Thanks to Richmond, VA!

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 […]

Fr. Barron’s Catholicism

This is a MUST SEE for catechists! Fr. Robert Barron’s CATHOLICISM series premiers (in the Chicago area) on PBS this evening. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I believe this epic series will be the greatest contribution to the Catholic faith of our generation. It tells the story of the Catholic faith from the inside with depth and intellect and beauty. Catechists will find much to inspire them in their own ministry and […]

Catechists in Action – An Evening with Nick

Last night, I attended 5th grade catechist Nick Yonto’s religious education session at Sts. Peter and Paul Parish in Cary, IL. This was the first installment of my new feature, Catechists in Action, in which I will be visiting and videotaping catechists in the Chicago area, and posting about the experience here on my blog. I thoroughly enjoyed Nick’s class last evening and am working with my colleagues here at Loyola Press to ready the […]

More About Receiving From the Cup

First, I’d like to thank the many people who engaged in such a healthy and respectful conversation about the issue of receiving the Precious Blood at Mass (in response to the actions taken by bishops in Phoenix and Madision to limit the reception of the Cup).  I read too many blogs where Catholics speak disrespectfully to one another and I’m happen that doesn’t happen here. The heartfelt comments that came in represent both sides of the […]

What’s Up with the Cup?

There seems to be what I consider to be a disturbing, albeit minor, trend of  dioceses  eliminating receiving from the Cup during Holy Communion. First, the Diocese of Phoenix and now the Diocese of Madison. This is an important issue for catechists to stay on top of. For the past quarter of a century or so, many of us have been working very hard to encourage people to receive Holy Communion under both species. Now, we’re […]

Catechists in Action – Meet Nick!

This year, I’m excited to bring a new feature to Catechist’s Journey – Catechists in Action – in which I will be visiting, observing, and videotaping catechists teaching their classes and blogging about the experience. This will give you an opportunity to see fellow catechists “doing their thing” so that you can compare styles, learn some new strategies, and become a more effective catechist yourself. I already have 5 catechist visits lined up for this year. […]

A Facelift for Catechist’s Journey!

Welcome to the new look for Catechist’s Journey! As we approach the 5th anniversary of my blog in December, 2011, (and the 5000th comment!) we thought it would be a good idea to freshen up the look of Catechist’s Journey. Because there is so much content on my blog, we decided to re-arrange it so that you can find things more easily. Thus, the new tabs up above (All Things Catechist, Catechetical Issues & Topics, […]

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