Advent planning Archives - Catechist's Journey

Family Catechesis at St. Barnabas: Welcoming the Seasons of Advent and Christmas

Our next monthly session for our Finding God Family Catechesis program at St. Barnabas will take place on Sunday, December 3, the First Sunday of Advent, which means that our focus for the adult session will be on the seasons of Advent and Christmas, with a particular emphasis on the theme of God’s Promise: The Covenant. Here is the plan for that session: Our opening prayer ritual will reflect the season of Advent as we […]

Advent: Reimagining Our Lives and Our World

Joe Paprocki

The wonderful season of Advent is just weeks away! One of my favorite Advent homilies was delivered by the late Fr. Jack Daley to the students at Quigley South High School, where I taught in the 1980s. Fr. Jack began by doing some of the most incredible imitations of cartoon characters, including Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny, and Woody Woodpecker. He had the students in stitches. He then went on to talk about how […]

Advent: A Season of Anticipation

Joe Paprocki

Years ago, a TV commercial effectively used Carly Simon’s song, “Anticipation” to accompany images of thick, rich ketchup slowly making its way to the opening of the bottle before being generously slathered on mouthwatering burgers and crispy French fries while a voice says, “Think of how good it’s gonna taste when it finally gets there!” The commercials ended with the claim that this ketchup has “the taste worth waiting for.” I can’t help but think […]

Pop-Up Catechesis: Advent and Looking Forward

Joe Paprocki

We all need something to look forward to. Often we find the energy to get through today because of something that’s on the horizon for tomorrow. Perhaps we’re looking forward to a special event, like the birth of a child, a birthday or anniversary celebration, a much-needed vacation, or a reunion with an old friend or family members. Maybe we are looking forward to attending a major sporting event or a concert or theater performance. […]

Answering God's Call This Advent - webinar with Barbara Lee (pictured)

Curating Advent Resources to Fit the Needs of Those You Teach

Joe Paprocki

As the role of the catechist continues to grow and evolve to meet the needs of a rapidly changing world, one of the models that is becoming more apt is that of the catechist as curator. Typically, we think of a curator as that person in a museum or gallery who is responsible for acquiring, caring for, and developing a collection of artifacts that will be displayed for the edification, education, and inspiration of those […]

Advent: The Season of Hope That We Really Need

Joe Paprocki

It is an understatement to say that 2020 has been a challenging year! We can’t wait to turn the page and move on to a new year. For Catholics, that turning of the page happens a month before the secular holiday of New Year’s Day on January 1. We celebrate the beginning of our liturgical year on the First Sunday of Advent, which is only a few weeks away, on November 29. Advent is always […]

Advent: Getting the Help We All Need

Joe Paprocki

Perhaps more than any other liturgical season, the season of Advent reminds us that we need help! It is a season that reminds us that we are in need of an intervention—a savior—someone who enters into our reality and lifts us up and out of the “muck” that we find ourselves trapped in. The “muck,” of course, is sin, and our Savior, of course, is Jesus Christ. In order for us to overcome the effects […]

When and How to Introduce Advent

Denise Gorss

The first week of Advent begins on the Sunday following Thanksgiving. While that is usual, it forces me to make a choice in how to introduce Advent: Do I talk about the season early, before Thanksgiving? Or do I wait until after the holiday break, when the season has already started? I’ve alternated my approach through the years, but I usually like to at least introduce Advent before the holiday, inviting the young people to […]

Creating Sacred Space for Advent

Joe Paprocki

What does it mean to call something “sacred?” According to the Dictionary of Biblical Imagery (InterVarsity Press), “a sacred space is a place where God is encountered in a special or direct way by virtue of which the very place becomes holy and set apart from ordinary space.” This Advent, embrace the season as a sacred space and do so from the ease of your e-mail inbox. Sacred Advent is a daily e-mail prayer break during […]

Get in Touch with Hope for Advent

Joyce Donahue

Advent often seems like just a busy “home stretch” before Christmas “break.” Normally, there is little opportunity for parish leaders and catechists to prepare themselves for the season. We who serve others often think of ourselves last. However, if we do not develop a personal spirituality for Advent, we are not really in a position to teach others its significance. As has often been said, “You can’t give what you don’t have.” Authentic spirituality for […]