Joe's Comings and Goings Archives

collage of Joe Paprocki photos through the years of Catechist's Journey blogging

I End This Blog with a K.I.S.S.

Before you think I’m getting all sentimental, let me explain that the K.I.S.S. I am ending the Catechist’s Journey blog with stands for “Keep It Super Simple.” My inspiration for this comes from a surprising source: Pope Benedict XVI. Why is that surprising? Because Pope Benedict was not a simple man! He was one of the most profound and complex theological minds of the 20th and early 21st centuries. And yet, in 2009, when asked […]

All Good Things: Catechist’s Journey Blog Coming to an End

Joe Paprocki

Research shows that the average lifespan of a blog is just over two years. Well, I would say we did pretty well here at Catechist’s Journey, which has published continually since 2006—nearly 18 years or nine times the average! Alas, after nearly 3500 posts, it’s time to unplug my Catechist’s Journey keyboard and give thanks to God for such a wonderful experience. Our last post will go up at the end of May, 2024. Catechist’s […]

Children’s Books with Extras

Joe Paprocki

Today people expect the books they purchase to have “extras,” such as online activities and games. We don’t just read books anymore; we interact with them! With that in mind, Loyola Press has two new wonderful books that come with extras. Audacious Ignatius by Paul Mitchell, illustrated by Katie Broussard—First of all, I love this book! I love its playfulness while telling the story of St. Ignatius of Loyola so that children can come to […]

Do Young Children Have the Capacity for a Relationship with Jesus?

Julianne Stanz

Enjoy this excerpt from The Catholic Parents’ Survival Guide. Question: Do young children have the capacity for a relationship with Jesus? —Javier and Gloria, parents of one Answer: Yes, children have a very real capacity to understand and develop a relationship with Jesus. Let me share this story with you. When my daughter was 3 years old, she could be a bit of a challenge at Mass. Coming forward to receive Holy Communion, for example, […]

"Farming and Homesteading with the Saints" by Andie Andrews Eisenberg - book and author pictured

Saints We Encounter Outdoors

Joe Paprocki

In my book, 8 Steps to Energize Your Faith, I include “Delight in Nature and All of Creation” as one of the steps and explain that nature is a “vehicle for conversion, and because spirituality is ultimately about conversion—a deepening of our relationship with the Divine—we can experience conversion and grow in resemblance to our Creator by encountering nature and creation.” In short, the natural world serves as a significant portal to a deeper spirituality. […]

being knowing and doing - text on stained glass background

The Toolbox Series: Where Should I Start?

Joe Paprocki

After the success of The Catechist’s Toolbox, the folks at Loyola Press asked me, “What’s next? What else do catechists need and what are they looking for?” Thankfully, that question was the beginning of what has come to be known as “The Toolbox Series”—a series of books designed primarily for catechists (as well as for those seeking basic knowledge of the Catholic faith), all following the same user-friendly format of The Catechist’s Toolbox. The Toolbox […]

A Church on the Move: 52 Ideas in 52 Minutes

Joe Paprocki

There is no time like the present for a parish to pause and take stock of its way of proceeding in order to reignite energy, stop doing things “the way we’ve always done them,” and become a Church on the move! To assist in this endeavor, I’ve recorded a free presentation. In this presentation, I offer a fast-paced look at the suggestions from my book, A Church on the Move: 52 Ways to Get Mission […]

Making Faith Portable, Shareable, Adaptable, and Replicable

Joe Paprocki

My good friend and colleague in ministry, Julianne Stanz, wisely reminds us that our faith is and must be “portable, shareable, and adaptable.” I couldn’t agree more! I’ve always used the word replicable with reference to catechesis, meaning that those we teach should be able to pass along or share with others what we have shared with them. The word catechesis means “to echo!” An echo is a replication of a sound, and those we […]

Supporting the Domestic Church: The Catholic Parents’ Survival Guide

Joe Paprocki

Being a parent in today’s world is challenging. Now, add to that the job of being Catholic parents trying to raise children with Catholic values in a world where such values can be thought of as countercultural, and we’re talking about a major challenge. This is why we, as a Church, must do all we can to support parents in their efforts to make their home a domestic church. Thankfully, help has arrived in the […]

Offering Parents a Little HELP

Joe Paprocki

Recently, the National Community of Catechetical Leaders (NCCL) conducted a survey of more than 300 parish catechetical leaders, asking them to identify the most critical issues in catechesis today. At the top of the survey was “Parent Education and Formation.” Simply put, catechists and catechetical leaders recognize that, if we want to form children in faith, we need also to form their parents! Of course, this begs the question, “What resource(s) can we use to […]