Articles by Shannon Chisholm

About Shannon Chisholm

Shannon Chisholm is a Ph.D. candidate in Religious Education at Fordham University. Over the years, Shannon has ministered as both a catechist and Director of Faith Formation. She is currently serving as a catechist at Holy Family Parish in New Rochelle, NY. She holds a BA and MA in Theology from the University of Notre Dame. When she isn’t daydreaming about lesson plans for her second-grade class, Shannon enjoys spending time with her family, discovering new coffee shops, and cheering on the Fighting Irish.

A Celebration for All: First Holy Communion and the Parish

Shannon Chisholm

Last year was my first solo direction of the liturgy for children receiving First Holy Communion. At my parish, this Mass is not part of our regular weekend liturgies. This gave me the ability to ensure that every child had a role. Although we celebrated two beautiful liturgies, I felt that they were lacking a critical element: the involvement of the entire parish. This year I have been trying to reinforce that our celebration of First […]

Five Ideas for Including the Year of Mercy in the Classroom

Shannon Chisholm

After my first year working as the Director of Faith Formation, I realized that I had spent very little time focusing on Christian service with my students. Though service has been a great influence on my own faith, with our calendar already packed with so much curriculum to cover, service seemed like something extra—something nice to have if we could find the time. The Year of Mercy, however, offers catechists a unique opportunity to be […]

Countdown to Reconciliation

Shannon Chisholm

Our parish celebrates First Penance and Reconciliation in early December. As beautiful as it is to celebrate this sacrament in Advent and to be able to focus our efforts in the spring on First Holy Communion, the date always seems to creep up faster than I want it to. Since we have such limited time together in faith formation classes, I rely on the parents to help prepare their children for the sacrament at home. […]

Journey through Jerusalem

Shannon Chisholm

Living in the Boston suburbs, my students have the privilege of regularly visiting many of our nation’s important historical sites. As much of a blessing as this is, it also makes it more difficult for them to conceptualize the setting of the important events in their faith heritage. I have been challenged by the task of finding ways of making Jesus’ life come alive for my students from the confines of our parish hall. The […]

Setting Goals for Successful Catechesis

Shannon Chisholm

You’ve arrived at the first catechist meeting of the year just in the nick of time. Your DRE hands you your catechist book, your class roster, and a list of expectations for the year. At the end of the meeting, your DRE wishes you the best of luck. You gather your things, head back to your car, and wave good-bye. Upon returning home, you’re faced with an abundance of materials, a couple of new ideas […]