Newsworthy Archives - Page 12 of 21

A Catholic Response to the Haiti Tragedy

How sad that certain voices have chosen to pass judgment on the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. Times like this call for compassion, not judgment. As catechists, we can help those we teach to shape their/our response according to Catholic principles. With that in mind, I offer the following thoughts. How Catholics Can Talk About and Deal with the Tragedy in Haiti The tragedy of the earthquake in Haiti calls us to respond according […]

'Round, 'Round, Get Around, I Get Around!

Joe Paprocki

Of course, that’s the classic Beachboys tune – I Get Around – that I’m invoking as I draw your attention to my updated calendar for 2010 (at the bottom of the About Me page). The traveling begins in earnest next week when I fly to Bridgeport, CT to spend a day with about 100 catechetical leaders! Perhaps some of us will have a chance to meet at these various events around the country! I’ve met a number […]

What's Your Catholic IQ?

Joe Paprocki

Of the many hats that I wear, one of them is as the author of the regular feature What’s Your Catholic IQ? in Catechist Magazine. Lots of catechists enjoy this regular feature and I enjoy writing it because I learn a lot in my research! Check it out: What’s Your Catholic IQ? January, 2010.

The Ponderings of an RCIA Catechist

Joe Paprocki

I came across these thoughts from an RCIA catechist pondering the first session of breaking open the Word. Take a look… http://catholicwideweb.wordpress.com/2009/10/11/rcia-catechist/

Catholic Athletes for Christ

Joe Paprocki

No class tonight because of Columbus Day. I was thinking yesterday that it will be unusual to have a Monday night off. Then, I was looking at the Chicago Blackhawks’ schedule and saw that they are playing a home game tonight and I thought to myself that it’s unusual for the Hawks to play a home game on a Monday night…but at least I’d be home to watch the game on TV. Then, at 10 pm last […]

A Walk Through the Bible

Joe Paprocki

For last night’s class, I did my best to walk the young people through the Bible. Unfortunately, as happens, we had some interruptions (a fire drill and a time out to have the kids sign a banner for the Year of the Priest) so in the end I only had about 40 minutes to teach…I got as far as getting the Jewish people out of Egypt and across the Red Sea and ran out of […]

Teaching About the Holy Spirit and the Trinity

Joe Paprocki

I’ve had just enough time to prepare my lesson for tonight and have not left enough time to tell you about it in detail! Suffice to say that we will be learning about the Holy Spirit and how we are never alone because of the Spirit’s presence. We’ll focus on the word ADVOCATE to talk about how the Spirit helps us (my aide is a nurse and I’ve asked her to talk about how as […]

Teaching the Trinity: What's Your Opinion on This Approach?

Joe Paprocki

This coming Monday, my lesson will be on the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity, and I plan to also talk about the mystery of the Trinity. I’ve been observing a thread on Catholic Catechist dealing with how to teach the Trinity. One suggestion caught my eye. It is from a catechist named Cheri and I think it is a good approach: Use ice, water, and steam as a visual aid. Show your students […]

Catechists and Spiritual Direction

Joe Paprocki

At one time (and perhaps in the minds of many people still today), spiritual direction was considered something reserved for the “spiritual elite” – priests and religious. Today, more and more lay people are discovering the value of spiritual direction. I’ve been seeing a spiritual director for about 5 years now and find it extremely enriching. At a recent presentation I was giving, I asked catechists what they are doing for their own ongoing spiritual […]

Off to a Good Start?

Joe Paprocki

Are you off to a good start this year as a catechist? Please share your comments with me and your fellow catechists about your first session (click on Comments below). My first session last night went very well, thank God! Today I’ll share some observations about the Engage step, which, being the first class, took about 35 minutes: My aide had a family issue to tend to and was unable to be there last night […]