Sharing Stories Archives - Page 3 of 5

The Catechist’s Toolbox Sweeps into Winnipeg, CA!

I received the most incredible unsolicited endorsement of my book, The Catechist’s Toolbox, from the Archdiocese of Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada! The Director of Catechetics and Faith Formation, Judy Vermette, sent me the following. (the prayers she is referring to are the prayers at the end of each chapter). Hi Joe, The Archdiocese of Winnipeg and the Archdiocese of St. Boniface have collaborated to bring your book “The Catechist Toolbox” as the theme for a […]

9/11 Prayers for Peace

Joe Paprocki

I received the following from Jennifer about what her class did on 9/11 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the tragedy and to pray for peace. Great job, Jennifer! Joe, I thought you might appreciate what my 8th grade CCD class did on September 11. I’ve copied the email sent to their parents. I’m so proud of them. Thanks, too, for The Catechist’s Toolbox and recent webinar on teaching jr. high classes which have been great […]

More Advice for Catechists of Intermediate Age Children

Joe Paprocki

Here’s what Irene says about being a catechist of intermediate age children: I also love working with intermediate children. I’ve taught fourth grade for a number of years and found the children so ready and willing to learn about the Catholic faith. They love doing posters, dioramas, role playing, group work…I even gave them opportunities to be catechists. Wow! That was an awesome experience! One particular unit of study on the Way of the Cross […]

Stories on the Journey – Kids Will be Kids

Joe Paprocki

Serving as a catechist means dealing with kids whose minds are often elsewehere! All too often we find ourselves having to discipline kids because of disruptive behavior. Like the late comedian Rodney Dangerfield, we shake our heads and say, “tough crowd, tough crowd” and “I get no respect.” Fact is, we’re in good company. Scripture tells us about the many “tough crowds” that St. Paul faced as he proclaimed God’s Word. It comes with the […]

What’s Your Story? “Not Bad, If I May Say So Myself!”

Joe Paprocki

“Not Bad, If I May Say So Myself!” Bernadette shares some wonderful thoughts about a very successful lesson she taught: I was one of the facilitators at a weekend retreat for a small group of Confirmation candidates. The theme was”Who am I?” In the introductory session I invited them to play a simple game. As they sat in a circle we pinned the names of well know people (local & international) on their backs. Their […]

Stories on the Journey – Not Bad, If I May Say So Myself!

Joe Paprocki

The Holy Spirit accomplishes some wonderful things through our efforts as catechists! So, as we share success stories, keep in mind that we are not bragging about ourselves but are giving praise to the Holy Spirit! With that in mind, let’s spend the rest of this week sharing stories based on the theme of “Not Bad, If I May Say So Myself!” Share a brief story (in the Comments box below) – just one or two paragraphs […]

Great Stories About Catechetical Mentors – Check it Out!

Joe Paprocki

Here’s just one of the many great stories that folks are sharing about their catechetical mentors. This one is from Rosie: Back when dirt was young, I attended undergraduate college at Gonzaga University. I have to attribute my love for theology and the passing on of faith to our children (am a DRE for over 20 years now) to two of my professors–Fr. Armand Nigro and Fr. Vincent Beuzer. They provided a dynamic model of […]

“I Owe it All To…” – Stories on the Journey

Joe Paprocki

Becky shared the following about her mentor: For me, my colleague and mentor, Charles Jumonville, from the Diocese of Baton Rouge is who I “owe it all to.” Charles sought me, when I was 24 years old, to come and work for the diocese. My initial reaction was “you have to be kidding!” After much thought and prayer, I finally said “yes.” His invitation changed the direction of my professional life. St. Ignatius suggests us […]

Stories on the Journey – “I Owe it all to…”

Joe Paprocki

Welcome back to Stories on the Journey, our summer experience of sharing stories about the ups and downs and ins and outs of being a catechist. So far, we’ve shared stories on the following topics: Week One: How Did I Get Into This? Week Two: Kids Say/Do the Darndest Things Week Three: Touching the Sacred Week Four: Oopsies! I Goofed Our topic for this week is, “I owe it all to…” which means that we […]

Learning the Hard Way – Stories on the Journey

Joe Paprocki

Wonderful story from Christian! A long time ago my wife & I were put in charge of teaching RCIA. We’d run the adult class for a couple of years, had a lot of informed, motivated Catholics. Anyway, I would teach the first RCIA class, and figured we’d start with some basics: Faith & Reason/ Fides et Ratio by JP2. We’d studied it in the adult class, no sweat. But with the RCIAers, what a disaster! […]