Common Arts of the Liturgical Life in the Catholic Church

The Common Arts are skills that help solve a problem and provide a service. They tend to the basic human needs by crafting a solution. Our Church needs to portray Truth, Beauty, and Goodness. The Light of Christ needs to shine forth through her for all the world to see. Altars need to be protected, windows need to tell stories, and people need light! Our Domestic Church also has needs that we can create solutions for. In fact, this is part of living our vocations! To use our hands and our hearts to prepare and pray. Whether the linen is for the Altar of the Lord, or your table at home, we can learn the proper way to create and utilize these Liturgical and Domestic Common Arts.

Chesterton states on education

““Education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another.”

Throughout the year, we will explore these common art traditions while considering the importance of Art in the Church and in our lives. Students will see that time and work are a common thread of the past. This course aims to provide students with basic skills, as well as foster the virtues of patience, and fortitude. We will learn how to organize our notebooks, acknowledge our weak points, and enhance our strengths, all for the glory of God in His Church, and our homes. With this we can serve Our Lord, and Our Neighbors in love with the work of our hands.

This common arts course is about some of the types of arts and crafts needed for the Church and the home. In line with fulfilling the duty of creating items needed to meet a human need, students enrolling in this course will be expected to show responsibility and participation in the course.

Students must be engaged: Our class is forever changed with the input and participation of each student. I learn from my students, and you all learn from each other. Please come to class ready and excited to ask questions, supply answers, and learn together.

Commonplace Notebook: Notebooking is an excellent way to compile information across many areas or units, in order to better understand and reflect for a final project or presentation.

Be Prepared: Some projects take time, and that will be accounted for by the instructor. As a general rule, students need to come to class prepared with their materials, ensure their technology is in working order, and have a professional and positive attitude.

Apply Knowledge: Students should demonstrate their understanding across the subject matter, and be able to build on previous knowledge as the year progresses.

Initiative/Maturity: This student will be proactive in listening to the teacher’s comments, assessing how they apply to his/her work, taking the initiative to schedule office hours with the teacher if necessary.

 

Syllabus

Mrs. Breidenbach Syllabus

For each skill instructors have determined whether it is a prerequisite skill or a skill to be developed throughout the course. For lower school, instructors indicate where parent support is expected.

• With Parent Support: Skills that most lower school students will need help with.
• Developing: Skills that the instructor will help develop and emphasize throughout the year.
• Mastered: Prerequisite skills that the instructor is expecting students to possess.

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Reading:

• Be able to read material with attention to detail and identify areas which require clarification or further explanation from the instructor.
• Be able to mark a text to indicate important terms, definitions, or concepts.
• Be able to read with a goal to understanding an author’s argument even if the student disagrees with the conclusion reached or reasons given.

Writing

• Be able to use proper capitalization and punctuation.
• Be able to spell at grade level and employ course vocabulary cumulatively throughout the course.
• Be able to form a paragraph which includes a topic sentence, transition sentences, and clear linear thinking.
• Be able to write a five-paragraph essay with direction from the instructor.
• Be able to manage assignments, submissions, and notifications on Canvas.
• Know what plagiarism is and how to avoid it.

Class Discussion

• Be able to engage respectfully and wisely with other students and the instructor.
• Be prepared to generate thoughtful questions to enhance the class discussion and identify areas needing clarification.
• Be prepared to answer questions when called on during class.
• Be prepared to volunteer comments and ideas during class.
• Be able to follow directions on note-taking and other exercises during class.

Required Course Materials:

• Sewing Church Linens, Elizabeth Morgan
• Laundering Liturgical Linens, Angelus Press
• Commonplace notebook
• Pencil
• Highlighter
• Ruler
• Basic art supplies: gum eraser, colored pencils, water colored pencils or any other art medium preferred for sketching and note taking
• Various materials related to the common arts we’re studying. This specialized list, including sewing and embroidery supplies, will be provided one month in advance of the start of class.

*Please note additional course literature will be added before the start of Summer 2023 and all enrolled will be notified.

 

Jennifer Breidenbach holds a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education and a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Art. She has experience in homeschool co-ops, private Catholic schools, and a private art studio. Jennifer is a devoted wife and mother, who loves living out her vocation and spending time with her family.

Currently, she volunteers at her local Catholic homeschool co-op, and runs her own website. It is a great joy for her to be an instructor with the Aquinas House of Studies at Scholé Academy. She spends her free-time going on nature walks with her toddlers, painting and drawing, learning new skills, and deepening her faith life! [email protected]

 

 

Computer: You will need a stable, reliable computer, running with a processor with a speed of 1 GHz or better on one of the following operating systems: Mac OS X with Mac OS 10.7 or later; Windows 8, 7, Vista (with SP1 or later), or XP (with SP3 or later). We do not recommend using an iPad or other tablet for joining classes. An inexpensive laptop or netbook would be much better solutions, as they enable you to plug an Ethernet cable directly into your computer. Please note that Chromebooks are allowed but not preferred, as they do not support certain features of the Zoom video conference software such as breakout sessions and annotation, which may be used by our teachers for class activities.

High-Speed Internet Connection: You will also need access to high-speed Internet, preferably accessible via Ethernet cable right into your computer. Using Wi-Fi may work, but will not guarantee you the optimal use of your bandwidth. The faster your Internet, the better. We recommend using a connection with a download/upload speed of 5/1 Mbps or better. You can test your Internet connection here.

Webcam: You may use an external webcam or one that is built in to the computer. Webcam Recommendations: Good (PC only) | Best (Mac and PC)

Headset: We recommend using a headset rather than a built-in microphone and speakers. Using a headset reduces the level of background noise heard by the entire class. Headset Recommendations: USB | 3.5mm

Zoom: We use a web conferencing software called Zoom for our classes, which enables students and teachers to gather from around the globe face to face in real time. Zoom is free to download and easy to use. To download Zoom:

1. Visit zoom.us/download.
2. Click to download the first option listed, Zoom Client for Meetings.
3. Open and run the installer on your computer.
4. In August, students will be provided with instructions and a link for joining their particular class.