St Catherine & St Francis Parishes, Warwick RI
L.I.G.H.T. Program
September 2015 Mini-LIGHT
SACRAMENTS
Materials: Sacramental symbol shelf & table, water, recorded statements of confession &
consent, bread & wine, oils, model of hand, candle, white garment, stole, rings, Sacrament
word cards (12 sets)
Set-Up
o Symbol coloring, ice breaker, and activity sheets on tables
o Crayons and pens out
o Registration Forms at Hostess tables
MEAL
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Burgers/veggie burgers
Buns
Condiments: ketchup, mayo, mustard, relish, onions
Chips
Watermelon
Lemonade / Water / Coffee
Cookies
ORDER OF EVENTS
1.
2.
3.
4.
Mass at 5:15pm
Meal & Paperwork at 6:15p
Program at 7pm
Dessert at 7:30pm
PROGRAM


Welcome
Encountering Jesus
o Happens every day
o Can’t see these encounters, but they are very real
o Watch edited video
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpOVsFtZ1hM&index=5&list=PLEML
sCrcXLL9N0m9pZsC2uGGgslPxfSTw
 Families should be looking for images that show encounters with Christ
 Write on table covers
 Share with group – white board
 Conclude: many of these encounters are sacraments
 Sacraments are a major way that we encounter Jesus
o God knew we needed a way to physically participate in these encounters
o Jesus left us the sacraments as a means to do that

Signs & Symbols
o To help us understand what a sacrament is, let’s explore what a symbol is
o “A visible signs that point to something more”
o Give us the essence of what is going on when we see them
 Show signs: stop sign, restroom, danger
 Ask for reaction: what do they know/understand when they see
o How about signs that we don’t necessarily see with our eyes
 Describe sensation: baking cookies, alarm clock, hot doorknob
 Ask for reaction: what do they know/understand when they experience
o Signs and symbols are important because that are something with which our senses
can relate to and understand,

Sacraments
o We use symbols in these rituals to help us understand what is going on
 Because we are physical beings with bodies, we need visible, tangible things

to help us grasp the gift of God’s grace, to remind us that God is truly present
to us
Concrete things help us know Jesus is still with us. In the Sacraments, we
can taste, touch, see, hear, and smell things that make tangible the presence
of Jesus.
o Sacraments are signs that point to something more: God’s love for us / His Grace
o Encounters with Jesus, signs that relate to us His love for us
o Jesus uses down-to-earth, concrete, and familiar things—like bread and wine, water,
oil, and touch—to bring to us the reality of his presence.

Introduce symbols of sacraments
o Pull them from a box, explain them, and then place them into the display
o
o
Main Symbols – physical sign which necessary for the sacrament to be valid, affects
the sacrament (put these on shelves)
 Water – cleanses, vital for life, symbolized dying to sinful nature and
emerging into new life in Christ
 Oil – strengthens & seals, from ancient times, anointing with oil meant setting
the person apart for a particular mission.
 Touch – the ‘laying on of hands’. From ancient times, to impose hands on
someone or to extend one’s hand over the person’s head was the sign of
calling down the Holy Spirit. All seven sacraments employ this symbol in
some way.
 Bread & Wine – the food of Himself that Jesus left us, Wheat is grown and
ground, transformed by human work to make bread. Grapes are grown and
crushed, transformed by human work to make wine. It is traditionally the work
of human hands.
 Words – expression of sin and sorrow in Reconciliation and wedding vows in
Marriage ceremony (record the beginning of the Act of Contrition and “I do”)
Sacramentals – lesser signs that typically are part of the ritual, but not vital, do not
affect the sacrament (put these on a separate table)
 Rings - a widely recognized sign of a marriage commitment in many cultures,
they can be blessed as part of ceremony where they can help to symbolize the
couple’s lifelong commitment to love and fidelity
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
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
Stole - a “sign” of office. Wearing it indicates the positions of service to the
community provided by bishops, priests and deacons
Candle – symbol that the newly baptized receives the light of Christ
White garment – symbolizes the cleansing power of Baptism, “putting on
Christ”
ACTIVITY:
1. Hand out 7 Cards to each table that name each sacrament
2. Symbol/sacramental will be held up
3. Table will decide which sacrament(s) it belongs to and hold up that card
4. Table that gets the most matches wins (gets to go to dessert table first)
Water
Confession & Sorrow (Act of Contrition)
Bread & Wine
Oil
Laying on of Hands
Mutual Consent (I do)
Candle
White Garment
Stole
Rings

Baptism
Reconciliation
Eucharist
Confirmation, Anointing,
(Baptism, Holy Orders)
Confirmation, Holy Orders,
Anointing (all)
Marriage
Baptism
Baptism
Holy Orders
Marriage
Wrap Up:
o The Seven Sacraments Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmfSwi3ZKH4&index=4&list=PLEMLsCrcXLL9N0m9pZsC2uGGgslPxfSTw
o In the Sacraments that Jesus gave us
 we experience God’s love, friendship, healing, forgiveness, blessing,


anointing, and saving grace
these very tangible signs and symbols of the Sacraments make it possible for
us to better understand and experience the wonder of God
This year we’ll be using the symbols to help understand how we encounter
Jesus Christ through the seven sacraments.