One person who participated in my Leading Prayer Webinar (I’m still gonna get that recording up here for y’all…hang in there!) was Jonathan Sullivan who is the Director of the Catechetical Ministries Office for the Diocese of Springfield, IL. Jonathan posted about how much he enjoyed the Webinar (thanks for the shout-out, Jonathan!) and has developed an excellent handout describing how to lead spontaneous prayer relying on the “you, who, do, through” method. Pay attention also to the comments on that post that provide a glimpse into the background of this structure for prayer – the Hebrew Berakah. Thanks for making this handout available Jonathan!
Being a Catechist
The Engaged Catechist: Forming Catechist Enrichment Groups
In his book, Growing An Engaged Church (Gallup Press), Albert L. Winseman explains that, without true engagement, volunteers burn out quickly. He identifies 3 ways to make an immediate impact on the level of engagement of church members: clarify the expectations of membership help your members discover what they do best create small groups I think these can (and should) be easily applied to catechists, who, without engagement, do indeed burnout quickly. Those catechists who […]
Liturgy and Sacraments
Guided Reflection on the Celebration of Confirmation
It’s helpful to take some time after a celebration of Confirmation to reflect on the actions of the Rite and to help the newly confirmed recognize the graces experienced in the sacrament. At a gathering sometime soon after the Confirmation Mass, lead young people in a guided reflection to process their experience of the sacrament. Prepare to share the reflection by reading it through ahead of time. During the session you may wish to use […]
Book Club
Online Book Club Week 2: An Obscure Corner for Prayer
Editor’s note: Jump into our online book club! We’re reading Jane Knuth’s The Prayer List…and Other True Stories of How Families Pray. This week we focus on chapters 3–5. Learn more about the book club here. Admission: I don’t like to be caught praying on my knees in my own house. Church is fine—I pray on my knees there all the time. But if I’m going down on my knees at home, I shut the […]
Thank you for the shout-out, Joe — and thanks for the great webinars you provide to catechists!
(BTW – I’ll be driving up for your Being/Knowing/Doing workshop in Romeoville at the end of the month. I’m looking forward to finally meeting you in person!)
Great Jonathan…I look forward to meeting you there!
Have you ever had a chance to view the children’s programs on EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network) ?
http://www.ewtn.com/tv/kids/index.asp
I think the shows for children are great for Catechists and we don’t have to reinvent the wheel, especially “Truth in the Heart”.
Debra, thanks for the suggestion.
I had been searching the internet on how to do spontaneous prayer. I have attended seminar on how to pray for others but was told to just speak our mind. I am loss for words. Some of us can pray without help. But not me. I need a guide. I found your website. This is an answer to my prayer. Now I think I can begin to practice. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
You’re very welcome, Merian! I’m glad you found this helpful. Not all of us can formulate words spontaneously!