Comings & Goings

I spent a good chunk of Saturday with about 30 catechists at St. Paul the Apostle parish in Gurnee, IL, not far from the Wisconsin border. The catechists were from 3 or 4 parishes within the area and they were there for a catechist certification module on the theological foundations of catechesis (10 hours, spread over 2 Saturdays). We had a very productive day, looking at the vocation of the catechist, the ministry of catechesis, […]

I’ve updated my list of speaking engagements (see the link to the right). Here’s where I’ll be in the weeks and months to come: MAY(2008) 19 – Diocese of New Ulm, MN “Spring Fling” – Tentative title: “Enter the Journey of Love: The Catechetical Ministry as a Ministry of Love” (mini-retreat for catechetical and youth leaders) JUNE (2008) 7  – St. Paul the Apostle (Gurnee, IL), Fostering Faith Catechesis Module 16 – St. Julie Billiart […]

Last night, I had the pleasure of doing a Lenten reflection on the Mass with the good folks at St. Bruno parish on the southside of Chicago. The very hardworking and talented DRE, Lois DeFelice, organized the evening and had the confirmation class join us for the presentation. They were so well-behaved and attentive that I just have to send along my compliments to them, to their catechist, and to Lois…you can all be proud! […]

Alas, we were snowed out in Naperville last evening! However, we are going to work hard to re-schedule so I still hope to meet the army of 300 catechists! I will miss my upcoming Monday night RE class because of a management seminar I need to attend. I’ve been very careful about keeping Monday nights “sacred” for my commitment as a catechist, but this is one that the company is sending me on. Luckily, my […]

Greetings to all the good folks up in Rice Lake, Wisconsin! I was up there Tuesday and Wednesday for the Diocese of Superior Fall Conference, doing a couple of workshops on “Teaching to Generation Me.” Some of you may recall that a few months back, I did a series of posts on a book titled “Generation Me” by Jean Twenge, M.D. and offered some thoughts on how catechists can respond to the unique challenges this […]

I had a wonderful time in Peosta, Iowa, with over a hundred catechists, talking about the skills and knowledge that we need to be effective in our ministry. Thanks to all for the warm hospitality! I had a chance to visit the Field of Dreams Movie Site in Dyersville! It was like a dream come true. This is one of my favorite movies of all time and it was so much fun to be there […]

And I’m not just talking about food. Last night, I was with about 40 catechists from 2 different parishes and the interesting thing was that all but 2 of them were returning catechists! That rate of return is a testament to the care and support of their catechetical leaders who are both very professional and have outstanding vision for the catechetical ministry. They know how to “feed” their catechists. We catechists owe so much to […]

Over the next week, I’ll be a “catechist” for young adults in a program in the Chicago Archdiocese called Theology on Tap, a speaker and conversation series for people in their 20s and 30s to learn more about the Catholic faith, make connections between faith and everyday life, and enter into conversation with peers. The program is being hosted at 40 locations throughout the Archdiocese of Chicago and 14 in the Diocese of Joliet from July 8 – […]