I’m told that a DRE at a large parish in Albany, NY, recently gathered a number of catechists in one of their homes and viewed my catechist training webinar on a wide-screen TV (hooked up to the computer) while enjoying wine and cheese! What a great idea! Maybe I’ll ask permission to DELIVER a future webinar while enjoying wine and cheese!

Maybe not.

At this time of the year, many people are being asked to consider the possibility of becoming a catechist for next year. This is a monumental responsibility of the catechetical leader: to discern which individuals God may be calling to this privileged vocation. By the same token, those who are invited to serve as catechists are faced with discerning whether or not this is their vocation.

Part of that discernment is listening to the stories of other catechists. You and I can assist by sharing our stories of how we were called to become catechists. No story is too mundane to share: God works through the ordinary experiences of everyday life to create extraordinary opportunites!

So WHAT’S YOUR STORY?  How did you become a catechist? What went through your head and heart as you discerned this call?

This coming Monday evening is the last session that I will be teaching this current 8th grade class (the following week is a closing Mass and awards ceremony). As part of my plan for this Monday, I’ve put together my own “last lecture.”

By now, I’m sure you’re familiar with the YouTube phenomenon, Randy Pausch’s “Last Lecture” that he gave to his class as the Carnegie Mellon University after he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and knew that he had a very short time to live. He knew this was his last chance to speak to his students and he wanted to say a “few” things.

Inspired by that, I have prepared my own “last lecture” – thankfully, I am in very good health and will, God-willing, teach for many years to come. However, this is the last time I will be able to speak to this particular group of kids, and I’ve got a few things I want to say.

Now, normally, I do not lecture. And this particular “lecture” is probably only about 20 minutes long…I don’t plan to do all the work that evening. My lecture is about making sure that the young people live their lives in the context of the Paschal Mystery – making Jesus their “horizon.”

Theologian Karl Rahner spoke of God as the “infinite horizon” meaning that God is not simply one of many realities that we pack into our lives but rather is the context in which our lives are lived. God can be found in all things.

I put together a PowerPoint presentation, consisting mainly of visual images to capture their imagination. I begin by introducing them to John F. Kennedy Jr. who died in a plane crash in 1999. It is believed that he lost control of his plane because it was a hazy evening and he was flying over the waters of Chesapeake Bay – with no clear horizon, he became disoriented. I go on to talk about how we can and need to make Jesus our horizon so that we do not get disoriented in life by the many things that can cloud our vision.

JFK Jr's fatal plan crash was most likely caused by disorientation - he flew at dusk, over water, on a hazy night: NO HORIZON

The PowerPoint includes notes for each slide and I am happy to share it with you if you think you could use it. It is most appropriate for older children (junior high or high school) and adults and, with some minor editing, can be used in a variety of settings, not just as a “last lecture.”

If you would like a copy of this PowerPoint, send me an email: joe@catechistsjourney.com

I just returned from a trip to Alabama and Georgia where I had the pleasure of speaking to/with a couple of groups of DREs and catechists about how to transform religion class into an “experience.” Greetings to all of the wonderful people I met in the Birmingham and Atlanta dioceses! Thanks for your warm southern hospitality and I wish you continued blessings in your ministry!

One highlight of my trip was stopping for a bite to eat while driving from Birmingham to Atlanta (about a 3-hour drive). I like to occasionally eat at a local establishment instead of one of the fast-food chains. On Thursday, I had the pleasure of stopping in Tallapoosa, Georgia, where I had dinner at the Georgia Express Diner! Country fried steak, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn bread, and apple pie…all for $6.95!