Who is this good-looking young man peeking around the corner of Catechist’s Journey? Why, it’s none other than Leo, the star of the new children’s book Leo’s Gift, written by Susan Blackaby and my friend and colleague (actually, she’s my boss!) Joellyn Cicciarelli and beautifully illustrated by my colleague Carrie Schuler. Leo is creative, shy, and in search of a special talent he can share with the world. He wonders how he’ll know what his […]
People often ask me about making arrangements to purchase books at a special rate for teachers and catechists at Christmastime, which is right around the corner! I’m happy to say that Loyola Press has heard your request and is responding by making the following books available at a special rate ($5 each when you order 15 or more of the featured books in any combination) so that you can say “Merry Christmas” and show appreciation […]
As much as we try to plan ahead, important deadlines have a way of sneaking up on us. With that in mind, please know that if you plan to order books for a Christmas giveaway through our One Book, One Parish program, the deadline is Tuesday, October 31, 2017. Here are some other deadlines to keep in mind for One Book, One Parish: For Ash Wednesday 2018 and Lenten reading groups, orders are due January […]
When I travel, I typically make all of my own arrangements for flight, hotel, and rental car. Recently, however, I traveled to the East Coast to do a presentation for the Diocese of Wilmington, DE, and my colleague and friend Paul Gallagher, the Loyola Press Educational Consultant for the region, told me that it would make sense for him to pick me up at the airport and drive the three-hour trip to our hotel and […]
It’s been a very busy month for traveling and will continue to be so through the end of the month. Recently, I had the privilege of doing presentations in Cincinnati, OH, and Jacksonville, FL. In Cincy, we focused on “9 Ways to Transform Hearts and Minds,” drawing from my book Under the Influence of Jesus, while in Jacksonville, I spoke to 800+ Catholic school teachers about “A Catholic Way of Proceeding,” drawing from my book […]
Another LAREC—Los Angeles Religious Education Congress—is in the books and, as always, it was a phenomenal experience to be with over 40,000 brothers and sisters in Christ, all of whom were fired up for the mission of proclaiming God’s word to all people. It was an honor and a privilege to give two presentations to a total of nearly 1000 participants, and I was fed and nourished by the breakout sessions I attended (especially those […]
Last week, I had the pleasure of presenting at the Mid-Atlantic Congress in Baltimore and enjoyed spending time with several hundred of my best friends exploring ways to do catechesis more effectively in a rapidly-changing world. We specifically looked at a number of strategies outlined in my book, A Church on the Move: 52 Ways to Get Mission and Mercy in Motion. Thanks, friends, for all of the wonderful work that you do proclaiming the […]
From time to time, in the Chicago area, I enjoy the privilege of spending time with an entire parish staff to talk about ways to renew parish life, especially faith formation. Recently, I enjoyed spending a few hours with the pastoral staff at St. Damien Parish in Oak Forest, IL. Fr. Joe Noonan, the pastor, and Frieda Bertello, the Director of Ministry, invited me to spend some time with them brainstorming and discussing some of […]
I had the pleasure recently of spending a day with about 100 pastoral ministers—pastors, pastoral associates, catechetical leaders, youth and young adult ministers, and deacons—in the Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio, looking at what it means to be A Church on the Move. My thanks and appreciation go out to Bishop George Murry, SJ, and the diocesan staff: Barbara Walko, Tom Sauline, Cindee Case, Mary Fiala, and Adrienne Curry. Also, a special shout-out to my friend […]
When it comes to adult faith formation at my parish, Christ the King in Chicago, I am often reminded that many folks go away for the summer. That doesn’t mean that we can’t plan adult faith formation opportunities during the summer months; it just means that we might need to adjust our expectations when it comes to attendance. Another option, however, is to find a way to “travel with” people as they scatter to the […]
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