Catechists as Mystagogues: Touching People’s Hearts

In his research about why some things go viral on social media, author Jonah Berger discovered that one of the main reasons is that the item provokes emotion, whether good or bad. Emotions play a key role in decisions that people make in all areas of their lives. Aware of this reality, marketers often tap into emotions in their advertising. One of the reasons that our faith formation efforts are struggling is because they too […]

Pop-Up Prayer: Guest Vinita Hampton Wright

In this episode of Pop-Up Prayer, Vinita Hampton Wright talks about the role of emotions in prayer. Vinita is a spiritual director, retreat leader, author, and an editor for over 32 years. Her books include Small Simple Ways, Days of Deepening Friendship, and Simple Acts of Moving Forward.

Music Touches the Heart – Especially of Young People

Last night, music took center stage in my session as we we explored the Psalms! We focused especially on the myriad of feelings that are expressed in the Psalms and used contemporary music to capture some of those same feelings. Our emphasis was on the notion that we can talk to God under ANY circumstances and in ANY mood. Since last week was a snow day, not all of the kids remembered to bring in […]

The Psalms: The Sound of Music Returns!

No, I’m not showing the Julie Andrews classic! I’m simply referring to the fact that my session for this evening will include a return to the use of music as a key feature. I’ve done a lot with video this year so I thought it would be a good idea to do something more auditory. For tonight’s session, I’m going to focus on the Psalms. Due to a quirk in the calendar, this is really […]