Finding the Way in Jail Curriculum Outline

1. Starting Point
   
   • Suggests participants think about their biggest worry.
   • Raises the question of the meaning of life.
   • Challenges participants to take the first step in a finding a new way to live.
   • Opens a discussion on what the Bible is.
2. Which Road?
   
   • Offers participants a choice of direction.
   • Asks what participants really want from life.
   • Looks at guilt and worry as hindrances to change.
   • Examines God’s willingness to forgive anyone and anything.
   • Reviews the importance to talk it over with someone.
3. Walk What You Talk
   
   • What “God talk” really means.
   • Aids to Walking the Talk.
   • Do real men and women go to Church?
4. Real Men and Women Go To Church!
   
   • Why do real men and women go to Church?
   • The real man/woman was a sinner.
   • Excuses, excuses!
5. Let’s Get Serious About
   
   • Religion.
   • The program
   • Prayer
   • The Sign of the Cross
6. Our Father In Heaven
   
   • What is your image of God?
   • The Our Father
7. Mary
   
   • Why Catholics pay attention to Mary.
   • The Hail Mary
   • The Rosary
8. The Creed
   
   • Short explanation of the articles of the Creed.
9. Rules of “The Way”
   
   • The Commandments as sign posts on the “Way”.
10. Help Is On The Way!
    • Who is this Jesus?
    • How He is present among us.
    • His presence in the seven sacraments.
11. Getting Back On The Right Way
    
    • Discussion of sin: mortal and venial.
    • How sins are forgiven.
    • How to go to confession.
12. Need A Helping Hand?
    
    • The Eucharist as the Bread of Life.
    • The Mass as the center of Catholic life.
    • Conditions for receiving Communion.
    • The Choice is yours!
13. Tough Choice
    
    • Making choices related to the direction your life will take.
    • Asks participants to discuss the choices they face in jail.
    • Asks participants to discuss the choices they made in the past.
    • Looking at choices they may have to make for the future.
14. Take A Look
    
    • Discusses personal insights using the imaginary of the mirror.
    • Creating a quiet zone in a very noisy place.
    • Invites participants to learn to spend time with their inner self
15. Got A Problem? Let’s Tackle It
    
    • Help participants realize they have a simple tool at hand, “Our Own Head”.
    • Invites participants to talk about simple situations from the past and see how to use these new steps in the future.
    • God is involved in our decision making.
    • Discuss in which way God normally helps us.
16. Help From Others
    
    • Stresses God’s readiness to help us.
    • Plants an idea that may some day blossom into a desire for help
    • Invites participants to accept help from organizations as “AA” or “NA”.
    • Examines the help that is available to us.
17. Imagination
    
    • Discusses the stories in the Bible in a different way.
    • Emphasizes “HOPE & LOVE”, not hell or damnation.
    • Invites participants talk about their favorite story from the Bible.
    • Invites participants to write their favorite Bible story in their own words.
18. The Door
    
    • Attitude is most important than words.
    • Reinforce and praises participants for their decision to change.
    • Assures that with God’s help we will succeed.
19. The Way I Am Feeling Now
    
    • Invites participants to look at their own behavior.
    • Explores the reality of our life.
    • Discusses the worthiness of each one of us.
20. Putting My Feet On The Ground
    
    • Identifying behaviors to change.
    • Change requires patience and perseverance.
    • We don’t need to do this alone.
21. God, Let’s Talk About Him!
    
    • What kind of God do we believe in?
    • Life in a “dark room”.
    • God is always on our side.
22. Facing Our Fears
    
    • Exploring our relationship with God.
    • “Talk” needs to be rooted in the truth.
    • By exploring our fears, they lose power over us.
23. Change is not easy
    
    • What do we do now?
    • Are we willing to do whatever it takes?
    • What does being humble mean to you?
24. God is in each of us
    
    • God is in me.
    • God saying I AM.
    • Winning over our big enemy.
    • Enemy: resentments.
    • Winning: with Honesty.

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