Articles by Julianne Stanz

About Julianne Stanz

Julianne Stanz is the Director of Outreach for Evangelization and Discipleship at Loyola Press and a consultant to the USCCB Committee on Catechesis and Evangelization. She served previously as Director of Discipleship and Leadership Development for the Diocese of Green Bay. Julianne infuses her talks, retreats, and seminars with humor, passion, and insights from her life in Ireland. A popular speaker, storyteller, and author, Julianne is married with three children and spends her time reading, writing, teaching, and collecting beach glass. She is the author of Start with Jesus: How Everyday Disciples Will Renew the Church, Developing Disciples of Christ, Braving the Thin Places, and co-author, with Joe Paprocki, of The Catechist’s Backpack.

Lenten Disciples - icon of Jesus and Mary and Martha at tomb of Lazarus

Lenten Disciples: Martha and Mary at the Raising of Lazarus

Julianne Stanz

In this Lenten disciples series, we have explored the stories of Jesus and the woman of Samaria (John 4:1–42) and the man who was blind since birth (John 9:1–41). We now turn to the dramatic story of the raising of Lazarus (John 11:1–45). Set in the small town of Bethany, which was about two miles from Jerusalem, we hear that Lazarus, the brother of Martha and Mary, was very sick. The sisters sent word to Jesus, […]

Lenten Disciples - icon of Jesus giving sight to man born blind

Lenten Disciples: The Man Born Blind

Julianne Stanz

In the Scriptures, we see examples of disciples at different stages of their faith journeys. Through the story of Jesus and the woman of Samaria (John 4:1–42), we explored the early stages of the discipleship journey. Later in the Gospel of John, we hear the story of Jesus restoring sight to a man born blind. (John 9:1–41) This story represents the next stage in the journey of discipleship. In this story, a man who was […]

Lenten Disciples - icon of Jesus and Samaritan Woman at the Well

Lenten Disciples: The Woman at the Well

Julianne Stanz

In the Scriptures, we see examples of disciples at different stages of their journeys. For the next few weeks of Lent, we will explore three different encounters with Jesus and what these encounters tell us about discipleship. We will focus first on perhaps one of the best-known stories in the Bible: Jesus and the woman of Samaria (John 4:1–42). In this story, Jesus approaches a Samaritan woman and strikes up a conversation with her at […]

family praying together - Living the Liturgical Seasons at Home - Lent

Practical Ways to Observe Lent at Home with Children

Julianne Stanz

As catechists and parents, we are keenly aware that there are a lot of ideas competing for our attention during Lent. When deciding on a focused Lenten practice, there are three questions to ask: Is this practice focused on God, others, or myself? Does this practice help me fast from something that I truly struggle with? Do I give, pray, and serve out of love or out of my own selfishness? After speaking with parents […]

girl in stillness - photo by Jaren Jai Wicklund/Shutterstock.com

Cultivating Stillness

Julianne Stanz

In the First Book of Kings, we read an interesting story about how God makes himself known to us. The prophet Elijah is told to go out on a mountain and wait for the Lord to pass by. A mighty wind passes by, “but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was […]

GRACE: Embrace Simplicity - text on green background next to cover of "Braving the Thin Places"

Embracing Simplicity

Julianne Stanz

We conclude our series on developing a space for grace by exploring the importance of embracing simplicity. Helping our students embrace simplicity for a positive and healthy life should be a part of our conversations about faith, mission, and the stewardship of all the resources that God has entrusted to us. Here are a few entry points for a conversation about this topic. Look at the witness of Pope Francis. When Pope Francis was elected, […]

GRACE: Cultivate Radical Hospitality - text on green background next to cover of "Braving the Thin Places"

Cultivating Radical Hospitality

Julianne Stanz

As we continue our series delving into practices that can help us create a space for grace, let’s explore the concept of radical hospitality and receiving others as Christ would receive them. To do this, I want to share a few insights from my Irish background and culture that might be helpful. In general, the Irish are known for their effusive hospitality and the warmth of their welcome. Indeed, the Irish expression céad míle fáilte, […]

Authentic Availability and Acceptance

Julianne Stanz

We continue our series on developing a space for grace by focusing on authentic availability and acceptance. These two related spiritual practices can help us as catechists to fulfill our mission to share the Catholic faith joyfully with those around us. Authentic Availability Leo Tolstoy’s story of “The Three Questions” contains important lessons for us in terms of how to be authentically available to God and to each other. The story outlines three questions with […]

GRACE: Release Regrets to Rest and Reset - text on green background next to cover of "Braving the Thin Places"

Releasing Regrets to Rest and Reset

Julianne Stanz

This article continues a series in which we are exploring practices that can help each of us and our students to develop a space for grace. My last article focused on growing in gratitude and listed some practices that can spiritually strengthen us. Today we will focus on releasing regrets so that we can rest and reset. Release Regrets Releasing regrets is one of the keys to interior freedom and peace. Making peace with ourselves […]

GRACE: Grow in gratitude - text on green background next to cover of "Braving the Thin Places"

Growing in Gratitude

Julianne Stanz

In this series we will explore practices that can help us to develop a space for grace in our lives. As I explain in my book, Braving the Thin Places, the acronym GRACE can help us if we: G—Grow in gratitude R—Release regrets to rest and reset A—Authentic availability and acceptance C—Cultivate radical hospitality E—Embrace simplicity This article will focus on the first practice of GRACE, which is growing in gratitude. Encouraging our students to […]