Today is the feast day of St. Ignatius of Loyola. When we talk about Ignatius, we tend to focus on either spirituality, missionary work, or higher education. What is often lost in all of this is the fact that Ignatius was a catechist! He and his followers regularly gathered children in the churches and squares of Rome to offer instruction on the basics of Christianity. So on this feast of St. Ignatius, we renew our […]
Amy G., a religious education coordinator in N.J., wrote the following bulletin article, offering responses to my list of reasons why people hesitate to become a catechist. Nice job, Amy! Thanks for letting me share it here! Maybe being a catechist is something you feel God is calling you to, but you’ve got some reservations. Joe Paprocki, a former Director of Religious Education and current 8th grade catechist came up with some reasons why he […]
I’ve been reading The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins, a professed atheist and I must say I am very disappointed. His tone is so bitter and the way he speaks of people of faith is so belittling that I find nothing compelling in his stance. Not that I want to be compelled! However, I was under the impression that his book was an attempt to offer a logical and practical argument for atheism but it […]
One of the rewards of being a catechist or a teacher of any kind is meeting former students. We always talk about sowing the seeds of faith with those we teach. It’s nice to see how some of those seeds have “sprung” as the years have gone by! Over the last 2 evenings at Theology on Tap, I bumped into 2 former students of mine, both of whom are now engaged in training in the […]
On Sunday, I attended Mass at St. Emily parish in Mount Prospect, immediately before my Theology on Tap presentation. After Communion, a young man (probably in his twenties), came up to the microphone and gave a witness talk about his calling as a catechist. He did an excellent job of talking about the need for catechesis and the spiritual growth that comes with serving as a catechist. He also extended a powerful invitation to folks […]
I’ve been reminding my young adult audiences at Theology on Tap that, according to the Code of Canon Law, they have a right to sound catechesis! All too often, young adults (and for that matter, adults in general) are neglected when it comes to offering catechesis which is to be a lifelong endeavor and not relegated to a childhood experience. Many young adults are surprised to discover that catechesis is their right according to canon law. […]
I’m beginning my Theology on Tap talks this week with the following story. At the time of 9/11, I was working for the Archdiocese of Chicago, Office for Catechesis, as a Vicariate Catechetical Coordinator. The DREs I was working with felt that it would be good to engage in Muslim-Catholic dialogue and I agreed. I visited a mosque and invited the Imam there to meet with a group of DREs and he cordially accepted. A few […]
Girls Gone Mild is the title of a new book by Wendy Shalit. I haven’t read this but I wonder if it might be of interest and help to catechists who work with young ladies. Catholic News Service describes the book this way: WASHINGTON (CNS) – Some girls are choosing to be mild, rejecting the wild. And mild doesn’t mean meek and passive – these girls are standing up to pressures to be promiscuous, rejecting […]
Over the next week, I’ll be a “catechist” for young adults in a program in the Chicago Archdiocese called Theology on Tap, a speaker and conversation series for people in their 20s and 30s to learn more about the Catholic faith, make connections between faith and everyday life, and enter into conversation with peers. The program is being hosted at 40 locations throughout the Archdiocese of Chicago and 14 in the Diocese of Joliet from July 8 – […]
I read with sadness the announcement of the passing of Carl J. Pfeifer who, with his wife Janaan Manternach, were, in the minds of many, the “father” and “mother” of the contemporary catechist. Their book, Creative Catechist, is a classic and inspired me early on in my career in catechetical ministry. Thank you, Carl, for inspiring so many of us to be creative catechists! Carl J. Pfeifer, 78, died of Alzheimers at 1:05 am, Thursday […]
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