Catechetical Issues & Topics Archives - Page 49 of 71

Saints for the New Evangelization PowerPoint presentation

Saints for the New Evangelization—Free PowerPoint Presentation

Flip through any tabloid magazine and you’ll see splashy spreads touting all the ways the rich and famous are just like us! They drink coffee. They have children. They are busy going about their lives. These magazines act like this is information we should care about, and worse, we should emulate. In our celebrity-obsessed culture, it’s not easy to remember what real role models are made of. Instead of People, we should be reading Saints. […]

What Can the Saints Teach Us about the New Evangelization?

Joe Paprocki

Let’s identify some saints that we can look to as models for the New Evangelization. I’d like to be able to take credit for this notion of saints serving as evangelization models, however, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI beat me to it when he canonized seven new saints in 2012: Jacques Berthieu, Pedro Calungsod, Giovanni Battista Piamarta, Marìa Carmen Sallés y Barangueras, Marianne Cope, Kateri Tekakwitha, and Anna Schäffer. In doing so, he referred to these […]

A Little Help Brainstorming: Saints and Blesseds

Joe Paprocki

I could use your help! I am trying to think of saints and blesseds who fit the following 3 characteristics: Saints and blesseds known for their undying enthusiasm and determination Saints and blesseds known for innovation in proclaiming God’s Word Saints and blesseds (especially lay people) who founded movements in the Church Please send me names and brief descriptions of which category they fit and why (see Leave a Reply below). Thanks!

The Gospel is More Than “Chicken Soup”

Joe Paprocki

One of the most profound lessons I’ve learned in my experience as a catechetical minister is that the core message of the Gospel is not about simple character development (ala Chicken Soup for the Soul) but about radical realignment of our being. I was reminded of this notion by this Sunday’s Gospel about the Canaanite woman who begs Jesus to cure her daughter and perseveres in her request until Jesus, moved by her great faith, responds and […]

Happy Feast Day, St. Ignatius of Loyola!

Joe Paprocki

Today we celebrate the Feast Day of St. Ignatius of Loyola – a saint who has had a major impact on my life. I attended a Jesuit high school (St. Ignatius College Prep), a Jesuit college (Loyola University of Chicago), a Jesuit graduate school (Institute of Pastoral Studies, Loyola University of Chicago), and have now worked for Loyola Press for 13 years! That’s 25 total years of Jesuit influence…almost half my life! To celebrate, I […]

It’s Time Once Again to Find Your Inner Iggy!

Joe Paprocki

Join our weeklong celebration of St. Ignatius and his spirituality in honor of his Feast Day on Thursday, July 31! Check out all the fun at Find Your Inner Iggy!

Catechists: What Do You Look for in a DRE?

Joe Paprocki

I received an e-mail from a friend who is a DRE, and he asked if I had ever posted about what catechists look for in a Director of Religious Education. I told him that I had not but what a wonderful idea for a post! So… Catechists: please share a few thoughts about what you look for in a Director of Religious Education! Just type in your comments in the box below. Thanks!

Pentecost: A Renewable Source of Abundance

Joe Paprocki

Imagine how you would feel if someone stepped into your life, paid off all of your debts, and set up a line of credit for you to draw from for the rest of your life! I know one thing: I’d like this person’s business card! This scenario may sound far-fetched, but in essence, this is what God has done for us, and this is what we celebrate on Pentecost. God not only relieved us of […]

Leland Nagel – Born Into Eternal Life

Joe Paprocki

It is with deep sadness that the catechetical community mourns the passing of Leland Nagel, the Executive Director of the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership. Just one week ago, hundreds of members of the catechetical community gathered with Lee in St. Louis for the NCCL Conference. This weekend, Lee was visiting his brother’s family and was with them when he entered into eternal life, passing away in his sleep Sunday night/Monday morning. Here is a […]

Online Master of Arts in Religious Education

Joe Paprocki

From time to time, I am asked about opportunities for pursuing a degree in religious education via online study. Recently, I became aware of just such an opportunity through Felician College. Felician Colleage Master of Arts in Religious Education – ONLINE