calling Archives - Catechist's Journey

Lord, You Called Me book cover and author photo of Ricardo Grzona

Reflecting on Your Calling as a Catechist

One of the themes emphasized in the new Directory for Catechesis (as in the previous General Directory for Catechesis) is the notion that catechists have a vocation. In particular, the new directory says: “The catechist is a Christian who receives a particular calling from God that, when accepted in faith, empowers him for the service of the transmission of faith and for the task of initiating others into the Christian life.” (112) This “particular calling” […]

Quote from "Sacred Space: A Little Book of Encouragement": "Jesus, your choosing me gives me a sense of my place in the world, a sense of purpose. You are not waiting until I become a better person; you choose me here and now. What do you want me to do with my life today?"

Chosen to Be a Catechist

Cindy Coleman

Jesus, your choosing me gives me a sense of my place in the world, a sense of purpose. You are not waiting until I become a better person; you choose me here and now. What do you want me to do with my life today? —Sacred Space: A Little Book of Encouragement This might sound over the top, but for me, this quote truly characterizes my life. It certainly didn’t describe me 30 years ago […]

How to Be a More Evangelizing Catechist #6: Invite! Invite! Invite!

Joe Paprocki

Ultimately, a TV commercial is an invitation: after presenting to you all of the information about their amazing product or service, the sponsors invite you to join “other satisfied customers.” They then provide you with a phone number, a website address, and convenient locations so that you can avoid being left out. At the heart of Jesus’ message is an invitation. In fact, the Gospels tell us that Jesus was constantly inviting people to follow […]

Identifying Our Gifts

Lisa Jones

At our Baptism each of us receives a call to service from Christ. In our lesson this week, we focused on how God enables each of us to fulfill that baptismal call. As fourth graders, the children typically understand that not only are each of us made in God’s image, but that we are each uniquely created as individuals. God has given each of us unique gifts and talents that make us who we are. […]

Nothing Beats the Personal Touch When Recruiting Catechists

Joe Paprocki

This Sunday’s Gospel (Matthew 4:12–23) is a reminder to us that nothing beats the personal touch when it comes to inviting people into ministry. And this time of the year—late winter—is a good time to start your catechist recruitment efforts for next year. Jesus did not put up posters or distribute literature inviting people to follow him; he used the personal approach. He asked people what they were looking for and then he invited them to […]

Called to Serve One Another

Kathy Henry

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 […]

Meet the “Worst” Catechist

Joe Paprocki

I love this article that my friend and colleague Denise Gorss brought to my attention. It’s titled “Why I’m the Worst Catechist at My Parish, and Still Signing Up,” and it’s written by catechist Deirdre Mundy. What I love about it is her humility—something that is a great quality for every catechist to have. She is most definitely NOT the worst catechist, but the fact that she recognizes her own unworthiness and places her trust […]

Adult Faith Formation Does Not Take Off for the Summer

Joe Paprocki

Summer provides us with the perfect time to forge ahead with plans for more robust adult faith formation in the year ahead. At Christ the King Parish, my home parish, we are taking advantage of the summer to lay the foundations for our best year ever in adult faith formation. Building on the success of our small faith groups during Lent, we are now inviting a number of parishioners to consider/discern serving on an adult […]

Who Should Serve as Catechists?

Joyce Donahue

In most parishes the process of finding catechists is pretty simple: we ask, even beg, for people to fill empty slots and some come forward. If that fails, we may tap former catechists or aides, or ask parents of children in the program to fill the needs. Failing that, we may even resort to guilt: “If no one volunteers, our children will have no one to teach them the faith.” Too often it seems we […]

How Do We Recruit New Catechists? INVITE Them!

Margie Copeland

What is it that all DREs know about the majority of Catholic families today? They are overwhelmed by an overbooked schedule of events and work, and growing our faith is often deferred to those once-in-a-while moments when things are quiet; that is not necessarily weekend Mass. So how do we find future catechists? I propose we INVITE people to consider the call to be a catechist. I = INITIATE a conversation. Regular parent gatherings or […]