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Praying with Families in the Classroom

Prayer is essential for a relationship with Jesus Christ. One of the most important responsibilities we have as catechists is to help our students develop a life of prayer. I encourage my students to find ways to pray with their families, and to facilitate that I invite parents and younger siblings to be part of our prayer circle at the end of each class. While children haven’t yet learned to be self-conscious about prayer, parents […]

Engaging Young People with Active Learning Strategies

Joe Paprocki

Professional educators know that, for learning to be effective, it needs to be an active experience. Active learning ensures that learners actively engage and participate in the learning process by doing something other than simply listening and then, of course, thinking about what they are doing. Active learning is learner-centered as opposed to teacher-centered. I talk about this in my recent post: Shining the Spotlight on Those We Teach. What this means for us as […]

In the Wake of Charlottesville – Teaching About the Sin of Racism

Joe Paprocki

As the beginning of the catechetical year is upon us, many catechists are looking at wasting no time addressing the issue of racism which is at the forefront of the news these days, especially with the recent events in Charlottesville, VA. Catechists should be encouraged not to shy away from addressing this topic since it draws us into the very heart of Jesus’ message of love of neighbor. While some are proposing that there are […]

Spirituality of the Catechist: Online Retreat for Catechists

The Spirituality of the Catechist: A Coherence and Authenticity of Life (Online Retreat Week 5)

Joe Paprocki

Welcome again to our online retreat, the Spirituality of the Catechist. For this week, our topic will be: A Coherence and Authenticity of Life. Before we jump into today’s post, let’s recall the last few weeks, during which we’ve looked at the openness that we catechists are called to incorporate into our spirituality: an openness to God, to the Church, and to the world. If you haven’t already, share some thoughts about the retreat in […]

How Did Aquinas Survive without Audiovisual Resources?

Joe Paprocki

Whenever I’m preparing to give a presentation and there’s some trouble with the projector or laptop or other technology, I jokingly ask those assisting me, “How did Aquinas survive without AV resources?” Of course, he and other great teachers did just fine without them! That doesn’t change the fact that, today, technology provides us with a myriad of ways to enhance our presentation of the Gospel and that most people—especially young people—are accustomed to accessing information through technology. […]

Celebrate, Remember, and Appreciate: Mystagogy for Children

Joyce Donahue

Mystagogy is a time for the community and the newly baptized to “grow in deepening their grasp of the paschal mystery and in making it part of their lives through meditation on the Gospel, sharing in the eucharist and doing the works of charity.” (RCIA 244) Mystagogy is clearly a period of encounter, accompaniment, and integration. Both the community and the newly initiated grow together. Unlike adults who are instructed and mentored prior to Baptism, […]

The Effective Use of Audiovisual Resources in Faith Formation

Joe Paprocki

Not all of us are natural-born storytellers, as is illustrated by the following joke: once upon a time, a guy went on a tour of a story factory. As he walked through the factory, he heard a voice on the loudspeaker call out a number every few minutes. After each number was announced, there was a palpable reaction from the workers: laughter, tears, anger, or amazement. The guy asked his tour guide what was going […]

7 Keys to Spiritual Wellness: What Do You Have That Cannot Be Taken Away?

Joyce Donahue

Editor’s note: This post is one in a series inspired by Joe Paprocki’s book 7 Keys to Spiritual Wellness. In the book, Joe introduces each key with a fun or thought-provoking question. Each Friday we’ll share an excerpt from 7 Keys to Spiritual Wellness that poses a question, followed by a response by a catechist or catechetical leader. What do you have that cannot be taken away? If you can identify and cultivate the answer […]

Learning by Empowerment

Joe Paprocki

We sometimes get the notion that when Jesus performed miracles, the disciples just watched from the sidelines. Not so in the story of Jesus Feeding the 5000 in the Gospel of Mark (6:33–44)! In fact, when the disciples alert Jesus to the need to feed the crowds, Jesus’ response is “You give them something to eat.” (NIV) As the story progresses, the disciples do not remain passive. They do the following: take inventory of what is […]

Supporting Parents When Children Are Preparing for the Sacraments

Joe Paprocki

Perhaps the question I am asked most when I’m on the road giving presentations is, “What can we do to get parents more involved?” Even Pope Francis issued a call for parents to “come out of exile” to educate their children. From start to finish—from the first day that parents bring their children to religious education until the day they complete their formal formation—we should be speaking to parents, not about how they can pitch […]