More Than Meets the Eye: Sacramentals

Goal of this Life Night:

The goal of this night is for teens to recognize sacramentals and be able to distinguish between the seven sacraments and the many sacramentals. The night will also expose teens to a variety of sacramentals so that they will be more aware of them and their deeper meaning when they see them.

About this Life Night:

Historically, the Church has made the assumption that children are seeing the sights, sounds and symbols of our faith in their daily lives. faith formation or religious education was supposed to help them simply understand those sights, sounds and symbols more deeply. In today’s society, we cannot make this same assumption. A night on sacramentals may be the first time a teen is exposed to some of these sacred objects and rituals that were once a present in popular culture. This night begins by trying to bridge the gap between the symbols and rituals teens today do see in their daily lives with a game where they must identify the meaning behind the symbols they see. A teaching follows that explains symbol and ritual in general terms and then applies that definition to the symbols and rituals of the Church. The teaching outlines the difference between the sacraments (instituted by Christ) and the sacramentals (instituted by the Church). After the teaching, the teens break into sessions to explore various sacramentals of the Church. The closing prayer for the night invites teens to use some of the sacramental action of prayer in a more meaningful way.