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Faith Refreshed - text over photo of water droplets by lemonade glass by Charlotte May on Pexels

Join Me for an Online Retreat: Faith Refreshed

When surfing the Internet, we may occasionally find ourselves on a webpage that is moving slowly or has frozen. In such cases, it can help to hit the refresh button. Refreshing the page basically tells the browser to go back to the server and see if there is anything new, thus reloading or updating the page. Often, after refreshing a webpage, we find ourselves delighted to see something that wasn’t there before. These are like […]

Catechetical Issues & Topics

Preparing for the Jubilee Year of 2025: Getting to Know the Four Constitutions of Vatican II

Joe Paprocki

With each passing day, we are inching closer to the celebration of a Jubilee Year in 2025, with the theme of “Pilgrims of Hope.” As I have mentioned here previously, in preparation for the Jubilee Year, Pope Francis is asking Catholics to prepare by dedicating time in the following manner: 2023: Study the documents of the Second Vatican Council. 2024: Focus on prayer. To assist with a study of the documents of the Second Vatican […]

Catechetical Formation Series by Loyola Press

Grow as a Catechist This Summer with Accessible, Practical, and Affordable Formation

Joe Paprocki

With summer almost upon us, it is a good time to think about what we can do as catechists to find enrichment and renewal that will help us to deepen our faith. Summer is also a great time for new catechists to prepare for this exciting venture! Too often, catechist formation is either impractical (doesn’t speak to actual needs), inaccessible (difficult to attend or to fit into one’s calendar), or expensive (costs too much). In […]

stand-up paddle boarding - photo by Tiana on Pexels

What’s SUP? Catholic Mentoring on the Deck of a Stand-Up Paddle Board

Jayne Ragasa-Mondoy

“I’ll meet you on the beach tomorrow morning in front of lifeguard station 9B.” Bernadette is a force to be reckoned with. Smart, bold, and athletic, she spent months attempting to convince me that I was capable of mastering a stand-up paddle board (SUP) on the open ocean. I finally agreed to give it a try. So there I stood, scrunching my toes into the sand in front of station 9B, awaiting her arrival and […]

Living the Liturgical Seasons at Home: Easter

Celebrating Easter All Season Long

Julianne Stanz

By our conviction of heart and mind, we can be witnesses to the Resurrection just as Mary Magdalene was, not just at Easter but every day. Here are some simple ways to evangelize and keep our Easter joy all season long! Read. Read the Acts of the Apostles between Easter and Pentecost. Immerse yourself in the excitement of the disciples trying to become the Church community that Jesus intended them to become. Marvel at the […]

Reaching Parents Virtually

Joe Paprocki

Catechists and catechetical leaders are always searching for ways of connecting with parents of the children in their religious education programs. We all know that parents are pulled in a million different directions, which means that connecting with them in person is not always feasible. One of the lessons we learned from the pandemic (hopefully!) is how to connect with people virtually. There are many simple ways we can connect with parents online to share […]

Offering Parents a Little HELP

Joe Paprocki

Recently, the National Community of Catechetical Leaders (NCCL) conducted a survey of more than 300 parish catechetical leaders, asking them to identify the most critical issues in catechesis today. At the top of the survey was “Parent Education and Formation.” Simply put, catechists and catechetical leaders recognize that, if we want to form children in faith, we need also to form their parents! Of course, this begs the question, “What resource(s) can we use to […]

First Holy Communion Novena

Joe Paprocki

Encourage families preparing a child to receive First Eucharist with a novena-style prayer to pray at home. Download the First Holy Communion Novena and make copies for parents, instructing them to begin praying 10 days before the day of First Holy Communion. Each day’s prayer time includes parts for children and parents, as well as a suggestion for a family practice for the next day. The text for the novena is from Christ Our Life, […]

Lenten Disciples - icon of Jesus giving sight to man born blind

Lenten Disciples: The Man Born Blind

Julianne Stanz

In the Scriptures, we see examples of disciples at different stages of their faith journeys. Through the story of Jesus and the woman of Samaria (John 4:1–42), we explored the early stages of the discipleship journey. Later in the Gospel of John, we hear the story of Jesus restoring sight to a man born blind. (John 9:1–41) This story represents the next stage in the journey of discipleship. In this story, a man who was […]

A Lenten Journey Through the Stations of the Cross: A Webinar with Gary Jansen

A Stations of the Cross Webinar with Gary Jansen

Joe Paprocki

Join award-winning author Gary Jansen and me for a special Lenten webinar that will draw from his book, Station to Station: An Ignatian Journey Through the Stations of the Cross, and offer a new way of looking at the Stations of the Cross to deepen your prayer life and provide hope in times of need. How do we respond to suffering? How did Jesus? And what can we learn from the Passion for helping us […]