Tonight is our first catechist meeting of the year – an opportunity to “report for duty” and to get the scoop on what this year holds in store for us. Yes, we’ll get our class lists tonight so I can see how many kids I have (our DRE is very good at keeping class size no larger than 15) as well as their family information and special needs, if any. I’ll also find out what […]
Albert Einstein once offered the following as a definition for insanity: “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Too often, in catechesis, we fall into this trap. I was recently speaking with a junior high catechist who was lamenting the fact that last year, her kids were so quiet (not shy but recalcitrant) that it was painful to teach them. They refused to speak, save for one student. I was talking to […]
I’ll be meeting tonight with 30-40 catechists in Munster, Indiana, to help them get to know the new textbook series they’ve adopted (Christ Our Life, 2009). Becoming familiar with a new textbook and the catechist manual is a crucial step in your planning and preparation process. If you are using a textbook/catechist manual for the first time this year, here are a few pointers that may be helpful: Read through the children’s book first…get to […]
Many people, including me, see great parallels between athletics and the spiritual life. To me, the greatest parallel is that both require discipline. The biggest difference, however, is that, while in athletics, one needs discipline in order to achieve something, in the spiritual life, one needs discipline in order to receive something! Of course, we do not earn or achieve grace as if striving to earn or achieve a gold medal. On the other hand, […]
Here is an email from a DRE in the northern suburbs of Chicago, writing about how he uses Batman Begins to teach Catholic Social Teaching! Joe: I appreciated your post on the Dark Knight (although I did not read it in detail, since I have not yet seen the movie, and I’m trying to avoid spoilers!) I use the previous movie (Batman Begins) as a way of pointing out themes in Catholic social teaching. For […]
You may have heard me say this before but I risk repeating myself: St. Ignatius emphasized that, when teaching, we should “enter through their door but be sure to leave through your door.” This means that we need to engage people where they are at and then invite them to move toward the Gospel of Jesus. Right now, Batman: The Dark Knight can most definitely be considered “their door” – it is where we can […]
The other day, I offered some quotes and reflective questions on the Church’s catechetical documents. I thought it might be good to follow-up with a little annotated bibliography of sorts, describing just what these various documents are about. In the weeks before many religious education prorgrams begin, you may want to read one or several of these documents (the shorter ones of course…if you wanted to read the Catechism, the General Directory for Catechesis or […]
Yesterday, I had the wonderful opportunity to enjoy a family reunion with nearly 50 relatives, many of whom I hadn’t seen in years. We picnicked and shared memories, telling stories from back in the day. I came away with a very deep sense of knowing that my life is taking place within the context of a very loving family and for this I am deeply grateful. I know that so many of those we teach […]
I recently received a report from a catechist (Kim) who has been doing reflective prayer (meditation) with 4th graders. What follows is a summary of their responses to 3 simple evaluation prompts: the thing I like most about our prayer times together is… / What I have learned about myself and my relationship with Jesus during our prayer times is… / Additional comments… Here’s what 4th graders are saying about prayer: The thing I like […]
Whether you are a beginning catechist or a returning catechist, it is good to be familiar with the Church’s documentary tradition when it comes to catechesis. Over the years, the Church has provided us with numerous resources to guide and inspire the ministry of catechesis. Here are just a few of what I consider to be some of the most inspiring lines from these documents (this list is not intended to be definitive…if there are […]
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