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.

Our 15th Anniversary Giveaway: Under the Influence of Jesus

Joe Paprocki

We continue our year-long celebration of the 15th anniversary of the launch of Catechist’s Journey and publication of The Catechist’s Toolbox. Our celebration continues today with the chance to win a copy of Under the Influence of Jesus: The Transforming Experience of Encountering Christ. It was during the feast of Pentecost when a dejected, cowering, frightened group of Jesus’ closest followers were suddenly transformed by the Holy Spirit into bold proclaimers of a life-changing message. […]

Wedding Feast at Cana - Perry Mastrovito/Getty Images - rosary icon by bortonia/DigitalVision/Getty Images

The Luminous Mysteries: The Wedding at Cana and a Banquet Mentality

Joe Paprocki

Today, we focus on the second Mystery of Light, which is the Wedding Feast at Cana. Perhaps one of the most striking images of God’s generosity and what I like to call a “banquet mentality” can be found in the story of Jesus’s first miracle at the wedding at Cana (John 2:1–11). Jesus, his mother, and his disciples were attending a wedding feast in Cana when the bride and groom ran out of wine. Jesus’s […]

Pop-Up Catechesis: The Beatitudes

Joe Paprocki

Our eyes can easily be fooled by optical illusions and mirages. We may see one thing until our eyes adjust or someone points out another way of looking at an image. This is what Jesus’ Beatitudes are all about. He is saying to us, “Don’t be fooled by what the world says will make you happy.” In this episode of Pop-Up Catechesis, we explore the Beatitudes as Jesus’ way of teaching us to see in […]

Baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan - sedmak/iStock/Getty Images - rosary icon by bortonia/DigitalVision/Getty Images

The Luminous Mysteries: The Baptism of Jesus and How God Entered the Muck

Joe Paprocki

In 2002, St. Pope John Paul II proposed a fourth set of Mysteries of the Rosary—the Mysteries of Light, or Luminous Mysteries, which cover events in the life of Jesus and Mary during the Lord’s public ministry. The First Luminous Mystery is the Baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan, an event which was recorded in the synoptic Gospels (Matthew 3:13–17; Mark 1:9–11; Luke 3:21–23). In John’s Gospel, we hear John the Baptist speak of […]

Pop-Up Prayer: Guest Gary Jansen

Joe Paprocki

We continue our series, Pop-Up Prayer—brief interviews on the topic of prayer with prominent people in pastoral ministry and spiritual authors. In this episode, Gary Jansen talks about praying to heal past wounds—our own and those of others. Gary Jansen, Executive Editor of Acquisitions at Loyola Press, is a popular speaker and the author of several books, including The 15-Minute Prayer Solution, Station to Station, Microshifts: Transforming Your Life One Step at a Time, and his most […]

Mass Bingo Game

Joe Paprocki

Enhance children’s understanding of the Eucharist and the Mass in a fun way by playing Mass Bingo. Play as a way to involve children in the Eucharistic Revival, either in sacramental preparation classes or as a review in faith formation sessions across grade levels. Pair a game of Bingo with reading Seven Clues: A Catholic Treasure Hunt in a family session or First Eucharist retreat day. For more resources on preparation for First Eucharist, see […]

Forgive Everyone Everything - book by Gregory Boyle, SJ (pictured)

Catechesis in the Urban Context: Using Urban Art to Reach Youth

Joe Paprocki

My inner child is an inner-city kid. I grew up and lived the first 23 years of my life on the near West Side of Chicago, just a few blocks from Cook County Jail. It was and still is a wonderfully gritty, blue-collar, ethnic (80% Hispanic) neighborhood. While the area did and continues to face many challenges, I have mostly wonderful memories of growing up there. One of my fondest memories is of the mural, […]

Pop-Up Prayer: Guest Lillie Rodgers

Joe Paprocki

In this episode of Pop-Up Prayer, Lillie Rodgers talks about recognizing that, in prayer, we don’t have to work at ascending a ladder to reach God, since God has “descended” to be with us in the Incarnation. Lillie, who appears in this video with her two-year-old daughter Grace, is Coordinator of Pastoral Ministry at St. Paul’s Newman Center at the University of Wyoming. Be sure to check out the many resources on prayer and many excellent books on […]

Our 15th Anniversary Giveaway: Practice Makes Catholic

Joe Paprocki

We continue our year-long celebration of the 15th anniversary of the launch of Catechist’s Journey and publication of The Catechist’s Toolbox. Our celebration continues today with the chance to win a copy of Practice Makes Catholic: Moving from a Learned Faith to a Lived Faith. It is said that practice makes perfect, but what else does practice make? I’d say that practice makes Catholic—that is, there are certain distinct practices that make us essentially Catholic. […]

Catechists as Mystagogues - text over watercolor background by Sergey Ryumin/Moment/Getty Images

Catechists as Mystagogues: Inviting Others to Take the Next Step

Joe Paprocki

Part of the mystery of life is not knowing what the future holds for us. As mystagogues, we catechists lead others into their future life, a life clouded by mystery but with one thing crystal clear: God is with them on every step of their journey! I have said before that mystagogues are like sponsors in a 12-step program, who accompany their sponsee on his or her journey from one step to another as one […]