Have you marked your calendar for Catechetical Sunday? It officially takes place September 21, 2008. Of course, check with your parish DRE…some parishes celebrate on a different date because of conflicts in their local calendar (it’s not a liturgical feast, so parishes can celebrate it whenever they want). Be sure to check out http://www.usccbpublishing.org/client/client_pages/catsun.cfm
I have a new “weapon” in the ongoing battle to recruit new catechists! Click on this picture: Recruiting catechists is one of the most difficult challenges that catechetical leaders face! We catechists know that the invitation to become a catechist, while flattering, can also be intimidating. We’re not sure if we are qualified or capable of forming others in the faith. As a result, we often come into this ministry with a pinch […]
Does anyone remember courtship? Back in the day, the process of a young man and a young woman entering into an ever-deepening relationship followed a pattern. For some, this pattern still exists, however, with society’s casual attitudes about sex, for many the process is “out the window.” Anyway, courtship follows a definite pattern: the couple meet and introduce themselves the couple spends time getting to know one another as a relationship develops, the couple learns […]
Here is an excerpt from my new book, A Well-Built Faith: A Catholic’s Guide to Knowing and Sharing What We Believe: Shortly after the events of September 11, 2001, there was a great deal of tension between Muslims and non-Muslims in many parts of the United States. In an effort to respond to the situation with Gospel values, I invited the Imam of a local Muslim community in the Chicago suburbs to meet with a […]
My Year of Paul began with a whimper on June 29, the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles. My wife and I were vacationing in Florida and attended Mass on the day that the Year of Paul began. I was pleased that the priest announced the beginning of this special year and then he set out in his homily to educate folks about St. Paul. Unfortunately, he offered only information…a homily is supposed to […]
Lots of stories in the sports pages today about Brett Favre getting the “itch” to return to football after announcing originally that he planned to retire. Around this time of the summer, I get the “itch” for the religious education year to begin! Being off (from teaching) for May and June and having a wonderful vacation in Marco Island, Florida, works wonders for restoring one’s energy. Don’t get me wrong…I still look forward to having […]
It’s vacation time for me, my friends! Time to allow the brain to lie fallow. That means no posting for a couple of weeks. I’ll post again right after the Fourth of July weekend (July 7 to be exact). I hope you enjoy the start of summer and I’ll see you back here in a few weeks. Peace. -joe
I was struck by a line in yesterday’s Gospel that I think speaks to catechists: “Then he summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority to expel unclean spirits…” (Mt 10:1) Two things in particular strike me. One is the notion of authority. Catechists need to know that they have been given authority to teach. All authority belongs to God, who is the Author of all of creation. God, in turn, has given all authority […]
Here’s a link to a nice effort by some folks to recruit catechists for their parish: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90OcnKfpURk
The I.T. folks have finished updating software that I use for this blog meaning that the short “under construction” period is over. So, I’ll be back to posting. In the meantime, here’s a cool pic of my grandmother from her First Holy Communion in 1902!!! I just received this pic from a distant relative. I wonder how old Granny was when this pic was taken…she looks older than 7!
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