Now that we are halfway through the catechetical year, it’s a good time to shake things up a little and try something new! It’s important to remember that today’s learners are accustomed to switching tasks frequently, so it never hurts to try some new methods that can break up monotony and lead to deeper engagement with learners. With that in mind, let’s see what kind of new activity you are most drawn to considering. Please […]
As catechists, we work with the Holy Spirit to form disciples of Jesus Christ. With that in mind, we’ve been devoting some attention to the concept of discipleship with the help of Fr. Brice Higginbotham, author of Remaining with Jesus: Discipleship in the Gospel of John. Fr. Higginbotham has been recording short videos while pursuing a Licentiate in Sacred Scripture at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. In this segment, Fr. Brice explains what we learn about […]
As I’ve shared previously, Pope Francis has announced a Jubilee Year for 2025 with the theme of “Pilgrims of Hope.” In preparation for the Jubilee Year, Pope Francis asked Catholics to prepare by dedicating time in 2023 to studying the documents of the Second Vatican Council. Pope Francis has called for 2024 to be a Year of Prayer. The Jubilee website suggests the following: In preparation for the Jubilee, dioceses are invited to promote initiatives […]
As long as I’ve been writing this blog, I have emphasized that catechist formation and catechist support in general is not just some act of kindness toward catechists. Rather, it is something the Church owes catechists! Imagine someone entering a religious community and being welcomed in and assigned a ministry without first going through a novitiate and formation process! The religious community that a person makes a commitment to owes it to its members to […]
Over the years, many catechists have commented to me that they admire those who teach junior high and high school and that they opted for the “easier” age group of pre-K and primary grades. I’ve always turned it right back around on them and expressed my admiration for anyone who can teach the youngest among us! It is a gift that I never felt I had, which is why I have always gravitated toward teaching […]
Happy New Year, everyone! While I don’t make a big thing out of New Year’s resolutions, I think it is always good to set goals and to articulate them. As we begin 2024, I thought it would be fun for us to make and share some catechetical New Year’s resolutions! Mine is to cut down on the amount of talking I do during presentations so as to leave more time and space for discussion. What’s […]
The January session for family catechesis at St. Barnabas will be a children-only session on safe environment. Since my role is to facilitate the parent sessions, I’ll actually have the day off! As part of the implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, the Archdiocese of Chicago requires its parishes and schools to provide valuable training to children and youth annually. This important training is designed to educate children and […]
As catechists, we work with the Holy Spirit to form disciples of Jesus Christ. With that in mind, we’ve been devoting attention to the concept of discipleship with help from Fr. Brice Higginbotham, author of Remaining with Jesus: Discipleship in the Gospel of John. In the below video, Fr. Brice explains what Jesus’ command to “love one another” has to do with discipleship. For more information about discipleship and our call to love one another, check out […]
We often describe Christmas as “Jesus’ birthday” and rightly so. It is, also, the day on which evangelization was born, modeled for us by the angels, who proclaimed to the shepherds the arrival of a newborn king. Their proclamation moved the shepherds to go in search of this king and, after they encountered him, to return to their lives filled with joy and gratitude. Evangelization is, of course, intimately related to catechesis. The Directory for […]
As catechists, we work with the Holy Spirit to form disciples of Jesus Christ. With that in mind, we’ve been devoting some attention to the concept of discipleship with the help of Fr. Brice Higginbotham, author of Remaining with Jesus: Discipleship in the Gospel of John. Fr. Higginbotham has been recording short videos while pursuing a Licentiate in Sacred Scripture at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. In this segment, Fr. Brice explains what we can learn […]
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