Curriculum This curriculum would be appropriate for all primary age groups.

Created by Denise Murre, St Mary Port Washington, DRE

25th Anniversary of Twinning with the Dominican Republic parish Our Lady of Altagracia

  • Items needed,

-a globe or map to show the children where the D.R. is located,

-pictures of the Blessed Mother and Our Lady of Altagracia,

-Hail Mary in English and Spanish (see below for Spanish).

-crucifixes, beads, center medals, waxed dental floss (it must be the flat type regular dental floss is not strong enough),

  • Begin with prayer, have a copy of the Hail Mary available in English and Spanish. Ask the children to say or read the prayer with you if a board is available you may want to write both prayers on it.

-Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen

-Spanish If your class is bi-lingual you may want to ask one of the children to lead the prayer.

Dios te salve, María, llena eres de gracia, el Señor es contigo. Bendita tu eres entre todas las mujeres, y bendito es el fruto de tu vientre, Jesús. Santa María, Madre de Dios, ruega por nosotros, pecadores, ahora y en la hora de nuestra muerte. Amen

  • Show the children were the Dominican Republic (D.R.)is located or have them locate it for you. Tell the children how many miles it is to the D.R. You may want to have the children figure out how long it would take to get to the D.R. if they are older.
  • Display the pictures of our Blessed Mother. There are good images on the internet that you may download with a colored printer. If your budget permits you may want to order holy cards for each of the children. Autom is a good source for inexpensive cards.

Tell the children that Jesus’ mother is patron saint for both of our countries.

-In the Dominican Republic the title used is Our Lady of Altagracia. This image of our Lady is a painting on cloth of the Virgin Mary in a Nativity scene. It is 13 inches wide by 18 inches long. Painted in the 1500’s, it was brought to the Dominican Republic in approximately 1502 by European settlers. Eventually, it was donated to a church and now is at the Basilica in the D.R. The painting was restored in 1978, and Pope John Paul II crowned the image with a gold and silver tiara.

-The Dominicans see the image as the Mother of God watching over the island and the growth of Christianity there. Her feast day is January 21st and it is marked with services, all-night vigils, singing, dancing, and festivals in many of the towns.

-In the U.S. the devotion to Mary began with the French Jesuits when the missions were established in the Louisianaterritory. In the 1800’s the devotion grew so rapidly that the bishops asked that the Blessed Virgin in her manifestation as the Immaculate Conception be named patron saint of the U. S. Catholic Church. This decree was confirmed by Pope Pius IX in 1847. (patronsaintsindexes.com)

  • ACTIVITY: Make a Rosary to send to the Dominican Republic[20-35 minutes]

(These will be taken to the D.R. whenever someone goes from here to there.)

-This is a very easy project, the crucifixes and center medals may be purchased inexpensively through Autom (1-800-521-2914 or Autom.com). The crucifixes can be purchased for as little as 9 cents each. If your budget does not allow center medals you may use a large bead in its place. Beads may be purchased at any craft store. For each Rosary, you will need 6, 12 mm beads, (7 if you will be using a bead in place of the center medal), and 53, 8mm beads.

-Give each child a piece of dental floss about 2 feet long. Do not string too tightly

-Begin by tying the crucifix to the end of the floss, string one large bead, three small beads one large bead.

-String either the large bead or the center medal .

-Begin the body of the rosary.

-String ten 8mm beads

-String one 12mm bead String ten 8mm beads

-String one 12mm bead String ten 8mm beads

-String one 12mm bead String ten 8mm beads

-String one 12mm bead String ten 8mm beads.

-Thread the floss through large bead or the center medal and tie it off.

The rosaries turn out well with any type of beads, but are especially lovely if faceted beads are used.

  • Close with prayer the Hail Mary or another Marian prayer of your choice.