Newsworthy Archives - Page 4 of 21

World Day of Prayer for Vocations

This Sunday, May 11, is World Day of Prayer for Vocations which coincides with the 4th Sunday of Easter or Good Shepherd Sunday. Here is a link to the Web site for the World Day of Prayer for Vocations: http://www.worlddayofprayerforvocations.com/ Likewise, here is a link to the USCCB Web site with further links to resources such as prayers for vocations and the message of the Holy Father. http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/vocations/world-day-of-prayer-for-vocations.cfm Let us pray that God will call […]

The Canonizations of John XXIII and John Paul II

Joe Paprocki

This year, on Divine Mercy Sunday, April 27, 2014, the Catholic Church will celebrate the canonizations of 2 of our recent popes: John XXIII and John Paul II. To celebrate this upcoming event, Loyola Press is offering resources on the lives of both of these great men and their contributions to the Catholic Church. Click on their pictures below to link to these resources. Here are some other […]

Help Spread Pope Francis’ Message of Mercy!

Joe Paprocki

Let’s help spread Pope Francis’s message of mercy by getting 100,000 people to order The Church of Mercy by April 25 so that it qualifies as a bestseller! To make that happen, order a copy (and get as many individuals to do the same) through Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, or your local bookseller. Pope Francis has captured the world’s attention with his seemingly counterintuitive approach to leadership. In The Church of Mercy, readers get a first-hand look […]

For My New Jersey and East Coast Friends

Joe Paprocki

Here’s an opportunity for those of you on the East Coast, especially New Jersey: an evening of gratitude, hope, and expanding horizons of mind and heart with my friend, colleague, and fellow-blogger, Vinita Hampton Wright. You are cordially invited to join us for an evening of faith enrichment. Vinita Hampton Wright, author of Praying Freedom: A Book of Lenten Meditations, will facilitate the retreat. Join Loyola Press for an evening of gratitude, hope, and […]

Great New Liturgy Apps!

Joe Paprocki

Here’s some information about some great new Apps on the Liturgy! The first is the My Picture Missal App from Loyola Press. This App, available in the iTunes store at this link: My Picture Missal App, was developed for children with special needs and for young children. The intent of this interactive app is to help children learn, understand, and fully experience the Mass. Children with special needs have spiritual lives and, with communication assistance, can […]

Understanding the Holy Father’s Apostolic Exhortation – Evangelii Gaudium

Joe Paprocki

By now, I’m sure you know that Pope Francis issued an extraordinary document last week, an Apostolic Exhortation – Evangelii Gaudium (ee-van-JEH-lee-ee GOW-dee-um). If you get a chance to read it on your own, I encourage you to, however, it is rather long. With that in mind, I thought I would give it a good read and then provide you with a summary, which you can access below. Evangelii Gaudium Summary by Joe Paprocki Also, […]

A Session Planning Form – For Your Convenience!

Joe Paprocki

So, as it turns out, my first session of religious education for this evening was canceled due to the excessive heat here in Chicago! It is in the mid to upper 90s during this 2nd week of September! Well, that’ll give me more time to polish my own lesson which will now take place next Tuesday! In the meantime, I’ve put the finishing touches on a resource I think you’ll find helpful. It is a Session […]

Multicultural Ministry and the New Evangelization

Joe Paprocki

I know this is last minute, but I just became aware of this Webinar being offered tonight by a friend of mine, Ansel Augustine, on “Multi-Cultural Ministry and the New Evangelization.” Ansel, a greatly talented pastoral minister in the Archdiocese of New Orleans and an excellent speaker, will present and lead a conversation on the implications of the New Evangelization for multicultural ministry and vice versa—how can Catholic multicultural ministry shape and strengthen the New Evangelization? For […]

The Sights and Sounds of Pope Francis’ Election – A Primer on Catholic Identity

Joe Paprocki

The election of Pope Francis last month provided the world with what can be called a “primer” on Catholic identity. The images from St. Peter’s Square leading up to and including the introduction of Pope Francis were rich but often subtle…too subtle for the media to catch and articulate. In my book, Practice Makes Catholic, I identify 5 characteristics of Catholic identity: A Sense of Sacramentality – making the intangible, tangible; the invisible, visible (signs, […]

A Jesuit Pope, Heroic Leadership, and the “Splendid Mission” of Catechesis

Joe Paprocki

We have a new chief catechist! Pope Francis, the first Jesuit Pope, brings with him to the papacy an approach to catechesis as a “splendid mission” that is a “pillar of the Church.” These are words that the former Cardinal Bergoglio used to celebrate a Day of the Catechist in Buenos Aries in 2010. What else did he say about catechesis and catechists? Here’s a sample: He expressed gratitude for the “silent and committed dedication” of […]