Catechetical Issues & Topics Archives

Teaching Finding God and Christ Our Life Lessons at Home

Recently, I shared some tips for parents teaching religion lessons at home during the COVID-19 crisis. Now, I’d like to take a moment to speak directly to folks using either of our Loyola Press programs, Finding God or Christ Our Life, for at-home lessons. As a Catholic publisher, our mission is to provide you with the resources you need to facilitate transformative experiences of God for the children and families you serve. In light of the current […]

Growing with God Coronavirus Response Lesson

A Coronavirus Response Lesson

Joe Paprocki

Any experience in life—whether good or bad—is an opportunity to learn. That holds true for this Coronavirus threat that we are experiencing and enduring. We are all learning how to adapt to the unique situations that we find ourselves in. As always, it is up to us adults to make sure that children are learning the right lessons from the experiences that affect them. With that in mind, Loyola Press has created a special lesson […]

A Prayer for Catechists - text next to icons indicating forms of prayer

A Prayer for Catechists: Stories of Scripture

Joe Paprocki

This prayer originally appeared in my book, The Catechist’s Toolbox: How to Thrive as a Religious Education Teacher. Download a PDF version of the prayer here. For more resources on Scripture in faith formation, see: Putting Scripture Front and Center in Faith Formation Are You Biblically Animated? Introducing Catholics to the Bible: Free Parent-Child Session “What’s Your Story?” Inviting Children into a Healthy Narrative Bible Bell Work Biblical Literacy for Catechists

Bible Bell Work

Cindy Coleman

I always have “bell work” for children to begin as soon as they arrive in the classroom. These are short activities that engage early arrivals as the rest of the class arrives during the first 10–15 minutes. While students are doing their bell work, I can take attendance, check homework, hand back completed work, and attend to other tasks, like notes from parents. One of the easiest forms of bell work I have is Bible […]

Amos/Hosea/Micah: A Call to Justice (book cover)

World Day of Social Justice: February 20, 2020

Joe Paprocki

In my “travels” through cyberspace, I discovered that Thursday, February 20, 2020, is World Day of Social Justice (United Nations). Social justice is considered one of the “two feet” of Catholic social action. One foot is charity (taking care of people’s immediate needs), while the other foot is social justice (addressing the structures and policies in society that cause people to be deprived of what they deserve). Social justice is not a liberal or conservative issue; […]

Teaching Young People How to Meditate

Bob Burnham

Just as Jesus taught his disciples to pray, catechists are called to teach young people how to pray. As a Secular Franciscan, prayer is not something I do; prayer is who I am. When I teach young people how to pray, I am sharing with them the essence of who I am. I recently had the privilege to share my prayer life with a group of eighth- and ninth-graders. Specifically, they invited me to teach […]

Three Wishes activity from Catechist's Journey

Helping Young People Write Intercessions

Joe Paprocki

While many parts of the Mass are always the same (we use the same words for the Gloria; the Holy, Holy, Holy; the Lord’s Prayer; the Lamb of God; etc.), several parts are always different from one Mass to another: the Scripture readings, the homily, and the Prayer of the Faithful. This, of course, gives us an opportunity to invite young people to shape some of the words we use at Mass. In particular, inviting […]

Growing with GOD: Safe and Sacred™ - child safety and family life program

Establishing a Climate of Trust: Growing with GOD

Joe Paprocki

Many experts in leadership emphasize that one of the first priorities of an effective leader is to establish a climate of trust. In other words, people need to know that they are safe in this environment that they are being invited into. This is especially crucial in a faith formation/spiritual environment where people are being invited to entrust their entire being to the Person of Jesus Christ and his Church. Doing the work of establishing […]

Celebrating the Sunday of the Word of God, Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Joe Paprocki

In recent years, I have been increasingly convinced of the notion that our lives are guided by a narrative that is shaped by many factors and influences from the day we were born. This narrative colors how we see ourselves, others, and all of reality, including God. This concept is very familiar to people participating in twelve-step groups, since the healing process involves eradicating unhealthy narratives (“stinking thinking”) and replacing them with a healthy narrative. As […]

Overcoming the False Dichotomy Between Faith and Science

Joe Paprocki

As researchers dig deeper into discovering why young people become disengaged from practicing faith, one of the most startling revelations is that, for far too many, the decision to disengage occurs between the ages of 10–13. Most often, the reason given for this disengagement is a preference on the part of young people for science or that which “can be proven.” They are, unfortunately, perceiving (and we are unintentionally communicating) a dichotomy between faith and science, […]