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.

It IS Possible to Have a Normal Conversation with an 8th Grader!

Joe Paprocki

I was absolutely delighted to have an enjoyable 10-minute conversation with one of my 8th graders before class last night! This doesn’t happen often for me. For one, the kids usually don’t arrive early or stay after class. Second, I don’t usually seek out conversations…it’s just not my style. Third, I’m very careful about not presenting myself as their “buddy” – I’m not seeking their friendship, just their apprenticeship. So, needless to say, I was […]

Repetition – The Rosary

Joe Paprocki

What do all of the following have in common? “The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!” “There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home.” “I think I can. I think I can. I think I can.” Repetition, of course. We human beings tend to repeat ourselves whenever we feel strongly about something, are excited about something, or want to convince […]

Living the Mass – in Chinese!

Joe Paprocki

I enjoyed a proud moment the other day when I was handed a copy of my book, Living the Mass, translated into Chinese! The translation was done by Cecilia Tao, a friend of Fr. George Lane, S.J., President of Loyola Press. I co-authored Living the Mass with Fr. Dom Grassi in 2005. Cecilia tells me that the book is able to be sold in China in churches but not in bookstores. Here’s a pic of […]

Unforeseen Distractions

Joe Paprocki

Interestingly enough, one of the problems that I ran into while walking my class through the Bible on Monday evening was the unforeseen distractions that occurred while they were reading aloud…and these distractions came from the text itself! What am I talking about? Here’s what I mean: Exodus 20:10 – “No work may be done then either by you….or by the alien who lives with you.” Had to pause and explain that this was not […]

On Second Thought…

Joe Paprocki

Last evening’s session went OK, however, as I look back over my attempt to walk the young people through the Bible in preparation for the unit on Jesus, I’m having second thoughts about my approach. Frankly, I think it was a bit beyond them to explore so many Scripture passages (as outlined in my handout) in one swoop. As brief as most of those passages are and as easy as I thought it would be […]

Setting the Stage for Jesus

Joe Paprocki

For tonight’s class, my plan is to continue walking the young people through the story of salvation history in the Bible, setting the stage for the unit on Jesus that we are beginning. You may recall that two weeks ago (we were off last week for Columbus Day), I began walking them through the story of salvation history in the Bible and, because of a few interruptions (fire drill, etc.) only got as far as […]

Chicago to Portland to Evergreen Park!

Joe Paprocki

Tomorrow, Friday, October 16, I will be speaking at the Chicago Festival of Faith on the topic of the Catechetical Message of Scripture. Then, it’s off to Portland, OR, for their Catechetical Conference at which I will deliver the keynote address and offer a workshop, both relating to The Catechist’s Toolbox. And then, of course, it’s back home for Monday evening’s session of religious education with my 8th graders! I hope to finish walking the […]

How to Pray a Living Rosary

Joe Paprocki

October, of course, is the month of the Holy Rosary, a great opportunity to introduce young people to the devotion of praying the Rosary. Many parish schools and religious education programs have a “living Rosary” during October and the question often comes up, “How do you pray the living Rosary?” Here are sites that offer explanations and descriptions of praying a Living Rosary: The Living Rosary: Bring the Rosary to life for your Students Find […]

The Ponderings of an RCIA Catechist

Joe Paprocki

I came across these thoughts from an RCIA catechist pondering the first session of breaking open the Word. Take a look… http://catholicwideweb.wordpress.com/2009/10/11/rcia-catechist/

Catholic Athletes for Christ

Joe Paprocki

No class tonight because of Columbus Day. I was thinking yesterday that it will be unusual to have a Monday night off. Then, I was looking at the Chicago Blackhawks’ schedule and saw that they are playing a home game tonight and I thought to myself that it’s unusual for the Hawks to play a home game on a Monday night…but at least I’d be home to watch the game on TV. Then, at 10 pm last […]