The effective catechist knows how to use just about any event as an opportunity for catechesis. Some Catholics feel that because Dr. King was not Catholic, it’s not proper to hold him up as a role model and to reflect on his life, his words, and his accomplishments. Nonsense. God works through all people and God’s grace worked through and continues to work through the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Resources […]
For our next (and final) Confirmation Intensive, we are focusing on the Rite of Confirmation, which includes the following: the Presentation of the Candidates the Bishop’s Homily the Renewal of Baptismal Promises the Laying on of Hands and the Anointing with Chrism the General Intercessions I’m currently sharing with you what I’m developing for each of these 5 elements of the Rite (the kids will exerience five, 15-minute mini-sessions, one on each of the 5 elements). We […]
For our next (and final) Confirmation Intensive, we are going to spend the evening doing some liturgical catechesis: focusing on the Rite of Confirmation which includes the following: the Presentation of the Candidates the Bishop’s Homily the Renewal of Baptismal Promises the Laying on of Hands and the Anointing with Chrism the General Intercessions Over the next week or so, I’ll share with you what I’m developing for each of these 5 elements of the […]
Last evening was our Confirmation intensive during which we presented the Seven Deadly Sins, the Seven Virtues, and the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit using contemporary pop music (see my post from January 8 that provides a complete chart of songs used). It went very well and was a lot of fun! Here’s the scoop: Each catechist had a CD player and a CD with the appropriate songs for their session. I covered the […]
OK, here’s the scoop for this coming Monday’s Confirmation intensive. Now, before I share this, I want to make a disclaimer that I may have made before but bears repeating. The activity I’m about to describe to you took many hours – several days, actually – to plan. I want to make it clear that the average catechist is NOT expected to spend this much time planning sessions. Please remember that, for all intents and purposes, […]
In this weekly feature, I post a particularly significant quote from a particularly significant catechetical document, for inspiration and edification. The primary and essential object of catechesis is, to use an expression dear to St. Paul and also to contemporary theology, “the mystery of Christ.” Catechizing is in a way to lead a person to study this mystery in all its dimensions: “to make all men see what is the plan of the mystery…comprehend with […]
Last night was our second Confirmation intensive (a 2-hour session made up of five 10-minute mini-sessions sandwiched in between an opening and closing session in their “homerooms.”) Thank God, things went pretty well once again. Here are the highlights: half of the kids forgot it was an intensive. When I clarified that they were staying till 9 o’clock, a half-dozen cell phones were promptly whipped out to call home to re-arrange pick-up times! the kids […]
Hi Friends! I wish you a very Happy and Blessed New Year! May 2009 be a year of grace for all of our catechetical efforts! Yesterday, I spent the morning with 15 catechists (and about 5 aides) at Maternity BVM parish in the West Humboldt Park area of Chicago. If the name of that neighborhood rings a bell, it’s the location where the recent movie, Nothing Like the Holidays, was filmed (a very funny movie!). […]
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