Provide children with the language to explain why they wear ashes on Ash Wednesday. The brief video below illustrates an imagined dialogue between two students that can be a model for children and a classroom discussion starter. Read the post that inspired this video: “What’s That on Your Forehead?”—Helping Kids Explain Ash Wednesday. And see more Lenten resources for catechists here.
Editor’s Note: With Ash Wednesday fast approaching, today we highlight one of the activities from our popular 40 Ideas for 40 Days feature. While organized according to the calendar, the activities aren’t limited to just one day of Lent. Check out 40 Ideas for 40 Days here. Today’s Lenten activity is an opportunity for catechists to reach those young people who are more musically inclined, tapping into the musical/rhythmic intelligence of some of your students. What […]
I was excited when my book, Living the Sacraments: Finding God at the Intersection of Heaven and Earth, was published last year, and I was excited again when I learned that the book had received an award. Now, I’m excited yet again to announce that the book is available in Spanish! Introducing: Vivir los sacramentos: Encontrar a Dios en la intersección de cielo y tierra Here’s the description in Spanish: Demasiados católicos ven los sacramentos […]
It is an established fact that language and culture go hand in hand. Language is a crucial part of identity. When a language becomes endangered, the culture associated with that language also becomes endangered. According to linguist Noam Chomsky, “Language embodies the world view of a culture and is unique to the culture that created it. It reflects values and concepts that are deemed to be the most important by a culture. A language describes the culture […]
Spend Lent with the saints this year, with the aid of our downloadable handout featuring 40 holy men and women. Let their lives inspire you to courage, service, surrender, and fidelity. They will help you, as you journey with your family and faith community, to grow with them in faith, hope, and love. The saints are divided into four groups: those who changed Church or society; strong women; martyrs; and little-known holy ones. Through the […]
One of the most powerful lines in the General Directory for Catechesis can be found in paragraph 234: “the quality of any form of pastoral activity is placed at risk if it does not rely on truly competent and trained personnel.” Unfortunately, because of inadequate funding and lack of human resources at the diocesan level, catechetical leaders too often go without the training and formation that they need and deserve. To remedy this situation, Loyola Press has teamed with […]
I’ve been seeing another woman for the last 15 years. OK, now that I’ve got your attention, this woman is 84 years old and she is my spiritual director, Maureen. I met Maureen after a presentation I gave about ministry burnout at a time when I was at a low point in my own ministry. I was considering the possibility of seeing a spiritual director to help me through the darkness I was experiencing when […]
It’s time that we got past the idea of Lent as simply a season of “giving things up.” While that is a part of Lent, if it stops there, it is like someone joining a 12-step group and thinking that achieving abstinence from the addictive behavior is to be equated with sobriety. Abstinence from the addictive behavior is only the first step in what must be a holistic plan for recovery that addresses behaviors, emotions, and […]
I’m thrilled to pass along the news that my most recent book, Living the Sacraments: Finding God at the Intersection of Heaven and Earth, has been awarded a Gold Medal in the Catholic category of the Illumination Book Awards! The Illumination Book Awards are designed to honor the year’s best new titles written and published with a Christian worldview. Here’s how Loyola Press describes my book: Too many Catholics view the sacraments as isolated rites […]
Welcome to the final installment of my series, Making Our Faith Simple-Yet-Not-Simplistic, as I continue to draw from my book, A Well-Built Faith: A Catholic’s Guide to Knowing and Sharing What We Believe, to focus on the four pillars of our Catholic faith: Creed, Sacraments, Moral Life, and Prayer. Today, we look at our life of prayer. On a recent episode of the doctor drama New Amsterdam, the main character, Dr. Max Goodwin, is in […]
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