Like many Cubs’ fans, I’m sick over their most recent collapse. Now, I know that baseball is just a sport and I am in no way comparing the “suffering” of Cub’s fans to the real suffering that people face in life. However… We Cubs’ fans do suffer. Losing makes us sick. And, of course, the Catechism teaches us about illness and suffering: Illness and suffering have always been among the gravest problems confronted in human […]
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of meeting Lisa Hendey, founder and Webmaster of www.CatholicMom.com. She happened to be in Chicago and visited Loyola Press at the invitation of Sr. Julie Vieira, IHM, a member of our staff who blogs about being a nun in today’s world (www.ANunsLife.org). Lisa’s site celebrates Catholic motherhood and focuses on learning and sharing about topics related to faith and family. She has many resources that are of great value to catechists. I […]
I have a Powerpoint meditation on Images of Jesus that I put together a few years back and plan to use this upcoming week with my class. The presentation contains 82 images of Jesus that I’ve found from various sources. In all, the presentation is set to run about eight minutes long and I have it timed to two songs that I play on CD: “Jesus, the Lord” (St. Louis Jesuit) and “Hold on to […]
One of my students has asked me the following question twice now in 4 weeks: “If we don’t want to be confirmed, we don’t have to right? It’s supposed to be our choice, right?” I’ve told her both times that she is correct but that this is a decision she needs to talk over with her parents. Obivously, there’s something going on there. I hope to find an opportunity to chat with her to see […]
Overall, week 4 (last night’s session) went pretty well. It was one of those nights when I felt a bit scattered myself but I don’t think I got in the way too much! Here’s what we did: We briefly reviewed last week’s session and they recalled that the focus was on the Holy Spirit. We had a “breathing contest” – to see who could hold their breath the longest! I then told them about how […]
I had a wonderful weekend in New York, visting with catechists at the NY Catechetical Convocation in White Plains on Saturday. The room had a capacity for 135 but folks kept streaming in, standing along the walls or sitting on the floor to join in on our conversation around the theme of “So What? Why Do We Have to Know This?” I picked that title to capture critical question that young people are asking us […]
I’ve begun a new feature this year to try to engage the young people through the medium of music. Each week, I bring in a contemporary song to play that is related to the theme of what I am teaching. In some cases, I choose a song that articulates the problem that the Gospel lesson is addressing. For example, for the class that I taught on “Trusting in God’s Goodness,” I played a song by […]
As you probably already know, when I teach class, I like to bring in lots of variety for the kids to make the session very engaging. What’s funny is that, I sometimes end up getting them stirred up! Indeed, sometimes, I am my own worst enemy! When I show a video clip, play a contemporary song, or do a game or activity, their level of energy increases as does the need for me to keep […]
Overall, Week 3 (last night’s class) went very well. Along the way, however, I encountered a few things that I’m not satisfied with and hope to change. Here’s the run-down: We began with a brief prayer and I thought I would introduce the idea of the young people sharing petitions – very simply, thanking God for blessings and praying for the needs of others and/or our own needs. I gave a few examples and told them […]
Last week, I mentioned that I had the kids sign the Classroom Covenant as part of a prayer service. Someone requested that I share it so I am happy to do so. I’m not sure who composed it…it’s been in use by the parish program for a number of years. It is not copyrighted so by all means feel free to use it (or amend it) if it suits your needs. CLASSROOM COVENANT I have the […]
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