Katie Bogner is a 5th grade Catholic School teacher by day, parish Director of Religious Education by weekend, crafter in her spare time, and late night reader. Katie blogs at Look to Him and Be Radiant where she creates lessons, crafts, and printables for sharing the faith with kids of all ages.
A few years ago, I decided to work on adding depth to the prayer structure built into my school day. We routinely pray as a whole school and as a class, but I hoped to broaden my students’ memorized prayer arsenal as well as share with them a prayer that links us with Christians around the world and through the centuries.
So, I decided to teach them the Angelus.
I didn’t want them to merely memorize it. (They actually did very quickly. Kids are sponges and childhood is a great time to expose them to the richness of our faith.) I wanted them to understand the Angelus and see how it is a statement about a core belief of our faith, as well as a request for intercession in our day-to-day lives.
To help teach them both the words and the meaning, I created this mini-book to tuck in their desks. Using the mini-book, the students had the text right in front of them, as well as some pictures, definitions of hard words, Scripture references, and other info.
Now each year, my students and I pray the Angelus together as a class every day just before we leave for lunch. I love being united with countless others joining in the same prayer that honors Mary’s yes to God and calls to mind the amazingness of the Incarnation, God become man for us.
As we are about to move into the Easter Season, my students will soon be learning the Regina Coeli. Everything should look different during the Easter season for the life of a Christian, and noon prayer is no different. From Easter until Pentecost, we won’t pray the Angelus, which remembers the Incarnation, but will instead pray the Regina Coeli, which celebrates the Resurrection.
I made this matching mini-book for teaching the Regina Coeli. Season to season, the Angelus and Regina Coeli draw us into the rhythm of prayer that compels my students and I to feel and see and live our part in the greater Church.
