LessonsLesson 2

Feast of the Cross · Week 2

The Feast of the Holy Cross

عيد الصليب المقدّس

holy_crossfeast

For younger children (5-6), focus on the vocabulary cards and coloring. For older children (8-10), engage with the discussion questions.

🙏 Opening Prayer

Read the prayer aloud slowly. Have the children repeat each line after you. Make the sign of the cross together.

بِاسْمِ الآبِ وَالابْنِ وَالرُّوحِ القُدُس، إلهٌ واحِد، آمين.

Bismil-Aab wal-Ibn war-Ruuh al-Qudus, Ilaahun waahid, aameen.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God, Amen.

📖 This Week's Story

The Feast of the Holy Cross (Eid al-Saleeb) celebrates when Queen Helena found the True Cross in Jerusalem. In the Maronite tradition, this is one of our most important feasts. The cross (saleeb) reminds us of Jesus's love for everyone. A long, long time ago, Queen Helena traveled far across the sea to find the most important cross in the world — the cross where Jesus showed his love for all of us. She searched and searched until she found it! When she held it up, people were so happy that they lit fires on the mountaintops to spread the good news. In Arabic, we call the cross "saleeb." Can everyone say "saleeb" together? The cross is a sign of God's love. Every time we see a cross, we remember how much Jesus loves us.

Key Phrases

صليب

saleeb

Cross

عيد

eid

Feast

محبة

mahabba

Love

📝 Vocabulary

صليب

saleeb

Cross

We make the sign of the saleeb before we pray.

مقدّس

muqaddas

Holy

The Saleeb al-Muqaddas is a special feast.

بخور

bukhoor

Incense

The beautiful smell of bukhoor fills the church.

🎮 Activity

craft

Give each child paper and crayons. Have them draw and decorate a cross. While they work, practice saying the word 'saleeb' (cross) in Arabic.

  1. 1What shape is a cross?
  2. 2Where do you see crosses in our church?

🙏 Closing Prayer

المَجدُ للآبِ وَالابنِ وَالرُّوحِ القُدُس، مِنَ الآنَ وَإلى الأبَد، آمين.

Al-majdu lil-Aab wal-Ibn war-Ruuh al-Qudus, minal-aana wa ila al-abad, aameen.

Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, Amen.

Want your child to learn Armenian at home?

Try our K-5 curriculum — interactive lessons from alphabet to reading.

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