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.

Pop-Up Catechesis Season 2

Joe Paprocki

Thanks so much for the great response to our Pop-Up Catechesis feature. We initiated the series at the beginning of the quarantine as a way of supporting parents with ideas for making faith come alive in the home. Due to the favorable feedback we’ve received, we are going to continue featuring Pop-Up Catechesis here on Catechist’s Journey, with some minor changes. We originally created three episodes per week of Pop-Up Catechesis to respond to the immediate need […]

Preparing Hearts and Minds: 9 Simple Ways for Catechists to Cultivate a Living Faith - blog series based on book of same title

Summer Series: Preparing Hearts and Minds

Joe Paprocki

Now that June is here, it’s time to welcome summer! And with summer comes the opportunity for me to share a new series with you: Preparing Hearts and Minds: 9 Simple Ways for Catechists to Cultivate a Living Faith, which draws from my new book of the same name. With the warmer weather, many of us are spending more time in our gardens. After a long, hard Chicago winter, I find that the soil in […]

Pop-Up Catechesis: Singing/Listening to Hymns

Joe Paprocki

I have long asserted that if some “Grinch” came along and stole all of our Catholic faith formation textbooks and copies of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and left us with only a hymnal, we would still be able to teach the Catholic faith! Catholic hymns are catechetical; in other words, they teach us about our faith. One great way to teach children about their Catholic faith is to introduce them to Catholic hymns—the […]

Pop-Up Catechesis: Cleaning Out Closets and Drawers

Joe Paprocki

One of the lessons we’re learning during the pandemic is how to “do without.” There are so many things that we would love to be doing that we are simply unable to do right now. And yet, doing without is a spiritual virtue. So why not turn it up a notch and find some more things you can do without? In today’s episode of Pop-Up Catechesis, we look at cleaning out our closets and drawers […]

Pop-Up Catechesis: Praying the Daily Examen

Joe Paprocki

I’m fond of saying that God is most often recognized in the rearview mirror. In other words, we seem to be more capable of recognizing God in past events than in the present. St. Ignatius of Loyola thought along those same lines, which is why he promoted a simple prayer called the Daily Examen. In this episode of Pop-Up Catechesis, we look at the practice of praying the Examen in order to recognize God’s presence in […]

Pop-Up Catechesis: Taking to Heart/Memorizing Doctrinal Formulas

Joe Paprocki

In this digital age, memorization is becoming a lost art! Why memorize something when you can look it up online? When God gave Israel the Ten Commandments, he told them, “Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today.” (Deuteronomy 6:6) Being able to recall doctrinal formulas such as the Ten Commandments is a way of internalizing our faith and making it more personal. In this episode of Pop-Up Catechesis, we look at […]

Pop-Up Catechesis: Praying a Novena

Joe Paprocki

In today’s episode of Pop-Up Catechesis, we take a look at the practice of praying a novena and how this Catholic tradition is grounded in Scripture and connects us with the Apostles, Mary, and the Holy Spirit. For more information about praying a novena, check out the following: First Holy Communion Novena Ascension to Pentecost: The First Novena (free poster and booklet) What Is a Novena? Novenas: Prayers of Intercession and Devotion Waiting for the […]

Pop-Up Catechesis: Getting to Know Your Bible Better

Joe Paprocki

In today’s episode of Pop-Up Catechesis, we explore how to become more familiar with the Bible and how to teach children to get to know the Bible better. For more information related to getting to know the Bible better, check out the following: Introducing Catholics to the Bible: Free Parent-Child Session The Bible Blueprint: A Catholic’s Guide to Understanding and Embracing God’s Word Seek and Find Bible Loyola Kids Book of Bible Stories

Pop-Up Catechesis: Teaching Traditional Prayers

Joe Paprocki

Traditional prayers are like family heirlooms that we pass on from one generation to another. In today’s episode of Pop-Up Catechesis, we explore the practice of teaching traditional prayers to children. For more information about traditional Catholic prayers, check out the following: Traditional Catholic Prayers Beyond Memorizing Words to Meditating with Traditional Prayers Traditional Prayers: Family Heirlooms Taking Prayers to Heart The Prayer List The Words We Pray Traditional Prayers in ASL Traditional Prayers […]