Our Faith from A to Z

Overview
Introduce elementary school children to important theology terms and concepts they hear at church, catechism instruction, and home.

Our Faith from A to Z invites kids to discover new words with a poem that weaves together 26 terms and explanations in alphabetical order. Each page features one term from the poem, an illustration of that term, and an encyclopedic-style definition. For example:

Kyrie
“Kyrie” means “Lord.” In the divine service we find a form of the liturgical prayer called “Kyrie elesion.” In it we pray, “Lord, have mercy, Christ, have mercy, Lord have mercy.” The Kyrie comes shortly after the confession and absolution of sins. In the Kyrie we are asking God to hear and answer our prayers according to His holy will.

The Divine Service may also include short petitions, such as “for the peace from above and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord,” to which the response is “Lord, have mercy.” The use of the Kyrie in liturgical worship dates to the first century, but even throughout the Bible there are many examples of people crying to the Lord for mercy.”