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.
Catholics believe in the inerrancy of the Bible. However, that word “inerrancy” means different things to different people. To some, the inerrancy of the Bible means that every word in the Bible is to be taken literally. This is known as fundamentalism, and folks who abide by this approach are known as fundamentalists. For Catholics, the inerrancy of the Bible refers to the truth that Scripture is conveying. In other words, Catholics believe that everything […]
Our journey into Finding God Family Catechesis at St. Barnabas Parish took its next step on Sunday, October 1, as we welcomed families to the first unit of study in Finding God, which focuses on God’s invitation and our response. Here is a summary of how things went: Once again, I arrived at 7:15 a.m. to set up my stuff for the 8 a.m. start. Patrick, the catechetical leader, had already seen to the set up […]
As catechists, we work with the Holy Spirit to form disciples of Jesus Christ. With that in mind, we’re devoting some attention to the concept of discipleship. I can think of no one better to turn to than Fr. Brice Higginbotham, author of Remaining with Jesus: Discipleship in the Gospel of John. Fr. Higginbotham is pursuing a Licentiate in Sacred Scripture at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. In this brief video, Fr. Higginbotham helps us understand what […]
Many years ago, when I was teaching a Confirmation class, I came up with an activity to teach about the Seven Deadly Sins, the Seven Virtues, and the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit using music. In essence, I identified “contemporary” songs that speak to each of these items—yes, 21 songs. The gist of the activity is for catechists to play segments of these songs and invite the young people to match them to the […]
After the success of The Catechist’s Toolbox, the folks at Loyola Press asked me, “What’s next? What else do catechists need and what are they looking for?” Thankfully, that question was the beginning of what has come to be known as “The Toolbox Series”—a series of books designed primarily for catechists (as well as for those seeking basic knowledge of the Catholic faith), all following the same user-friendly format of The Catechist’s Toolbox. The Toolbox […]
As the National Eucharistic Revival continues, we reflect on the parts of the Mass and what each part is calling us to do and be the other six days of the week. Our inspiration is my book, Living the Mass: How One Hour a Week Can Change Your Life, co-authored by Fr. Dominic Grassi. Today, we look at the Concluding Rites and reflect on how they help us to begin the work of living out our baptismal commitment […]
Our first session of Finding God Family Catechesis at St. Barnabas Parish in Chicago launched successfully on Sunday, September 17! As I mentioned in a previous post, I am assisting the parish this year in implementing the Finding God Family Catechesis program. Here is a summary of how things went: I arrived 45 minutes early and found everything in the church hall set up meticulously by the catechetical leader, Patrick McGowan: round tables with white […]
Typically, when we think of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, we think of the audience as consisting primarily of adults. So, imagine my surprise when I learned of a pastoral minister leading retreats for children based on the Spiritual Exercises! We may not all be rushing to lead children in the Spiritual Exercises; however, we can all learn a few things about praying with children from his work. Join me for this episode of […]
In a previous post, I wrote about the importance of apprenticing others into discipleship. Since then, I’ve been asked, “Is it possible to apprentice young children into discipleship, or does this apply only to teens and adults?” Without hesitation, I would say that yes, we are called to apprentice young children at the earliest possible age! So, what does this look like? By way of quick review, an apprenticeship involves the following: the mentor and […]
As catechists, we work with the Holy Spirit to form disciples of Jesus Christ. With that in mind, we’ve been devoting some attention to the concept of discipleship by sharing insights from Fr. Brice Higginbotham, author of Remaining with Jesus: Discipleship in the Gospel of John. Fr. Higginbotham has been recording short videos while he is pursuing a Licentiate in Sacred Scripture at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. In this segment, Fr. Brice helps us […]
