Introduction
Saints as Spiritual Inspiration
As part of your preparation for the holy sacrament of Confirmation, you will be researching information about the Saints. You will look at how they lived their lives, what they accomplished, how God called them to serve, and of what they are the patron saint. With your research, you will pick a saint you most identify with or are most inspired by and take it as your Confirmation name. The tradition of taking a new name started with the monks and you will continue this tradition which will make you a part of the past along with the ability to become a saint in the future. When you are confirmed into our Catholic faith, you become an adult in the church which indicates that you are of the age where you're called to go out and make disciples of all nations. As a confirmed Catholic it is your job to shepard all the lost sheep back to the church by true evangalization.
Let us build a city of God by learning more about our saints and becoming inspired by them to live our lives in a way that will bring greater glory to God our Father.
Task
Task
As you continue the time-honored tradition of choosing a Saint for your confirmation, your task is to research the life and times of the Saints for whose name you are thinking about taking as your own. Reflect for a moment on your own talents, your interests, and who you aspire to be in the future. There are many groups, interests, and occupations that have patron Saints. Choosing just one Saint is a very difficult task so take the time to really research the Saints' lives who inpire you to be a spiritual leader of our faith. The Task is to learn all that you can about one particular Saint and the period of time in which they lived so that you can write yourself into their time in history!
Process
Process
It's time to start your research for the Saint for whom you will be named at Confirmation. The links below will help with the beginning of your search.
Take notes on the Saints that inspire you. The notes need to include the following information:
- The full name of the Saint(s)
- Important dates such as their birth and their death. If those dates are not applicable, do some research and find in what time period they lived.
- Important cities or countries associated with them.
- Background on the life of the Saint(s)
- Great events that contributed to the importance of the Saint(s)
- Important facts relating to the time of history
Once you have researched all the Saints you may be interested in, you'll need to compare and contrast their lives, their meaning, and their overall story to try and identify with one more than the others. Once you've choosen the Saint name you would like to take for Confirmation, you may begin your essay.
You will be writing your essay from the point of view of your Saint's close companion. You were there for the spiritual healings/miracles, you were there through their struggles and fears, and you were there in the moments of spiritual guidance and learning. Unfortunately your friend has just passed away but you want your companions memory to live on forever. You decide to write a story of their life. You want the story to contain meaningful events, accomplishments that would get them to Sainthood, and you also want to leave a message of spiritual help for those in the future who may look to your friend for guidance (patronage). Write an essay no longer than three pages and no shorter than three paragraphs. Make the essay believable and make sure it contains all the information you wrote down when taking your notes.
Evaluation
| Point Value | 10 9 8 7 | 6 5 4 | 3 2 1 | Score |
| Directions/Formatting |
All directions are followed: 12 font, double spaced, Times New Roman, paragraphs indented, turned in on time. |
There are a number of mistakes in the formating of the essay |
Directions were not followed; too many mistakes in formatting | |
| Length | Essay is at least three paragraphs long and no longer than three pages. There i senough detail and information to make the paragraphs complete. | Essay is at least three paragraphs long and no longer than three pages. there is not enough detail to make the essay complete. | The essay is either to long or too short with too much unnecessary info or not enough info. | |
| Grammar, Spelling, and Punctuation | No of few grammar, spelling, punctuation mistakes. | Few mistakes that distract reader. | Multiple mistakes that make the essay confussing or hard to read. | |
| Sentence Structure | Sentences formed properly and orderly, essay flows well from beginning to end. | Sentences formed well but not enough variation in sentence form. | Incomplete sentences, run ons, and sentences are too simple. | |
| Vocabulary and Word Choice | Vocabulary is at or above middle school level; creative and great word choice. | Vocabulary is slightly below middle school level; word choices are a distraction to the reader. | Simplistic vocabulary, words used incorrectly. | |
| Content | Essay includes important facts, historic, miraculous, and spiritual information. | Esaay is missing important facts of the Saint's life, history, miracles, and spiritual life. | Essay is incomplete and doesn't show the importantce of the Saint. | |
| Perspective | Author has actively written himself/herself into the story. | Author has not actively written themselves into the story. | Essay is written from a perspective that does not follow directions. | |
| Message | Essay holds spiritual messages for those in the future wanting to be like their Saint. | Essay holds some spiritual message. | Essay hold no spiritual message. |
Conclusion
Conclusion
You have now studied the life of one of God's most holy Saints. I, Miss Flum, now challenge you to see their life story as a guide to change your life story. As Catholics, it is our number one goal to become Saints so as confirmation comes closer, pray to the Saint that you have choosen to be your spiritual guide in order for you to draw closer to God. As adults in the Church it is our calling to be true disciples of Jesus Christ. I encourage you to pray everyday for strength and guidance to be good, holy, and strong future leaders of our Church. May God bless you and always keep you.
Credits
Credits
This Webquest was inspired by the existing Webquest, Living the Life of a Saint.
Permission is granted if others would like to use or modify this Webquest for any educational purposes as long as the original authorship is credited.
God Bless.
Teacher Page
Teacher Introduction
This Webquest was created to help students learn more about the lives of the saints. In doing so, the hope was for them to come across a Saint that they could connect with and become inspired by their story in order to have the desire to choose them as their Confirmation Saint. The goal was for each student to choose a Saint that would inspire them along their spiritual journey of becoming adults in the Church.