Tonight, at the NCCL conference, I attended a preview of Fr. Bob Barron’s exciting new Catholicism Project. Fr. Bob was a teacher of mine in my Doctor of Ministry program and is one of the most brilliant minds in Catholic thought today. His Catholicism Project is a multi-textured introduction and explanation of the depths of the Catholic faith. What sets Fr. Bob apart from other Catholic “personas” is his ability to speak intelligently about the Catholic faith while also speaking like a regular guy. No false pomposity or overly pious airs about him as is found in too many priests who appear on various Catholic TV programs. Some segments of this program are set to air on Public Television this Fall. I think it will make us proud! Here’s what his project is all about…I encourage you to look into it.
Primary Grades
Priests Who Visit the Classroom
Twice a month, my students look forward to a visit from our associate pastor, Father Vincent. I am so glad my school makes it a priority to have a priestly presence in our halls. In my 12 years of teaching, three different priests have taken the time to visit my classes. Their 20-minute visits offer my students three benefits: the priests bring their unique perspectives, they are very good with show and tell, and they […]
Technology in Catechesis
Keeping Time the Catholic Way
In my new book, Practice Makes Catholic: Moving from a Learned Faith to a Lived Faith (Loyola Press), I talk about keeping time the Catholic way. In other words, by paying attention to the liturgical calendar, we remind ourselves that time itself is sacramental, revealing the presence of God in each moment. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase that a person “is living on borrowed time.” We use this peculiar phrase when referring to someone […]
Joe's Comings and Goings
A More Robust Liturgy – My Article In Ministry & Liturgy Magazine
Here’s an excerpt from an article (“7 Steps to a More Robust Liturgy”) I just had published in Ministry & Liturgy Magazine: On a recent trip to Hawaii, I visited the Polynesian Cultural Center and got a firsthand glimpse of the ritual expression of the Polynesian people: bold, dramatic, rich, deeply expressive, highly energizing. I found my imagination stirred, my heart moved, and my senses stimulated as young people explained and performed ancient rituals to the […]
Joe,
Fr. Barron did such a wonderful job on this and I’m so excited to see it when it comes out in August!
William, I have no doubt you’ll find a creative way to put it to use in your parish too!
I’m excited to see this as well. I have some of Father Barron’s other DVDs. I see on Catholicismproject.org that you can pre-order. Based on what you saw at the Conference, Joe, do you think this could be used for 9th or 10th grade? There are too many DVDs to show the program in its entirety to the teens but I assume each DVD stands alone and that one or two could be selected if indeed a teen audience would like it?
Hi Mary. Yes, I think this would be good for 9th or 10th grade because it is visually captivating and the study guide will help the teacher to guide the students. Yes, each appears to be stand alone. Best wishes with this and all your catechetical efforts!
We have so many heroes out there, it s time to let the world know our own story as the video trailer says, let us continue building the body of Christ and spread the love of his word.
Looking forward to see the full video…
Again, greetings from Tijuana Mexico…
How true, Susana.
Talking about our unknown heroes, I will ask you all to pray for the soul of one of our priests in Tijuana that was brutally murdered this week, his name was father Salvador Ruiz.
Let us pray for OUR CHURCH AND OUR PRIESTS.
So sorry to hear about this Susana. Prayers are assured.