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!
Prayer/Guided Reflections
Share Prayer: Breaking the Culture of Silence
Pope Francis spoke many times of the value and power of intercessory prayer in Christian life. “When evangelizers rise from prayer, their hearts are more open; freed of self-absorption, they are desirous of doing good and sharing their lives with others.” (The Joy of the Gospel #28) Have you ever run into someone who asked you to pray for him or her? Did you take the time at that moment to stop what you were […]
Growing as a Catechist
A Prayer for Those Who Have Shared Their Faith—Free Prayer Card
While it’s true that there is a private dimension to our faith, faith comes to us through others first. Maybe you remember your parents teaching you mealtime or bedtime prayers or taking you to participate in a service opportunity. Maybe a favorite teacher or catechist showed you the power of imaginative prayer, invited you to a meaningful communal prayer service, or led an activity that made some aspect of the faith “click” for you. Maybe […]
Book Club
Smiling Rosary
Today, I have a story about family prayer that is not in my book, The Prayer List. This one requires a visual, so go put your hands on a set of rosary beads before you read any further. If you don’t have a rosary, that’s fine; a simple necklace of any kind will work. My daughter, Ellen, age seven, had just made her First Holy Communion, and I had followed tradition by buying her a […]
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!