A More Robust Liturgy – My Article In Ministry & Liturgy Magazine

Here’s an excerpt from an article (“7 Steps to a More Robust Liturgy”) I just had published in Ministry & Liturgy Magazine: On a recent trip to Hawaii, I visited the Polynesian Cultural Center and got a firsthand glimpse of the ritual expression of the Polynesian people: bold, dramatic, rich, deeply expressive, highly energizing. I found my imagination stirred, my heart moved, and my senses stimulated as young people explained and performed ancient rituals to the […]

Catechists in Action – Katie Elwood’s Class Tours the Church

In these last segments of Catechists in Action with Katie Elwood’s 2nd grade class, we observe her pastor, Fr. Hyland, taking the kids on a tour of the sanctuary and sacristy. Watch for the following: Fr. Hyland shows the children the sacred oils and relates them to the sacraments One of the children blurts out “Oh yeah, we talked about that in class!” when Fr. Hyland mentions the Anointing of the Sick Fr. Hyland patiently […]

5 Characteristics of Catholic Identity

Recently I had the opportunity to listen to author and national consultant, Joe Paprocki, give a workshop on Catholic identity. In his delightfully engaging style, Joe invited his audience to reflect on their own experiences in order to identify for themselves what it means to be authentically Catholic. Participants shared a variety of rituals, symbols, and gestures that reflect a uniquely Catholic experience. During the remainder of the day, Joe helped us draw deeper meaning […]

Lent, Ashes, Penance, and Mrs. Doubtfire – Catholic Blog Day

(Jonathan Sullivan has invited all Catholic bloggers to write on a common theme today – penance – as a way to mark Catholic Blog Day. I’m happy to participate with my fellow Catholic bloggers!) There is a great scene in the movie Mrs. Doubtfire in which Robin Williams, dressed as Mrs. Doubtfire (a matronly British nanny), has had too much to drink. In his inebriated state, his eyes land on a sexy woman at the […]

Lent: A 40-Day Retreat/Learning to Throw a Change-up

The beginning of Lent often coincides with the beginning of spring training and the reporting of pitchers and catchers, so I can’t help but dip into my bag of sports metaphors to talk about Lent. Lent is nothing more than a 40-day retreat and a retreat is basically an opportunity to step back from ordinary activities to connect with God in a special way. It’s the spiritual equivalent of throwing a change-up. For those of […]

Catechists in Action – Katie Elwood Takes Her Class to Church for a Tour

In these segments of Catechists in Action, we watch as 2nd grade catechist Katie Elwood takes her children (along with the other 2nd grade classes) to the church for a tour led by the pastor, Fr. Hyland. In the first segment… Katie leads her 2nd graders into the church and has them bless themselves with holy water Fr. Hyland welcomes the children into the sanctuary Fr. Hyland explains the baptismal font to the children httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DaOnTT1o7I […]

Catechists in Action – Katie Elwood Teaches 2nd Graders About Their Parish Community

In this segment of Catechists in Action, 2nd grade catechist Katie Elwood explains to her class what it means to be a member of a parish community. Watch as she… directs the children to fill out a page in their book about where they were baptized. talks about what a parish community is calls the kids back to attention when their attention wavers (she does so firmly but without losing her enthusiastic  and friendly voice) […]

They’re Here! 40 Ideas for 40 Days of Lent AND My New Book!

Just in time for Lent! I’m happy to once again provide my very popular 40 Ideas for 40 Days of Lent – a resource that provides catechists and families with 40 practical, creative, and inspiring catechetical activities for the Lenten season, many of them placed specifically on days/dates to which they connect in the Lenten liturgical calendar. This year, to keep things fresh, I have included 7 brand new ideas, one for each week of Lent. […]

Talking About Humility

I noticed that author Jane Knuth (Thrift Store Saints) asked a question about humility yesterday on the People for Others blog. In particular, she mentions the following quote from St. Vincent de Paul and then asks readers to share their understanding of the quote. The most powerful weapon to conquer the devil is humility. For, as he does not know at all how to employ it, neither does he know how to defend himself from […]

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