

Learning Experience TwoWhat Do the Scriptures and Church Teachings Say About Human Rights?Pastoral Circle Process: Reflection

1 What Scripture Says . . .

2 What the Church Teaches . . .

3 Act On ItOPTION A Promoting the Church’s Message All Ages

OPTION B Beliefs That Lead to Action Adolescents & Adults

4 Reflection

Learning Experience ThreeHow Can We Protect the Human Rights of All People?Pastoral Circle Process: Action

Preparation: Action Project Booklet Guest Presenters: Advocates for Justice

1 Accepting Our Responsibilities and Moving to Action

2 Pledge to Protect Human Rights

OR

OR

If you have questions about planning for this session, use the CD ROM for help.FYI !



Part Three

Age Group FormatThis format provides for three separate parallel learning programs. Though age groups are sepa-rated, each one is focusing on the same topic.

You might choose this format if you have:

• an adequate number of meeting spaces for the various groupings to gather

• an adequate number of competent facilitators and catechists to work with each group

• a topic that is best explored through age-specific learning

Facilitation Tips for This Format

• Organize participants into three or more parallel learning groups: families with children (grades 1–5), adolescents (grades 6–12), and adults.

• If there are a large number of adolescents, divide them into two groups: middle school and high school.

ORGANIZE separate groups for young adults, adults, and older adults. Or you can give the adults two or more learning options from which they can choose to participate.

• Direct the adolescents and adults into small groups. Give them all the handouts and learning materials needed for the learning experiences.

• Guide the families with children into table groups of two or more families. Give each table all the handouts and learning materials neces-sary for the learning experiences.

• A facilitator must guide all of the families through each learning experience, while cate-chists move from table to table assisting.

Age Group Format Outline

Learning Experience OneWhy Are People Denied Basic Human Rights?Pastoral Circle Process: Exploration—Analysis

1 Stories from People Around the WorldOPTION A Dramatic Presentation All Ages

OPTION B Reading the Stories All Ages

OPTION C Read and Present Adolescents & Adults

2 Analysis of the SituationOPTION A Personalize the Statistics Families with Children

OPTION B Consider and Discuss Adolescents & Adults

OPTION C Chart It! Adolescents & Adults

Learning Experience TwoWhat Do the Scriptures and Church Teachings Say About Human Rights?Pastoral Circle Process: Reflection


2 What the Church Teaches . . .

3 Act on ItOPTION A Promoting the Church’s Message All Ages

OPTION B Beliefs That Lead to Action Adolescents & Adults

4 Reflection

Learning Experience ThreeHow Can We Protect the Human Rights of All People?Pastoral Circle Process: Action

Preparation: Action Project Booklet Guest Presenters: Advocates for Justice


2 Pledge to Protect Human Rights

OR

OR

OR

OR

OR

If you need more information on the different learning group formats, see page 48.FYI !



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Dramatic Presentation of the StoriesSELECT up to six stories to dramatize, depending on time. Prepare a team of “actors” to present each story in the first person, each actor taking a differ-ent part in the story. Pause after each story so that the participants can reflect on the story by answer-ing the following questions with their table groups:

• What was the individual or family in the story experiencing?

• What conditions were they living in?

• What do you think was keeping them in this situation?

• Where do you see seeds of hope in this story?

Handout #3

DIRECT the participants to use Handout #3, “Why Are People Denied Basic Human Rights?”, to record their responses to the above reflection questions. You may also want to give them copies of the sto-ries that are being presented.

In their table groups, ask the participants to reflect on what they learned:

• What did you learn that was new or surprising to you in these stories?

• What common threads do you see in these stories?

• What questions do you have from these stories?

Conclude by asking for summary insights from the table groups and try to identify common threads that are contained in all of the stories.

GO TO Analysis of the Situation, page 12.

Learning Experience One Why Are People Denied Basic Human Rights?Pastoral Circle Process: Exploration—Analysis

Exploration or analysis, the second phase of the Pastoral Circle Process, helps the participants ask “why” in the face of human suffering and injustice. Why do these conditions exist? What role do politics or economics or values play in perpetuating the prob-lem. Exploration broadens the participants’ thinking by helping them to look for the causes of the injus-tice; to examine the relationships among politics, economics, and values in our world that perpetuate the injustice; and to analyze the social or structural realities that keep the situation from changing.

1 Stories from People Around the World

Handout #2

This activity engages the participants in exploring stories of real people from around the world who are suffering from the lack of basic human rights. Handout #2, “Stories from People Around the World,” presents 10 stories of real people experiencing injus-tice. Read all of the stories in advance. You may want to select certain stories for each age group.

Here are three options for engaging the participants in experiencing and analyzing the stories.

OPTION A Dramatic Presentation of the Stories

OPTION B Reading the Stories

OPTION C Read and Present

OPTION A


OR

OR

Pages 00–00 can be reproduced for catechist or group leader use.FYI !



Part Three

Conclude by asking for summary insights from the table groups and try to identify common threads that are contained in all of the stories.

Here is a list of some of the causes, though there are many more: not enough good jobs, overpopula-tion, sexism, racism, famine, unequal distribution of wealth, not enough health care, poor country debt, war, disasters, not enough clean drinking water, lit-tle education, unequal access to resources, corrupt governments, and greed.

GO TO Analysis of the Situation, page 12.

Read and PresentDIVIDE the participants into seven groups of

approximately six people. (If you have a large group, organize more than seven groups and repeat the stories with additional groups.) There are 21 stories that reveal the effects of the lack of basic human rights on the lives of people living in the U.S. and other countries around the world.

Each group should receive three stories. Be sure the three stories for each group have variety, i.e., they address different human rights, they involve individuals and families, they are from different countries, and they are different in their length.

ASK three different people to read aloud the sto-ries while the others follow along. As they read the stories, they need to analyze how the stories reveal a lack of basic human rights and the conditions that perpetuate the situation.





Reading the StoriesGIVE each family table or small group table three stories to read. Be sure the stories for each group have variety, i.e., they address different human rights, they involve individuals and families, they are from different countries, and they are different in their length.

HAVE three different people (for families it can be a parent or older child) read the stories aloud. Ask the participants to think about how the stories reveal a lack of basic human rights and the condi-tions that perpetuate the situation.

ASK the participants to pause to discuss the story by answering the following questions:





Handout #3

ASK the participants to use the handout, “Why Are People Denied Basic Human Rights?”, to record their responses.

In their table groups, ask the participants to reflect on what they learned:


• What common threads do you see in these stories ?

• What questions do you have from these stories?

OPTION B


OPTION C

Age Group Format • All Ages



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2 Analysis of the Situation You have three options for completing this step:

OPTION A Personalize the Statistics

OPTION B Consider and Discuss

OPTION C Chart It!

Personalize the StatisticsIf You Were Poor . . .

DISCUSS this question with each table group: If you lived in a poor area of our world, what are some of the things you would not have? (Examples: food, flushing toilets, toys, a doctor nearby, TV, CD player, telephone, car, school, hot shower, toothbrush, police protection, drinkable water, electricity, hospital, nice clothes.)

GIVE each person several minutes to develop a list. Ask the participants to use the handout, “Why Are People Denied Basic Human Rights?”, to record their responses. Invite group members to share items from their list with their group.

Why Is This Happening . . .

DISCUSS this question with each table group: Why do people lack the conditions for living a decent life (basic human rights)? What is causing this to hap-pen to people?

TELL the participants to use the handout, “Why Are People Denied Basic Human Rights?”, to record their responses. Conclude by inviting the table groups to share several of their responses with the large group. Record their responses on newsprint for all to see.

Make It Real . . .

CONCRETIZE the situation of people in our world by having people stand to illustrate the numbers of

Act It Out

Each group will select one of their stories for a dra-matic presentation to the whole group. Each group will choose the story they want to tell, pick actors to present the story in the first person and narrators for the story, and practice their dramatization. Have a facilitator and timer to move the groups along. After each presentation, the facilitator pauses one minute and asks students to write down briefly what they heard.

Summarize the Learning

ASK the participants to reflect on what they learned:


• What common threads do you see in these stories ?

• What continued questions do you have from these stories?

GO TO Analysis of the Situation, to the right.

OR

OR

OPTION A

Whole Group Format • All AgesAge Group Format • Families with Children

MULTI-MEDIA ALTERNATIVE

Video Alternative As an addition or alternative to the written stories, you can use a video story. Maryknoll Productions (800-227-8523, www.maryknollmall.org) has created “Children of Earth,” a series of videos that tells the story of children in different parts of the world. Each video is 28 minutes long and shows the story of two children. Be sure to preview the videos to select the story that portrays people experi-encing a lack of human rights.

“Asia Close-Up II,” “Caribbean Close-Up,” “South America Close-Up,” and “Central American Close-Up.” Each video comes with a study guide.



Part Three

• Almost 45 million people in the United States lacked health coverage in 2003. Ten million were children.

Ask 1 person for every 6 people present to stand.

• There currently 115 million children—60 per-cent of them girls—not in primary school. (This is 115 million out of 600 million children of pri-mary school age.)

Ask 1 person in every 10 people to stand.

Discussion

Handout #4 and #5

For families, have parents/guardians review Handout #5,“Roots of Injustice,” so that they can deepen their understanding of what causes the lack of basic human rights for so many people around the world. Then ask parents to share with their chil-dren Handout #4, “Seven Reasons.”

For adolescents and adults, use Handout #5, “Roots of Injustice.” Ask them to identify one or two rea-sons that they think are the most important ones. Invite the participants to ask questions and to make connections between the causes and the stories they explored.

For everyone, use the following questions to discuss their thoughts and feelings about what they have just experienced.

• How are we feeling about the situation of so many people in our world today? Is it hard for us to believe that so many people are living without basic necessities of life?

• What surprised us about the situation?

• How does the list of reasons compare to our answers in Step 2? (Why is this happening to people?)

• What did we learn today that we didn’t know before?

people without basic human rights. To determine an easy way to have people stand, count the number of people in each table group. For example, if you have eight people per table group and you need one out of six people to stand, ask four people from three tables to stand. If you need one out of 10 people, ask eight people from 10 table groups to stand. Be sure the people who stand represent a diversity of ages or in the case of statistics about children, ask that children from table groups stand.

Handout #7

There are 6.4 billion people in our world (2005 esti-mate), of which there are approximately 600 million children age 0–4 and 600 million age 5–9, and 600 million teenagers age 10–14 and 580 million aged 15–19. These statistics below are taken from the handout, “The Situation of Human Rights in Our World.” Be sure that every adolescent and adult participant has a copy of this handout.

• An estimated 1.2 billion people in our world live on the local equivalent of less than $1 a day.


• About 800 million people around the world are still malnourished.


• More than 1 billion people in our world lack access to safe drinking water.


• More than 2 billion people in our world lack sanitation.

Ask people for every 6 people present to stand.

• About 1.1 billion people in our world are living in inadequate housing conditions in urban areas alone.

Ask person for every 6 people present to stand.

• Every year nearly 11 million young children die before their fifth birthday, mainly from prevent-able illnesses, such as diarrhea, acute respira-tory infections or malaria.

Ask 1 person for every six people present to stand.



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USING the handout, “Who is Vulnerable?”, discuss how, within each area, the people who are most likely to be hungry are the poor, people without edu-cation or a secure job, people with land on which to grow food and people with special nutritional needs, such as children and pregnant or nursing women. Wars, civil disturbances, climate and environmental changes, and natural disasters also contribute to both short-term and long-term problems.

USING the handout, “Roots of Injustice,” explore several of the reasons (causes) why people lack of basic human rights in our world. Connect the key points on the handout with the response of the par-ticipants from the last discussion. Invite the partici-pants to ask questions and to make connections between the causes and the stories they explored.

In the large group or in small groups, ask the partici-pants to discuss, briefly, their thoughts and feelings about what they have just experienced. Use one or two of the following questions:

• How are we feeling about the situation of so many people in our world? Is it hard for us to believe that so many people are living without basic necessities of life?


• What new thing did we learn today?

Chart It!

Handout #5 and #7

The Web Chart is a simple educational tool that helps people better understand justice issues. It builds an understanding of the factors involved in particular issues and helps people formulate the questions that need to be answered before they can move to

Consider and DiscussIf You Were Poor . . .

Handout #3

DISCUSS this question with each table group: If you lived in a poor area of our world, what are some of the things you would not have? (Examples: food, flushing toilets, toys, a doctor nearby, TV, CD player, telephone, car, school, hot shower, toothbrush, police protection, drinkable water, electricity, hospital, nice clothes.)

GIVE each person several minutes to develop a list. Ask the participants to use the handout, “Why Are People Denied Basic Human Rights?”, to record their responses. Invite group members to share items from their list with their group.

Why Is This Happening . . .

DISCUSS this question with each table group: Why do people lack the conditions for living a decent life? What is causing this to happen to people?

TELL the participants to use the handout, “Why Are People Denied Basic Human Rights?”, to record their responses. Conclude by inviting the table groups to share several of their responses with the large group. Record their responses on newsprint for all to see.

Presentation and Discussion

Handout #7

BEGIN by reviewing the handout, “The Situation of Human Rights in Our World,” highlighting one or two statistics in each category of human rights. Then give the participants several minutes to review the list on their own. Ask the group what surprised them about the situation?

OPTION B

Age Group Format • Adolescents & Adults

OPTION C

Age Group Format • Adolescents & Adults



Part Three

THEN go a step deeper by developing secondary causes. These are things that have contributed to immediate causes you have already listed, e.g., political instability during times of war or conflict means that basic human services are neglected. Use a pen or marker of another color to identify these secondary causes.

EXAMINE the entire Web Chart and look for connec-tions among the causes. Draw lines between causes with arrows to show the connections and relation-ships among the causes.

Discussion

Handout #4 and #5

For families, have parents/guardians review Handout #5,“Roots of Injustice,” so that they can deepen their understanding of what causes the lack of basic human rights for so many people around the world. Then ask parents to share with their children Handout #4, Seven Reasons.”

For adolescents and adults, use Handout #5, “Roots of Injustice.” Ask them to identify one or two rea-sons that they think are the most important ones. Invite the participants to ask questions and to make connections between the causes and the stories they explored.

For everyone, use the following questions to discuss their thoughts and feelings about what they have just experienced.

• How are we feeling about the situation of so many people in our world today? Is it hard for us to believe that so many people are living without basic necessities of life?


• How does the list of reasons compare to our answers in Step 2? (Why is this happening to people?)

• What did we learn today that we didn’t know before?

a deeper understanding or to effective action. In exploring the causes of the event, the objective of the chart is to identify the issue of concern in terms of immediate, secondary, or tertiary causes in such a way that the different levels are clearly labeled.

You will need one large sheet of newsprint (and markers) if you are doing this with the entire group or individual newsprint sheets and markers for each small group.

BEGIN by reviewing the handout, “The Situation of Human Rights in Our World,” highlighting one or two statistics in each category of human rights. Then give the participants several minutes to review the list on their own. Invite them to share their feelings and thoughts on the situation of human rights. Ask the group what surprised them about the situation?

EXPLAIN that by using the Web Chart we will be examining the causes of the lack of human rights in our world. Write “Lack of Human Rights” in the center of the chart.

USING the handout, “Roots of Injustice,” review the reasons (causes) why people lack of basic human rights in our world. This is not a complete list, but it will help the participants to start thinking of the causes of injustice. Invite the participants to ask questions and to make connections between the causes and the stories they explored.

NEXT develop a chart of the immediate causes for the lack of basic human rights among so many peo-ple around the world, e.g., war and violence. Participants can include ideas from “Roots of Injustice” and add their own ideas as well. Ask them to think of a variety of causes that can contribute to the situation, e.g., political forces (government poli-cies, budgets, and priorities), economic or business forces, cultural forces (values that people and societ-ies hold), and historical forces (things that happened in the past that influence the present).

For each cause identified, include two or three examples illustrating how this cause contributes to the lack of basic human rights. Use a different colored marker to identify the immediate causes.



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The message of justice is woven throughout the Bible, especially in the Old Testament prophets and in the message and actions of Jesus in the Gospels.

Handout #8

READ the passage from Isaiah 58:6–14 to the group. The handout, “Rights and Responsibilities: The Bible Teaches . . . ,” includes this Scripture passage from the New American Bible.

ASK the participants to describe God’s vision for people (i.e., human rights such as setting free the oppressed) and what God is asking us to do (i.e., responsibilities) using the two questions on the handout. Ask the participants to make notes on the handout.

• What is God’s vision for people in Isaiah 58?

• What is God asking us to do in Isaiah 58?

READ the passage from Matthew 25:31–46 to the group. The handout, “Rights and Responsibilities: The Bible Teaches . . . ,” includes this Scripture pas-sage. You might want to use several different voices for the Scripture reading.

Learning Experience Two What Do the Scriptures and Church Teachings Say About Human Rights?Pastoral Circle Process: Reflection

Reflection, the third phase of the Pastoral Circle process, engages the participants in exploring the social issue from the perspective of faith—the Bible, Catholic Social Teaching, and the living response of the Catholic Church to the issue—locally, nationally, and globally. This step involves the participants in examining what the Catholic faith says about a par-ticular social issue. It involves them in exploring what the Catholic community is doing about social issues and what motivates its response. Reflection calls forth not just an intellectual assent to faith, but a commitment to incorporate a faith response within one’s own life. The Word of God brought to bear upon the situation challenges old ways of thinking and responding by raising new questions, suggesting new insights, and opening people up to new action possibilities.

Activity Planning

SCRIPTURE PASSAGES

Catholic teaching on human rights begins in the Bible. We are focusing on two Scripture passages: Isaiah 58:6–14 and Matthew 25:31–46.

Pages 00–00 can be reproduced for catechist or group leader use.FYI !



Part Three

The human rights of every person

“Catholic social teaching spells out the basic demands of

justice in greater detail in the human rights of every per-

son. These fundamental rights are prerequisites for a dig-

nified life in community. The Bible vigorously affirms the

sacredness of every person as a creature formed in the

image and likeness of God. The biblical emphasis on cov-

enant and community also shows that human dignity can

only be realized and protected in solidarity with others. In

Catholic social thought, therefore, respect for human

rights and a strong sense of both personal and communal

responsibility are linked, not opposed. (Economic Justice

for All #79)

Catholic social teaching recognizes three sets of rights:

the right to life (including food and shelter), economic

rights (including education and employment), and politi-

cal and cultural rights (including religious freedom). With

rights come responsibilities to others, to our families, and

to the common good of all.

The Church upholds both personal responsibility and

social rights. The right to life is fundamental and includes

a right to food, clothing, shelter, rest, medical care, and

essential social services. Every person has the right to

raise a family and the duty to support them. Human

dignity demands religious and political freedom and

the duty to exercise these rights for the common good

of all persons.

3 Act on ItThis section helps participants gain deeper insight into the Scripture passages and the teachings of the Church.

You have two options for group interaction:

OPTION A Promoting the Church’s Message

OPTION B Beliefs That Lead to Action

Additional Activity

2 What the Church Teaches . . .Review the teachings of the Catholic Church on

human rights and responsibilities. Use the following

information to prepare a presentation using the

words below or your own words.

Founded on the dignity of the human person

Human right are founded on the inalienable dignity that

each of us possesses because we have been made in the

image and likeness of God. The Catholic Bishops of the

United States explain it this way:

“At the summit of creation stands the creation of man and

woman, made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26–27). As such

every human being possesses an inalienable dignity that

stamps human existence prior to any division into races or

nations and prior to human labor and human achievement

(Genesis 4–11).” (Economic Justice for All #32)

OR

All Ages

Drama

Develop a dramatization of Matthew 25:31–46. Select par-ticipants and organize them into two groups: “sheep” and “goats.” Ask them to take their respective roles and to read their lines from the story when it comes their time. The narrator (the role of Jesus) can feel free to ad lib, ask-ing the sheep further questions about how they are serving the poor and meeting him in the poor whom they are serv-ing. The narrator can also ask the goats why they did not notice the poor and did not see Jesus among them.

INVITE the participants to identify Jesus’ list of human rights in Matthew 25 and what Jesus is asking us to do (responsibilities) using the two questions on the handout. What is so significant in this parable is that in neglecting the poor, the outcast, and the oppressed, people are reject-ing Jesus himself. Ask the participants to make notes on the handout.

• What is Jesus’ list of human rights as presented in this parable?

• What is Jesus asking us to do in this parable?



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Beliefs That Lead to Action

Handout #8, #9, and #10

This activity helps adolescent and/or adult partici-pants to connect what we believe with how we must act. It is a way to connect the message of the Scriptures and Catholic Social Teaching to action.

• Begin by asking the participants to review the two handouts: “Rights and Responsibilities: The Bible Teaches . . . ” and “Rights and Responsibilities: The Church Teaches . . . ”.

ASK the adolescents to complete the handout, “Beliefs that Lead to Action,” as a group, working together to clarify what they believe, the situation today, and how we can act in the world for justice.

ASK the adults to complete the handout individu-ally and then their Belief statements with their small group.

GO TO Reflection questions below.

4 ReflectionDIRECT the participants to discuss, briefly, their thoughts and feelings about what they have just experienced with their small group or family. Use the following questions:

• What did you discover about the teachings of Scripture and the Church on human rights? What did you learn today that you didn’t know before?

• How will you look at injustice differently because of these teachings?

• What difference will these teachings make in your life and the life of your family?

Promoting the Church’s Message

Handout #8 and #9

GUIDE families in creating an advertisement that communicates the Church’s message. Share the following directions with the participants:

• Each family group (either individual families or family clusters) or small group of adolescents or adults represents an advertising firm charged with the task of “selling” the Church’s human rights message, helping people become more aware of the Church’s teachings and moving them to action.

• The message they have to work with is found in the two Scripture passages (Isaiah and Matthew) and the key quotes from Church teachings. (See the two handouts: “Rights and Responsibilities: The Bible Teaches . . . ” and “Rights and Responsibilities: The Church Teaches . . . ”.)

• Each family group or small group is to design a full-page ad that will run in local newspapers or in national magazines targeted at families with children or adolescents or adults (each group should target their own age group).

• How would they design their ad to help people see the message in the Bible and Church’s teaching on human rights in a new way? What symbols or illustrations, slogans or sayings would be appropriate?

ASK the groups to develop a full-color draft of their ad on the paper provided (newsprint, poster paper). They can use the markers to draw their ad and use magazines for illustrations and pictures.

After each family or small group has completed their ad, ask them to share it with others at a table near them.

GO TO Reflection questions to the right.

OPTION B

Whole Group Format • Adolescents & AdultsAge Group Format • Adolescents & Adults

OPTION A




Part Three

community to adopt, providing a focus for action and giving everyone an opportunity to work together to make a difference. The handout has a variety of projects that would make great parish-wide action projects.

Use the information on the handout, “Action Ideas and Projects,” to develop your “Rights and Responsibilities Action Booklet” or newsletter. Your booklet should include local/regional projects (service and justice) and national and international projects (see featured project descriptions).

BEGIN by researching local organizations involved in direct service to those in need and organizations working to alleviate the causes of injustice (advo-cacy groups, community organizing groups, etc.).

Check with your diocesan Catholic Charities and social justice office for recommended organizations.

REVIEW the descriptions of featured national and international projects that individuals, families, and the entire parish community can support.

SELECT a variety of action ideas and one or more featured projects you would like to recommend to people to support and include these descriptions in your booklet. Be sure to include projects that your parish community already supports.

Guest PresentersAdvocates for Justice

In addition to your presentation of the booklet of action ideas and featured projects, you might want to invite several representatives from local service organizations or social justice leaders in your parish community to share their thoughts about the importance of serving and acting for justice.

If you invite guest presenters, introduce the speaker(s) and ask them to share with the group the following information: 1) the kind of work they are doing and how it responds to the needs of peo-ple locally (or nationally or internationally), 2) the reasons they are personally involved in this work/ministry, 3) the characteristics of the people

Learning Experience Three How Can We Protect the Human Rights of All People?Pastoral Circle Process: Action

New experiences and ways of thinking lead natu-rally to new ways of living and acting. It is these new ways of living and acting that the fourth move-ment of the process is all about. Since the purpose of Exploration and Reflection is to lead to decision and action, the fourth step, Action, is crucial. Complex social issues seldom lend themselves to simple solutions. Social problems can seem over-whelming. But their very complexity makes it possi-ble to approach action for change from many different angles. If Reflection helps people to feel part of a wider faith community committed to jus-tice, then the Action step helps them to identify the particular role they can play in weakening and eventually destroying injustice. Action, whether individual or group, is always seen within a com-munity context. It can be locally or globally focused, short term or long term. It can be expressed in a variety of ways, but if it is grounded in Involvement, Exploration, and Reflection it will be effective. At the same time that it brings about small changes in social problems, Action can produce major changes in the lives of those involved.

PreparationAction Project Booklet

Handout #14

Each of the six justice sessions includes the cre-ation of an Action Project Booklet. The handout, “Action Ideas and Projects,” offers you select ideas and projects that you may want individuals, fami-lies, or the entire parish community to adopt. You may want to select a local, national, and interna-tional program that you want the entire parish



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causes that perpetuate the problem (see handout).

Collecting food for the food bank, working at a soup

kitchen, visiting the elderly or sick, and tutoring children

are common examples of direct service. Direct service

needs to be coupled with actions aimed at removing the

causes of the problems that direct service is addressing.

Legislative advocacy, community organizing, and working

with organizations that are changing the structures that

promote injustice are examples of action for justice. To

walk with both feet of social action, an individual or fam-

ily who prepares and serves a meal at the homeless shel-

ter could also be involved with the local organization

that is working to create housing, employment, and just

policies for those without adequate housing or make a

contribution to Habitat for Humanity, which is addressing

the worldwide problem of inadequate housing. By walk-

ing on both feet we will experience the benefits of work-

ing directly with the homeless and learning to change the

system that keeps people homeless. Real change will

come about only when we work together to alleviate the

present suffering caused by an injustice and organize our

energies to eradicate the causes of the injustice.

Handout #13

REVIEW the handout, “Two Feet of Social Action,” explaining the two responses we are called to make to injustice. Then review the ideas for action in the booklet or newsletter you prepared, including the featured projects. If your parish has chosen one or more featured projects to adopt, provide a more detailed explanation of how people can be involved in these projects.

CREATE a PowerPoint presentation or large sheets of newsprint with the two feet and action ideas inside each foot.

they are serving, 4) the role they think the Church should be playing in this and other situations of injustice, and 5) the ways that people can get involved in their work. Following the brief presentation(s), give the participants an opportunity to ask questions.


Introduce the final activity by explaining to the

group, using the words below or your own words,

the following:

In order to protect and respect the human rights of all

people, we need to accept our responsibilities for others.

The Bishops of the United States explain it this way:

“We also have a duty to secure and respect these rights

not only for ourselves, but for others, and to fulfill our

responsibilities to our families, to each other and to the

larger society.” (Faithful Citizenship, USCCB, 14)

“In a world where some speak mostly of ‘rights’ and oth-

ers mostly of ‘responsibilities,’ the Catholic tradition

teaches that human dignity can be protected and a

healthy community can be achieved only if human rights

are protected and responsibilities are met. Therefore,

every person has a fundamental right to life and right to

those things required for human decency. Corresponding

to these rights are duties and responsibilities—to one

another, to our families, and to the large society. While

public debate in our nation is often divided between

those who focus on personal responsibility and those

who focus on social responsibilities, our tradition insists

that both are necessary.” (Sharing Catholic Social

Teaching, United States Catholic Bishops, 1998, 5)

In this final activity we are going to explore ways we can

all get involved, regardless of how young or old we are,

and accept our responsibility to protect and respect the

human rights of all people.

Action involves helping people survive their present crisis

or need and addressing the root causes of the problems.

We call this the “two feet of social action:” direct service

to those in need and action for justice to address the



Part Three

2 Pledge to Protect Human Rights Distribute two pledge cards to each family unit and to each individual adolescent and adult.

INVITE the participants to review the booklet with service and justice projects and discuss how they would like to be involved as individuals and as families.

INTRODUCE the “Pledge to Protect the Human Rights of All People.” After families have chosen their action ideas for service and for justice, they should record them on the pledge card.

HAVE families bring one pledge card home and put it on the refrigerator as a reminder of what they have pledged to do. (Hint: Include a magnet in the home kit for this session.) The other pledge card will be offered up at the closing prayer service.

Additional Activity

Activity Planning

All Ages

The World is Taking Action: Millennium Goals

Handout #11

To help the participants understand that the basic human rights of people is a global issue that demands a global response, review the handout, “Millennium Goals.” The countries of the world agreed upon these goals at a special session of the United Nations in 2000 to address the most pressing social problems of the world. It is a plan by all of the member nations to ensure the human rights of all peo-ple are protected and respected. Be sure to let the children know that in 2002 representatives from all of the countries of the world also committed themselves to creating a world fit for children. See the handout, “A World Fit for Children,” and compare this to the Millennial Goals. Create a PowerPoint presentation of the goals or use large news-print sheets, one for each goal.


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INVITE several family table groups to share their advertisement promoting the Church's message on human rights. If you used this activity with adolescents and/or adults, ask several table groups to present their advertisement.

If you used “Beliefs That Lead to Action” with ado-lescents and/or adults, invite them to share their message with the larger group.

GUIDE individuals and families in sharing what they learned through the program.

Present the following information using the words

below or your own words:

“Think of everything we have done in this session to

learn about the situation of human rights in our world,

the message of the Bible and the Church, and the ways

we can protect and respect human rights.”

• What is the most important “lesson” you have

learned tonight?

• Why do you think protecting and respecting the

human rights of all people is so important for us

as Catholics?

INVITE participants to take several minutes for small group sharing. Ask for responses.

Reflection—Application Strategies

PREPARE strategies and activities to guide individu-als and families in reflecting on the meaning of their learning and their participation in the Church event and action project and in applying their learning to daily living as a Catholic. The goal is to help people apply the beliefs and practices to their daily life, and to report or “publish” their learning with others in the parish community.

Reflection and application activities and strategies can be included with the Home Kit. You can also include a time for feedback in your next intergener-ational learning program.

20–25 minutes

Advanced PreparationHome Kit

PREPARE a Rights and Responsibilities Home Kit that extends and expands the learning that has taken place through the intergenerational learning program. The Home Kit should engage families and individuals in living their faith at home through traditions and celebrations, rituals, symbols, prayers, service projects, learning activities, and enrichment activities.

Learning Together

People of Faith

Volume 1: Acting for Justice Issue 2: Rights and Responsibilities

This issue of the People of Faith: Generations Learning Together magazine is the primary resource for the Home Kit. The magazine provides feature articles and a variety of experiential activities for individuals and the entire household. The Rights and Responsibilities Action Projects Booklet that you created is also a primary resource for the Home Kit.

INCLUDE specific activities on the event (Church Year feast or season, Lectionary reading, saints feast day, etc.) that you have selected as a focus for the Rights and Responsibilities session. These addi-tional activities can include learning activities about the event, Scripture readings, table rituals, prayers, and so on.

USE a variety of design formats for your activities, such as a prayer card, poster, placemat, newsletter, booklet, magnet, bookmark, and artwork.

1 Whole Group Sharingand Reflection

The whole group sharing experience provides an opportunity for each age group to share something they learned with the entire group.




Part Four

Reflecting on the People Served

• What did you learn about the people you met? How is their experience most like yours? How is it most different? How would you feel if you had to change places for a week? a year? Why?

• What did you learn about yourself today? What do you like about what you learned? What do you dislike and most want to change?

Reflecting on Justice Issues Addressed

• How were justice and injustice present in the situations you faced?

• Did you learn anything new about the causes of injustice and the changes that are necessary?

• How did your action project try to address the justice issue you studied?

Reflecting on Our Faith

• How was God present in what happened within and around you? How were you “Jesus for others”? How were others “Jesus for you”?

• How did you experience the Church in action? How was the Church living its teachings through your action project?

• What did you discover about following Jesus from your involvement?

Reflecting on Our Lives

• What changes might you make in your life and/or in your family’s life?

• What changes might you make in your priorities and/or your family’s priorities?

Handout #15

USE the handout, “Reflecting on a Justice and Service Experience,” to create a reflection tool for individuals and families that helps them to reflect on the experience of service and working for justice.

There are a variety of formats for reflection—appli-cation activities. Reflection tools include unfinished sentences, reflection questions, learning journals, and structured reflection activities. Application tools include action plans, practice plans, “to do” lists, and resolutions.

Art and media strategies can also be used to express reflection and application. Consider activi-ties such as bumper stickers, picture collages, “recipe for living” cards, posters, photos, and proj-ects that participants create and bring back to Sunday Mass or the next intergenerational learning program.

2 Reflecting on a Justice and Service Experience

ASK the following questions to develop a set of reflection questions for families and individuals to share experience and learning from a justice or ser-vice project.

Reflecting on Our Experience

• What struck you most strongly? What happened?

• What images stand out in your mind—sights and sounds, touches and smells? What experi-ences and conversations hit home for you? Why did they make the impression they did?

• What was happening in your heart? What did you feel? What touched you most deeply today? Why? What did you find most frustrating? Most hopeful? Why?


Part

Fiv

e

For God resides in those who hunger Not only for bread, for love and care. God resides in the naked Not only in clothing, but in compassion. For God resides in the homeless Not only for shelter, but for someone to call their own.

—inspired by the words of Mother Teresa

RespondJesus challenges us to serve those in need. In fact, we will be judged by how well we have served oth-ers. Let us now pray that God will give us the eyes to see those in need and to act.

Leader: I was hungry and you gave me food . . .

All: Lord give us the grace to act for justice

Leader: I was thirsty and you gave me drink . . .


Leader: I was a stranger and you welcomed me . . .


Leader: I was naked and you clothed me . . .


Leader: I was ill and you comforted me . . .


Go Forth

God, true light and source of all light, may we recognize you in oppressed people and poor people, in homeless people and hungry people. May we be open to your Spirit that we may be a means of healing, strength, and peace for all your people. We ask this through Jesus, your son and our brother. Amen.

10 minutes

Closing Prayer Service

Preparation

The prayer service on this page can be reproduced for assembly use.

Available in Microsoft Word™ format—in Spanish and English for customization

Pledge Cards

The Closing Prayer service includes an offering of the pledge cards. Have several baskets available as the participants come forward to offer their pledge cards.

Suggested songs from the Acting for Justice Music CD

Lord, Every Nation (Psalm 72)—Jesse Manibusan, (Spirit and Song #70), Track #1.

Lead Me, Lord (Beatitudes)—John Becker, Track #2.

What Is Our Service to Be—Scot Crandal, Track #3.

God of the Hungry—Scott Soper, Track #4.

Go Make a Difference—Steve Angrisano, Track #5.

GatherInvite one representative from each household to come forward to offer their pledge cards and place it in the baskets at the front of the room.

Sing a song or play instrumental music while people come forward.

Listen At the moment of death Our judgment will not come according To the deeds we have accomplished, Nor the diplomas we have earned.

We will be judged by How greatly we have loved, How we have fed the hungry, Clothed the naked Sheltered the homeless.



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