Catechist's Journey

10 Ways to Integrate Technology into the Classroom

Editor’s note: We’re celebrating the 10th anniversary of Catechist’s Journey this week by sharing catechetical top-10 lists each day and giving away Loyola Press prize packages. Enter for your chance to win the Bible Books Pack today; details below. We live in a technology-driven world. Our students are often more comfortable with technology than are many catechists; if we are going to meet students where they are, we need to enter the digital realm. But […]

Forming Good Digital Citizens: Kindness on the Internet

Barb Gilman

Students use digital devices so frequently that the Internet has become a part of their everyday life, both at school and at home. With students spending more of their free time on these devices, more questions come up in my class about the Internet. While we cover the topic of Internet safety as part of our Safe Environment Training at fourth grade, this should be an ongoing topic with our students. I adapted an idea from my […]

Technology, Prayer, and Catechesis

Joe Paprocki

When it comes to prayer, many of us think that it is a prerequisite to turn off all electronic devices that might distract us. Although we certainly need to cut down on distractions, the truth is, the world of cyberspace offers us numerous opportunities to deepen our prayer lives. With that in mind, I encourage you to read an excellent article by my friend Jonathan Sullivan, Executive Director of the Department of Evangelization, Education, and […]

Faith Tweets and Bible Trivia to Teach Salvation History

Special Contributor

Mary Dillman has served as a catechist for 13 years at St. Magdalen de Pazzi Church, in Flemington, NJ (Diocese of Metuchen). The parish is a large one with more than 3,000 families. Mary teaches sixth-grade religious education and has served as the lead instructional designer for the Salvation History curriculum the parish uses for sixth-grade youth. Here she shares several activities that worked best in her faith-formation classes this past year, as part of […]

Using the Power of the Parish Website

Special Contributor

Once upon a time, 15 or so years ago, when you wanted to learn about a church or business, you checked the phone book first. Today, you’re probably hard-pressed to locate a phone book. Websites are the phone books of the 21st century. If you want to know the phone number of a local church, you find its website. If you need Mass times, you check the website. Need a copy of the latest bulletin—website. […]

Reviewing the Year with Creativity, Collaboration, and Communication

Barb Gilman

At the end of the year I like to have my students reflect on all the activities and all that we have learned during our time together. Usually, I just set aside some time to write our reflections down on our whiteboard. This year, I found a new idea for my class that encourages my students’ creativity, collaboration, and communication. This activity is called a Paper Slide Video. This activity begins with students recalling all […]

Social Media Struggles: Three Common Parish Pitfalls

Julianne Stanz

Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest—different platforms that present a variety of ways to engage parishioners and draw potential new members. Using social media as a part of your overall communications strategy for your parish is a smart move with lots of potential benefits. Many parishes initially see a decent amount of engagement in the first couple of weeks after establishing a Facebook page, but months later the page is languishing and as time goes […]

Finding God and YouTube Videos

Joe Paprocki

Today, more than ever, young people expect video to be one of the ways they are engaged in education. While no resource can ever replace the person of the catechist, it is indeed crucial to utilize all of the tools available to us to engage young people in catechesis. To that end, we are proud to announce that our Loyola Press Finding God curriculum now includes links to YouTube videos (one for every chapter of grades […]

Using E-mail in Your Religious Education Program

Special Contributor

Whether using it to work, to keep in touch, to learn, or to conduct business, e-mail has become an integral part of how we communicate. Add to this our ability to access e-mail through mobile devices, and we can clearly see its benefit as a communication tool for religious education programs. A Few Things About E-mail E-mail is flexible. While Facebook and Twitter are great for reaching your entire parent community with broad-based messaging, e-mail […]

Using a Blog as a Catechetical Tool

Chris Sullivan

You shall put these words of mine in your heart and soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and fix them as an emblem on your forehead. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. —Deuteronomy 11:18–20 In 2015, Moses […]