Description: This event, modeled after a college intro course, is an informative and interactive take on the theology behind the Lenten season.
Get Ready
- Prep Time: Contact a priest or church leader a few weeks in advance who may be interested in leading the event. Arrive at the venue about an hour ahead of time to set up chairs, a projector or easel if needed, and a table with refreshments.
- Volunteers Needed: Two volunteers needed to welcome attendees, hand out nametags, and encourage participants to sign up on an e-mail list.
- Supplies: A chalkboard, easel, or projector depending on the leader’s needs. A small table to put at the door with name tags and e-mail signup sheets and a small table to hold drinks and snacks.
- Reserve the Space: Reserve a room in your parish center, or a classroom at a local school. If you’re going for a more relaxed atmosphere, a local coffee shop or restaurant may also work.
- Ideal Group Size: This event works for any size group, as long as question-asking is encouraged to spark vibrant discussions. Make sure the room is adequate for the number of people expected.
- Who is this for? All young adults and potentially the larger parish community.
- When is a good time for this? The week leading up to Lent or the first week of Lent. Hold this event after mass or in the evening after people get out of work. It might be a good idea to hold the event on Ash Wednesday.
- Publicize the Program: Once you have set a date for the event, spread the word through e-mail, parish bulletins, fliers, and social media. Announce the event at Mass for two weeks prior to the event.
Prayer for Program Planner: Dear God, help me remember Your ultimate sacrifice as I enter this period of preparation, reflection, and penitence. Allow me to help others understand the importance of this season as we prayerfully contemplate your Passion and Death leading up to the joy of your Resurrection. Amen.
Community Building: Catholic 101 allows a Catholic community to get to know the “why” behind our faith traditions. Learning, discussing, and asking questions as a group can build a deeper intellectual and faith connection, allowing us to grow closer as a community of believers. It also promotes the communal celebration of the season.
Make It Happen
- Set Up: Work with the priest or church leader to come up with a planned discussion, particular themes, and/or frequently-asked-questions to touch upon. Some potential topics of insight and discussion may be:
- Ash Wednesday: What does it mean? Why do we put ashes on our forehead?
- What is the significance of Lent as a season leading up to Christ’s Death and Resurrection?
- What are the three pillars of Lent, and what do prayer, fasting, and almsgiving mean?
- Why are we encouraged to “give up” things during Lent? Can we cheat on Sundays?
- Why are we supposed to fast and abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent?
- Why is purple the color of Lent?
Arrive at the event an hour or so early to set up refreshments.
- Welcome: Welcome everyone to the event, give a brief overview of the content and introduce the speaker. Be sure to mention that there will be plenty of time for questions, so participants will be thinking of them throughout the event.
- Opening Prayer: Lord, we know that you sacrificed Your life so we can live ours more abundantly. Help us to understand the meaning of Your sacrifice during this Lenten season of penitence and preparation, as we better ourselves and ask forgiveness for our wrongdoing. We know that this time of dryness can only be satisfied by you, our hope and our living water. Amen.
- The Run-Down: Have the speaker present the basics of Lent for approximately 30 minutes, then open up the floor for questions, comments, and discussion.
- Close: After about 30-45 minutes of question-asking and discussion, thank everyone for coming, and mention any upcoming events. If you have any Lenten prayer books or reflection materials, hand those out and encourage anyone with additional Lenten questions to e-mail or post them on your Facebook page to foster continued discussion.
Ideas
- You could run this as a one-time event or as a series of events, one each week of Lent.
- Hold this event on “Shrove Tuesday” and include a pancake dinner! (Pancakes were made to use up the rich foods — eggs, milk, oil — before the fasting of Lent. More details can be found here.
- Can’t get people to come to you? Consider doing this electronically. Use Busted Halo’s Ash Wednesday and Lent in Two Minutes Video as the introduction and then invite young adults to post questions that will be answered by a priest or church leader.
- Catholic 101 is a wonderful recurring event. Hold Catholic 101s leading up to different church seasons, holy days of obligation, feast days, or about other often-misunderstood concepts like Transubstantiation or the Trinity.
- Follow up! After the event, send a thank-you e-mail to everyone who came to the event.
