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Called to Serve One Another

Many who serve in catechetical ministry believe they are answering God’s call. While introducing myself to parents and students on the first day of religious education classes at my former ministry site, I mentioned that I drove an hour one way to get there. One very confused dad asked, “But why are you here?” Without hesitation I responded, “Because I am called to be here.” I genuinely believe God asked me to serve this community. With […]

Becoming a Portal for Spiritual Enrichment Opportunities

Joe Paprocki

One of the temptations we face when looking to grow our adult faith formation experience in the parish is to try to become all things to all people when we simply do not have the resources—human and financial—to do everything we would like to do. With that in mind, I propose that parishes think of themselves as a “clearinghouse” or “portal” for information about spiritual enrichment opportunities. The fact is, your diocese may have a […]

Last-Minute Catechist Recruitment: Don’t Compromise!

Joe Paprocki

In an ideal world, all of our recruitment for catechists would have wrapped up early in the summer, so that now we could just move forward with training, formation, and the start of the catechetical year. In reality, however, we know that last-minute openings pop up, and catechetical leaders find themselves scrambling to do some last-minute recruitment of catechists. It’s important to remember that, while time is short, we must not compromise on our standards […]

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How to Prepare Catechists for the New Year

Kathy MacKenzie

As a parent, I know that pleas for volunteers come fast and furious in the fall. These pleas arrive just as we are trying to get our own children to practices, lessons, and school activities on time. When homework, dinner, laundry, and outside job responsibilities are added to this seemingly endless list, I am reminded that my catechists are under a lot of pressure. I ask a lot of these volunteers. As DREs, we must […]

A Church on the Move in Youngstown, Ohio

Joe Paprocki

I had the pleasure recently of spending a day with about 100 pastoral ministers—pastors, pastoral associates, catechetical leaders, youth and young adult ministers, and deacons—in the Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio, looking at what it means to be A Church on the Move. My thanks and appreciation go out to Bishop George Murry, SJ, and the diocesan staff: Barbara Walko, Tom Sauline, Cindee Case, Mary Fiala, and Adrienne Curry. Also, a special shout-out to my friend […]

Three Ways to Nurture a Catechist’s Prayer Life

Darcy Osby

Prayer is an essential component in the life of a catechist. Prayer helps us stay connected to Jesus Christ, the Master Catechist who works through us in our ministry, who strengthens us with the grace to do our ministry well, and who desires to be in relationship with us and with our students. How can we help our catechists maintain a life of prayer? Here are three ways. Keep it simple. We often think that […]

Catechetical Leaders

Resources for Catechetical Sunday, September 18, 2016

Joe Paprocki

Catechetical Sunday is less than a month away! This year’s theme is “Prayer: The Faith Prayed,” drawing from the fourth pillar of our Catholic faith (Creed, Sacraments, Morality, and Prayer). The National Conference for Catechetical Leadership (NCCL) has put together a Catechetical Sunday Digital Toolkit with links to a number of excellent resources, for not only Catechetical Sunday, but also for deepening the prayer lives of God’s People. Of course, the USCCB (United States Conference […]

Tips for Hosting a Book Club at Your Parish

Joe Paprocki

Book clubs continue to be a popular vehicle for social interaction while encouraging and motivating people to read, to encounter ideas they might not otherwise consider, and to talk about their own ideas and thoughts about what they’re reading. Parishes and faith communities can use book clubs to build a sense of community, invite new people to explore the Catholic faith, and experience faith formation. Book clubs can be an excellent vehicle for pre-evangelization and evangelization […]

The Power of Prayer: Three Ways to Model Discipleship

Julianne Stanz

Peter, a director of religious education at a parish, asked Susan if prayer was interwoven into her classroom. “But I don’t have time to pray with my students and still get all of the material covered!” Susan answered, exasperated. “The most important thing,” Peter assured her, “is to model a life of discipleship grounded in prayer.” “Why?” Susan asked. “Because without the deep breath of prayer,” Peter replied, “our students will never believe that we […]

Confident Catechists: How to Prepare for the New Year

Darcy Osby

During Advent and Lent, the Church prepares for the feasts of Christmas and Easter. Similarly, summer is the season when catechists prepare for the upcoming catechetical year. The more time we take to prepare, the more comfortable and confident we will be echoing the Word of God in our classrooms. Prayer, Prayer, and More Prayer The most important thing we can do to prepare for the new catechetical year is to pray. Through prayer, the […]