Empowering Catechists

Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received. (1 Peter 4:10) Empowerment incarnates the wisdom given to us in this Scripture passage. That is, when we empower others, we make space for them to use the gifts given to them by God in service to the community. Empowerment is intentional, communal, and an exercise in interdependence, which, when done well, develops a level […]

Permit Me to Introduce You to Leo’s Gift!

Who is this good-looking young man peeking around the corner of Catechist’s Journey? Why, it’s none other than Leo, the star of the new children’s book Leo’s Gift, written by Susan Blackaby and my friend and colleague (actually, she’s my boss!) Joellyn Cicciarelli and beautifully illustrated by my colleague Carrie Schuler. Leo is creative, shy, and in search of a special talent he can share with the world. He wonders how he’ll know what his […]

Identifying Our Gifts

At our Baptism each of us receives a call to service from Christ. In our lesson this week, we focused on how God enables each of us to fulfill that baptismal call. As fourth graders, the children typically understand that not only are each of us made in God’s image, but that we are each uniquely created as individuals. God has given each of us unique gifts and talents that make us who we are. […]

Catechists in Action – Chris Brett Tells His Students About His Calling to be a Catechist

In this segment of Catechists in Action, 8th grade catechist Chris Brett is discussing with his recently confirmed class about how they can use their gifts to serve the community. Watch for the following: one of the students states, “become a catechist” as one way to use your gifts to serve others Chris asks the kids if they know how much money he makes each week serving as a catechist! 🙂 Chris asks the kids […]