An Umbrella of Mercy

Joe Paprocki Adult Faith Formation

My friend and colleague, Kathy Donnelly, sent this wonderful story along to me. According to Sr. Phyllis Schenk, O.P., the Director of Religious Education at Resurrection Parish in Illiopolis, Illinois, the parish installed an Umbrella of Mercy in the church for the Year of Mercy. Under the umbrella are Loyola Press Beatitude Cards and small wooden plaques. Parishioners are encouraged to take a Beatitude Card home and to write on the plaque a time when they were shown mercy or when they showed mercy to others. What a wonderful idea!

Umbrella of Mercy

Print Friendly, PDF & EmailPrint Friendly
About Joe Paprocki 2734 Articles
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 40 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.

Related Articles

Year of Mercy
Spiritual Growth

A New Commandment and the Year of Mercy

Joe Paprocki Spiritual Growth

In the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus gives his disciples and us the New Commandment. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34–35, NIV). So what is “new” about this commandment? The duty of loving neighbors is grounded in the Old Testament and had been at […]

Print Friendly, PDF & EmailPrint Friendly
service day - girl with donations box
Catechetical Issues & Topics

Bringing the Year of Mercy to Fifth Graders and Their Parents

Joe Paprocki Catechetical Issues & Topics

As I’m sure you know by now, Pope Francis has declared an extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, which will begin December 8, 2015, and last until November 20, 2016, the Feast of Christ the King. As I’ve described here before, mercy can be understood as treating people like they are one of the family. With that in mind, I am happy to announce that I will be working with two outstanding catechists at St. Cajetan Parish […]

Print Friendly, PDF & EmailPrint Friendly
Works of Mercy Prayers and Activities Resource Packet
Ten Commandments, Sin, & Morality

Works of Mercy Prayers and Activities—Free Resource Packet

Joe Paprocki Ten Commandments, Sin, & Morality

Mercy is a virtue that influences a person’s compassion for another. Mercy inspires the will to ease another’s misfortunes or suffering in either body or soul. The corporal and spiritual works of mercy are charitable actions that extend God’s compassion and mercy to those in need. However, the works of mercy are more than gestures or obligations. To gain merit in heaven, the actions must be performed as acts of love for our neighbor as […]

Print Friendly, PDF & EmailPrint Friendly

2 Comments

  1. Great idea, we have a Tree of Mercy in our Narthex. Currently you can take a foam egg off the tree with a suggestion of an act of Mercy when completed bring the egg back with a onee word description of what you did or a picture. We will continue this with flowers in spring and summer and leaves in the fall

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*