Greece: St. Cosmas Aitolos
ST. COSMAS AITOLOS OF GREECE
Objectives:
- Students should be able to say his name and tell his story.
Possible Lesson Plan:
- Open with prayer.
- Tell the story of St. Cosmas:
About 250 years ago there lived in the land of Greece a monk named Cosmas Aitolos. Cosmas lived for 17 years in the monastery on Mt. Athos. There he grew close to the Lord Jesus and came to love the Lord more and more. But, God told Cosmas to leave the monastery. The Greeks had been ruled for many, many years by the Moslem Turks. Many had forgotten the Lord Jesus. God asked Cosmas to bring His people back to Him.
Cosmas traveled for 20 years all around the land of Greece. He built schools and churches and gave people crosses and icons. Soon, people heard of this holy man and came to hear him preach. Wonderful things would happen while Cosmas was teaching – a tailor with a withered hand was healed, a rich noble could hear again.
Many times Cosmas had to preach outdoors because of the huge crowds. They would stick a large cross in the ground where Cosmas was going to preach to let people know. But, one day, a Turkish soldier pulled out one of the crosses. Suddenly the earth shook and the soldier fell down foaming at the mouth. When he woke up, the soldier knew he had been punished for taking down the cross. He put it back up.
But, many of the people, especially of the Jews and Turks, did not want Cosmas to keep preaching about Jesus. They did not like Jesus or Cosmas. So, the ruler ordered Cosmas to be killed. The soldiers took the old monk and killed him by tying his neck to the trunk of a tree. Cosmas is also called “Equal to the Apostles” because he brought the Greek people back to the Lord.
Add St. Cosmas to your timeline.
3. Feed the Elephant True/False Questions:
True False
Cosmas was a monk. Cosmas was a monkey.
Cosmas healed many people. Cosmas hated sick people.
A Turkish soldier pulled out a cross. A bear pulled out a cross.
- What other saints have we met who are called “Equal to the Apostles”? Review the stories of St. Nina and St. Vladimir. Do you remember the meaning of the word “apostle”? How were these saints like the apostles?
- Look at some pictures of Greece. What are its buildings like? The weather? The houses, people, clothing, customs? How are these like us and how different?
- Make a St. Cosmas Story Flannel Board Box: Take a pizza box. (Pizza places will often give these to you for free.) Glue a piece of light blue felt to fit the bottom of the box. Add cotton ball clouds and Easter grass glued on the bottom. Color St. Cosmas and the Turkish soldier. Cut them out. Cut out also a large brown cross. Add strips of felt to their backs. Tell the story using your figures.
As a simpler craft, just cut out the figures, color them, and attach a popsicle stick in the back and act out the story with your “puppets”.
- Close with prayer: Lord, help me to learn about you so well that I can teach people as did St. Cosmas.
