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: Observing the Liturgical Calendar

Joe Paprocki

In today’s episode of Pop-Up Catechesis, we explore how families can observe and celebrate the feasts and seasons of the Church’s liturgical year—a way of marking all time as belonging to God. For more information about the Church’s liturgical calendar, take a look at the following: The Liturgical Calendar, the Paschal Mystery, and the Grand Canyon The Liturgical Year Saints Stories for All Ages (saints’ feast days)

Pop-Up Catechesis: Praying at Mealtime

Joe Paprocki

In today’s episode of Pop-up Catechesis, we look at the notion of eating meals together (rather than in front of the TV) and praying before meals. For more about the importance of sharing family meals, see the following: The Power of Family Meals by Tom McGrath Prayer and the Family Meal: 7 Fresh Ideas for Mealtime Prayer

Pop-Up Catechesis: Reading the Bible as a Family

Joe Paprocki

In today’s episode of Pop-Up Catechesis, we look at how to read the Bible together as a family with a focus on the Scripture readings for the upcoming Sunday, using the Sunday Connection. For more on reading the Bible as a family, check out the following: Using the Bible in Family Prayer: Praying with Young Children Leading Young Children in Prayer with the Bible Exploring the Good Word This Week as a Family

Introducing Pop-Up Catechesis! Episode 1: Creating a Prayer Space in Your Home

Joe Paprocki

During this ongoing COVID-19 crisis, as families continue to find themselves hunkered down in their homes and unable to gather with others—including for church or faith formation—we at Catechist’s Journey thought it would be a good idea to provide some Pop-Up Catechesis. This is a new series of one-minute videos with bite-size suggestions for how to make faith alive in the home. These will appear here on Catechist’s Journey every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday for […]

Keeping Christ in Easter

Joe Paprocki

While we are accustomed to hearing the phrase, “Keep Christ in Christmas,” I think the bigger challenge is keeping Christ in Easter. After all, even secular society seems to enjoy or at least tolerate nativity scenes; no one feels threatened by a newborn baby. I always thought it would be interesting, however, if Christians decorated their homes for Easter by putting a scene of the empty tomb in front of their homes with figures of […]

Keeping the Triduum at Home

Joe Paprocki

This year, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and the cancelling of church services, families have the opportunity to observe the Triduum—the three days of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday—at home. Here are some ideas: Holy Thursday On this day, we recall the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper, Jesus washing the feet of his disciples, and the agony in the garden. To recall the institution of the Eucharist, the […]

Start with Jesus presentation panel - L.A. Congress 2020 - video screenshot

What a Team! Speaking in the Arena at L.A. Congress

Joe Paprocki

One of my favorite phrases at Loyola Press—”What a team!”—can be traced to our president emeritus, Fr. George Lane, SJ, who often reacted to success stories in this manner. This phrase captures the experience I shared earlier this year with a group of talented colleagues at the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress. If you’re not familiar with the L.A. Congress, it is the largest religious education gathering in the country, drawing about 25,000 people over four […]

Preparing for Holy Week at Home

Joe Paprocki

I find it strangely ironic that, as catechists, we have always expressed a desire for parents to be more involved in their children’s faith formation and now, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, parents have been thrust into this role. The problem is, parents can feel as though they’ve been thrown into the deep end of the pool unless we provide them with the support they need and deserve to form their children in faith. One such […]

Confronting Racism: Everyone Belongs

Joe Paprocki

I’ve always found John 4:4 to be a strangely intriguing passage. The passage tells us that Jesus left Judea and returned to Galilee and that, to do so, “he had to go through Samaria.” The reason it is intriguing is because he did not have to go through Samaria. There were, in fact, other ways to get from Judea to Galilee. While passing through Samaria was the shortest route, it was a route that many Jews avoided, because […]

Teaching Finding God and Christ Our Life Lessons at Home

Joe Paprocki

Recently, I shared some tips for parents teaching religion lessons at home during the COVID-19 crisis. Now, I’d like to take a moment to speak directly to folks using either of our Loyola Press programs, Finding God or Christ Our Life, for at-home lessons. As a Catholic publisher, our mission is to provide you with the resources you need to facilitate transformative experiences of God for the children and families you serve. In light of the current […]