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40 Ideas for 40 Days – Lenten Activities: Declaration of DEpendence – Photos and Directions

Today’s idea is something that catechists of every grade level can take advantage of – I call it the Declaration of DEpendence. I originally came up with this idea when teaching about the Lord’s Prayer. It occurred to me that, with its seven petitions, the Our Father is clearly a prayer that expresses our complete dependence upon God. This is, of course, in stark contrast to the independence that we all strive for in our […]

Valentine's Day and Outward Signs

Joe Paprocki

I find Valentine’s Day to be a wonderful opportunity to talk about the Church’s sacramental life. A traditional definition of a sacrament is “an outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace.” For the most part, this is a good definition, especially the phrase “outward sign.” Catholic sacramentality basically expresses our belief that the invisible God can be recognized and encountered through the physical world. That’s why we use water, oil, bread, wine, flame, etc. […]

So, What Are You Doing for Lent?

Joe Paprocki

Catechists typically practice what they preach and, this time of the year, we are preaching Lent to our students. That leads me to ask, WHAT ARE YOU DOING THIS LENT? What is your spiritual plan for growth? How are you practicing the Lenten disciplines? Let’s take the next couple of days to just share our thoughts, insights, and experiences around this question.

young woman looking at her reflection in pool - text: Reflecting on Our Individual and Communal Prayer Mini-Retreat - Malte Mueller/fStop/Getty Images

Reflecting on Our Individual and Communal Prayer Mini-Retreat: Pray Without Ceasing

Joe Paprocki

I invite you to a three-part mini-retreat devoted to reflecting on our individual and communal prayer. May your life of prayer be enriched and filled with abundant blessings! Pray Without Ceasing I’m sure you are familiar with a game that children love to play in the swimming pool, called Marco Polo. In this game, one child moves to one side of the pool and closes his or her eyes. The other children move to the […]

church interior - Warling Studios. © Loyola Press. All rights reserved.

Visiting the Church in Different Seasons

Eileen Morgan

Instead of doing one long tour of the church with students, think of doing a church tour in pieces. Let students get up close and personal, asking questions about the place we celebrate our faith and sacramental life. One way to do this is to visit the church during the different seasons of the liturgical year or before special feasts. For All Saints Day, look at the images of the saints in and around the […]

Family Catechesis: Reporting from Inside the Home

Joe Paprocki

Recently, I had the privilege and pleasure of being invited into the home of a family to observe a mom working with her third-grade son on a Finding God faith formation lesson! I’m excited to share my observations of this wonderful experience. Mrs. K. is participating in the Finding God family catechesis program at St. Barnabas Parish. As regular readers know, I have been volunteering there this year to lead the monthly parent sessions. Mrs. […]

St. Barnabas Family Catechesis: Learning About Catholic Identity

Joe Paprocki

Yesterday, we had our March session of Finding God family catechesis, and our topic was Catholic identity (part of Finding God Unit 3, which focuses on the topic of Church). We had a very good session! Here are some highlights: We welcomed back Patrick McGowan, our catechetical leader, after a medical leave. Patrick remained with me to do the parent session since Deacon Andy was unavailable. One of the catechists stepped in to Patrick’s usual […]

Guided Reflection on Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving

Joe Paprocki

How will you introduce the Lenten pillars of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving to your students? In addition to using the seasonal chapters in your textbook, take some time for reflection on these traditional practices. Download a Guided Reflection on Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving. This prayerful reflection introduces young people to the three Lenten disciplines and invites conversation with Jesus about how to make prayer, fasting, and almsgiving a part of their lives.

Introducing Catholics to the Bible (Video)

Joe Paprocki

St. Jerome famously said, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” Unfortunately, for many Catholics, the Bible still remains a bit of a stranger and becomes an untapped source for deepening our relationship with Jesus. Too many of us still feel ill-equipped when it comes to navigating the Bible and interpreting what we read. With that in mind, I have put together a video introduction to the Bible that catechists can use with adults and young […]

Growing with GOD: Safe and Sacred™ - child safety and family life program

St. Barnabas Family Catechesis: Safe Environment Session

Joe Paprocki

The January session for family catechesis at St. Barnabas will be a children-only session on safe environment. Since my role is to facilitate the parent sessions, I’ll actually have the day off! As part of the implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, the Archdiocese of Chicago requires its parishes and schools to provide valuable training to children and youth annually. This important training is designed to educate children and […]