Research shows that the average lifespan of a blog is just over two years. Well, I would say we did pretty well here at Catechist’s Journey, which has published continually since 2006—nearly 18 years or nine times the average! Alas, after nearly 3500 posts, it’s time to unplug my Catechist’s Journey keyboard and give thanks to God for such a wonderful experience. Our last post will go up at the end of May, 2024. Catechist’s […]
On Pentecost we celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles; this event marks the beginning of the Church. Bring the celebration of Pentecost to your faith formation group with our Pentecost Activities Packet. The packet includes a prayer service, a Holy Spirit crossword puzzle, a coloring page, and more. Combine using the packet with reading the story of Pentecost, found in the Acts of the Apostles 2:1–11, and the special seasonal lessons […]
We will have our last monthly session (not counting a celebration in May) for family catechesis at St. Barnabas on Sunday, April 28, as we explore the theme of Unit 5 of the Finding God series: “The Moral Life: Stop Trying to Fix Yourself!” Here’s a quick peek at the plan: Our learning outcomes are: Explain how we are all created in the image and likeness of God. Describe how being in a relationship with […]
I have long been a fan of science fiction. (I’m old enough to remember enjoying the original Star Trek series on TV when I was a kid and the first Star Wars film in the theater as a teenager.) One of the things I enjoy about the genre is its exploration of spiritual themes. It’s as if the genre itself provides us with a venue for exploring spiritual issues freed from any “baggage” of institutional […]
This past Sunday was our penultimate parent session as far as delivering content. (Our May gathering will be a Pentecost celebration!) Our focus was on the Eucharist as that which sustains us, and we primarily did a “walk-through” of the parts of the Mass. Here’s a summary of how things went: Attendance remained steady, which was good to see; it has not fluctuated much from month to month since about November. I was “flying solo” […]
I recall when taking courses as an undergraduate, it was common to ask professors about the syllabus: “Are all these required reading?” “How long does the final paper need to be?” Such questions are intended to identify the bare minimum required for us to pass the course. Obviously, by doing the bare minimum, one would usually end up with a C for the course, which means “satisfactory.” Even in relationships, we sometimes find ourselves saying […]
Recently, I had the privilege and pleasure of being invited into the home of a family to observe a mom working with her third-grade son on a Finding God faith formation lesson! I’m excited to share my observations of this wonderful experience. Mrs. K. is participating in the Finding God family catechesis program at St. Barnabas Parish. As regular readers know, I have been volunteering there this year to lead the monthly parent sessions. Mrs. […]
Most of us are familiar with the tool for cropping an image on our computer or smartphone. While we intentionally crop images to center attention on a specific focal point, sometimes we unintentionally crop out features that are critical to telling the whole story. For too long, people with disabilities have been “cropped out” of the total picture of our faith communities. When Loyola Press courageously decided to create faith formation resources for people with […]
In the movie Ghost, Sam (Patrick Swayze) never says the words, “I love you” to Molly (Demi Moore), instead opting for the response, “Ditto.” His inability to say the words, “I love you,” cause Molly to question Sam’s commitment to their relationship. She rightly wants him to say the words as an action that confirms his commitment to her. The truth is, some words we speak are “efficacious,” which means that speaking the words achieves […]
Often in life, certain dreams we have remain just out of our reach. I always wanted to see the Beatles perform live; however, after John Lennon’s tragic death, I realized this would never happen. Seeing Paul McCartney perform live a few years ago was the next best thing! I’ve no doubt that many of us would dream about the chance to go on a personal retreat with Pope Francis. However, for most of us, that […]
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