From the category archives:

Joys and Frustrations

So Much Can Happen in 75 Minutes! (Part 2)

by Joe on November 19, 2008

So, after we spent some time in discussion and praying for their classmate Joe who had died suddenly last Friday (as I described yesterday), I transitioned the young people into a guided reflection. I had planned on doing the guided reflection first this week as opposed to saving it to the end of class. It turns out that this was probably a good thing since they were already in a prayerful state of mind. Thank you, Holy Spirit!

I reminded them that 2 weeks ago, when I was absent, I included a guided reflection (a recorded reflection on CD) in the sub’s plans. I told them that a catechist normally would not ask a sub to lead a guided reflection but I said that I told the DRE and the sub that “my class knew how to handle it.” As it turns out, I was informed that there was a good deal of giggling during that guided reflection (the sub hadn’t said anything to me however one of the girls in my class is the daughter of a fellow catechist and she lamented to her mom that the reflection was spoiled by immature behavior…and word got back to me!). I told them that this was disappointing. I reminded them that what I am trying to do in these meditations is to help them get in touch with God within themselves. I said that we often go through life looking for God when all along we can find him within ourselves.

With those words of encouragement, I sent them off to their “sacred space” - their little nooks and crannies in the classroom. I dimmed the lights, allowed them a little time to get comfortable and then began playing the guided reflection. Wouldn’t you know it, within a few seconds, there was chatting and giggling. I wandered about throughout the room, putting out the little “brushfires” of misbehavior. I was “this close” to turning off the CD player and putting the lights back on when things began to calm down. For the rest of the reflection (it was a 10-minute piece), things went pretty well.

Now, the good part.

When the recorded reflection ended, I turned off the CD player and continued leading a reflection on my own, inviting them to spend some time talking to God: thanking him for this time together, telling God what they are happy about, sad about, worried about and so on. I built in lots of pauses. I invited them to tell God how they need his help in the days to come and to listen to what God may be saying to them. I allowed a long pause. There was complete silence (there was no instrumental music playing in the background at this point). I allowed the silence to go on for several minutes. All we heard were the distant sounds of an occasional car engine, a police siren, a dog barking, or a door slamming down the hallway. There was perfect stillness. We enjoyed this for about 3 or 4 minutes (an eternity with 8th graders!) before I slowly called them back to their places.

They came back slowly, quietly, and calmly. I told them that I was proud of them and that those last 5 minutes or so when there was such stillness was precisely what I had in mind for them. I joked that it took about 7 weeks to finally achieve it but that it was worth it. I explained that this is something that they can do on their own and that I often engage in such prayer while commuting on the train each day. They seemed intrigued by that. I reminded them that all they have to do is imagine that Jesus is sitting next them and to talk to him “as one friend talking to another” (St. Ignatius’ advice).

What struck me from this experience is how close I came to pulling the plug on it because of immature behavior. I thank God that he provided me with just another few ounces of patience to allow the Spirit to get through to these kids and to enable such a prayerful moment. I sure as heck wanted to “pull up the weeds” but the Lord reminded me that it was better to allow the weeds and wheat to grow together for the time being, lest I pull up the wheat as well. That’s why God is the harvest Master, not me!

I also think that I’m going to design more of my own guided reflections instead of the recorded ones…although the CDs are very good, I think the kids are responding better to a live voice. I have no doubt that I will continue to need to stamp out little brushfires during future guided reflections, but this moment was very real and I can remind them of that and call them back to it.

{ 0 comments }

Welcome to My New Look!

by Joe on November 10, 2008

Well, I still look the same but my blog has a new look!

I hope you enjoy this new look. To mark the 2nd anniversary of Catechist’s Journey, my site has undergone a little “face-lift.” In addition to the new look, my blog has also been integrated into the new Loyola Press Web site (www.loyolapress.com). I hope you take a moment to explore the site and the wealth of resources that Loyola Press now offers online. From articles around topics about our faith, to discussion groups on subjects that matter most to us, to a new blog by Fr. Paul Campbell, SJ titled People for Others, Loyola Press is excited to offer material and conversations that are deeply relevant to anyone seeking to deepen their faith.

For the past 7 years, I have had the pleasure and privilege of working at Loyola Press, a Jesuit Ministry, in Chicago, IL. As an apostolate of the Chicago Province of the Society of Jesus, Loyola Press seeks to nurture faith-filled lives. My role as a catechist flows from that apostolate and the integration of my blog into the Loyola Press Web site further reinforces both my and Loyola Press’s dedication to serve the mission of the Gospel.

The focus of my blog will not change: I will continue to share my journey of teaching the Catholic faith as a catechist and host our conversations about the challenges and rewards of this ministry in which we are privileged to serve. As always, I welcome your feedback. Please feel free to send suggestions and comments.

P.S. Maybe I DO have a new look. The printed registration guidebook for the 2009 Los Angeles Religious Education Congress has a picture next to my name and workshop description that makes me look 25 years younger and whole lot cooler than I look now or ever did look! i.e. they put a pic of the wrong person in! Maybe I’ll get increased registration because of this hunk’s pic!

I wish I looked this young!

I wish I looked this young!

{ 0 comments }

Radio Interview

by Joe on November 1, 2008

Several weeks ago, I was interviewed by Frank Morock for Catholic Bookmarks Radio (sponsored by the United States Catholic Conference of Catholic Bishops) about my book A Well-Built Faith. That interview is now posted on the USCCB web site and the link is provided below. You’re welcome to listen if you have a chance.

 

Program 845
By ccc@usccb.org (Catholic Communication Campaign)
Interview with Joe Paprocki, author of “A Well-Built Faith,” A book to help Catholics better understand their faith and learn how to discuss it comfortably.

Catholic Bookmarks - http://www.usccb.org/ccc/cb.shtml

{ 0 comments }

Catch-Up Catechesis - Kids Out of Sequence

by Joe on October 31, 2008

I hate the phrase “catch-up” catechesis but you know what I’m talking about…kids who come to R.E. programs having missed some years of R.E. and having missed reception of First Penance, First Communion, or Confirmation. Think this is a small problem for DREs? Think again. I recently asked a number of DREs to share some thoughts on this issue and here is a glimpse of what I got. You’re welcome to add your thoughts and suggestions for how to best deal with these situations.

·         I deal with it constantly.  I have 125 kids in my program about 15% of them begin in first grade and go all the way through.  Besides the kids who have no background, we also have kids who take four years out between communion and confirmation prep.

·         VERY prevalent at my parish as I have a large Latino population requesting “communion classes,” with students entering the program at various ages with little to no catechetical formation.

·         Every few years I have a small group of high school students that have for one reason or another missed one or another sacrament and need “catch-up.” The parents bring them of course only if there is the need for First Eucharist or Confirmation.

·         Currently we have 8 junior high and 1 high school student in this situation. That’s been pretty standard for the last 3 years.

·         Our staff had a major discussion about this last night.  We have a list with at least 10 children who are entering the program at different stages of catechesis.  More often they have no formal religious training, parents want them with their peers and the kids are anxious to belong.

·         What I’ve found thus far is that we have a huge number of Hispanic families who leave after their children receive First Communion and then return for Confirmation. I had spoken with the Hispanic Ministry office at the diocese about this and they explained to me that this is a cultural issue.  This is the way the Hispanic families receive the sacraments in their home country.  They are only prepared for a few weeks or months.  We explain the way we do it in this country, but they have great difficulty understanding. 

·         We began an “Initiation Class” about 4-5 years ago. If children come to us who have not had any RE and need to “catch up” and prepare for FR, FC, they go in this class. We’ve even had a couple prepare for baptism, confirmation and communion.

·         This happens very often, for a variety of reasons, especially given the transiency of the local population—lots of people relocating here after difficult life experiences and in that turmoil, lots of faith formation and sacramental preparation “falls through the cracks.”

·         Situations requiring “catch-up catechesis” are definitely becoming more common.  Fourteen years ago, our average “Sacramental Preparation Class” was comprised of approximately five young people.  Today, we have eighteen enrolled in Sacramental Prep. Though there is a slow but evident increase in the need for “catch-up catechesis” , conversations with other DREs lead me to believe the need is much stronger in parishes that are more heavily Hispanic.  Thus, as our demographics change, I anticipate even larger classes of young people falling into this category.

·        we have 28 second graders preparing for First Reconciliation and Communion. We have 54 students grades 3 through 10.

·         Every year between 4-6 middle-schoolers and several teens (who stopped after Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist) return and/or move in from assignments in other countries and require “catch-up” catechesis.

·         All ages from grades 3-7

·         Every year we have more and more families who come to us after missing a few years or never having been in religious education at all.  I just registered a new family with children in second and fifth grade who have never been baptized.  

·         I am not surprised to hear that you are receiving such inquiries regarding this type of catechesis.  We are dealing with it too along with an increase in the number of ’special needs’ children.  There seems to be a definite rise in the number of children who need ‘catching up’.

·         I have 13 students this year (six 3rd graders, three 4th graders, one 5th, one 7th and two high school Confirmation)  All but one needs the First Sacrament of Eucharist and all but one needs comprehensive catch-up to their appropriate age/grade level

·         Yes, it is an issue.  It is an RCIA issue.  Those who have not been to the table should be in RCIA.  This should be a program in addition to RE program.  But that is so difficult.

·         We have students every year who are out of sequence.  They really need to be caught up.  They need to know and understand the language.  I have a few kids each year…. some just coming for communion, but right now I have one 7th grader who was baptized and doesn’t even know what the nativity is.  We have about 4 third graders who haven’t done anything and they need to be caught up.  Sometimes a divorce keeps parents from getting their act together, they just can’t handle one more thing…. But they could do a simple home study program with their child…. And think of how much they are learning too.

·         There are two different situations that arise because of these different situations. There are children who are in third through eighth grade who are not in the sequence to receive the sacraments because:

o   The family moved

o   A parent/child had a long illness

o   The parent was not going to the church

o   Family was out of the country

o   Divorce situation

o   Parents are coming back to their faith/ have changed their faith

o   Kids were being raised a faith other than Catholic by the non-catholic parent.

·         The first group is families where the kids were baptized and they may have had some kind of Religious Education or sometimes no Religious Education. So now when the kids are older than second grade and you just place them into a let’s say a fifth grade group how will that child feel with no background. The curriculum in fifth grade will not prepare the child for sacraments and kids do not like to be placed in a group with a textbook and kids geared to Grade Two (Which is the level sacramental prep is geared). There are about 10 kids a year that fall in this area. 

·         The second group is families where the kids were never baptized and they are older than seven and now they will receive all their sacraments of initiation at the same time. They have not been going to church and have had no Religious Education.  There are no materials that I have found to help with this situation. The RCIA materials are geared to adults and the adults in the RCIA program are not trained to work with children.  So the children are referred to the RE Department for their formation. Just to begin using a textbook at the child’s grade level doesn’t give a good starting point, it assumes they have a background in the prier books. There are about 2 kids a year that fall in this area.

 

{ 13 comments }

An Evening of Getting to Know Jesus

by Joe on October 28, 2008

Last night, we spent the evening getting to know Jesus better. Here are some highlights.

  • First we had a fire drill..all went well.
  • I began by playing our “song of the week” - Shania Twain’s “Wanna Get to Know You.” (see yesterday’s post for some of the lyrics)
  • I talked about how 2 people in love want to get to know one another and explained that this is our theme for the evening: we want to get to know Jesus because of our love for him and his love for us.
  • I arranged the kids in pairs and assigned them to one of the five topics on Jesus: the world of Jesus, the words of Jesus, the miracles of Jesus, the people of Jesus, and the death and resurrection of Jesus.
  • The kids worked for about 20 minutes making their posters (using the info I provided them with…click on the 5 topics above) and then looking over the information to prepare short presentations.
  • Each group then took about 3 to 5 minutes to present their poster to the large group, providing a brief summary of their topic.
  • As each group presented, the other kids recorded at least 3 to 5 pieces of information into a little booklet I provided them titled Jesus: Wanna Get to Know You.
  • The presentations went nicely (once we got past the pair of gigglers). The presentations were by no means stellar, but I appreciated the attitude the kids had - they approached the project with respect and seemed very sincere in sharing the information as they understood it.
  • We even had some nice discussion after each poster presentation. I provided a brief summary of what we just heard about each poster and filled in some of the “cracks” and it resulted in kids asking some good questions about Jesus. They seemed particularly interested in Jesus’ healings, the fact that he associated with outcasts, the notion that he called God the Father “Abba” (Papa) and told us to do the same, and the details of his crucifixion. 

In all, a productive and constructive evening that hopefully brought us all just a bit closer to Christ!

P.S. The other day in Joliet, I had a chance to chat with Fr. Don Senior, president of the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, member of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, and prolific author and speaker. I told Fr. Don that I was  doing a session with my 8th graders that was inspired by his book Jesus: A Gospel Portrait and he seemed genuinely delighted to know that his work was making an impact on our young people!

Joe with Fr. Donald Senior

{ 2 comments }

Acceptable Immaturity

by Joe on October 22, 2008

Last night, I gave a presentation to a small group of Confirmation students and their parents at a suburban Chicago parish. The kids sat as a group and the parents were scattered around them in the church. My presentation was on Living the Mass. I thought the kids were very well behaved and I complimented them on their behavior, especially after a very long day.

Afterwards, when talking to the DRE, I repeated that I thought the kids were very well behaved. She said she agreed for the most part but said that some of them were acting immature. I said that I agreed but that I considered it “acceptable immaturity!” In other words, it’s the kind of behavior to expect from kids who are being asked to sit quietly for over an hour after a long day in school and perhaps some after school activities. It’s the kind of immaturity that can be corrected with a glance, a brief word, or a tap on the shoulder. I’m mentioning this because I’m sure that sometimes I make it sound as if the kids in front of me are complete angels. Not so. I am constantly working to correct behavior that is immature, however, 95% of it is what I consider “acceptable immaturity” - not that the behavior is acceptable but I can accept that this type of behavior is typical from this age group and I can address it dispassionately (i.e. it doesn’t upset me…I just deal with it).

So be sure to separate “acceptable immaturity” from behavior that is completely unnacceptable. We can sometimes wear ourselves out and beat ourselves up over behavior that is less than satisfactory but is completely understandable. Part of our job is to consistently remind that kids that certain behaviors are not acceptable but it’s good to do so in a way that communicates the notion that you have complete confidence that they can overcome it and outgrow it.

So do kids in my classes engage in side-talking? Giggling? Passing notes? Making unsolicited remarks? Blurting out answers without raising their hands? Of course. I expect that kind of behavior. I don’t ignore it…I deal with it firmly but dispassionately: I don’t make a big deal out of it and I don’t let it get to me emotionally (although it can wear you down!). It’s simply unnacceptable behavior that is “acceptable immaturity!”

{ 2 comments }

An Extraordinary Evening with Jesus of Nazareth

by Joe on October 21, 2008

Last night, we had an extraordinary evening viewing a segment of Jesus of Nazareth. All of the 8th graders (5 classes) met in one of the parish “halls” - about 65 kids, 4 or 5 aides, and 5 catechists. Here are the details:

  • the DRE had arranged the seating to form 5 “pods” so that each class was slightly separated from the others. This proved very helpful in keeping the kids focused and preventing them from developing a “movie theater” mentality.
  • we provided a viewing guide for the kids: 15 questions that would be addressed throughout the video
  • I began by asking them what the phrase “showing your true colors” means. One young person explained that it means that, in a particular situation, your true identity is revealed. I explained that we come to know Jesus’ full identity in the crucifixion, when he showed the greatest love any human can have - selfless love. I then told them to watch the video actively since this was not a passive entertainment event but a learning experience.
  • We then proceeded to show the segment of Jesus of Nazareth beginning with Jesus carrying his cross. We paused at 15 different scenes and asked the questions that I posted just the other day.
  • The viewing, interspersed with discussion, lasted about 50 minutes. The kids were very quiet and the experience was in many ways prayerful. We even paused in silence at the moment when Jesus bowed his head and died, telling the kids that we pause and kneel in silence at this moment of the Passion on Palm Sunday and Good Friday.
  • I thoroughly enjoyed watching and listening to my fellow catechists as they took their turns leading discussion during and after the video. In particular, Mary Kay challenged the kids at the end of the video to pay extra special attention to the cross in church when they go to Mass on Sunday…it was a very fitting end to the evening.
  • Hats off to the kids who were extremely well-behaved. It was clearly a setting where adults were imparting their wisdom, knowledge, and faith in an adult manner to young adults. The kids responded by acting like young adults (for the most part…when I say things like that, it also goes without saying that there are always moments of kids being kids and needing to be corrected and last night was no different…but it’s nice when those moments are the exception)

This will be a good reference point for the rest of the year…it’s important that kids know the narrative of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection and this was just one way of accomplishing that.

{ 0 comments }

Howdy and How ya Doin?

by Joe on October 20, 2008

I had a wonderful weekend meeting with about 450 catechists in Chicago (How ya doin?) and Austin, Texas (Howdy!)!

At the Chicago Catechetical Conference on Friday, I spoke to a group of about 200 (mostly Catholic school teachers) about 5 steps to dramatically increase their students’ Bible IQ.  I then jumped on a plane and flew to Austin, Texas to do a couple of workshops (about 125 at each one) on the Language of Mystery - bringing catechesis and liturgy together. It was wonderful to meet and speak with so many dedicated catechetical ministers! So a great big HOWDY to all the good folks I met in Austin and a great big HOW YA DOIN to all the great Chicago folks I met on Friday.

P.S.  FYI, the How Ya Doin is kind of a southside Chicago thing. When I was a teenager, the pastor asked me to greet the bishop when his car pulled up at the rectory on the day of confirmation. As I stood there, I realized I didn’t know what to call the bishop: your excellency? your majesty? your immenseness? As I stood there panicking, the car pulled up to a stop and the bishop got out. I extended my hand and out came the only greeting I knew: HOW YA DOIN?

{ 2 comments }

Who Is This Man?

by Joe on October 10, 2008

At this past week’s session, I focused on the question of “Who Is Jesus?” - a theme we will carry throughout the unit we are on. I played a recording of the song Superstar from the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar in which the very confused Judas asks the question: “Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ, who are you what have you sacrificed? Jesus Christ, Superstar, do you think you’re what they say you are?” I talked about how the character Judas in this musical is clearly confused over Jesus’ identity and that this is what led him to betray Jesus - not recognizing him as the messiah, the Son of God.

I held up a picture of Jesus and told the young people to imagine that my aide and I were non-Christians who wanted to know “who is this man?” I asked them each to stand up and one by one tell me something about the man in the picture. They did a nice job of saying things like:

  • he is Jesus
  • he is the Son of God
  • he cured blind people
  • he died on the Cross
  • he rose from the dead
  • he’s the messiah

and so on. If they gave an acceptable answer they could sit down. This came in handy for the couple of wise guys who thought answers like “he had a beard” were going to be acceptable! Anyway, it would have been interesting, if we had time, to continue going around the group, attempting to exhaust what they know about Jesus! Perhaps we could have gone on all night!

I told them that, in Mark’s Gospel, people keep asking the question, “Who is this man?” and that eventually, Jesus puts the question to his apostles, “Who do people say that I am?” and “Who do you say that I am?” When I told them that Peter answered, “you are the messiah!” the girl who had given that answer during our little exercise above was very proud! I explained that Jesus is putting this question to us and that we need to reflect on our answer - is Jesus just a heroic figure, a great teacher, a “swell” guy - or is he our Lord and Savior, the Son of the Living God?

All of this served as a prelude to the Powerpoint meditation on images of Jesus that I posted about last week. It was a very prayerful 10 minutes that took us up to the end of class. When we gather next, we are going to watch the segment of Jesus of Nazareth that depicts the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus - the events that reveal Jesus’ true identity (”Lord, by your cross and resurrection…”)

       

We’re off this coming Monday for Columbus day. Have a great weekend!

P.S. A great big happy shout out to the good folks in Waterloo, Iowa who hosted me on October 8 for a couple of Catechist Toolbox presentations for the Catholic schoolteachers and catechists of the Waterloo diocore (a regional grouping of parishes). I had a wonderful time and I appreciate your hospitality!

{ 0 comments }

Guess Who My New Aide Is?

by Joe on October 7, 2008

For the first 4 weeks of the program, I was working without an aide. Each time the DRE thought she had someone lined up, they would back out at the last minute. (Further evidence that recruiting catechists and aides is one of the hardest parts of the DREs job!). Finally, last night, I walked into class and there was my new aide. I broke into the biggest smile. Let me tell you why.

2 years ago, I taught along with Patti, and we had a rather difficult group of 8th graders. One young man (you can see where I’m going with this!) in particular was a handful. I’ll call him Bob. Suffice to say, Bob was not exactly the embodiement of piety and reverence as an 8th grader! I recall one time when Patti and I were lamenting our difficulties and Bob’s name came up, I half-jokingly/half seriously said, “Watch, he’ll be the one who comes back as an aide in a few years!”

Lo and behold, when I walked in and saw Bob there, I was absolutely tickled. He is now a sophomore at a Catholic high school (says he loves it there) and is more mature, sociable, and polite than ever. I told him I was delighted to have him as my aide and he looked happy, enthusiastic, and comfortable with the kids as the class went on.

After class, the DRE, Bob, and I were talking and I told them both the above story. We had a good laugh but what was “funny” was that the DRE did not remember that Bob was in my class a couple of years ago. She just happened to bump into him recently and he said he was looking to complete some service hours and wouldn’t mind being an aide. She knew I needed an aide and the connection was made!

The Holy Spirit is clearly at work here!

So, don’t lose hope over those difficult students in your class. They just might return in a few years as your aide, as a fellow-catechist, or even as your DRE! 

{ 2 comments }

← Older Entries

Newer Entries →