Feeling a little flat? Except for having a flat tummy, it is usually not a positive thing to say that something is flat. Food, music, a carbonated drink, an acting performance, an athletic performance: if any of these are referred to as flat, that’s not a good thing! Sometimes, as catechists, we can find ourselves feeling “flat.” The General Directory for Catechesis tells us that, to avoid being flat, we catechists need formation that is […]

I’ve talked before about populating the imaginations of young children with stories and images that help develop a positive worldview. If you’re looking for such stories, stock the shelves of your classroom or parish library with children’s books from Loyola Press. During June, selected children’s books are available for only $5 each when you order 10 or more in any combination. I particularly recommend Our Father: The Prayer Jesus Taught for its line-by-line exploration of […]

I like to vary how my class prays partly to give everyone more tools in their prayer toolbox, but also because not everyone learns or prays in the same way on a given day. When I teach about the Holy Family, I teach my first-graders simple signs in sign language (ASL), which we practice together. Thanks to YouTube, you can easily teach yourself signs and phrases in ASL. I have learned how to sign “thank […]

Years ago, a very wise person—Sr. Marlene Halpin, O.P.—explained that the reason young people walk away from the Catholic faith after Confirmation is because they never developed an affective relationship with Jesus Christ. As a result, they are walking away from a “subject”—religion—in the same way they walk away from other subjects they learn in school but are not particularly interested in. Today, as we continue to see the “hemorrhaging” of young Catholics from the […]