This is the time of the year when many of us begin to experience the winter doldrums. As mild as winter has been in Chicago this year, the lack of light and color still gets to you after a while. My students came into class last night with a collective case of the doldrums! Several had just come from basketball practice and were a bit tuckered out but got their second wind a half hour […]
My lesson for tonight dovetails nicely with last week’s session since we are continuing to talk about the Prophets. Last week, we focused on how the Prophets challenged the People of Israel. This week, we look at how the Prophets spoke words of HOPE to the People when they were in Exile and as they returned to their destroyed homeland. You may recognize the Works of Mercy exercise from a lesson I did a couple […]
Many people have been asking about what they can do in their local parish to mark this Year of Faith. In response, I’ve put together a new resource that you can use called DAYS OF FAITH! This is a kit that contains everything you need to host a faith formation event in your own parish during Lent or some other time of this Year of Faith. In this kit, I share 4 PowerPoint® presentations – each 60-minutes […]
The current issue of RTJ’s Creative Catechist Magazine features an article that I wrote titled “How We Speak in the Kingdom of God” and describes how First Eucharist is an ideal time to introduce what I call a “language of mystery” to those we teach. Here’s a PDF of the article: How We Speak in the Kingdom of God – Joe Paprocki article in RTJ’s Creative Catechist Magazine
We had a wonderful time last night learning about the Old Testament Prophets! Three of my most rambunctious students were absent last night and while I was disappointed they missed the experience, it certainly made for a very calm evening! After welcoming the young people back from the holidays, we did a little review about the Ark of the Covenant and I showed them how I placed many of their prayer symbols in our own […]
Sin is often the result of acting on an impulse – like a reflex action that we do without thinking. During Lent, we strive to pay closer attention to how we act so that we can learn to discipline our impulses and not act reflexively. Materials needed: several cotton balls or rolled up paper towels, a transparent barrier (a wire screen, a piece of clear plastic, etc.), a heavy book and a table top. Say, […]
Lent is a time to make sure that we are in a healthy alignment with God. Provide each participant with a fistful of Cheerios and a straight edge/ruler or popsicle stick Invite them to “spill” the Cheerios on their desk/table top in front of them. Show them the following image (either copy and paste into a handout or project it) and tell them to use their straight edge to arrange their Cheerios so that they […]
Ask all of your students to stand up and, on the count of three, to point north. Inevitably, there is some confusion…not all have their bearings! Explain that we can rely on a compass to help us get a sense of direction. Make a simple home-made compass. You will need a magnet, a sewing needle, a shallow aluminum baking pan filled with water, and a small piece of Styrofoam (2 in. x 2 in.) Hold […]
Lent is a time for us to declare our independence from sins that have been impinging on our freedom and to declare our DEpendence on God! Prepare your own “parchment” to use as a Declaration of DEpendence. Here is a picture of one I prepared next to a replica of the real thing. Any sheet of white newsprint will do. The thinner the paper, the better. I like to use a sheet from an easel […]
The focus of this session is on the 7 Deadly Sins, a good way to prepare for the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation during Lent. Identify each of the 7 Deadly Sins and their brief definitions (see chart below). Download or otherwise acquire versions of each of the following songs and play about 60 seconds of each song, one at a time, inviting the young people to guess which of the 7 Deadly Sins the […]
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