the Carmelite crest with Mount Carmel representing the ascent to contemplation, for example
or el Greco's illustration of the Franciscan devotion to the Passion:
Of course, when looking at the topic of vocation, we didn't just consider religious life. I tried to get the kids round to the idea that marriage or the single life can also be considered 'callings' from God. They really liked Cardinal Newman's passage about each of us having a unique vocation.
As well as using 'static art', I also had a whole lesson based on online videos to do with vocation. Fishers of Men really bowled them over (people this side of the water often criticise it because it's "too Hollywood", but sometimes we forget that the average teen's aesthetic sense is largely formed by Hollywood!), and VocationStation proved to be a powerful resource. They also liked the Nashville Dominican sisters, a fact which doesn't surprise me at all! All of these videos formed the basis of lively discussions, and the students still remember some of the quotations mentioned in them.
So the new media really proved their pedagogical (and catechetical) worth... There's a wealth of good resources available online if you're not afraid to go fishing! If you know of any other good sites for teaching resources, please place the links in the comment box.
