Articles by Joe Paprocki

About Joe Paprocki
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.
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Easter

Celebrating the Light of Christ and the Easter Vigil

Joe Paprocki

Recently, I received an e-mail from a fourth-grade catechist, Gail, who hails from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. In it, she shared a very nice idea for making Paschal candles in preparation for the Easter Vigil. Here is how she goes about doing this easy project. Hello Joe, Celebrating the Light of Christ and the Easter Vigil: I have used Pringles (potato chips) cans for my students to make their own version of the Paschal candle. I used […]

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Easter

Let the Triduum Teach

Joe Paprocki

Any liturgist will tell you that the best way to teach about liturgy is to celebrate richly and robustly. The Triduum, which is only weeks away, is without a doubt the most robust sacramental celebration in our life of worship and, as such, provides an extraordinary opportunity for quality adult faith formation simply by inviting people to play a role in the celebrations. Here are some ideas for how to make that happen. Holy Thursday Evening […]

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Approaches/Techniques

A “Flipped-Classroom” Approach to Religious Education

Joe Paprocki

One of the challenges we face as catechists is never having enough time in our classes. We want to do so many creative and meaningful things, especially related to prayer experiences, but we have barely enough time to cover the basic doctrine. One approach that is gaining traction in faith formation is the “flipped-classroom.” This concept comes from the world of education and boils down to “flipping” the approach to teaching. Typically, content is delivered in […]

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Adult Faith Formation

How to Use Mentoring as a Tool for Adult Faith Formation

Joe Paprocki

When the topic of adult faith formation comes up, we Catholics have a tendency to immediately shift to a default mode which is the classroom model: there must be a topic, a presenter, and “students.” The topic is usually doctrinal, the presenter is typically the only one who speaks, and the students are passive receptors of the speaker’s wisdom. More and more parishes are recognizing the reality that adult faith formation must come in many […]

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Books

The Catechist’s Backpack Is Here!

Joe Paprocki

I’m thrilled to announce that my new book, The Catechist’s Backpack: Spiritual Essentials for the Journey, co-written with Julianne Stanz, is now available from Loyola Press! Here is an excerpt: Backpacking is a fun, healthy, and physically challenging way to enjoy a journey of discovery. Of course, anyone setting forth on a backpacking journey knows that there are many things to take into consideration and certain necessities that need to be packed. In a similar […]

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Adult Faith Formation

Adult Faith: Moving to a Needs-Based Approach

Joe Paprocki

One of the problems with adult faith formation, as I see it, is our “packaging.” We want our adults to have a good grasp of Church doctrine but the problem is that we present it as…drumroll please…CHURCH DOCTRINE! In other words, our adult faith offerings are most often too “churchy-sounding” to attract a wide or new audience. Most folks are simply not going to be swayed by topics such as the following: Understanding the Mass […]

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Catechetical Leaders

Echo: Grooming a New Generation of Catechetical Leaders

Joe Paprocki

Recently, I had the opportunity to hear a presentation by Colleen Moore, the Director of the Echo program from the University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Church Life. The name “Echo” comes from the Greek word for “catechesis” meaning “to echo into” or “to resound.” The Echo program assists the Church in strengthening faith formation by recruiting highly qualified recent college graduates to earn a master’s degree in theology from the University’s Department of Theology while […]

Holy Week PowerPoint presentation by Joe Paprocki
Lent

Holy Week, the Triduum, and Easter—Free PowerPoint Presentation

Joe Paprocki

Whether it’s with a deep breath, a soft prayer, or a slight push, there are things we do to get ready. These final touches, and many others, are examples of our personal preparedness, and it is just as important to prepare and ready ourselves as it is to experience. Today I’m offering a way to help us get ready for the end of Lent with a free PowerPoint presentation on Holy Week, the Triduum, and […]

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Miscellaneous

Rest in Peace Catechist Len Astrowski

Joe Paprocki

For a number of years, I served as a catechist at Most Holy Redeemer Parish in Evergreen Park under the direction of Arlene Astrowski, the Director of Religious Education (now retired). It is with great sadness that I pass along the news that her husband, Len, passed away recently. I had the pleasure and privilege of being a catechist alongside Len for several years and even enjoyed videotaping him for our Catechists in Action series. […]