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.

Stories on the Journey: Kids (and Adults) Say and Do the Darndest Things

Joe Paprocki

Catechists are some of the best storytellers in the world, and we don’t have to travel far to find good stories to share. So many of them happen right under our noses and involve those we teach. With that in mind, I thought we’d spend some time this summer sharing stories from our own experiences as catechists. This week’s topic is, “Kids (and Adults) Say and Do the Darndest Things!” Let’s hear about those unforgettable moments […]

Living the Mass the Other Six Days of the Week: The Lord’s Prayer

Joe Paprocki

We continue to journey through the National Eucharistic Revival and reflect on the parts of the Mass and what each part is calling us to do and be the other six days of the week. Our inspiration is my book, Living the Mass: How One Hour a Week Can Change Your Life, co-authored by Fr. Dominic Grassi. This time, we look at the Lord’s Prayer and reflect on how it helps us to begin the work of letting […]

Ignatian Tools for the Modern World: A Webinar with Fr. Joseph A. Tetlow, SJ; Eric A. Clayton; Fr. Kevin O’Brien, SJ; Vinita Hampton Wright; and Fr. Michael Rossmann, SJ - headshots of each author

July Is for All Things Ignatian

Joe Paprocki

Those of us at Loyola Press get a bit excited every July. Why’s that? Well, it just so happens that July 31 is the feast day of our patron, St. Ignatius of Loyola. Each year, we use the entire month of July to celebrate all things Ignatian, and this year is no different! For starters, I invite you to join me for a free webinar aimed at identifying how Ignatian spirituality is needed in the […]

Focus on Those with Disabilities: U.S. Bishops Speak

Joe Paprocki

At the most recent plenary meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Orlando, FL, the bishops approved the drafting of a new pastoral statement to address the role of persons with disabilities in the life of the Church. The U.S. bishops’ last pastoral statement on persons with disabilities was published in 1978, so this is a great opportunity to refocus attention on our brothers and sisters with disabilities and to incorporate current language […]

Pop-Up Catechesis: Praying with Words or in Silence

Joe Paprocki

Isn’t it funny how, when you’ve known someone for a long time, you can tell by the look on his or her face what she or he is trying to say to you? We don’t always need words to communicate with someone. By the same token, it can be difficult to know how someone truly feels unless one puts it into words! When it comes to our prayer lives, at times we can rely on […]

Last Supper Color-by-Number Activity

Joe Paprocki

Grab the crayons, and complete a color-by-number activity with children to find that Jesus shared bread and wine with his friends. While designed for use with primary grades, the sheet can also provide a relaxing coloring break for older students. Explain that Jesus is present in the consecrated Bread and Wine at Mass. Extend this activity in the classroom using some of these ideas. Read aloud Luke 22:14–20, the Last Supper. For the story adapted […]

Faith Refreshed - text over photo of water droplets by lemonade glass by Charlotte May on Pexels

Faith Refreshed Online Retreat Week 4: Three Venues of Prayer

Joe Paprocki

Welcome to Week 4 of Faith Refreshed, an online retreat to help us “hit the refresh button” in our spiritual lives so that we might better see things we weren’t previously seeing and return to our lives and ministry with a new outlook! Throughout this retreat, I am drawing from my best-selling book, A Well-Built Faith: A Catholic’s Guide to Knowing and Sharing What We Believe, as we re-visit the four pillars of our Catholic […]

Pop-Up Catechesis: Making Moral Choices

Joe Paprocki

Too often in our lives, we fail to consider the consequences of our actions. We act impulsively and then find ourselves overwhelmed by and even regretting the ramifications of what we have said or done. There’s no putting the toothpaste back into the tube after it’s been forced out! When we act impulsively—without thinking—our words and actions tend to come too quickly. They can be reckless, and the consequences can linger far too long. For […]

Faith Refreshed Online Retreat Week 3: Thinking and Moral Choices

Joe Paprocki

Welcome to Week 3 of Faith Refreshed, an online retreat to help us “hit the refresh button” in our spiritual lives. Throughout this retreat, I am drawing from my best-selling book, A Well-Built Faith: A Catholic’s Guide to Knowing and Sharing What We Believe, as we revisit the four pillars of our Catholic faith and invite the Holy Spirit to refresh our understanding of the basics of our faith and renew us in our efforts […]