As a baseball fan, I had to share the following with you. Thanks to Lee Nagel (NCCL Executive Director) for sharing this in his weekly update: A Match Made in Heaven – Catholicism and Baseball according to John Allen On April 1st, John Allen, the capstone speaker at our conference in Houston in 2008, had a particularly long column but he ended it by noting that “Yesterday marked the opening of the 2011 campaign, so in […]
Interesting post on Deacon Greg Kendra’s blog today about the dearth of Catholic influence in the arts today: Catholic Artists are Virtually Invisible. I would disagree with Dana Gioia’s conclusion, however, that American culture is to blame. While there may be some truth to that, I believe we have no one to blame but ourselves. I don’t think we encourage artistic expression in catechesis as much as we should. As a child, I remember drawing, […]
Anti-Catholic signs like these are of the type that could be found outside of the L.A. Congress last week – the efforts of a small group of anti-Catholic protesters who show up every year looking for a fight. Unfortunately, too many Catholics obliged. As I sat nearby, waiting for my shuttle to the airport, I watched with curiosity, frustration, amusement, and anger at the unfolding scene. It always begins with a Catholic deciding he or […]
How sad that certain voices have chosen to pass judgment on the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. Times like this call for compassion, not judgment. As catechists, we can help those we teach to shape their/our response according to Catholic principles. With that in mind, I offer the following thoughts. How Catholics Can Talk About and Deal with the Tragedy in Haiti The tragedy of the earthquake in Haiti calls us to respond according […]
November is, of course, the month of all souls, a special time of the year for us to remember those who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith. To mark this special month, as part of our opening prayer last night, instead of having the kids offer prayers of thanksgiving or petitions for needs, I asked them each to share the name(s) of loved ones who have passed away so that we […]
Are you off to a good start this year as a catechist? Please share your comments with me and your fellow catechists about your first session (click on Comments below). My first session last night went very well, thank God! Today I’ll share some observations about the Engage step, which, being the first class, took about 35 minutes: My aide had a family issue to tend to and was unable to be there last night […]
In tonight’s Webinar presentation, I offered tips for leading guided reflections. I promised to post a sample on my blog for your convenience. This is taken from the Finding God program which includes scripts for guided reflections in each unit. Another good resource for guided reflections is Guided Reflections for Children, Volumes 1 and 2 (Loyola Press). Called to Holiness – (Time: approximately 10 minutes) We all have imagination. Imagination allows us to go places […]
Welcome to Week 4 of our Online Catechist’s Retreat (The Spirituality of the Catechist) as we take a look at the third characteristic of our spirituality: An Openness to the World. Thanks so much for insights posted last week on the theme of our openness to the Church! It is so enjoyable and enriching to read your thoughts and to converse with you. If you’re just joining us, you can go back and “catch up” and then come […]
Welcome to this “little getaway!” This Online Retreat for Catechists – The Spirituality of the Catechist – is an opportunity for those of us in the catechetical ministry to be renewed in spirit and to deepen our bonds with the Lord and with one another. There’s no need to register. There’s no fee. You’ve arrived at this virtual retreat house, so come on in and find out what it’s all about! Start by clicking on and […]
For our final Confirmation Intensive last evening, we focused on the Rite of Confirmation, which includes the following: the Presentation of the Candidates the Bishop’s Homily the Renewal of Baptismal Promises the Laying on of Hands and the Anointing with Chrism the General Intercessions I’m currently sharing with you what I developed for each of these 5 elements of the Rite (the young people experienced five, 15-minute mini-sessions, one on each of the 5 elements). We conclude […]
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