On Pentecost we celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles; this event marks the beginning of the Church. Bring the celebration of Pentecost to your faith formation group with our Pentecost Activities Packet. The packet includes a prayer service, a Holy Spirit crossword puzzle, a coloring page, and more. Combine using the packet with reading the story of Pentecost, found in the Acts of the Apostles 2:1–11, and the special seasonal lessons […]
Focus on the first disciples this Easter season by downloading our free prayer cards. Each card includes a short prayer asking for the intercession of one of the disciples who encountered Jesus in the days and weeks after the Resurrection. With prayers addressing St. Mary Magdalene, St. Peter, St. Thomas, and more, these cards draw our attention to the early disciples and serve as a great reminder that these holy men and women have lessons […]
As Catholics, we are accustomed to the phrase, holy days of obligation. What exactly does it mean to refer to a day (or an hour or a week) as holy? And what do we mean by the word obligation? In this episode of Pop-Up Catechesis, we explore the meaning of holy days as days set apart for God. For more information about holy days of obligation, check out the following links: Helping Young People Understand […]
With Ash Wednesday quickly approaching, now’s the time to think about how you will introduce the Lenten pillars of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving to your students. In addition to using the seasonal chapters in your textbook, take some time for reflection on these traditional practices. Download a Guided Reflection on Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving. This prayerful reflection introduces young people to the three Lenten disciplines and invites conversation with Jesus about how to make prayer, […]
With Lent just over a week away (Ash Wednesday is February 14, 2024.), I’d like to invite you to make plans to focus on the life of Jesus this season through two special opportunities. Lenten Read-Along—Each year Loyola Press hosts a Lenten Read-Along, which is an opportunity to join with others in reading an inspirational book at a relaxed pace, giving time to savor what we read during Lent. This year’s Lenten Read-Along invites us […]
Most wake-up calls are not pleasant. I’m talking about the kind of wake-up calls associated with having a heart attack, getting pulled over for DUI, losing a job you thought you’d have forever, losing a loved one, experiencing a financial loss, or having a close relative or friend attempt suicide. Such wake-up calls are a kick in the gut that compel us to pause and reflect on our lives and consider making significant changes in […]
We often describe Christmas as “Jesus’ birthday” and rightly so. It is, also, the day on which evangelization was born, modeled for us by the angels, who proclaimed to the shepherds the arrival of a newborn king. Their proclamation moved the shepherds to go in search of this king and, after they encountered him, to return to their lives filled with joy and gratitude. Evangelization is, of course, intimately related to catechesis. The Directory for […]
Shortly after each of my grandkids progressed from crawling to walking, they very quickly excelled at running and jumping, as most kids do! In particular, they suddenly became very adept at imitating frogs as they bounced around the house, jumping from sofa to couch, while saying, “Ribbit, ribbit!” I have no doubt, then, that they are going to love playing a new game from Loyola Press called Froggy Jumps—a game in which children help the […]
The familiar Advent hymn “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” has as its verses paraphrases of the O Antiphons. These special prayers are prayed at Evening Prayer and as the Alleluia verse at weekday Masses from December 17–23. Introduce young people and families to the O Antiphons this Advent with our O Antiphons Activities Pack. Young people can learn the Latin words of the O Antiphons and compose a special poem. Or invite families to pray […]
Welcome to the final installment of this brief series on sharing stories of hope during Advent. Previously, we’ve talked about how, through storytelling, we share our most important values, and how the stories we share, especially about people in need, must be stories of hope or “action motivators” rather than “action inhibitors.” During the holiday season, it is common to share stories about people in need of our charity and support. In his book, Cannonball […]
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