Catechist's Journey

Joe Paprocki presenting to the USCCB Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis

Advocating for More Robust Catechist Formation

Recently, I had the honor of being invited to present on the topic of catechist formation to the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis, chaired by Bishop Robert Barron. You may well know that Bishop Barron is a leading voice in the country when it comes to the topics of evangelization and catechesis—especially with regards to those who are disaffiliated from the Church. He does this primarily through his Word on Fire ministries. I’ve known […]

Be the Tenth: Gratitude in the Life of a Catechetical Leader

Jayne Ragasa-Mondoy

I’ve long been fascinated by the Lucan narrative of Jesus’ cleansing of the ten lepers (Luke 17:11–19). Jesus healed all ten, but only one returns to thank and worship him. As catechetical leaders, we often experience Jesus’ healing presence through our ministry. How often do we return to him to express our gratitude? Jesus heals us of apathy and transforms our experience. Children help us see the world through a clear, new lens. Think of […]

Recruiting Catechists Who Evangelize (Video)

Julianne Stanz

Finding catechists who are evangelizers and see themselves as such is the key to a faith formation process that forms disciples. The below video highlights five aspects of the process using the word GIFTS. Read the complete article that inspired this video: Recruiting and Retaining Catechists Who Evangelize with GIFTS. Take a moment and ask yourself: does every activity in my parish point more deeply to Jesus? Julianne Stanz wants to help you and your […]

Calling Forth Catechists - text near loudspeakers

Calling Forth Catechists: Approaches

Joe Paprocki

It’s important in your approach to calling people to serve as catechists to be positive! I’ve seen bulletin announcements that sound so desperate: “We are in dire need of catechists. We keep losing good catechists every year. Without catechists, we may have to cancel our religious education program!” Language like that makes it sound like you’re inviting someone to hop aboard a sinking ship. Present your program in a positive light, and describe the role […]

Calling Forth Catechists: Your Pool of Candidates

Joe Paprocki

If your efforts to call forth catechists boil down to an “all call” approach (a bulletin announcement inviting anyone to respond to a need), you will not have much success. The most effective way to call people to the vocation of serving as a catechist is through personal invitation! One catechetical leader recently told me that, last year, she made 43 individual contacts (either in person or by phone) and ended up with the best […]

Calling Forth Catechists: Why People Volunteer

Joe Paprocki

As you call forth vocations to catechesis, it’s good to know why people volunteer in the first place. Understanding why people volunteer makes it easier to identify and invite people to volunteer. Research shows that people volunteer for the following reasons. Achievement—to learn new skills, accomplish something worthwhile, increase self-esteem Challenge—to stretch themselves, discover gifts and talents Creativity—to express themselves creatively Independence—to undertake a task on their own (separate from spouse or family) Leadership—to develop personal leadership […]

Calling Forth Catechists: A Catechist Role Description

Joe Paprocki

As you set forth to call people to the vocation of serving as a catechist, it’s a good idea to have a role description in place to describe what you are calling them to. Be careful not to make your role description so demanding and lofty that not even Jesus would qualify! Keep it simple and basic so as not to scare anyone away but specific enough to narrow the field so that you’re not […]

Recruiting, Nay, Calling and Forming Catechists

Joe Paprocki

Recruiting and forming catechists is a primary responsibility for catechetical leaders and is an ongoing challenge. You’re not just looking for any warm body but for people with the gifts that enable them to apprentice others into the faith. With that in mind, I prefer to use the word calling instead of recruiting. We recruit people to perform a function. We call people to live out a vocation! Serving as a catechist is more than simple volunteerism. […]

Catechetical Activity During the Summer

John Masterson

Summer has arrived, and people in ministry often ask me, “Now what do we do?” As the director of discipleship and faith formation at my parish, part of my responsibility is to look at programs and determine how the people’s needs are being met, what changes might need to be made, and most importantly, listen to how the Holy Spirit is calling our programs to grow. After 20 years in ministry, I look forward to […]

The Place of the Textbook in Faith Formation

Joe Paprocki

Years ago, a very wise person—Sr. Marlene Halpin, O.P.—explained that the reason young people walk away from the Catholic faith after Confirmation is because they never developed an affective relationship with Jesus Christ. As a result, they are walking away from a “subject”—religion—in the same way they walk away from other subjects they learn in school but are not particularly interested in. Today, as we continue to see the “hemorrhaging” of young Catholics from the […]