Miscellaneous

I met with my DRE last night and it was an excellent opportunity for us to talk about the ministry of catechesis, the parish program, and my role in it. We reviewed the “ups and downs” of the year and evaluated what went well and what could get better. Most of all, I talked about what I see as us trying to do “too much” in the program. Sometimes I think we feel that we […]

On Monday evening, I’ll be meeting with my DRE to talk about my role as a catechist for next year. I think it is a good practice for a DRE to have “interviews” with catechists each year. It is important for me, as a catechist, to know firsthand from the DRE what the vision of the program is and how God is calling me through the DRE’s leadership to serve that mission. It also gives […]

Pardon me if I don’t blog for a couple of days…this weekend is my daughter’s high school graduation!  I’ll be back on May 29.

I mentioned in my post yesterday how, in many places of the world, the catechist is seen as one of the most respected people in the Catholic community because he or she is the one who forms disciples of Jesus. The flipside of this prominence is that, in some countries where the Gospel is a threat to the political and economic status quo, catechists are seen as a threat and they are often singled out as […]

When we use the word catechist, who comes to mind? Typically (at least in the United States), we think of catechists as those volunteers who teach in parish religious education programs as opposed to Catholic school teachers who teach religion classes. Because of this, Catholic school teachers of religion have resisted the title of catechist because it carries the connotation of volunteer as opposed to professional. This is unfortunate, because to be called a catechist […]

This morning I’m participating in a wellness exam offered by my health insurance company. It’s a great benefit to have and it helps give a clear picture of where I’m at physically. As catechists, we often offer spiritual wellness exams for those we teach. What do I mean by that? Basically, we provide opportunities for those we teach to reflect on the status of their spiritual life…their relationship with Jesus. We do this by leading […]

At some point in the life of every catechist, someone will ask, “Why do I have to go to confession to a priest? Why can’t I just talk to God in my heart and ask him for forgiveness?” Well, a new phenomenon is begging this question. I read that “confession websites” are becoming all the rage…places where people can anonymously post their sins (and, of course, read about the sins of others). The hope is […]

I absolutely love Holy Week, especially the Triduum. It’s what we are all about. It is also Catholicism at its best. Today, we celebrated Palm Sunday Mass at St. Julie Billiart in Tinley Park…what a beautiful liturgy and a splendid way to enter into Holy Week. When I say that Holy Week and the Triduum are Catholicism at its finest, I mean that the power of the liturgies…word and sign…touch us at our deepest core. Catholicism […]

My friend and colleague Sr. Julie Vieira sent this to me via her blog, A Nun’s Life: I just recently read an article about your website and decided you might be able to help me. I teach a Sunday class of 12-14 year olds.It is a basic doctrine class and these young people have been baptized and are preparing for the sacraments of Confession & Eucharist. They struggle with understanding the Holy Trinity and who […]

Religious education classes at the parish where I serve as a catechist are 75 minutes. That’s not a bad amount of time although it really seems like 90 minutes would be more effective, especially to allow for more substantive prayer experiences. I think it would also be nice to have occasional “extended” sessions that last 2 to 3 hours, perhaps once a month or at least quarterly. Where is it written that classes must be […]