Courageous Witnesses · Week 1 · Grades 6–8
Guided Notes: St. Titus Brandsma
- Name
- Date
- Class
Follow along as your teacher presents. Fill in each section when its slide is on the screen.
Professor, journalist, friend
Anno Brandsma was born in blank 1 on a dairy farm in Friesland, a part of the Netherlands. He was so small and sickly that the Carmelites almost did not accept him. At 17 he joined them anyway and took the name Titus.
He earned a doctorate in philosophy in Rome and helped start the Catholic University of Nijmegen in blank 2. He wrote for newspapers, and in 1935 he became the spiritual advisor for Catholic journalists.
People loved him because he would stop blank 3 he was doing to help. He was famous for running late because he talked to everyone.
The life of Titus Brandsma
Write what happened in each year.
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1881 | Write your answer |
| 1898 | Write your answer |
| 1905 | Write your answer |
| 1923 | Write your answer |
| 1935 | Write your answer |
| 1940 | Write your answer |
| 1942 | Write your answer |
| 2022 | Write your answer |
The choice that cost him
In the 1930s Titus said that Nazi ideas about race were against the blank 4. After the invasion in 1940, he defended Jewish students.
In January 1942 the blank 5 ordered Catholic newspapers to print Nazi ads and articles. The bishops refused, and Titus carried their letter to editors around the country. He was arrested on January 19.
In June he was sent to blank 6, a concentration camp in Germany. Guards beat him because he was a priest. He shared his food and told prisoners to pray for the guards. On July 26, 1942, a camp nurse gave him a deadly injection.
Check the cause
Why did the Nazis want to control Dutch newspapers? Circle one.
- A To spread their propaganda to readers
- B To earn money from selling the papers
- C To report the war news more quickly
Why is that the right answer?
Check the story
What did Titus give the nurse before he died? Circle one.
- A The letter from the bishops
- B A poem he wrote in prison
- C His Rosary
Why is that the right answer?
Resist or go along?
Titus refused to let a lie travel through him. Sort each online choice. Check one box for each.
| Item | Resists a lie | Goes along with a lie |
|---|---|---|
| Checking who made a viral claim before sharing it | ||
| Reposting a rumor because everyone else already has | ||
| Telling a group chat, “That screenshot is edited” | ||
| Staying quiet while a fake story about a classmate spreads | ||
| Deleting your own post when you learn it was false | ||
| Sharing an AI-made image as if it were a real photo |
Check the Church
Why did Titus not need a miracle to be beatified? Circle one.
- A He was a university professor
- B He was declared a martyr
- C He was a Carmelite priest
Why is that the right answer?
Think, pair, share
“Those who want to win the world for Christ must have the courage to come into conflict with it,” Titus said. Where might telling the truth online put you in conflict with others?
Think: my idea before we talk
Sentence starters: “Telling the truth could cost me ...”“Titus was willing to risk ... because ...”“One conflict worth having online is ...”
Pair: something my partner said
Let us pray
“You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
John 8:32
Lord Jesus, you are the truth.
Give us courage to refuse every lie and to love those who oppose us.
St. Titus Brandsma, pray for us.
Amen.
My own prayer or intention:
Well done!
St. Titus Brandsma shows that truth and mercy belong together. His feast day is July 27.
One thing I learned today:
One question I still have:
How could the example of St. Titus Brandsma shape the way I live, online and offline?
Challenge: This week, be the person in one chat or feed who checks before sharing and speaks up kindly when something is false.