On this U.S. Thanksgiving Day, we pause with family and friends to share gratitude for all good gifts from God. This video is by my colleague Vinita Hampton Wright and includes her poem, “What Everyone Ought to Know about Being Grateful.” Find a PDF of the poem here and more from Vinita at the dotMagis blog.
We continue our series here on Catechist’s Journey on how to implement small faith groups in your parish. Today we look at the crucial step of identifying, inviting, and training small group leaders. This is by far the most critical step, since the small faith groups will conduct their sessions in parishioners’ homes, without parish staff present. This follows the successful model used by St. Barnabas Parish in Chicago last Lent. 2–3 Months Out Select […]
As you know, Advent begins on Sunday, November 30, 2014. Don’t forget the free Advent Prayer Packet that I’ve put together this year. This packet includes the following: Two fully organized Advent prayer services, one specifically designed as a Penance service. A guided reflection on the name Emmanuel, “God with us.” A family prayer card to encourage families. And finally, don’t miss the great variety of Advent resources available from Loyola Press. Let us approach […]
Today we continue a series here on Catechist’s Journey that will lay out for you the steps to successfully implement small faith groups in your parish with an eye on Lent as a target. I am drawing on the successful experience of St. Barnabas Parish in Chicago, where last year over 200 parishioners gathered in homes during the season of Lent to participate in small faith groups. The success of the efforts at St. Barnabas […]
I was impressed by the Mass for Veterans that was celebrated at St. Barnabas parish in Chicago this past Sunday. Military personnel, past and present, from all five branches of the military were invited to participate in a rousing entrance procession complete with flags representing each of their branches. The music, which was splendid, was focused on the themes of marching and victory and peace. The homily, delivered by army chaplain Fr. Matt Foley, meshed the […]
During these past few months, as I’ve begun exploring the world of adult faith formation, I have become convinced that one of the key principles of AFF is that it is most effective when it is relational. In other words, we can’t simply gather adults and talk at them—they need to talk to one another! With that in mind, I am proud and excited to launch a series here on Catechist’s Journey that will lay […]
Several days ago, I received an e-mail from my friend, former colleague, and fellow blogger Sr. Julie Vieira, IHM, over at A Nun’s Life, in which she reached out for help to assist a sister who is doing catechesis for people in the circus. Yes, the circus! I, in turn, reached out to my colleague Julie Berggren, one of our Sales Managers, since I didn’t think Loyola Press had an educational consultant currently assigned to […]
Last weekend, I had the distinct privilege of spending the day filming for a training DVD for the new Adaptive Finding God Program which will be available in January, 2015! This resource is the foremost program of its kind, offering faith formation for children with special needs, adaptable to a variety of settings and situations. For more information about the Adaptive Finding God Program, click here. Here is the truck from the film crew…they needed […]
Last Saturday, my wife and I enjoyed a wonderful celebration at Loyola University’s Water Tower Campus here in Chicago as we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Institute of Pastoral Studies. I graduated from the IPS in 1984 with a Masters in Pastoral Studies (I’m featured here on their alumni page and I’m also featured on their Books Written by IPS Graduates page). Here’s the summary from the IPS Web site: It was a sold out […]
Thanks to the quick work of my colleagues Nick Yonto and Rosemary Lane, the recording of last week’s webinar, A New Catechesis for a New Evangelization is now available!
Copyright © 2006-2024 Loyola Press. All rights reserved. Any copying, redistribution, or retransmission of the contents of this service without the express written consent of Loyola Press is expressly prohibited.