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New Contributors to Catechist’s Journey

Last week I announced that we’d be welcoming some new contributors to Catechist’s Journey. Today I’m happy to share with you who these new voices are and a little bit about each of them. Joyce Donahue, MA, MPS, serves as Catechetical Associate in the Diocese of Joliet Religious Education Office. A former parish DRE and liturgy director, she currently volunteers as parish catechist and musician at St. John the Baptist Parish, Joliet, IL. She blogs […]

Getting Away from the Presentation/Lecture Method for Adult Faith Formation

Joe Paprocki

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. […]

Happy Catechetical Sunday!

Joe Paprocki

Each year, the Catholic Church in the United States designates the third Sunday in September as “Catechetical Sunday”– a day on which to celebrate and pray for the Church’s mission to teach the Gospel to all people. This year’s theme is “Teaching About God’s Gift of Forgiveness.” As a catechist, you are responding to a call to share the gift of faith with others, even as you deepen your own faith. This call may have […]

Successful REP Kick-Off Event!

Joe Paprocki

Thanks be to God, we had a wonderfully successful kick-off event for the Religious Education program at St. Cajetan that focused on the adults as well as the children. The goal was to begin to chip away at the “drop-off” mentality and I think it is safe to say that last night we made a significant dent! I counted at least 100 adults present and we prepared 115 folders! Here’s a pictorial summary: Signage was key […]

One Book, One Parish: Perfect for Adult Faith Formation

Joe Paprocki

Here’s an idea for your parish Adult Faith Formation program: it’s called One Book, One Parish (affectionately referred to as OBOP here at Loyola Press). One Book, One Parish provides spiritual works that explain our Catholic culture and history; books that illuminate, inspire, provoke, and entertain; books that have a unique perspective and compelling authority. We seek to help you establish communities of conversation around our faith and get people to re-engage with the parish […]

Dry Run for REP Kick Off Nite

Joe Paprocki

Last evening, I got together with Deb, the DRE at St. Cajetan, to do a “dry run” in preparation for next Tuesday’s Kick-Off for the Religious Education program. We had many logistics to go over such as the sound system, the lighting, the video, the music and so on. In particular, I realized that I have to practice my timing with the songs/videos that I’ll be projecting throughout the prayer service…it’s as if I’m the […]

REP Kick-Off Event with Adult Focus

Joe Paprocki

This year, in addition to my work in Adult Faith Formation at St. Barnabas Parish, I am also assisting the DRE at St. Cajetan, Deb Breakey, where I served as a 6th grade catechist last year. Together, we are focusing on changing the “drop-off” mentality of the parents of kids in the Religious Education program. To that end, the first night of RE (September 16) will have a totally different look than in years past. […]

Men’s Spirituality

Joe Paprocki

Last week, I had the pleasure of sitting in on the Men’s Spirituality group at St. Barnabas parish. This initiative began as a follow up to the parish’s Men’s Christ Renews His Parish (CRHP) and meets once per month under the direction of the Associate Pastor, Fr. John Hetland. From what I’m told, different guys come and go but in general about a dozen gather each month. There was an enthusiastic group of 9 on […]

Attracting Adults By Telling Them They Are Needed

Joe Paprocki

A popular idea for engaging adults in faith formation is to invite parents of children in RE to some type of enrichment at the same time that their children are in class – another way to combat the “drop-off” mentality. These efforts are often met with mixed results. Some parishes have had success with this approach while others get only a handful of parents to stay. Part of the problem is that we are often […]

The Gospel is More Than “Chicken Soup”

Joe Paprocki

One of the most profound lessons I’ve learned in my experience as a catechetical minister is that the core message of the Gospel is not about simple character development (ala Chicken Soup for the Soul) but about radical realignment of our being. I was reminded of this notion by this Sunday’s Gospel about the Canaanite woman who begs Jesus to cure her daughter and perseveres in her request until Jesus, moved by her great faith, responds and […]