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.

National Eucharistic Revival - bread and wine wheat and grapes

Understanding the Eucharist as Part of God’s Plan

Joe Paprocki

The Eucharistic Revival is a great opportunity for catechesis on the Eucharist, and one approach is to help families see the Eucharist as part of God’s plan. Too often, we Catholics receive our sacraments without a deeper understanding of how they connect with the overall narrative of salvation history: how God, throughout history, has continually rescued, restored, and reassured his people. Without this understanding, we run the risk of approaching the sacraments as something that […]

Pop-Up Prayer: Guest Tom Quinlan

Joe Paprocki

We continue our summer series, Pop-Up Prayer—brief interviews on the topic of prayer with prominent people in pastoral ministry from all over the country! In this episode, Tom Quinlan talks about the need to create a disposition of receptivity when it comes to our personal prayer. Tom is Ministry Director at the St. Joseph Educational Center for the Diocese of Des Moines, IA, and the author of Excellence in Ministry. Be sure to check out the many […]

Our 15th Anniversary Giveaway: The Catechist’s Backpack

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 The Catechist’s Backpack: Spiritual Essentials for the Journey. It is obvious that catechists spend their time guiding children and adults in deepening their Catholic faith, but we have to ask, “Who’s guiding the catechists on their spiritual journey?” While there are many […]

Celebrating Faith Formation: Catechetical Sunday

Joe Paprocki

In our secular calendar, we celebrate holidays such as Memorial Day, Labor Day, Dr. Martin Luther King Day, and Independence Day as ways of reminding us of people or events that represent the best of our core values: service, selflessness, human rights, freedom, etc. Similarly, in our liturgical calendar, we celebrate special days to remind us of people or events that represent our core spiritual values. On Catechetical Sunday, we call forth and commission those dedicated […]

Pop-Up Prayer: Guest Ana Barraza

Joe Paprocki

We continue our summer series, Pop-Up Prayer—brief interviews on the topic of prayer with prominent people in pastoral ministry from all over the country! In this episode, Ana Barraza talks about strategies for leading prayer for those with disabilities. Ana currently serves in the Diocese of Sacramento, CA, and has been involved in ministry for over 25 years as a catechist, youth minister, parish catechetical leader, music minister, retreat director, and special education teacher. Be sure […]

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

Catechists as Mystagogues: Leading Others into the Mystery of the Cross

Joe Paprocki

Jesus taught that, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13) He then proceeded to lay down his life for us by dying on the Cross. We Catholics place crucifixes in our homes and places of worship and formation as a reminder of the mystery of our faith: it is by dying that we are born to eternal life. This is the kind of love that […]

Pop-Up Prayer: Guest David O’Brien

Joe Paprocki

We continue our summer series, Pop-Up Prayer—brief interviews on the topic of prayer with people in pastoral ministry from all over the country! In this episode, we learn from David O’Brien, Regional Director of Project LIFT, a non-profit organization that helps at-risk young people struggling with mental health and substance abuse issues. The former Director of Adult Education and Lay Ministry Formation Director for the Archdiocese of Mobile, David talks about the importance of teaching […]

The Evangelizing Catechist: A Webinar with Joe Paprocki

Joe Paprocki

It’s that time of the year when many catechists—both new and veteran—are gearing up for a new year of faith formation! To help catechists more effectively proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ and truly transform hearts and minds, I am excited to offer a free webinar: The Evangelizing Catechist, on Tuesday, August 16, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. (CDT). In this webinar, I’ll be drawing from my book, Preparing Hearts and Minds: 9 Simple Ways […]

author Fr. Michael Rossmann, SJ, pictured next to his book, The Freedom of Missing Out: Letting Go of Fear and Saying Yes to Life

Replacing a Fear of Missing Out with the Freedom of Missing Out

Joe Paprocki

One of the most famous cases of “FOMO” (Fear of Missing Out) can be found in the Gospels: the story of the rich young man (Matthew 19:16–22; Mark 10:17–27). Although the young man was interested in following Jesus, he couldn’t get past his fear of missing out on a life of material wealth. This story is no doubt included in the Gospels to remind us catechists that our invitations to follow Jesus will be met […]

Pop-Up Prayer: Guest Jayne Ragasa-Mondoy

Joe Paprocki

In this episode of Pop-Up Prayer, Jayne Ragasa-Mondoy, retired Director of the Office of Religious Education for the Diocese of Honolulu, talks about the need to stop, look, and listen when it comes to prayer. Jayne is the author of Cultivating Your Catechists: How to Recruit, Encourage, and Retain Successful Catechists.