Catechists often ask me where they can get their hands on guided reflections (meditations) for children, especially after I have introduced them to one of the guided reflections included in the Finding God program that we use at the parish where I’m a catechist. If they are not using the Finding God program, they are wondering where they can get some guided reflections. Good news!  Loyola Press has now made a number of guided reflections available in a convenient resource called (what else?) Guided Reflections for Children, Volumes I and II. Here are links to these resources:

http://www.loyolapress.com/guided-reflections-for-children-vol-1-praying-with-scripture.htm

http://www.loyolapress.com/guided-reflections-for-children-vol-2-praying-my-faith.htm

 

With Ash Wedensday being only 2 weeks from tomorrow, I thought that now would be a good time to offer you a brief video titled Lent FAQ with Joe Paprocki - some simple answers to some of the frequently asked questions about the Lenten season.

• why do we have a season of Lent?
• why is Lent 40 days?
• why do we start Lent by wearing ashes?
• why do we practice prayer, fasting, and giving alms during Lent?
• why do we give things up during Lent?
• why do we give up meat on Fridays during Lent?
• why is purple the color of Lent?
• why do we pray the Stations of the Cross during Lent?
• is Lent a sad or somber time?

By all means, please pass along the link to this video to your fellow catechists and to anyone associated with your religious education program (the kids, the parents, etc.) The link to this post is:

http://catechistsjourney.loyolapress.com/2009/02/10/lent-faq-with-joe-paprocki-a-short-video/

The link to the video on YouTube is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSyfTU4cqCk

In addition to the video, I’m also making the script available should you wish to print the Q & A in your religious education newsletter or parish bulletin. If you do so, would you kindly include the following credit? Printed with permission from Joe Paprocki,  DMin, Loyola Press, www.catechistsjourney.com.

P.S. Please don’t forget to send me scripts or outlines for the Living Stations of the Cross so that I can share them on my blog. Attach them (as a Word document or PDF) to an email and send to joe@catechistsjourney.com. And don’t forget my recommended reading for Lent:

The above quote is from the blog of author Robert Hutchinson. I love his January 26, 2009, post about becoming a catechist. He really captures the feeling that many catechist have when thrust in front of a group of kids. Enjoy his account!

I have to say, it’s very humbling to become a teacher of any kind. When you have to stand up in front of a group of people and expound on a given subject, even one you think you know something about, it becomes clear very quickly how little you really know. As the old Jesuit joke has it, “I don’t know anything about that subject; I’ve never even taught it.”

Also, students have an annoying habit of asking questions that are so basic – so antecedent to the subject matter you are discussing – that you can be flabbergasted and utterly at a loss at how to answer them. Students can ask questions that are so basic they’re actually philosophical and therefore quite mind-numbing.

A lawyer standing up and giving a lecture on intellectual property law, for example, expecting and ready to answer knotty questions about the Internet and copyright, can be stopped in his or her tracks by a question like, “Why is it wrong to kill people?” or “What is a crime?” Questions like that are four or five degrees behind, or ahead of, depending upon how you look at it, what the lawyer really wants to talk about.

So it was that I became, kicking and screaming, a Catechist, a teacher for Confirmation. I agreed to do it because I have children going through the whole Confirmation program, my parish desperately needed teachers, I spent 10 years earning a master’s degree in theology, and I ran out of excuses. I also wanted to know what my own 14-year-old was learning from the program.

I’m a writer, not a teacher, but in the past whenever I imagined myself teaching a course of some kind, I always assumed it would be in front of interested, retired people or graduate students. I could see myself teaching Biblical Hebrew… or Kierkegaard… or Contemporary Philosophy of Religion. What I never imagined was standing in front of 15 or 16 nice enough but utterly bored 14-year-old Orange County kids who are being forced by their parents to attend confirmation classes and listen to a bookish, middle-aged guy (me) talk to them about such things as Baptism, Christian Ethics, the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, and so on, as mandated by the curriculum we were given.

Read more: http://roberthutchinson.com/apologetics/the-humbling-spiritual-path-of-teaching-teenagers/

Did you come on board as a catechist “kicking and screaming?”What’s you reaction to Robert’s account?

As catechists, we all wonder whether or not we are getting through to our young people. Sometimes, we can do formal assessments such as giving an exam. More often than not, we can do informal assessments such as the one I did this past Monday evening. I ended my session by asking each of the young people to state ONE THING that they learned that evening during our final Confirmation Intensive. We had spent the evening learning about the 5 elements of the Confirmation Rite:

1. the Presentation of the Candidates
2. the bishop’s homily
3. the renewal of baptismal promises
4. the laying on of hands and anointing with chrism
5. the general intercessions

"I learned that..."

Here is a summary of what the young people said, as best I can recall. I’ve included some explanatory comments of my own in parentheses.

• “I learned that the anointing is permanent.” (we talked about the indelible nature of the anointing)
• “I learned that when we are confirmed, we are supposed to make a good impression on other people.” (we talked about the fragrance in the chrism and how people wear colognes and perfumes to make an impression on others)
• “I learned that making our Confirmation is like signing a declaration of dependence.” (we used the idea of a declaration of dependence to better understand the presentation of the candidates)
• “I learned that we’re supposed to pray for the needs of others.” (one mini-session was on the general intercessions)
• “we wrote letters to the bishop telling him about ourselves.” (the mini-session on the bishop’s homily allowed for the young people to write letters to the bishop telling him why they want to be confirmed and describing their favorites (songs, movies, TV shows, sports, etc.)
• “we had sacred space with Mrs. Signorelli and prayed about our baptism.” (Mary Kay led guided reflections on the renewal of baptismal promises)
• “I learned that we can pass on qualities to someone else by touching them.” (we focused on the laying on of hands prayer and looked at some scriptural examples of laying on of hands)

Most of the young people offered comments such as the above or slight variations thereof. I was pleased that each of them was able to offer some concrete statement of something they learned that evening. In all, the other catechists and I were very satisfied that this confirmation intensive (and all of them, for that matter) went very well and provided the young people with engaging experiences to help them prepare for confirmation. I personall felt as though some powerful connections were made along the way (you can tell when the “lightbulbs” go on!)

There were only a handful of downsides. During one mini-session, one of the groups got pretty giddy and I needed to stop several times to “collect’ them. The good thing was that, we were talking about the fragrance of the chrism and how people wear fragrances to make an impression on others. I was able to point out that their misbehavior at that moment was making an impression on me…one that was not favorable. I used that as an opportunity to tell them that they need to reflect on the kind of impression they are making on others and to use Confirmation as an opportunity to think about how they can make a good impression on others (the Fruits of the Holy Spirit). By the same token, one other class was so well-behaved that I had the opportunity to tell them that they were already making a strong positive impression on me and that they should keep it up. They appeared genuinely pleased.

The other minor distraction was the little candles we gave them during one of the mini-sessions to remind them of their baptism. Of course, those became toys for them to play with the remainder of the evening (they made for great little “hockey pucks!). Once I noticed that happening, I told each group as they settled in, to place their candles on the table in front of them and to sit back.

Next week, we get back to our usual sessions (75 minutes, as opposed to the 2-hour intensives). We all look forward to that. While the intensives are positive, they are very tiring and make for a long evening after a long day. It’ll be nice to get home 45 minutes earlier!

Since September, 2008, I’ve been writing a column for CATECHIST magazine entitled What’s Your Catholic IQ? It’s been a very enjoyable experience and I’m told it is one of the most popular features in the magazine (it already was before I took over writing the column from Page Zyromski).

These quizzes are a fun way for catechists to wrap your own head around the vast treasury of knowledge that the Catholic faith offers us. Likewise, you can make use of these quizzes in your classes if you work with older children. Here are links to the articles published so far this “year.”

What’s Your Catholic IQ? - September, 2008

What’s Your Catholic IQ? - October, 2008

What’s Your Catholic IQ? - November/December, 2008

What’s Your Catholic IQ? - January, 2009

What’s Your Catholic IQ? - February, 2009

P.S. I came across a parish Website (St. Denis, Hopewell Junction, NY) and saw that on their Religious Education page, they have a link to the very popular 3 Minute Retreat offered by Loyola Press. What a great idea to let parents (and all visitors to the site) know that they can incorporate this brief reflective prayer into their day.

Using moral dilemmas to teach Catholic morality is a tried and true, effective teaching method. I recently had an email exchange with a catechist about the topic of teaching morality and, in the course of our sharing, she generously shared with me some moral dilemma scripts she developed for teaching the virtues and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Here’s our exchange:

What a shame that an idiot like Hitler ruined such a good phrase: “my struggle” (of course you know that is the translation of Mein Kampf, his notorious autobiography/statement of his twisted ideology).

I bring this up because I am always amazed and also amused (and of course, touched) at the fact that I get more feedback on my blog posts in which I share my struggles or moments of weakness as a catechist than those in which I share stories of successes or creative ideas (see yesterday’s post and the comments that follow). I think this speaks to the fact that vulnerability resonates. We can all relate to people who are struggling, because at some level(s) in our life, we are all struggling.

Perhaps there’s a key here for us as catechists: we need to express our struggles to those we teach. We need to show our young people that we do indeed struggle with various challenges in life and that it is our faith in Jesus Christ (who became vulnerable and shared in our human struggle through his death on the Cross) that transforms those struggles into new life. Our vulnerability can resonate with them because they are at such a vulnerable stage in life.

Showing such vulnerability to our students can be tricky. For one, we need to be careful that we are not seeking solace from them. I have encountered teachers who share their struggles with their students as though seeking therapeutic support. That is innappropriate. When we decide to share our struggles with our students and reveal our vulnerability, it is to be a teaching moment: nothing more and nothing less. Second, we can find it hard to show vulnerability in a role that requires us to be the one in control! Appropriate revealing of our vulnerability is not a sign of weakness but of our wholeness and our humanity.

I can’t help but think of St. Paul’s words: “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2Cor 12:10) 

All that to say that maybe I’ll post more often about my screw-ups!

One of the pitfalls that I often succumb to when planning a lesson is focusing on what I am going to do without regard for what the kids are going to do (other than soak up my pearls of wisdom, of course). In the end, I find that I am putting a lot of pressure on myself as the catechist to “perform.” If Christian Initiation IS an apprenticeship (and I believe it is) then we must consider what our young apprentices are doing! 

With that in mind, I revisited the Confirmation “learning stations” that I created for last year and refined them so that they are truly learning stations: areas where the young people complete a task under the supervision of a catechist (as opposed to areas where the catechist presents a mini-lesson).  Our first Confirmation Intensive (four 2-hour sessions held during December and January) is next week and we’re finalizing our plans.

We use Confirmed in the Spirit (Loyola Press) and each intensive draws from 2 of the 8 chapters. The first intensive focuses on the Sacraments of Initiation and the signs and symbols of Confirmation. Each of the 5 eighth-grade catechists will facilitate one of the learning stations - the kids will spend 10-12 minutes at each station. The structure allows for a half-hour at the end of the session for the kids to reunite with their “homeroom teacher” to review what they have done/learned and for the catechist to reinforce the “BIG IDEAS.” Here’s what I’m proposing:

Learning Center A - Getting to Know the Holy Spirit

• Students will use Bibles to complete Blackline Master 1 (pg. 109 of CIS Catechist Guide)
• If time remains, review the answers
• Materials needed: Bibles, pencils, copies of BLM 1

 Learning Center B – Symbols of the Holy Spirit

• Students will create a simple mobile of the symbols of the Holy Spirit (water, oil, fire, and dove) from page 5 of CIS student book
• Materials needed: Popsicle sticks, string, scissors, invisible tape, hole puncher, pens, small index cards

 Learning Center C – Sacraments of Initiation

• Students will complete a crossword puzzle on the sacraments of initiation (see attached PDF files )initiation-crossword-puzzle; initiation-crossword-with-answers
• If time remains, review the answers and provide some background as needed
• Materials needed: copies of crossword puzzle  

Learning Center D – The Words and Actions of Confirmation

• Students will focus on 3 main actions of the Confirmation Rite: laying on of hands, anointing with oil, and the words “Be Sealed with the Holy Spirit”
• Students will be given a blank sheet of paper (11 x 17) and will be asked to trace both of their hands on it and to write beneath (Laying on of Hands); next they will dip their thumb into some vegetable oil and then trace a cross with that thumb on the paper so that the oil seeps in and to write beneath (anointing); finally, the catechist will allow a few drips of wax from a lighted candle to fall onto each paper – after it cools a bit, the students can impress a coin or medal into the wax (the way letters used to be sealed) and to write beneath (Be Sealed)
• If time permits, provide a little background about each of the 3 actions
• Materials needed: 11 x 17 paper, pencils, vegetable oil in a small bowl, pillar candle, coin or medal

 Learning Center E – The Role of the Bishop

• Students will create miniature miters (bishop’s “hat”) and crosiers (bishop’s staff)
• To make the miter, each student receives a small index card and cuts it in half (vertically)
• Next, each student cuts the corners of each piece so that they are in the shape of a house with a pitched roof.
• Both pieces are then stapled together on the edges (not the top or bottom)
•  the miniature miter can now be “opened up” a bit as if it was to be placed on the bishop’s head
• To make the crosier, each student is given a piece of aluminum foil about 6 in. by 6 in.
• The foil is rolled as though rolling a cigar
• Then, the top is curved into the shape of a shepherd’s staff (like a candy cane)
• If time permits, add more background information about the role of the bishop, the miter, and the crosier
• Materials needed: scissors, small index cards, stapler(s), sheets of aluminum foil 6 x 6

I received the following email and thought it was worth sharing because it points to the fact that we catechists are finding ways of connecting with one another so that we can better ourselves and become more effective catechists!

Joe - thanks for the site. I just started teaching 13 year olds on
Monday nights - my first time teaching ANYTHING. My father and brother
are both school teachers and when I went to them for advice, thinking
they would have the secrets to dealing with kids this age, the basically
told me how hard it was and that you just have to work through their
behavior.

Searching around the internet for support I was surprised to learn how
little there is out there - how few real ideas are out there (at least
as far as my surfing was concerned) - until I came to your site.
Reading what you write I feel like you’re in there with me in my class
and it all feels so much better. I’m not really at a loss for ideas; my
theology classes at Fordham already inspired in me a love for learning
about God and religion and for exploring my faith. And I have always
felt that there was something missing in how we carry young people
across the threshold from childhood’s “Jesus is my friend” to a serious
attempt at coming to terms with God in their lives and what it all means
in real and practical terms. So the challenge compels me and the kids,
for all their obnoxiousness, are all just so bright and passionate about
life. But in those moments after class, alone and cleaning up after
them, sometimes (oftentimes) it’s just so discouraging. Your site has
helped me through those times.

I hope I can continue to be of help and I know that so many of you are of great help to me. Thanks!