Off to a Good Start?

Are you off to a good start this year as a catechist? Please share your comments with me and your fellow catechists about your first session (click on Comments below). My first session last night went very well, thank God! Today I’ll share some observations about the Engage step, which, being the first class, took about 35 minutes: My aide had a family issue to tend to and was unable to be there last night […]

Trust in the Goodness of God

Tonight’s the night! And I’m not referring to the great 1975 Neil Young song of the same title! Tonight is my first religious ed session for the 2009-10 catechetical year! May the “wind” of the Holy Spirit be at my sails! Here’s my plan: The theme (BIG idea) of this first session is: “We can trust in the goodness of God the Father” I plan to meet and greet the young people at the door […]

Monday is My First Class!

This Monday, September 14, is my first session of the catechetical year with my 8th graders! Yesterday I spent some time shopping for a few more supplies that I need for my room and, in particular, for my first session. I created name tents for my students (index cards, folded in half) that I will place in front of them for the first session to not only assign seats but also to help me use […]

More Post-Webinar Q & A

I provided free Catechist Training Webinars on August 19 & 20 (Part One) and August 26 & 27 (Part Two). Recordings are available for those who were unable to participate or would like to share it with others. Let’s continue our post-webinar Q & A!  To access the Q & A, click on the COMMENTS link just below and to the left.  You’ll see a number of comments from “Joe,” each representing a different question from Webinar […]

Be an Evangelizing Catechist

As many of us are beginning our catechetical year, I thought it would be helpful to share some inspiration sent to me by my friend and colleague, Tom Quinlan, the Director of the Religious Education Office of the Joliet Diocese. Tom has written the following piece titled “Be An Evangelizing Catechist!” Thanks, Tom! Pray for your children, your families … and for yourself!  Pray privately and within the liturgical/sacramental life of your parish community. Provide a […]

Now Available: Recording of Part Two of Catechist Training Webinar

As promised, the recordings for Part Two of the Catechist Training Webinars are now available! I provided free Catechist Training Webinars on August 19 & 20 (Part One) and August 26 & 27 (Part Two). I’m providing the recordings for those who were unable to participate or would like to share it with others. The Webinar is broken into chapters by theme for easy viewing. The link below will lead you to another site called You Tube […]

Wine & Cheese & Webinars

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. 🙂

Don't Miss My Article in RTJ!

I had the pleasure of writing an article for the September, 2009, issue of Religion Teacher’s Journal titled “A Beginning-of-the-Year Checklist for Teaching: Prepare For a Successful Year with These Helpful Tips”(page 20) Be sure to pick up a copy.

First Catechist Meeting of 09-10!

Last night, we had our opening catechist meeting for the 09-10 catechetical year! It was great to see my fellow 8th grade catechists as well as all of the other catechists and aides who gathered for the evening. There was a palpable sense of excitement and enthusiasm in the air. Here are a few highlights: Arlene, our DRE, demonstrated how we can all start our classes by enthroning the Bible. She invited 4 volunteers: one […]

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