discipleship Archives - Catechist's Journey

Forming Disciples: Meeting Jesus

As catechists, we work with the Holy Spirit to form disciples of Jesus Christ. With that in mind, we’ve been devoting some attention to the concept of discipleship by sharing insights from Fr. Brice Higginbotham, author of Remaining with Jesus: Discipleship in the Gospel of John. Fr. Higginbotham has been recording short videos while he is pursuing a Licentiate in Sacred Scripture at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. In this segment, Fr. Brice helps us […]

Forming Disciples: The Dynamics of Discipleship

Joe Paprocki

We continue devoting some attention to the concept of discipleship by turning to Fr. Brice Higginbotham, author of Remaining with Jesus: Discipleship in the Gospel of John. Fr. Higginbotham recorded short videos while he is pursuing a Licentiate in Sacred Scripture at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. In this segment, Fr. Brice helps us understand the dynamics of discipleship. For more information about discipleship, check out the following links: Remaining with Jesus: Discipleship in […]

Forming Disciples: Remaining with Jesus

Joe Paprocki

As catechists, we work with the Holy Spirit to form disciples of Jesus Christ. With that in mind, let’s devote some attention to the concept of discipleship. I can think of no one better to turn to than Fr. Brice Higginbotham, author of Remaining with Jesus: Discipleship in the Gospel of John. Fr. Higginbotham recorded short videos while he is pursuing a Licentiate in Sacred Scripture at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. In this […]

Forming Disciples: What Is a Disciple?

Joe Paprocki

As catechists, we “conspire” with the Holy Spirit to form disciples of Jesus Christ. With that in mind, I thought it would be a good idea to devote some attention to the concept of discipleship, and I can think of no one better to turn to than Fr. Brice Higginbotham, author of Remaining with Jesus: Discipleship in the Gospel of John. Fr. Higginbotham recorded short videos while he is pursuing a Licentiate in Sacred Scripture […]

Understanding Discipleship: A Webinar with Fr. Brice Higginbotham

Joe Paprocki

In Catholic circles, we hear the word discipleship mentioned more and more. However, what exactly is discipleship? What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus? How do we make disciples of Christ? Where do we go to learn more about what discipleship looks like? To explore these and other questions related to the concept of discipleship, join me for a webinar with Fr. Brice Higginbotham. Understanding Discipleship A Webinar with Fr. Brice Higginbotham […]

stand-up paddle boarding - photo by Tiana on Pexels

What’s SUP? Catholic Mentoring on the Deck of a Stand-Up Paddle Board

Jayne Ragasa-Mondoy

“I’ll meet you on the beach tomorrow morning in front of lifeguard station 9B.” Bernadette is a force to be reckoned with. Smart, bold, and athletic, she spent months attempting to convince me that I was capable of mastering a stand-up paddle board (SUP) on the open ocean. I finally agreed to give it a try. So there I stood, scrunching my toes into the sand in front of station 9B, awaiting her arrival and […]

Lenten Disciples - icon of Jesus and Mary and Martha at tomb of Lazarus

Lenten Disciples: Martha and Mary at the Raising of Lazarus

Julianne Stanz

In this Lenten disciples series, we have explored the stories of Jesus and the woman of Samaria (John 4:1–42) and the man who was blind since birth (John 9:1–41). We now turn to the dramatic story of the raising of Lazarus (John 11:1–45). Set in the small town of Bethany, which was about two miles from Jerusalem, we hear that Lazarus, the brother of Martha and Mary, was very sick. The sisters sent word to Jesus, […]

Lenten Disciples - icon of Jesus giving sight to man born blind

Lenten Disciples: The Man Born Blind

Julianne Stanz

In the Scriptures, we see examples of disciples at different stages of their faith journeys. Through the story of Jesus and the woman of Samaria (John 4:1–42), we explored the early stages of the discipleship journey. Later in the Gospel of John, we hear the story of Jesus restoring sight to a man born blind. (John 9:1–41) This story represents the next stage in the journey of discipleship. In this story, a man who was […]

Lenten Disciples - icon of Jesus and Samaritan Woman at the Well

Lenten Disciples: The Woman at the Well

Julianne Stanz

In the Scriptures, we see examples of disciples at different stages of their journeys. For the next few weeks of Lent, we will explore three different encounters with Jesus and what these encounters tell us about discipleship. We will focus first on perhaps one of the best-known stories in the Bible: Jesus and the woman of Samaria (John 4:1–42). In this story, Jesus approaches a Samaritan woman and strikes up a conversation with her at […]

Catechists as Mystagogues - text over watercolor background by Sergey Ryumin/Moment/Getty Images

Catechists as Mystagogues: Inviting Others to Take the Next Step

Joe Paprocki

Part of the mystery of life is not knowing what the future holds for us. As mystagogues, we catechists lead others into their future life, a life clouded by mystery but with one thing crystal clear: God is with them on every step of their journey! I have said before that mystagogues are like sponsors in a 12-step program, who accompany their sponsee on his or her journey from one step to another as one […]