Saints Mobile craft activity
Mary and the Saints

Saints Mobile

Create a saints mobile with children to explore the lives of holy men and women of God. From Our Lady, Mother of Africa to Saint Joan of Arc and Saint Sebastian, the saints represented in this downloadable activity are all featured in Loyola Kids Book of Seasons, Feasts, and Celebrations by Amy Welborn. Each medallion for the mobile includes a picture of a saint on one side and room for facts about the saint or […]

Pop-Up Catechesis with Joe Paprocki
Mary and the Saints

Pop-Up Catechesis: Honoring the Saints

From time to time, we Catholics find ourselves having to explain our relationship with the saints to those who are non-Catholic, especially our Protestant brothers and sisters. While all Christians honor the saints to some degree, we Catholics can be really “over-the-top” in our devotion to the saints. (And I mean that in a good way!) Our devotion to the saints is revealed in our love for icons, statues, relics, medals, litanies, prayers, novenas, and […]

Pop-Up Catechesis with Joe Paprocki
Scripture

Pop-Up Catechesis: Figurative Language in the Bible

Catholics believe in the inerrancy of the Bible. However, that word “inerrancy” means different things to different people. To some, the inerrancy of the Bible means that every word in the Bible is to be taken literally. This is known as fundamentalism, and folks who abide by this approach are known as fundamentalists. For Catholics, the inerrancy of the Bible refers to the truth that Scripture is conveying. In other words, Catholics believe that everything […]

Featured Video
Liturgy and Sacraments

Is It True We Will Live Forever?

One night as I was tucking my youngest son into bed, he sat right up as if he had just connected something in his mind and was having an “aha!” moment. “Mom, Mom, is it true?” he said excitedly. “Is what true?” I asked. “You know how at Mass, Father says to us that if we eat this bread, we will live forever?” With an expectant expression on his small face, he held his chubby […]

Living the Mass the Other Six Days of the Week
Liturgy and Sacraments

Living the Mass the Other Six Days of the Week: The Concluding Rites

As the National Eucharistic Revival continues, we reflect on the parts of the Mass and what each part is calling us to do and be the other six days of the week. Our inspiration is my book, Living the Mass: How One Hour a Week Can Change Your Life, co-authored by Fr. Dominic Grassi. Today, we look at the Concluding Rites and reflect on how they help us to begin the work of living out our baptismal commitment […]

Patron Saints Matching Activity - text next to cat, flowers, cheese, and bee
Mary and the Saints

Patron Saints Matching

Explore saints stories associated with animals, weather, and the produce of the land. Our patron saints match sheet and online game can help. From protection against storms to the protection of bees and gardeners, the patronages of the featured saints are great to learn about in a lesson on care for creation or All Saints Day. Challenge fellow catechists to test their knowledge of the saints too! Learn about the featured saints and many more […]

Featured Video
Liturgy and Sacraments

Going to Mass with Your Children

Let’s be honest, at one time or another in our lives we may have struggled with getting ourselves or our family to Mass. Whatever the reason, we can always go to Mass with a better attitude. And so what can we do to allow the experience of the Mass to truly be an encounter with Jesus? For more on getting the most out of Mass as a family, read my book, The Catholic Parents’ Survival […]

Pop-Up Catechesis with Joe Paprocki
Liturgy and Sacraments

Pop-Up Catechesis: Understanding the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist

When it comes to teaching about the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, one might wonder: why doesn’t the Church grant permission to a group of scientists to examine reverently an unconsecrated host and a consecrated host under a microscope (much as the Church has allowed scientific studies to be conducted on the Shroud of Turin) and report on the differences they see between the two? I can tell you why the Church doesn’t […]

Living the Mass the Other Six Days of the Week
Liturgy and Sacraments

Living the Mass the Other Six Days of the Week: The Communion Rite

As the National Eucharistic Revival continues, we reflect on the parts of the Mass and what each part is calling us to do and be the other six days of the week. Our inspiration is my book, Living the Mass: How One Hour a Week Can Change Your Life, co-authored by Fr. Dominic Grassi. Today, we look at the Communion Rite and reflect on how it helps us to begin the work of acknowledging that God alone sustains […]

Labor and Rest in the Bible Activities
Scripture

Labor and Rest in the Bible Activities

What does the Bible say about work and rest? Explore Scripture passages related to labor and God’s command and promises of rest. The downloadable activities invite young people to look up Scripture verses and then express what they learn in creative ways. This activity is inspired by the 2023 Catechetical Sunday theme of “Come to me all you who labor and are burdened.” (Matthew 11:28) In our driven and often anxious world, let’s remember to […]