I enjoyed a wonderful week on the east coast last week, spending Monday and Tuesday in the Diocese of Wilmington, DE, and Wednesday through Friday on the Jersey Shore with the parish catechetical leaders of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia!
Thanks to all for a wonderful time and for your great energy, creativity, and dedication to the catechetical ministry!
Here are some pics:
In the Diocese of Wilmington, DE, here is my colleague and friend Paul Gallagher, Loyola Press Educational Consultant, speaking to the crowd.At Avalon, NJ, here I am with good friend Sr. Helene Thomas Connolly, IHM, who is the IHM Director of Religious Education.
Fr. Steve Delacy, Director of Vocations for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, presided beautifully at the liturgies at Avalon and also was available for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. He was such a tremendous presence during this gathering!
This group knows how to celebrate! We enjoyed a rousing singalong after dinner led by the talented Mr. Bill Monaghn, who also provided outstanding music for our liturgies. Bill has a number of excellent resources for catechesis and liturgy on his Web site, www.monaghanmusic.com.
During the singalong, I asked Bill if he could play a polka and danced with my friend and colleague, Marianne Kane, a Ministry Consultant for Loyola Press. Unfortunately, my moves must have been too fast as Marianne ended up in the wheelchair with a strained ligament! So sorry Marianne!
Now, that’s a room with a view! The Jersey Shore from the Golden Inn, Avalon.
Joe Paprocki, DMin, is National Consultant for Faith Formation at Loyola Press, where, in addition to his traveling/speaking responsibilities, he works on the development team for faith formation curriculum resources including Finding God: Our Response to God’s Gifts and God’s Gift: Reconciliation and Eucharist. Joe has more than 35 years of experience in ministry and has presented keynotes, presentations, and workshops in more than 100 dioceses in North America. Joe is a frequent presenter at national conferences including the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, the Mid-Atlantic Congress, and the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership. He is the author of numerous books, including the best seller The Catechist’s Toolbox, A Church on the Move, Under the Influence of Jesus, and Called to Be Catholic—a bilingual, foundational supplemental program that helps young people know their faith and grow in their relationship with God. Joe is also the series editor for the Effective Catechetical Leader and blogs about his experiences in faith formation at www.catechistsjourney.com.
Mark your calendars and make plans to attend the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, which takes place this March 21–24, 2019. I recently had the joy and privilege of getting together with a team of amazingly talented co-presenters as we planned and prepared for our “extravaganza” on Saturday, March 23, from 3:00–4:30 pm (session 6-22): How to Renew, Re-energize, and Transform Your Parish NOW! We will be drawing from my book, A Church on the Move: 52 […]
These are just some of the happy faces at the 28th annual Eastern Pennsylvania DRE Gathering which took place over the past few days at the Golden Inn in Avalon, NJ. I was privileged to be the presenter for the event, offering 3 presentations over a couple of days, focusing on the theme of “Immersed in Christ – Proud to be Catholic.” What a wonderful event. Over 100 DREs gather for this formational and fun getaway […]
I attended my first catechetical conference when I was in high school. I was most excited about it because I was to attend with a girl from the parish that I wanted to ask out on a date; luckily, she said yes, and we’ve been married since 1982! Aside from that little romantic angle, I recall also being excited about the conference itself and felt very affirmed that the parish wanted me to attend. Fast forward […]
I also wanted to give a shout out to Catechist Resources LLC, a small, family-owned Catholic publishing company that specializes in resoruces to support religious education (reproducibles, etc.) Take a look at http://www.catechistplace.com.
Hello Mr. Paprocki,
I was in Wildwood, Nj at a Charismatic Convention the weekend of 10/10-10/12/14 and Fr. Delacy did our opening mass and held workshops that were very informative and full of humor. I wish I could have joined you in Avalon prior to the weekend. Did you happen to attend this convention? Please let me know if you will be coming back to New Jersey and I can hopefully plan on attending where you are. You’re the best!!
Thank you kindly!!
I also wanted to give a shout out to Catechist Resources LLC, a small, family-owned Catholic publishing company that specializes in resoruces to support religious education (reproducibles, etc.) Take a look at http://www.catechistplace.com.
Hello Mr. Paprocki,
I was in Wildwood, Nj at a Charismatic Convention the weekend of 10/10-10/12/14 and Fr. Delacy did our opening mass and held workshops that were very informative and full of humor. I wish I could have joined you in Avalon prior to the weekend. Did you happen to attend this convention? Please let me know if you will be coming back to New Jersey and I can hopefully plan on attending where you are. You’re the best!!
Thank you kindly!!
Thanks Adele. I have no immediate plans to return to Jersey but it’s one of my favorite places to visit so I’m sure I’ll be back before long.