On the Road with Joe: The Diocese of Wilmington, DE

When I travel, I typically make all of my own arrangements for flight, hotel, and rental car. Recently, however, I traveled to the East Coast to do a presentation for the Diocese of Wilmington, DE, and my colleague and friend Paul Gallagher, the Loyola Press Educational Consultant for the region, told me that it would make sense for him to pick me up at the airport and drive the three-hour trip to our hotel and event venue. Because of that, I only paid attention to my flight arrangements into Baltimore and did not pay attention to where we would be staying. As it turns out, the catechetical leaders of the Diocese of Wilmington, DE, were gathering for a two-day retreat in Ocean City, MD. What a surprise it was to be in such incredibly beautiful surroundings! This job has its perks!

Anyway, in addition to the beautiful surroundings, I had the pleasure of spending a couple of days with some really beautiful people—about 35 catechetical leaders and youth ministers of the diocese, organized by the director of the catechetical office, Colleen Lindsey. We spent our days reflecting on, discussing, and brainstorming strategies and approaches for doing faith formation outside of the “Catholic bubble” that many of us grew up in and in the “new normal”—a much more pluralistic, secular, mobile, individualistic, and increasingly polarized environment. We focused on ideas from my book, A Church on the Move: 52 Ways to Get Mission and Mercy in Motion. Thanks to all for an incredible couple of days!

Here I am with LP colleague and friend, Paul Gallagher, enjoying a walk along the ocean.
Here’s the beautiful view from my hotel room in Ocean City, MD.
About Joe Paprocki 2742 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 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.

4 Comments

  1. Hi, Joe !
    I want to say “Thank You” for the presentations you gave at our DRE Retreat at the Dunes Manor Hotel recently!
    I brought so much back with me to share with my catechists !

    Hope you and your family have a blessed Holy Week, and Easter.

    Pat

  2. Hi Joe: any chance you can share more details from this gathering? Powerpoint or handouts? This topic is pertinent to all of us! Thanks for considering this! Peace, Karen

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