During these past few months, as I’ve begun exploring the world of adult faith formation, I have become convinced that one of the key principles of AFF is that it is most effective when it is relational. In other words, we can’t simply gather adults and talk at them—they need to talk to one another! With that in mind, I am proud and excited to launch a series here on Catechist’s Journey that will lay […]
One of the patterns that we need to break in order for ongoing Adult Faith Formation to take root and grow is the bad habit of lecturing to adults for 45 minutes or an hour and calling that adult catechesis. In many parishes, adult faith formation takes the shape of a staff member (pastor, associate pastor, deacon, pastoral associate, DRE) deciding that he or she will offer a series of classes for 6 to 8 weeks. […]
This evening is the last chance I have this year to review with my 6th graders so I’m going to make the most of it! Here’s my plan: Big Idea: What’s Your Story? (This is MY Story!) Preliminaries (15 mins) Collect permission forms for Ronald McDonald House Mercy Experience Go over details for the upcoming Mercy Experience Opening procession and prayer ritual Engage (20 mins) Do “What’s Your Story?” ice breaker in which you ask questions […]
Following are suggestions for using videos from Arts & Faith: Holy Week with the young adults of your parish. Invite your group to deepen their experience of Holy Week through reflection and discussion of Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, and Good Friday. Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion Since I’m a chronic planner, living in the present moment is always hard for me. I like to think through all the possibilities and then take the next […]
Here are some more wonderful comments and questions from last evening’s Webinar on my new book, Under the Influence of Jesus: The Transforming Experience of Encountering Christ. Love your reference to the lightness of being in children. I teach first graders and they remind me of this everyday when we stop our day to teach Religion and kearn about the love of the Trinity. (Kathleen K.) The idea of simplicity in how we approach others […]
My friend and co-worker, Kate, has a hilarious habit of zipping by my cubicle in a feigned huff and claiming, “You don’t care!” Before I can even respond, she’s gone! While we laugh at Kate’s antics, the truth is, too many people feel as if no one cares about them. The story of Abraham teaches us that God indeed cares! In fact, God has a plan for us that has our best interests at heart. It’s […]
During my Webinar last evening, I asked participants to share suggestions of bad habits we can let go of during Lent. What a great list of suggestions! What resonates with you? What might you add? Gossiping Lack of patience Anger Being judgmental Laziness TV Shows Negative self talk Being opinionated Spending too much time on Facebook Watching too much TV Spending too much time on the Internet Negative thinking Not praying enough Unkind words to […]
WEEK FOUR: Prayer DAY 1: To Pray without Ceasing (Prayer) Welcome to the 4th and final week of our online retreat, Preparing for a Year of Faith. This week, we explore and reflect upon the 4th pillar of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Prayer. Let’s begin with a brief video: I’m sure you are familiar with a game that kids love to play when they’re at the swimming pool. It’s called Marco Polo. In this game, […]
Here are links to the various Lenten resources that we have to offer. We hope they are helpful to you as we journey together through this holy season! Resources to Download 7 Ways to Practice Lent—Free eBook Lent with the Saints Lenten Actions Cards A Whole Bunch of Values Lenten Countdown for Children Lent Activities Pack Stations of the Cross Booklet Praying with the Stations of the Cross—With Station to Station Questions for Reflection and […]
Ash Wednesday Wednesday, February 14 My Lenten Calendar: 40 Crosses Color a cross each day for 40 days showing good deeds done out of love for Jesus. Thursday, February 15 Lenten Actions Cards Encourage families to take practical steps toward practicing the traditional Lenten pillars of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Friday, February 16 A Prayer for Fasting Pray with young people to help them understand the purpose of fasting. Saturday, February 17 Hooking Your Students: […]
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