December 2013 - Catechist's Journey

My New Book Is Available for Pre-Order!

During the holidays, we enjoy family, good friends, good food, and yes, a few good drinks! Responsibly enjoying a drink or two loosens up our inhibitions. Isn’t it interesting, then, to note that the very first impression that non-Christians had of Christians was NOT that they were sourpusses or judgmental curmudgeons but that they were drunk (Acts 2:13)? I doubt that the crowds saw the Apostles fumbling, slurring words, acting obnoxiously, moving haltingly, staring with […]

Podcast on Catholic Identity in the RCIA

Joe Paprocki

When I was in Santa Clara in November, I had the opportunity to see good friends Nick Wagner and Diana Macalintal (the best looking couple in ministry!) who run TeamRCIA, an excellent Web site for those working in RCIA ministry. Nick and Diana invited me to participate in a Podcast devoted to the topic of “How to build a strong Catholic identity in the RCIA.” They were kind enough to share that podcast with me. […]

9 Advent Attitudes – #9: Practicing Mindfulness

Joe Paprocki

Advent is, above all else, a season of hope – a virtue that is all too rare in our world. To live as a person of hope is to behave in such a manner as to draw suspicion that we are behaving somewhat erratically as far as worldly norms go. This new type of behavior – what some may even call erratic behavior (the behavior that led people to conclude that the Apostles were “under […]

9 Advent Attitudes – #8: Remaining Even-Keeled

Joe Paprocki

Advent is, above all else, a season of hope—a virtue that is all too rare in our world. To live as a person of hope is to behave in such a manner as to draw suspicion that we are behaving somewhat erratically as far as worldly norms go. This new type of behavior—what some may even call erratic behavior (the behavior that led people to conclude that the Apostles were “under the influence” on Pentecost)—is […]

Thank God for the Textbook!

Joe Paprocki

On pg. 40 of my book, The Catechist’s Toolbox, I mention that one of the top ten things that can go wrong for a catechist is “You’re done with your lesson and you still have 35 minutes to go!” Would you believe 50 minutes? That’s exactly what happened to me last night! We took our 6th graders to church for the Sacrament of Reconciliation and we were told to anticipate that it would take the […]

9 Advent Attitudes – #7: Staying on Message

Joe Paprocki

Advent is, above all else, a season of hope – a virtue that is all too rare in our world. To live as a person of hope is to behave in such a manner as to draw suspicion that we are behaving somewhat erratically as far as worldly norms go. This new type of behavior – what some may even call erratic behavior (the behavior that led people to conclude that the Apostles were “under […]

Using Arts & Faith: Christmas with Young Adults

Special Contributor

This is a guest post by Pamela Tremblay. Christ’s Birth as an Invitation to Enter the Messiness The reflection states that Christ, “enters messily into the imperfection of our lives.” It then ends with the challenging question of “How will she bring his light to the world?” Young adults are a generation filled with passion and desire to change the world. They want to be people of greatness and are at a time in their […]

Dallas Was Delightful!

Joe Paprocki

Loyola Press and I are blessed to have a wonderful relationship with the Diocese of Dallas, TX, which has resulted in numerous opportunities for me to visit over the years. This past Saturday was one such opportunity, as I served as “retreat master” for about 100 catechists, reflecting on Mary as the Model for the New Evangelization. Thanks to Lourdes Mayer and Jeanne Jakubowski for inviting me to serve their catechists once again and to […]

9 Advent Attitudes – #6: Having Others’ Best Interests in Mind

Joe Paprocki

Advent is, above all else, a season of hope – a virtue that is all too rare in our world. To live as a person of hope is to behave in such a manner as to draw suspicion that we are behaving somewhat erratically as far as worldly norms go. This new type of behavior – what some may even call erratic behavior (the behavior that led people to conclude that the Apostles were “under […]

Happy 7th Blogoversary to ME!

Joe Paprocki

It’s hard to believe that today is the 7th anniversary of The Catechist’s Journey! During that time, I have posted 1666 times and have received nearly 7500 comments! Thank you for walking this journey with me and may the Holy Spirit (and Our Lady of Guadalupe!) guide, inspire, and watch over our efforts as catechists as we continue the journey into the future! [photo courtesy of Jeff Krause via Compfight]