Thanks to all the wonderful catechists in Dallas, TX, who spent the day with me on Saturday, exploring an introduction to the ministry of catechesis. We had a great time, got lots of work done, and even celebrated the Dallas Mavericks’ championship! The crowd ranged from a number of brand new catechists to a woman who was in her 50th year of being a catechist! Amazing! Thanks again to everyone for such a wonderful day! Here’s a peek at their smiling faces.
Today, I had the pleasure of speaking to a sizeable group of catechists at the St. Louis Archdiocesan Religious Education Institute which took place on the campus of St. Louis University. I presented on The Catechist’s Toolbox. I was impressed with how many veteran catechists were on hand still looking for more tools to increase their effectiveness. One woman said she has been a catechist for 47 years! (I told her she must have started […]
I had a wonderful weekend in Richmond, VA, doing the keynote and a couple of workshops at their “Graced by God” conference. Thanks to Eileen Brown for arranging for me to speak and to Deacon Ed Schmidt who served as my “personal assistant” throughout the day. I immensely enjoyed meeting Ed and spending the day with him and enjoying lunch with him and his wife. Thanks Ed for your selfless diaconal service, not only to […]
I spent this past Saturday morning with about 100 catechists in the Diocese of Joliet (south and west of the Archdiocese of Chicago) focusing on the topic of catechists and the Bible. I was honored to “share the bill” with Bishop Peter Sartain and to meet and speak with so many catechists from so many parishes. After a beautiful morning prayer, I was introduced and spoke about 5 ways to “dramatically increase your students’ Bible […]
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Gee, I wish I had been in Dallas, especially since it is only 250 miles away! I’m fairly new to this website, so I guess I don’t know how to find things out, such as this Dallas training. Where would I have found that information?
Patricia
Hi Patricia. I have a list of my presentations on my ABOUT ME tab at the top of my home page.
What a wonderful blessing to be a Catechist. Last September, I was asked to step in for a catechist who took a nursing job that included working some Sundays. I agreed, excited but with some reservation, to prepare for a class of 8-9 year olds. It had been a long time since I had spent time with children that age. I have to laugh when I remember how nervous I was my first class, with enough material prepared for three classes. The children were wonderful, engaging, usually awake, sometimes a little over-enthusiastic, if you know what I mean, and always interested to learn more about Jesus and His church, and what it is to be Catholic. I’m looking forward to teaching again this school year.
I have been a catechist for the last three years. I love it and look forward to learning as much if not more than my students do. I teach second grade everyday in my town and one night a week, I get to change my experience a little. I teach eighth grade confirmation class. I like that it is about the same but oh so different. I attended the class in Dallas on Saturday and I must tell you that I was impressed with your presentation. You were on target when you mentioned that professional teachers have a better preparatory experience than other catechists, because lets face it, I do it for a career. But it is very different when I am a catechist. I actually feel as if I am learning more from my students than they are from me. We do many activities to try to liven up the class or materials. I always try to relate it back to their everyday lives so that they can connect to the information. It has been a pleasant three years and I really hope that I can continue to grow and learn as a catholic and a catechist. I want to thank you for your inspiration and a great day! God Bless!
thanks so much Lesa and I wish you continued blessings in your ministry!