Pop-Up Catechesis: St. Joseph and a Place for Introverts in the Church

Pop-Up Catechesis with Joe Paprocki

We live in a culture that idealizes extroverts. As a society, we too often tend to equate success, not only with money, but also with the person who can talk the loudest and fastest. We live in a culture of personality. Unfortunately (and this is a pet peeve of mine), the same is often true in our Church: we too often equate discipleship with the ability to talk loud, fast, and convincingly about our faith in Jesus Christ. The problem is that leaves out half of the population. Those of us who are introverts are too often seen as lukewarm about our faith, because we are not “making enough noise.” Take heart, introverts! On March 19, we celebrate the unofficial patron saint of introverts—St. Joseph—who appears in a number of scenes in Scripture but never says a word! In this episode of Pop-Up Catechesis, we prepare to celebrate the Feast of St. Joseph in a year that Pope Francis has proclaimed as the Year of St. Joseph (December 8, 2020 to December 8, 2021).

For more information about St. Joseph, check out the following links:

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.

2 Comments

  1. I love this! It’s a new way to look at St. Joseph for me! As a bit of an introvert myself, I really appreciate this acknowledgement that not everyone needs to be outgoing and gregarious. Many of the times that I’ve tried to overcome my shyness or whatever it is, I’ve gotten myself into trouble by saying too much or the wrong thing. Thank you St. Joseph for your strong and devoted love for God, St. Mary, and Jesus.

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