At the Being, Knowing, and Doing workshop I did in Newark, NJ, last week, we prepared to eat lunch. We were invited to pick up a little prayer card on our tables and to sing the following, using the melody of the Old One Hundreth (Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow). I love it! Perfect for Thanksgiving! Be present at our table, Lord Be here and everywhere adored. Thy creatures bless and grant that […]
At the end of my workshop In Hartford, CT, on Saturday (speaking on leading guided reflections), a priest came up to chat with me. I hesitate to call him an elderly priest because, although he was obviously up there in years, he had such a youthful attitude that it made him seem quite young. Anyway, the priest was telling me how he’s been doing guided reflections in catechesis for many years and that one thing […]
With the catechetical year about to begin for so many of us, I thought it would be a good time to remind you about a couple of resources that can help you bring some variety into your classroom and complement and bring to life the themes you’re teaching no matter what textbook you are using . Both of the following are products that I can proudly say I played a small part in developing. Follow the links […]
This is nothing that we didn’t already know, but a new 2010 survey (8000 respondents) compiled for the strategic planning process of the Archdiocese of Chicago identifies some key challenges that we face in the areas of evangelization and catechesis. Here are just a few findings (a complete summary is forthcoming)… Most Catholics who leave the faith do so by age 24. Further, in our survey, the one factor that correlated by far the most […]
This week, I’m featuring short excerpts from my book, A Well-Built Faith, focusing on the 4 pillars of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Here’s a brief look at the fourth pillar: Prayer. A survey conducted years ago asked people in successful marriages to identify the top ten qualities of a healthy marriage. One might think that sex, given all the attention it is given in our culture, would have been the number one quality. […]
Last week, a catechist from Puerto Rico, Nancy, asked for some help with regards to info about tuition and fees charged for parish religious education programs. Your response was very generous and helpful. Thanks from me and here’s thanks from Nancy! Thanks to all of you!!! You have been a great help!!! Love always – from the beautiful island of Puerto Rico!! Nancy
For Your Vocation, a new Web site, is an initiative of the Bishops of the United States, and is meant to be a resource for men and women in discernment, as an aid for promoting a vocation culture within the home, and a range of tools for educators, youth leaders and vocation directors. The bishops’ goals for this site are To help individuals hear and respond to the call by God to the priesthood or […]
Back on 4/27/10, I received this comment from Michael N. It seems that Catholic religion textbooks (we use one designed for schools) are painfully bad…to the point of being almost unusable. I think I’d do much better if they just gave me a religious-themed coloring book! Any websites you recommend for ideas/content (games, songs, prayers, activities, printable sheets, etc.)?? God bless you! Michael Although I don’t agree with Michael’s assessment of Catholic religion textbooks (what […]
While at NCCL this week, I am doing a poster presentation about how to conduct a parent-child session on introducing Catholics to the Bible. The poster indicates that you can get a pdf of the outline for the session on my blog. That said, here ’tis! Joe P. NCCL Poster Presentation
Thanks to the folks who sent me some ideas about a student evaluation of the catechist. I’ve designed my own form which is based specifically on what we covered this year and on specific features of my sessions. Still, I’m sure that you can glean some ideas from this form to design one to fit your own needs. Your feedback and/or questions on the design and content of this form are welcome! Student Evaluation of […]
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