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.

Increasing Mass Attendance, Part Two

Joe Paprocki

One of the biggest frustrations that catechists and Catholic school teachers have is the lack of Mass attendance of those they teach (and their families). Recently, I shared a story of a parish that made some significant, albeit short-lived, gains in Mass attendance—64% to be precise. That post has generated a lot of attention. First, thanks to the many folks who engaged in conversation at the end of that post. (Please take the time to […]

Catechetical Issues & Topics

Celebrating Catholic Schools Week

Joe Paprocki

While I have served as a parish DRE and catechist over the years and have dedicated a great deal of my efforts to supporting parish catechists, I am, myself, a product of Catholic schools, having attended St. Casimir grade school, St. Ignatius College Prep, and then Loyola University of Chicago. My wife Joanne attended the same grade school, the parish high school for girls at St. Casimir, and St. Xavier College (now University), and she […]

Are You Ready for Lent?

Joe Paprocki

What an odd occurrence this year that Ash Wednesday falls on Valentine’s Day and Easter falls on April Fools’ Day! Of course, Valentine’s Day/Ash Wednesday is right around the corner: February 14. Lent invites us to turn our minds and hearts back to the God of mercy. Discover inspiring ways to observe the season in your faith formation setting with these ideas. For Helping Children and Their Families Liturgical Year: Lent Bookmark this link for a full […]

All God's People - The Effective Catechetical Leader series

The End of the Catholic Bubble—One Size Does Not Fit All!

Joe Paprocki

I love sharing this blast from the past with folks! This is a picture from my childhood. (I’m the cute little guy on the right with hands folded.) Like many Catholic kids growing up in the 50s and early 60s, we often “played Mass” at home. My mom created vestments for us to play priest and a nun’s habit for my sister Ramona (back row, left) and collected “vessels” for us to use—chalice, paten, tabernacle […]

With Small Faith Groups, Capitalize on Flexibility

Joe Paprocki

With Lent being just about a month away, many parishes are looking at utilizing small faith groups, one of the most effective formats for adult faith formation and a reality that I have written about previously. Too often, we think that we have to find a “permanent” resource for small faith groups—something that they can use continually without change. This flies in the face of one of the best things about small faith groups, which is […]

Excellence in Ministry - The Effective Catechetical Leader series

The Centrality of Evangelizing Households

Joe Paprocki

Right before the holidays, I had the pleasure of enjoying a long, lazy lunch with my friend Tom Quinlan, Director of the Religious Education Office for the Diocese of Joliet and author of Excellence in Ministry: Best Practices for Successful Catechetical Leadership, part of the Effective Catechetical Leader series from Loyola Press and NCCL. Over a period of almost three hours, Tom and I chatted about a myriad of issues related to our shared passion—the catechetical […]

Increasing Family Attendance at Mass: What Works?

Joe Paprocki

Since buying a lake house in Wisconsin a year ago, my wife and I spend most weekends away from our home parish, Christ the King, in the Beverly neighborhood of Chicago. So, recently, when I attended Mass there, I was surprised that the crowd seemed bigger than usual. Sure enough, in the parish bulletin that week, the pastor, Fr. Larry Sullivan, wrote about what he was thankful for in 2017, and one of the top […]

Cultivating Your Catechists - The Effective Catechetical Leader series

Four Ways to Retain Catechists

Joe Paprocki

It is estimated that there are about 500,000 volunteer catechists in the United States and that, each year, one-third of them—150,000—”turn over.” I’m sure that sometimes it feels like all 150,000 catechists who leave are from your parish! The truth is, it takes a lot of hard work to retain catechists. In her new book, Cultivating Your Catechists: How to Recruit, Encourage, and Retain Successful Catechists, Jayne Ragasa-Mondoy shares four principles for retaining catechists. Support […]

Communicator Award for Loyola Press Eucharist Video

Sacrament Video Wins Award!

Joe Paprocki

In ministry, as in many walks of life, affirmation does not always come easily. That’s why when it does come along, it is really something to celebrate! With that in mind, I am happy to share some good news with you: a video that I wrote and hosted for the God’s Gift: Eucharist program for Loyola Press recently won an award! The Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts announced that the “Sacrament of the Eucharist” […]

"Hope opens new horizons..." Pope Francis quote from On Hope book

Hope Is Not a Feeling; It’s a Practice

Joe Paprocki

As much as Facebook can sometimes be annoying and frustrating, with people venting and over-sharing, I also find a number of gems along the way. One person I can count on for that is my friend Bob Burnham, who recently posted the following phrase: “Hope is not a feeling; it’s a practice.” He then generously shared a link to a very nice article he wrote for Busted Halo: “3 Ways to Practice Hope,” in which he […]