Chatting, Cutting, Chatting, Cutting

My goodness, 4th graders can be chatty! 🙂 Last evening, as they worked on their Works of Mercy project, cutting and pasting pictures of the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy in the correct frames, my young apprentices were extremely chatty! Several of them were singing (or rapping) outloud to themselves as they worked while most of them chatted unceasingly with one another as they diligently performed surgery with their scissors and glue. It was […]

Webinars

Please note, we do NOT issue certificates for viewing recordings of Webinars. A New Catechesis for the New Evangelization: New Ardor, Methods, and Expression Catechists are at the forefront of the New Evangelization. We are called to “re-propose” the Gospel to the world, relying on an approach that is “new in its ardor, methods, and expression.” (St. John Paul II)In this Webinar, Joe Paprocki, DMin, will explore what a “new catechesis for the New Evangelization” […]

Be an Evangelizing Catechist

As many of us are beginning our catechetical year, I thought it would be helpful to share some inspiration sent to me by my friend and colleague, Tom Quinlan, the Director of the Religious Education Office of the Joliet Diocese. Tom has written the following piece titled “Be An Evangelizing Catechist!” Thanks, Tom! Pray for your children, your families … and for yourself!  Pray privately and within the liturgical/sacramental life of your parish community. Provide a […]

Online Retreat for Catechists – Week 7: Devotion to Mary

Welcome to the 7th and final week of our online retreat focusing on the spirituality of the catechist. Last week, we looked at the characteristic of missionary zeal. Thanks so much for all of your wonderful and inspiring comments! This week, we focus on the 6th aspect of our spirituality: devotion to Mary. If you’re just joining us, you can go back and “catch up” and then come back to jump in to week seven. […]

An Online Retreat for Catechists – Week 5: An Authenticity and Coherence of Life

Welcome to the 5th week of our online retreat focusing on the spirituality of the catechist. Over the last few weeks, we’ve looked at the unique openness that we catechists are called to incorporate into our spirituality: an openness to God, to the Church, and to the world. Thanks so much for all of your wonderful and inspiring comments! This week, we focus on the 4th aspect of our spirituality, what the Church refers to […]

Online Catechist's Retreat – Week 4: An Openness to the World

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 […]

May Crowning

I just heard from a colleague of mine, a DRE who was a student at Quigley South High School when I taught there back in the 1980s! Patrick says, “Hello Joe! All is well at the parish. We finished a great year on May 3 with a May Crowning with all of the students.” Yes, May Crownings still happen! I remember with great fondness the May Crownings of my childhood…nothing said “spring is here” more […]

More About the Church's Catechetical Documents

The other day, I offered some quotes and reflective questions on the Church’s catechetical documents. I thought it might be good to follow-up with a little annotated bibliography of sorts, describing just what these various documents are about. In the weeks before many religious education prorgrams begin, you may want to read one or several of these documents (the shorter ones of course…if you wanted to read the Catechism, the General Directory for Catechesis or […]

Catechists in Rwanda, Part II

Here is more of my dialogue with an Anglican minister from Rwanda who has been sent to the United States to do missionary work and to form catechists: Joe, I feel similarly blessed by this contact. The reason why the Rwandan curriculum wouldn’t work in scope (it would to some extent in sequence) is that the general education level in Rwanda is very low and catechist, according to the canons, only have to be able […]

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