Focusing on the Life of Jesus During Lent

With Lent just over a week away (Ash Wednesday is February 14, 2024.), I’d like to invite you to make plans to focus on the life of Jesus this season through two special opportunities. Lenten Read-Along—Each year Loyola Press hosts a Lenten Read-Along, which is an opportunity to join with others in reading an inspirational book at a relaxed pace, giving time to savor what we read during Lent. This year’s Lenten Read-Along invites us […]

Three Lessons for Catechists from St. Luke the Evangelist

St. Luke the Evangelist left us great treasures by writing the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. We as Christians have learned so much about Jesus and the faith of the Church from his writings. Luke was a master at sharing the Gospel, and catechists can learn from both what he wrote and how he wrote it. Know Your Audience Luke wrote his Gospel for believers who came from a Gentile background rather than […]

Dear 7th Grade Catechist…

Last night, we celebrated the Eucharist to bring closure to this catechetical year at St. Cajetan. The pastor, Fr. Frank, did a wonderful job of making it a celebration of growth and thanksgiving for many blessings…he is so good at speaking to the children! It occurred to me that I might be able to help the 7th grade catechist who will “inherit” my class next year, by telling him or her what my students learned […]

Blessed Are the Meek: Redefining Meekness

We don’t use the word meek too often nowadays. For me, the only time I heard this word when I was growing up other than in the Beatitudes (“Blessed are the meek”) was in the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy introduces herself to Oz, the great and powerful, as Dorothy, the small and meek. So, naturally, I grew up thinking that to be meek was to be the opposite of powerful: weak and powerless. If […]

New Testament Learning Stations: READY!!!

I’ve completed the 4 Learning Stations for the New Testament that will be part of our lesson this coming Monday evening. Here they are in PDF:   GOSPELS Learning Station ACTS OF THE APOSTLES Learning Station LETTERS Learning Station REVELATION Learning Station Here are the Student Fill-In Sheets for the New Testament Learning Stations: Bible Learning Stations fill in sheets – NT And here are the New Testament bookmarks: NT Bookmarks Lastly, I’ll get to work […]

9 Tips for Asking Questions

As catechists, one of the most effective tools we have is asking questions. Jesus was, of course, a master at this skill. Often in the Gospels, we find Jesus utilizing questions to challenge his followers and stimulate their thinking: “But who do you say that I am?” (Mark 8:29) “Whose image is this and whose inscription?” (Matthew 22:20) “Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49) “Which is easier, […]