Year of Saint Paul
June 28, 2008 – June 29, 2009
 

RESOURCE GUIDE for Grades 3 - 5 

Who is St. Paul?
          St. Paul is one of greatest saints of our Church.  At first, he was not a follower of Jesus.  In fact, he never met Jesus while he was on earth.  He was a Jew and his name was Saul.  Saul could not understand why so many Jews were following Jesus.  He became an enemy of the first Christians.  He wanted to punish and even kill them.  Jesus appeared to Saul and asked why Saul was trying to hurt him.  After that, Saul was baptized as a Christian.  He changed his name to Paul and traveled to many lands to teach about Jesus. 

Background
Use “Saint Paul: Questions and Answers” to establish background knowledge of Saint Paul the Apostle. 

Scriptural References:
Acts of the Apostles tells the story of the early Church.  Beginning with the Conversion of Saul (Acts 9) this book records the missionary work of Paul until his final imprisonment in Rome. 

The Letters (Epistles) of Saint Paul:  Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy,

2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon. 
 

Suggested Activities: 

• Read the scripture passage about Love to the students (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).  Ask them to substitute their own names for the word “love.”  Does that description accurately describe their actions?  Discuss and tell them that this can be offered in prayer.
   
• Express the concept of the Mystical Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-18) in a large collage.  Cut out a large form to represent Christ.  Show the face of Christ on the head of the form.  Using pictures of people cut from magazines (or photos of themselves), form a collage of people of the world to illustrate body of Christ.
   
• Students can learn about missionaries.  Through the Holy Childhood Mission program, they can pray for missionaries as they work in many countries of the world.  They can also make donations to help the Pontifical Mission Society.
   
• Students can learn a prayer to St. Paul.
   
• Students can learn a song based on the writings of St. Paul.  (See list of “Songs Inspired by St. Paul.”)
   
• Students can look for pictures of St. Paul.  St. Paul typically has a book in his hand and he holds a sword.  The book reminds us that he spread the Word of God, the sword represents his martyrdom.  Paul was beheaded in Rome.
   
• Go to the RCL/Benziger website for resources appropriate for this age group.