Here’s a pic of about 100 happy catechists and DREs in Columbia, South Carolina, proudly waving their Bibles on Saturday! I enjoyed a wonderful day with them as we focused on the Catholic approach to Scripture…something that is much needed in the Bible Belt! Thanks to all the good folks who extended their always-warm Southern hospitality!
Actually, not only in my mind but also in my body! I’m off to Charotte, North Carolina for a couple of presentations before heading to Columbia, SouthCarolina for a presentation on Saturday! I look forward to meeting lots of catechists and DREs from the Carolinas. Thought maybe I’d catch a break from the Chicago weather for a few days but it sounds like our midswestern winter weather is following me there! Oh well, I’ll just […]
Our experience of playing a Jeopardy-like review was not bad at all last night. Of course, games can rile kids up so we were walking a fine line between having fun and laying down the law last night. However, overall, I’d have to say that fifty 8th graders in one room behaved pretty well! The nice thing was that they did a pretty good job of answering the questions. All of us were pleased that […]
Tonight, we’re doing our Jeopardy-like review to help the kids get ready for their confirmation exam which will take place next week. Of course, for many years, the TV program Jeopardy has been hosted by Alex Trebek, but some of us older catechists 🙂 recall the original host, Art Fleming who hosted the program from 1964 through 1975 and again from 1978-79. Don’t forget that I have links on last Thursday’s post to the 4 rounds […]
This coming Monday, we’re going to do a Jeopardy-like review with all 5 of our confirmation classes in preparation for the Confirmation exam they will take the following week. Our emphasis for this will be on “Catholic literacy” – the ability to talk about what you believe in and to be more familiar with Catholic vocabulary. We’re going to impress upon the kids that, in just a few short years, when they go off to […]
Every once in a while, it pays to be patient with kids’ silly behavior because it can play right into your hands. Last night was one of those occasions. As I was teaching about the anointing with chrism at Confirmation, I focused for a while on the fact that the chrism has a fragrance (sometimes referred to as “perfume for the soul”) which symbolizes how the Holy Spirit helps us to give off the “aroma […]
Tonight is our final Confirmation Intensive for this year. It is also an Open House for parents to attend to see what their kids are up to every Monday evening…hope we get a good turnout. Anyway, for this evening’s intensive, we are reflecting on the Rite of Confirmation itself, taking each of the following five components of the Rite and putting them “under the microscope” for closer study in preparation for the sacrament which is […]
From time to time, we invite kids to compose General Intercessions for a Mass or prayer service. Here’s a little something that can help get the wheels turning so that their intercessions are coming from their deepest desires. We’ll be using this in our upcoming Confirmation Intensive this Monday evening to have the kids compose General Intercessions for the Confirmation Mass. The activity begins by asking the kids to imagine that they have been granted 3 wishes […]
The current issue of REFLECT, the newsletter of the Chicago Sunday Evening Club & 30 Good Minutes, includes an excerpt by yours truly, from a 2006 broadcast I participated in. Here ’tis! Enjoy! http://www.csec.org/csec/New_letter/CSEC_Jan10.pdf p.s. On the homepage of The Chicago Sunday Evening Club, you’ll find a link to a video featuring my colleague Tom McGrath.
How sad that certain voices have chosen to pass judgment on the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. Times like this call for compassion, not judgment. As catechists, we can help those we teach to shape their/our response according to Catholic principles. With that in mind, I offer the following thoughts. How Catholics Can Talk About and Deal with the Tragedy in Haiti The tragedy of the earthquake in Haiti calls us to respond according […]
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