Welcome to the final installment of Catechists in Action, a feature that has enabled us to be a “fly on the wall” of a number of catechists in this past year. In this final installment, we meet Marge Garbacz, Director of Religious Education at St. Symphorosa Parish in Chicago, IL. Among the many hats that Marge wears (including “parish carnival coordinator”!) is the coordinator of the parish RCIA process. Marge has assembled an impressive team of catechists and sponsors to accompany the catechumens and candidates on their journey. In these upcoming segments, we will have an opportunity to see how Marge, as a catechist of adults, implements sound and effective techniques for catechizing adults. In this segment, Marge gives us an overview of what we are about to witness in her RCIA process.
Catechetical Leaders
Prayer Blankets as a Component of Adult Faith Formation
As we continue to expand our notion of what adult faith formation is—taking it beyond the scholastic sphere—I’d like to talk about one idea that combines several aspects of the six tasks of catechesis. I’m referring to the practice of parishes creating a Prayer Blanket (or Prayer Shawl) Ministry. In this ministry, parishioners sew/create prayer blankets or shawls for adults or children experiencing serious illness or transition (preparing for surgery, recovering from an acute illness, […]
Adult Faith Formation
Who Do You Recruit to Animate Adult Faith Formation? Try a “Regular Guy”
My favorite radio station in Chicago—WXRT, 93.1 FM—features a movie critic who goes by the name of “The Regular Guy.” Since 1984, DJ Marty Lennartz has portrayed a stereotypical gritty Chicagoan giving his take on the current motion picture hits. The bit is brilliant, of course, because listeners fashion themselves as “regular people” who can relate to this movie critic who has no airs about him. That explains my answer to the question, “Who do you […]
Getting Started as a Catechist
Getting Started as a Catechist – Free Webinars!
As the new catechetical year approaches, catechists are focusing their attention on how to best engage their students in faith formation. In the United States alone, roughly 150,000 catechists are new to the job each year! With that in mind, I will once again be hosting a series of free Webinars through Loyola Press called “Getting Started as a Catechist.” This year, I’m offering a new twist: I will be hosting four webinars in the series, each focused on […]
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