An Internet Scavenge Celebrating Pope John Paul II as a Peacebuilder
To print, download this activity as a Word document.

This activity requires access to the Internet. Participants can work as individuals or in teams, on their own or during your gathering, provided that everyone has Internet access.

You'll need:

• a Bible with Isaiah 52:7-10 marked
• a reader who has practiced reading Isaiah 52:7-10
• the Scavenge Instructions, either printed on white/chalk or poster board (if the group will do the online work in the same room at the same time), or on hand-outs for all (if small groups or individuals will do the online work elsewhere)
  Scavenge Instructions:
• Make a brief summary of the facts: who, what, when, where, and why.
• Answer this question: What does this episode in Pope John Paul II's life teach us about being a Peacebuilder?
• the list of web sites either printed on white/chalk or poster board (if the group will do the online work in the same room at the same time), or on hand-outs for all (if small groups or individuals will do the online work elsewhere)
  Web Site Addresses:
  www.vatican.va
  www.nytimes.com
  www.cnn.com
• a leader to lead the Eternal Rest prayer
• copies of the Eternal Rest prayer for all:
  
  Leader: Eternal rest grant unto John Paul the Second, O Lord. All: And let perpetual light shine upon him. Leader: May John Paul the Second rest in peace. All: Amen! Leader: May his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, rest in peace. All: Amen!
• optional, but cool: memorial cards of Pope John Paul II for all. See www.BridgeBuilding.com for a good example.

Step by Step

1. Ask the group to think for a moment about Pope John Paul II. Take a moment of communal silence to do this.
2. Invite all to share any thoughts, feelings or memories about the life and work of John Paul II. Take 10-15 minutes to do this.
3. Ask the group to again take a moment of silence to prepare to hear God's word.
4. Have the reader read Isaiah 52: 7-10.
5. Take another moment of silence.
6. Have the reader read the passage again. Tell everyone that as the reader proclaims the passage again, to pay particular attention to any images, phrases or words that seem to "jump off the page and bite you in the nose."
7. Invite all to share any of the images, phrases or words that struck them. Take about 10-15 minutes to do this.
8. Explain that a prophet, in the Biblical tradition, is not someone who tells the future (that's only on TV and in cheesy Christian novels). Rather, a prophet is someone who hears the word of God in h is or her heart and then speaks it to others.
9. Discuss: What does Isaiah mean when he says "how beautiful on the mountain top are the feet" of those prophets who bring the good news of peace?
10. Explain that we're going to do an Internet Scavenge to find out more about Pope John Paul II was a prophet of peace.
11. If your group is large enough, break down into 6 pairs or teams. Otherwise, have individuals choose a topic from the list of topics below in number 12.
12. The topics are:
13. Pope John Paul II and the Jews.
14. Pope John Paul II's Annual New Year's Letter.
15. Pope John Paul II speaks to Israel and Palestine.
16. Pope John Paul II speaks to the United States about Iraq.
17. Pope John Paul II and the death penalty.

Explain that the idea is that each person/pair/team is going to look online for information about the topic and prepare a short report on it to share their research with the large group.

Show/handout the web site addresses. Tell the group that they can also use a search engine like www.ask.com or www.google.com in addition to checking out these sites. (See above.)

Show/handout the Internet Scavenge Instructions. (See above.)

Go to it! It'll probably take about 30 minutes.

If you still have time, do the reports in the large group now. Or you could do the reports at your next class/meeting/gathering.

Pass out the JPII holy cards, if you ordered them.

Pray the Eternal Rest prayer together for Pope John Paul II.