At this time of the year, many people are being asked to consider the possibility of becoming a catechist for next year. This is a monumental responsibility of the catechetical leader: to discern which individuals God may be calling to this privileged vocation. By the same token, those who are invited to serve as catechists are faced with discerning whether or not this is their vocation. Part of that discernment is listening to the stories […]
I just heard from a colleague of mine, a DRE who was a student at Quigley South High School when I taught there back in the 1980s! Patrick says, “Hello Joe! All is well at the parish. We finished a great year on May 3 with a May Crowning with all of the students.” Yes, May Crownings still happen! I remember with great fondness the May Crownings of my childhood…nothing said “spring is here” more […]
Here’s an idea for engaging young people in grades 7 through 12 around the Church’s social teaching, helping them to recognize the root causes of poverty and injustice. It is the 2010 Catholic Campaign for Human Development Mulit-Media Arts Contest. Schools and parish religious education programs can participate in this as a tool to help young people engage in Catholic social action. The 2010 contest theme is “Empowering Neighborhoods, Uprooting Poverty.” The contest invites all […]
I’ll be doing a couple of presentations at the Spring Enrichment conference for the Diocese of Albany, New York. As always, I look forward to meeting catechists from another part of God’s world! I’ll be speaking about the Catechist’s Toolbox and about God’s Library (Scripture). I’ll be flying there on “Cloud 9” – that’s where I am following the Chicago Blackhawks’ big win last night!!!
When we gather with our young people for religious education classes, it’s not always easy for them to make the transition from their day into “the sacred.” One strategy is to emply some discussion starters to break the ice: questions that are non-threatening, fun, and substantive. I recommend a product created by my friends Tom McGrath and Bret Nicholaus called The Meal Box. The Meal Box is a set of 52 cards featuring questions designed […]
Near the end of the great movie, The Wizard of Oz, there’s a wonderful moment when the key players in the story reflect on what they’ve learned: The Tin Man: What have you learned, Dorothy? Dorothy: Well, I – I think that it – it wasn’t enough to just want to see Uncle Henry and Auntie Em – and it’s that – if I ever go looking for my heart’s desire again, I won’t look […]
Over the past year, I have picked up a number of handy suggestions from various catechists—little things they do in their classes that I think make a BIG difference. Here are the “top ten” things that you can do on a regular basis to help you become a more effective and engaging catechist right now—without adding tons of additional planning time to your preparation for class. Greet your students at the door each week with a task […]
This evening is our end-of-the-year catechist meeting. I was asked by our DRE, Arlene, to lead the other catechists in a reflective prayer (meditation). I will be using a meditation that I wrote a couple of years ago for this very blog. You’re welcome to use this for your own reflection or with a group of catechists. We often tell our learners to use their imaginations. Now it’s your turn. Use your imagination to reflect […]
Perhaps I will see some of you at the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership in Detroit?
Last evening was the last teaching session for this year with my 8th graders. Next week, we gather for Mass, some presentations, and then pizza. I enjoyed last night and overall, I feel it went very nicely, a fitting ending to a good year with a good group of kids. Here are the highlights: I met the young people at the door as they arrived. I was holding a tray with their little vigil candles […]
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