Advent Lights · Week 3 · Grades 3–5
Guided Notes: St. Lucy
- Name
- Date
- Class
Follow along as your teacher presents. Fill in each section when its slide is on the screen.
A girl from Syracuse
Lucy lived in Syracuse, a busy city on the island of Sicily. Sicily was part of the Roman Empire then.
Her name comes from the Latin word for blank 1. She was a Christian at a time when that was dangerous.
Around the year 304, the emperor Diocletian ordered Christians to give up their faith. Lucy refused. She died as a blank 2, a person who gives their life rather than deny Jesus.
Words to know
Write what each word means.
| Word | What it means |
|---|---|
| Martyr | Write your answer |
| Tradition | Write your answer |
| Persecution | Write your answer |
| Advent | Write your answer |
What tradition tells
Christians wrote down Lucy’s story more than one hundred years after she died. Historians cannot check every detail, so we say “tradition says.”
Tradition says Lucy’s mother was sick. The two prayed at the tomb of St. Agatha, and her mother got well.
Tradition also says Lucy gave her money to the poor and promised her whole life to blank 3. A man who had hoped to marry her was angry. He told the governor that she was a Christian.
Quick check
Where did Lucy live? Circle one.
- A Rome, in Italy
- B Stockholm, in Sweden
- C Syracuse, in Sicily
- D Athens, in Greece
History or tradition?
Some things about Lucy are well known to historians. Others come from old stories. Sort each one. Check one box for each.
| Item | Historians are confident | Tradition says |
|---|---|---|
| Lucy died as a martyr in Syracuse | ||
| Her mother was healed at St. Agatha’s tomb | ||
| Christians honored her soon after she died | ||
| She gave her money to the poor | ||
| Her feast day is December 13 | ||
| A man reported her to the governor |
Quick check
Why is St. Lucy linked with light? Circle one.
- A Her name comes from the word for light
- B She invented a new kind of oil lamp
- C She lived in a lighthouse by the sea
- D She was born on the first day of summer
Think, pair, share
Lucy’s feast comes when the nights are long. People light candles and remember that Jesus is the light of the world. Screens glow in the dark too. What is different about the light of a screen and the light Lucy shared?
Think: my idea before we talk
Sentence starters: “A screen’s light is ... but Lucy’s light was ...”“I can be a light to someone by ...”“One time I could turn off a screen and be quiet is ...”
Pair: something my partner said
Let us pray
“You are the light of the world.”
Matthew 5:14
Jesus, you are the light of the world.
Help us to see what is true and good.
Make us brave and generous like Lucy.
St. Lucy, pray for us.
Amen.
My own prayer or intention:
Well done!
St. Lucy’s feast day is December 13, in the middle of Advent. Her light still points to Jesus.
One thing I learned today:
One question I still have:
Challenge: One evening this week, turn off every screen for ten minutes. Sit by a small light and say a prayer for someone.