One of the most important things we teachers/catechists can do is help students participate more fully in the celebration of the Mass. One way to teach about the Mass is to walk students through a celebration step by step. The following resources may help:
Fr. Jim McKearney’s Video Tutorial of the Mass: This series of 24 short video clips is appropriate for younger children, especially those preparing to make their first communion. Fr. Jim McKearney, a Sulpician priest, takes viewers on a tour of the entire mass, explaining it in language that children in grades 2-5 will understand.
Mysteries of the Mass podcast: In this podcast Fr. Bill Holtzinger, a Catholic parish priest from Forest Grove, Oregon, offers “reflections, teachings, interviews and more about the Mass.” Fr. Bill has a friendly voice and a natural manner, and his reflections help listeners to understand the Mass more deeply. His podcast is probably more appropriate as a background for teachers, but you may find it useful to use with students in grades 7-12. You might also suggest that your students subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.
The Catholic Mass Revealed: This web site is more of a sample of the dvd, but it does contain some beautiful images of the Mass, and some of the segments are available in their entirety.
Do you have a favorite multimedia resource for teaching about the Mass? Let everyone know by leaving a comment.