We Believe, Part One

As you begin your mission, be sure you have your Travel Journal. Let your Disciple Power guide you on your virtual pilgrimage. Here is your first Mission Assignment…

Phase 1: Prepare for the Pilgrimage

Recall what you learned about each of the Disciple Power habits in Unit 1 of Be My Disciples. Using your Travel Journal, write your own description for each of the four Disciple Power habits. Let your descriptions be your “signs” to point you toward your destination.

• Truthfulness (Chapter 1)
• Faith (Chapter 2)
• Trust (Chapter 3)
• Hope (Chapter 4)

Phase 2: Select a Destination

1. Choose one of the following destinations based upon what you learned from The Church Follows Jesus pages. Then explore more about that destination by clicking its links. Record in your Travel Journal three new unique facts you learned about that destination. Be sure that these facts reflect your “terrain” as you approach your destination. Use the suggested links to help you survey your terrain.

• Your Grandparent’s Hometown (Chapter 1)
  1. Interview one of your grandparents who can tell you about his or her birthplace or town in which they grew up at your age. Ask about their faith journey and what they remember about going to Mass, celebrating the sacraments, reading the Bible, and praying as a family.
  2. Create a simple digital photo story telling about their memories. Focus especially on how your grandparent sought the truth of who God is.
• Nicaea (Chapter 2)
  1. Review this Wikimapia of the present-day city of Iznik, Turkey, the modern city within which the ancient city of Nicaea is located. Describe the area in which Nicaea would have been.
  2. Check out the area, ancient monuments, and many of the amazing faith centers like St. Sophia Cathedral from the History Channel or from Encyclopedia Britannica.
• Madrid (Chapter 3)
  1. Learn about the climate and agriculture of Madrid, Spain. Imagine what farming might have been like for Isidore and Maria in the 11th Century.
  2. Using GeoNames, check out Carabanchel a suburb of Madrid and the pilgrimage site of St. Isidore Hermitage.
• Church of St. Joseph, Greenwich Village, New York City (Chapter 4)
  1. Review this parish’s website and learn about its rich history. Check out the photos and pay attention to how this parish was restored inside to a simple environment—an environment that Dorothy Day would have witnessed as a young journalist in New York before she was Catholic and had left for Chicago at twenty-five years old.
  2. Read a biographical account of Dorothy Day from the Catholic Worker Movement, an organization she and Peter Maurin founded in 1933.
  3. Be sure to read about the parish’s Social Justice Committee and find out how they, like Dorothy, promote peace and justice, according to Church teachings, and give hope to the world.

2. Now re-read the corresponding The Church Follows Jesus pages to surface information about your destination. Using your Travel Journal, answer the questions that correspond to the destination you selected.

• Your Grandparent’s Hometown (Chapter 1)
  Using truthfulness, how does telling stories about our past memories help us to hold on to the truth? How does where we live influence our faith and form the person we become?
• Nicaea (Chapter 2)
  Using faith, why might professing our faith in creedal formulas be important? Why might Nicaea been a good place to convey a Church Council?
• Madrid (Chapter 3)
  Using trust, why might Isidore and Maria had to have faith in God? Why was this area of Madrid a difficult place to farm?
• Church of St. Joseph, Greenwich Village, New York City (Chapter 4)
  Using hope, how might restoring an old church building be good for the local community? What about the location of this parish (or your parish) benefits those who need hope?

Phase 3: Arrive at Your Destination

Now go to the corresponding I Follow Jesus page for your destination. And then respond to the activity on that page in your Travel Journal. Notice the difference in responses from when you completed the activity in your textbook versus the response in your Travel Journal. Discuss with a partner that difference using one or all of the following questions:

• Why would you want to visit your destination in person?
• What was your favorite part of this mission? Explain why.
• How has your faith grown because of this pilgrimage?