In my 40 Ideas for 40 Days of Lent calendar, Monday, March 14 is an activity titled “What’s with the Pretzels?” which goes into the meaning of the pretzel as a traditional lenten food. I received an email from a 6th grade catechist named Marie who had quite a bit to say about the topic. Thanks, Marie! Enjoy! Joe, I’ve been on your mail list for about three months and have enjoyed the information and […]
Back in 1970, the Beatles issued one of their last hits: “Get Back.” The song represented the Beatles’ efforts to get back to their rock and roll roots (“Get back. Get back. Get back to where you once belonged”). They had spent the last few years in the studio crafting some incredible music (Sgt. Pepper, in particular) that saw them venturing into complex arrangements and layers of sounds. With the group now experiencing tension and […]
Here’s a popular Ash Wednesday post of mine called, “What’s that on Your Forehead?” Q: Hey, your forehead’s dirty. What’s that on your forehead? A: Ashes…they’re from church. Q: Why did your church put dirt on your forehead? A: It’s not dirt; they’re ashes. Today’s Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Catholics wear ashes to show that we want to change to get ready for Easter. Q: Are they supposed to be in […]
Here are links to the various Lenten resources that I have to offer…I hope they are helpful to you as we journey together into this holy season! 40 Ideas for 40 Days of Lent, 2011 My Lenten Calendar 40-crosses-english-2011 My Lenten Calendar 40-crosses-spanish-2011 Lenten FAQs Video Recording of Joe’s 2010 Lenten Webinar Creative Lenten Ideas Shared by Webinar participants Other Resources Online Lenten Retreat from Loyola Press Lent Resources from Loyola Press Lenten Resources from […]
This great idea came to me from a catechist by the name of Connie…thanks Connie! Hi Joe, Thanks for the Lenten calendar–I’m always looking for something new! Here’s something I did last night with my sixth graders, who are studying the Old Testament. We made our own Wailing Wall–which we will use throughout Lent. Before class, I drew outlines of the bricks/stones in black marker on a piece of butcher paper. When the kids came in, […]
Thank goodness we had a little breathing room between Christmas and Lent this year! Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, one week from today, on March 9, 2011. With that in mind, I’m happy to once again offer this handy calendar with links to 40 Ideas for 40 Days of Lent! As always, if you have developed a Lenten activity that you’d like to share, send it along! 40 Ideas for 40 Days of Lent, 2011
Several years ago, my friend Victor Valdez provided us with Lenten Calendars (40 Crosses). Sadly, Victor passed away in 2013. In honor of his memory, we have updated his calendars in English and Spanish. Thank you again, Victor. Rest in peace, good friend! Hard to believe that Lent is just a few weeks away! Here are the links to the calendars: 40 Crosses 2024 (English) 40 Crosses 2024 (Spanish)
Yesterday, we celebrated the wonderful Feast of the Epiphany, when Jesus is revealed to all the nations as the Son of God. This Feast contains so many messages and images that are apropos for catechists. Here are a few thoughts: The Magi do not travel alone… The Magi observe signs… The Magi seek direction… The Magi offer gifts… For the complete, updated post, see Leading Others to Epiphany.
Sometimes, our head is telling us one thing, but our heart and our gut are telling us something else. Matthew 1:18–25 tells us that St. Joseph was experiencing this inner turmoil. His betrothed, Mary, is pregnant—and he’s not the father. According to Jewish law, she should be stoned. Joseph decides instead to divorce Mary quietly; that would be the righteous thing to do. And yet, something within him continues to question this, interrupting his sleep. […]
I received an email yesterday from a co-worker announcing that another co-worker had given birth to a healthy beautiful baby boy. The subject line of the email was “Show me a day when the world wasn’t new.” This really caught my attention. Apparently the quote is attributed to Sr. Barbara Hance (1928-1993) and I think it’s a wonderful Advent thought. In fact, this quote and the email about the newborn baby made me think of my pastor’s […]
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