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 40 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.

A Lo-Tech Session; High on Props – David: Shepherd and King

Joe Paprocki

Last evening was thoroughly enjoyable and, for the most part, very effective, as we focused on David as shepherd and king who points the way to the Good Shepherd/Christ the King. I decided to give the technology a rest since I’ve been using PowerPoints and videos a lot in recent sessions. Instead, I went all out on props which the kids loved. 6th graders are very much into this kind of theatrics! Here is one […]

David: Shepherd and King—Session 16

Joe Paprocki

Tonight we will be focusing our attention on David: shepherd and king who points the way to Jesus, the Good Shepherd and Christ the King. Here’s the plan. David: Shepherd and King BIG IDEA David: shepherd and king, points the way to Jesus: the Good Shepherd and Christ the King PRELIMINARIES (15 mins) Return corrected Ten Commandments quizzes. Opening procession to set up prayer table Opening prayer ritual ENGAGE (20 mins) Invite volunteer to come […]

Under the Influence of Jesus – Free Webinar!

Joe Paprocki

Under the Influence of Jesus: The Transforming Experience of Encountering Christ – A Webinar Facilitator: Joe Paprocki, DMin Brought to you by Loyola Press, A Jesuit Ministry Thursday, February 13, 2014 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Central Time (Find out what time this is for you.) The most important relationships are life-changing because they bring about a shift in your priorities and a transformation in your outlook. This is true of the single-most important relationship […]

A Call to Be “Maladjusted” from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Joe Paprocki

As we celebrate this Martin Luther King holiday, we will no doubt hear and see the words of his famous “I Have a Dream” speech countless times. And while I love that speech and the concept of working toward the fulfillment of a dream (the essence of the Kingdom of God), perhaps my favorite concept from Dr. King was his call for us to be “maladjusted” to the many injustices that infiltrate our culture. Here’s […]

Save the Date: My Next Free Webinar – Thursday, February 13, 2014

Joe Paprocki

Mark your calendars for my next free Webinar! Details to follow soon! Thursday, February 13, 2014 7:00 – 8:00 pm (Central Time)

It Was the Quietest of Times, It Was the Noisiest of Times!

Joe Paprocki

Our session this past Tuesday (Jan. 14, 2014) was very enjoyable and was a study in contrasts. I actually began the session (after preliminary chit-chat and our opening prayer ritual) with a guided reflection in which I invited the young people to talk with Jesus about what they have learned in the first half of the year. The kids were amazingly quiet! It was a very prayerful experience and, in all, lasted about 15 minutes. You […]

Remember!

Joe Paprocki

Here is my lesson plan for this evening! Tuesday, January 14, 2014 BIG IDEA: “Remember all my commands!” Scripture: Numbers 15:37-41 Learning Outcome: As a result of this session, students will be able to recall and articulate the major concepts covered in the first half of the year, especially the Ten Commandments Preliminaries/Engage (20 mins) As they enter, have the young people write down one thing they remember learning during the first half of the […]

More Pics from N’awlins!

Joe Paprocki

Thanks to my friend and colleague, Carol, I have some more pics to share from New Orleans (Hofinger Catechetical Conference). Here I am with Carrie as we prepare to do a product showcase featuring the Finding God bilingual program. Here I am doing my presentation on my new book, Under the Influence of Jesus: The Transforming Experience of Encountering Christ. This is my attempt […]

Under the Influence – in N’awlins!

Joe Paprocki

My new book, Under the Influence of Jesus: The Transforming Experience of Encountering Christ, made its debut in the great city of New Orleans this past weekend at the Hofinger Catechetical Conference. We were a bit nervous at first because of a delay in shipping but, thanks be to God, the books arrived and the rush was on to buy them and so many people were kind enough to ask me to sign their copy! […]

If I Were King or Queen for a Day

Joe Paprocki

As it turns out, our session was canceled last evening due to the extreme conditions here in Chicago. Thankfully, temps are on the way back up to more normal frigid Chicago standards! In the meantime, I took the opportunity to look ahead and rearrange the schedule a bit, and I see that after we review next week, we’ll be ready to begin exploring the establishment of the Kingdom of Israel, beginning with a couple of […]