From the monthly archives:

July 2008

“Greatest Hits” from Church Catechetical Documents

by Joe on July 30, 2008

Whether you are a beginning catechist or a returning catechist, it is good to be familiar with the Church’s documentary tradition when it comes to catechesis. Over the years, the Church has provided us with numerous resources to guide and inspire the ministry of catechesis. Here are just a few of what I consider to be some of the most inspiring lines from these documents (this list is not intended to be definitive…if there are excerpts from documents that you’d like to share, by all means, please send them along!). As you prepare for the upcoming year, use these excerpts (and the questions I’ve provided) to reflect on your call to serve the ministry of catechesis.

 

The Catechism of the Catholic Church

“The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for.” (#27)

 

·         How is God drawing you to himself?

·         In your own search for truth and happiness, what paths brought you closer to God? What paths steered you in the wrong direction?

·         What messages from society/our culture are leading those you teach down the wrong path as they search for truth and happiness?

 

The General Directory for Catechesis

“This comprehensive formation includes more than instruction: it is an apprenticeship of the entire Christian life…”  (#67)

 

·         Who apprenticed you into the Christian life? How did he/she/they do this?

·         How can you apprentice those you teach into the Christian life?

·         What does it mean to you to think of your teaching as more than instruction but as an apprenticeship?

 

The National Directory for Catechesis

“Catechesis must make it clear that the person of Jesus Christ offers a realistic alternative to immediate gratification and the satisfaction of personal needs.” (#4C)

 

·         How can/do you invite those you teach to encounter the person of Jesus, not just the idea of or memory of Jesus?

·         What factors in society/culture encourage the concepts of immediate gratification and the satisfaction of personal needs?

·         How can/do you present Jesus as an alternative to these?

 

 

Catechesi Tradendae (On Catechesis in Our Time)

“The definitive aim of catechesis is to put people not only in touch, but also in communion and intimacy, with Jesus Christ.” (#5)

 

·         What in your life fosters communion and intimacy with Jesus Christ?

·         What can you offer to those you teach to put them in communion and intimacy with Jesus Christ?

·         What factors foster communion and intimacy in human relationships? How can these be applied to our relationship with Jesus Christ?

 

 

Evangelii Nuntiandi (On Evangelization in the Modern World)

“Evangelizing is in fact the grace and vocation proper to the Church, her deepest identity. She exists in order to evangelize, that is to say, in order to preach and teach…” (#15)

 

·         How do you understand the word evangelize? What does it mean to evangelize? How is catechesis related to evangelization?

·         If evangelization (preaching and teaching) is the Church’s deepest identity, what does that say about the importance of your role as a catechist?

·         As a catechist, how can/do you evangelize those you teach?

 

 

Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us (A Pastoral Plan for Adult Faith Formation in the United States)

“We are entering a period of new vitality for the Church, a period in which adult Catholic laity will play a pivotal leadership role in fulfilling the Christian mission of evangelizing and transforming society. For adults to fulfill their roles in this new era of the Church, their faith formation must be lifelong, just as they must continue to learn to keep up in the changing world.” (#29)

 

·         How is your role as a catechist helping/challenging you to keep up with a changing world?

·         How is your role as a catechist contributing to your own lifelong formation?

·         How can you encourage those you teach to see that faith formation is a lifelong task?

 

 

Go and Make Disciples (A National Plan and Strategy for Catholic Evangelization in the United States)

“This is crucial: we must be converted—and we must continue to be converted! We must let the Holy Spirit change our lives! We must respond to Jesus Christ. And we must be open to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit who will continue to convert us as we follow Christ. If our faith is alive, it will be aroused again and again as we mature as disciples.” (#14)

 

·         How are you experiencing conversion at this time in your life?

·         How does serving as a catechist foster your own conversion?

·         How do you call those you teach to change their lives?

 

 

Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions

“Central to our identity as Catholics is that we are called to be leaven for transforming the world, agents for bringing about a kingdom of love and justice.”

 

·         In what ways do you see yourself a being a “leaven for transforming the world?”

·         How can you call those you teach to become agents for bringing about a kingdom of love and justice?

·         What does it mean to say that working for justice is central to our identity as Catholics? What implications does this have for you ministry as a catechist?

 

Guidelines for Doctrinally Sound Catechetical Materials

“Effective catechesis…requires that the Church’s teaching be presented correctly and in its entirety, and it is equally important to present it in ways that are attractive, appealing, and understandable by the individuals and communities to whom it is directed.” (II – Guidelines for Presenting Sound Doctrine)

 

·         What are you doing to ensure that you are presenting the Church’s teaching correctly?

·         How can/do you make the Church’s teaching attractive? Appealing? Understandable?

·         Considering the age level you teach, what is needed to make the Church’s teaching attractive, appealing, and understandable?

 

 

Renewing the Vision: A Framework for Catholic Youth Ministry

“Renewing the Vision takes up the Holy Father’s challenge by focusing the Church’s ministry with adolescents on three essential goals: (1) empowering young people to live as disciples of Jesus Christ in our world today; (2) drawing young people to responsible participation in the life, mission, and work of the faith community; and (3) fostering the personal and spiritual growth of each young person.”

 

·         How can/do you empower young people to live as disciples of Jesus Christ in our world today?

·         How can/do you draw young people to responsible participation in the parish community?

·         How can/do you foster personal and spiritual growth of those you teach?

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Nice Review of A Well-Built Faith

by Joe on July 29, 2008

Thanks to the folks at Good News Daily for providing the following positive review of my new book, A Well-Built Faith!

New Book Helps Catholics Nail Down the Facts of Their Faith

CHICAGO, (Christian Newswire) – The Catechism of the Catholic Church is over nine hundred pages long, so it comes as no surprise that many Catholics think of their faith as complex–and certainly too complex to share with others! In A Well-Built Faith: A Catholic’s Guide to Knowing and Sharing What We Believe (Loyola Press, 156 pp, $9.95, 0-8294-2757-0), best-selling author Joe Paprocki makes it easy and flat-out fun for any Catholic to know what they believe and to feel confident in sharing those beliefs with others.

This highly practical book is developed around a construction theme, making it accessible to all readers. Following the structure of the four pillars of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Joe takes otherwise difficult topics about the Catholic faith and makes them relevant to the lives of average Catholics without compromising the rich depth of Catholic teaching and tradition. 

“Can you imagine your pastor asking you to represent him at a meeting of non-Catholics who wanted to learn more about the Catholic faith?” asks Paprocki. “I’ve asked this question to numerous groups of Catholics, especially catechists, and the number of people who feel they would have the right tools to represent the Catholic faith properly is extremely low.”

A Well-Built Faith serves a broad audience of individuals who want to deepen their own knowledge of the Catholic faith. It can be used effectively with RCIA candidates, catechists, parents, adult faith- formation groups, pastoral council members, and anyone else who is eager to learn more about their faith.

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8 Reasons to Bring Your Child Regularly to Mass

by Joe on July 28, 2008

One of the biggest frustrations that catechists have is the fact that so many of our students are not attending Mass (because their parents are not attending). Here is a helpful resource I recently came across titled, “8 Reasons to Bring Your Child Regularly to Mass.” It is in a parent “magazine” called “Together: Preparing at Home for First Eucharist” ((written by Tom McGrath) that is a part of the God’s Gift: Eucharist program (Loyola Press).

8-reasons-to-bring-your-child-to-mass-regularly

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The Liturgical Calendar, the Paschal Mystery, and the Grand Canyon

by Joe on July 25, 2008

Here is a nice, simple liturgical calendar that can be used as a very effective teaching tool for teaching about the Church year. Below this image, I share an approach to understanding the liturgical calendar.

If you’ve ever visited the Grand Canyon, you know that its immenseness is overwhelming: 277 river miles long, up to 18 mles wide, and a mile deep! All around the rim of the Canyon are numerous breathtaking look-out points. What do visitors to the Grand Canyon do? They walk along the trails and pause at various look-out points to take in the view from specific vantage points. Along the way, they are looking at the same thing – the immense Grand Canyon – but from various perspectives and angles that highlight different aspects of the Canyon’s majesty.

This is what we do as we walk through the liturgical year. Our gaze is fixed on one thing: the Pashcal Mystery of Jesus – a mystery that is so immense that it cannot be taken in in its entirety. Rather, stop at various vantage points along the way to look more closely at specific aspects of this wonderful mystery. We are always looking at the same thing: the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ. Each season and feast of the Church year, however, is like a look-out point – an opportunity to pause and to focus on one specific aspect of the Paschal Mystery. Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, Ordinary Time – these are all opportunities to get a unique perspective on specific parts of the Paschal Mystery – parts of a whole. On saints’ days, we have an opportunity to learn from “tour guides” – people who know the landscape of the Paschal Mystery very well and who can guide us in our journey.

The Paschal Mystery is so overwhelmingly immense, that we walk through it over the course of a 3-year cycle and then again and again throughout our lives. Like the Grand Canyon that looks different at various times of the day and seasons of the year, the Paschal Mystery of Jesus is revealed to us in different ways throughout our lifetime. It is a journey that we never tire of making!

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Learning Outcomes

by Joe on July 24, 2008

Too often, when we catechists plan for our lessons, we concentrate on what it is that WE will be doing. “I’ll cover chapter 10, then play Jeopardy to review the main points of the lesson, then I’ll lead prayer, and so on…” It’s important to remember that, in our planning, the focus should be on what the participants will be doing. Today, most catechist manuals use the phrase learning outcomes to identify what the participants should be able to know or do as a result of a lesson. Some may use the word objectives, however, that tends to be more teacher-focused. Here is a nifty chart that helps to identify different levels of learning outcomes.

If you want your participants to . .

Use keywords such as the following in your learning outcomes.

Example: After this lesson, the participants will be able to . . .

recognize or recall facts and information and knowledge

(recall)

list                  describe

define              repeat

fill in                label

name               identify

 

list the seven sacraments.

demonstrate an understanding (comprehension)

paraphrase      explain

review             match

discuss            interpret

 

explain the meaning of the symbol of water in baptism.

apply what is learned to new situations

(application)

apply               construct

draw                simulate

sketch              predict

write

 

draw a picture of an experience of reconciliation in their lives.

pick out important points

(analysis)

classify            distinguish

differentiate     compare

contrast           categorize

separate           break down

 

categorize the seven

sacraments into Sacraments of Initiation, Sacraments of Healing, and Sacraments at the Service of Communion.

combine concepts into something new (synthesis)

combine           relate

put together      integrate

assemble          collect

 

assemble a prayer aid for the celebration of one of the seven sacraments.

judge and evaluate ideas based on standards

(evaluation)

judge               argue

assess              appraise

decide             defend

rate                  debate

evaluate           choose

 

evaluate a sample homily for a confirmation Mass in relation to its use of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the symbols of the bishop, or the symbols of the rite of confirmation.

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