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 35 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.

Pope Francis Announces Major Recognition of Lay Catechists

Joe Paprocki

Pope Francis has announced that the role of catechist will now be recognized as a formal instituted ministry in the Church! While many, if not most Catholics, already considered the role of catechist to be a ministry, the Pope’s announcement in the apostolic letter Antiquum Ministerium raises it to a level of official recognition by the Church as an instituted ministry. The Pope’s letter making the role of catechist an official ministry in the Church is not […]

Junior High and Something Different in Faith Formation

Joe Paprocki

For as long as I’ve been in catechetical ministry (over 40 years!), I’ve heard catechetical ministers pleading for something different when it comes to doing faith formation with junior high kids—and rightly so! Young people in junior high (seventh and eighth grades) are at a critical stage in their faith development, as their “image of God received in childhood is refashioned.” (Directory for Catechesis, 247) The worst thing we can do is to continue to treat […]

Pop-Up Catechesis: The Ascension and Three Questions

Joe Paprocki

Imagine that a terrible storm caused considerable damage to the area you live in, including your home. Once the storm passes, you and your neighbors emerge from your homes to assess the damage. Relief workers and first responders are everywhere, but everything is in chaos. In fact, some scam artists are posing as relief workers and are seeking to take advantage of folks. In order to figure out how to get help for you, your family, […]

catechist and girl praying - © Loyola Press. All Rights Reserved.

Catechists as Teachers and Mystagogues

Joe Paprocki

I’m sure you’re familiar with the word guru, someone who acts as a spiritual guide for others based on the notion that the spiritual path—the quest to connect with the Divine—is best not traveled alone. St. Teresa of Ávila said as much when she wrote in The Interior Castle: It is very important for us to associate with others who are walking in the right way—not only those who are where we are in the journey, but also those who […]

Pop-Up Catechesis: How Parents Witness Faith to Their Children

Joe Paprocki

I’ll never forget the image. I was about eight years old, and I got up in what I thought was the middle of the night to go to the bathroom (turns out it was only about 11:30 p.m.), and as I passed my parents’ bedroom, I saw my dad on his knees saying his prayers. I knew he was a man of faith who went to church every Sunday, but I had not witnessed this […]

question mark over shadowy forest - image by chenspec from Pixabay

Mystagogy: The Art of Asking Questions of Life

Joe Paprocki

In a recent post about mystagogy, I quoted Orthodox bishop and theologian Kallistos Ware, who said, “We see that it is not the task of Christianity to provide easy answers to every question, but to make us progressively aware of a mystery. God is not so much the object of our knowledge as the cause of our wonder.” I also wrote that mystagogy is the task of becoming progressively aware of mystery. In order to […]

Pop-Up Catechesis: Why Do We Have to Go to Mass?

Joe Paprocki

Kids ask a lot of questions, such as, “Are we there yet?” Some of their questions are harder to answer than others, especially when they ask, “Why?” One of the questions that most children eventually ask is, “Why do we have to go to Mass?” Parents struggle to find all kinds of answers to convince their children that going to Mass is important and is a good thing but all too often end up telling […]

Mystagogy: Becoming Progressively Aware of Mystery

Joe Paprocki

When it comes to inspiration about faith formation, one of my favorite quotes comes from Orthodox bishop and theologian Kallistos Ware, who said, “We see that it is not the task of Christianity to provide easy answers to every question, but to make us progressively aware of a mystery. God is not so much the object of our knowledge as the cause of our wonder.” The task of becoming progressively aware of mystery is known […]

How Do We Show Appreciation to Catechists During the Pandemic?

Joe Paprocki

Recently I received the following e-mail from a Catechist’s Journey reader: Any ideas for catechist appreciation this year with such a variety of comfort levels with gathering? Usually we do a big dinner, but we are currently only allowed to serve prepackaged food at parish functions according to diocesan guidelines. —Diana G. Thanks for asking the question, Diana, which I’m now asking of the rest of you readers. Perhaps you are a catechetical leader asking the […]