I’m old enough to remember how Jackie Gleason would say, “And awaaaay we go!” at the beginning of his TV show every week. Those words popped into my mind as we kicked off the catechetical year at St. Cajetan Parish last week. We began with a prayer service in church, which included blessings of the parents, children, catechists, and Finding God textbooks. After some inspiring words from the pastor, Fr. Frank Kurucz, the young people were […]
As a Church, we’ve been talking about adult faith formation for years and yet, here we are “beginning” the conversation at Christ the King parish. That’s not a knock on the parish—many parishes find themselves in the same boat: yet to realize what it means to make adult faith formation a priority. Thankfully, Fr. Larry Sullivan and his staff are determined to change all that! Recently, I met with Fr. Larry and the staff at […]
This Sunday, September 20, 2016, is Catechetical Sunday, with the theme of “Safeguarding the Dignity of Every Human Person.” Here is a Catechist’s Prayer from the USCCB: Father of all families, you have called me to serve the family in truth and love as a catechist. May I be faithful to this call, rooted in your Word, and open to the gifts of the Holy Spirit. May I use these gifts, especially the gifts of faith, […]
When we learn about the saints, we must remember that they were ordinary people just like us. Like us, the saints had to figure out who they were in the eyes of God and then live out that vision. They give us examples of how people dedicate their lives to God. Learning from them, we can figure out how to dedicate our lives to God, each in our own way. We can use each saint’s […]
Last Friday, I posted about creating mercy opportunities for fifth graders, tied in with the doctrine being taught in each chapter of the Finding God fifth-grade book. Several of the suggestions made mention of partnering with Loyola Press’s “People for Others” campaign. Here’s some background and a proposal. Being a “person for others” is a very important Ignatian principle and is something that we strive to practice here at Loyola Press. Throughout the year, we provide […]
As I mentioned last month, I will be working with two fifth-grade catechists at St. Cajetan Parish this year to provide a Year of Mercy focus for their students and their parents and families. The catechists are hoping to engage the young people in a work of mercy during every lesson throughout the year. To that end, I have created the following chart which draws from the main theme of each chapter of the fifth grade Finding […]
I was thrilled to receive an invitation from Kerry Weber, Managing Editor of America Magazine and author of Mercy in the City, to write an article for America’s religious education issue on the progress of religious education. Their idea was to reprint an article from 1974 titled, “Where is Religious Education Going?” (written by Rev. Francis D. Kelly, then-director of the Office for Religious Education for the Diocese of Worcester, MA) and to have me […]
In just a few short weeks (September 22–27, 2015), our Holy Father, Pope Francis, will visit the United States for the first time! This is an exciting time for the Church in the United States as the “Francis Effect” continues to shape the lives of individuals and the Church as a whole. Here is his full itinerary. Among the highlights of the Holy Father’s visit are: Mass of Canonization of Junipero Serra Address to the […]
I’m excited and pleased to announce that this year, I will be working with the pastoral staff at Christ the King Parish in Chicago, IL, to focus on adult faith formation. The parish is led by Fr. Larry Sullivan, who was a student at Quigley Seminary South High School when I taught there from 1981–90, so I’ve known Fr. Larry for a long time and am thrilled to be collaborating with him. He and his […]
Other than my patron saint, Joseph, and St. Ignatius of Loyola, few saints have inspired me as much as St. Augustine, whose feast we celebrate today. When I was a student at St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago, I studied Latin for four years and also took an elective on The Confessions of St. Augustine. The class consisted of five or six of us students translating the Confessions from Latin to English line by line under […]
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