faith formation programs Archives

Helping Parents Prepare Children at Home for First Eucharist and Reconciliation

One of the things that we learned from the experience of the pandemic over the last few years was how to assist parents at home with the faith formation of their children. This help often took the form of providing parents with digital resources they could use at home with their children, utilizing them when their schedules allow quality time for faith formation. First Eucharist is one of the primary moments in the life of […]

children on school bus - kali9/E+/Getty Images

Let’s Think Kerygma Rather Than Catch-Up

Joe Paprocki

In the great movie, A League of Their Own, Tom Hanks’s character, Jimmy Dugan, made famous the phrase “There’s no crying in baseball!” I have to admit that I’m coming very close to exclaiming, in that same incredulous voice, “There’s no catch-up in catechesis!” Now, you might attribute this to the fact that I was born and raised in Chicago, where there’s no ketchup on hot dogs, and I just don’t like the phrase “catch […]

The Pros and Cons of Do-it-Yourself Catechesis

Joe Paprocki

I recently received an e-mail from a veteran diocesan catechetical director who is concerned that, at a growing number of parishes in her diocese, the catechetical leader has chosen to write his or her own materials for faith formation rather than using materials produced by a Catholic publisher. Here are some of the thoughts this diocesan director shared: As I visit parishes, I see more and more people “writing their own stuff.” What they really want […]

Four Things to Remember When Choosing a Curriculum

John Masterson

Every couple of years in ministry I’ve had to discern if it is time to change our faith-formation curriculum. As a catechetical leader, I never want to change a program just for the sake of changing. Over the years, I have kept a few things in mind that help me decide if I’m choosing the right curriculum for the right reasons. 1. Remember the community. Deciding which curriculum program to use has great implications. Listen […]

“If These Walls Could Talk…” Catholic Walls Do Talk!

Joe Paprocki

This is a picture I took several years ago of my wife, Joanne, pausing to sit and reflect at the Art Institute of Chicago. This is generally what we do when we encounter art: we pause and let it “speak” to us. Art that relies on images, shapes, and objects speaks to us without using words to tell a story. I remember as a young child attending the Latin Mass and not understanding most of it. […]

Catechists Need Tools, Not Replacements

Joe Paprocki

I continue to see catechetical materials being published that promise to “do everything for you” when it comes to forming people in faith. The implied message is that “anyone can do it”—all you have to do is press “Play” on the DVD player, and a charismatic person on a video will ignite the fire of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of those observing. The catechist is all but replaced, reduced to a functionary who […]

Communicator Award for Loyola Press Eucharist Video

Sacrament Video Wins Award!

Joe Paprocki

In ministry, as in many walks of life, affirmation does not always come easily. That’s why when it does come along, it is really something to celebrate! With that in mind, I am happy to share some good news with you: a video that I wrote and hosted for the God’s Gift: Eucharist program for Loyola Press recently won an award! The Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts announced that the “Sacrament of the Eucharist” […]

Christ Our Life Family Catechesis computer components

Tools to Assist Parents in Family Catechesis: Interactive Session Reviews

Joe Paprocki

As we talk more and more about family catechesis, it is important to assure parents that we are equipping them with tools they can use to help them form their children in faith. Most parents are not professional teachers and can be intimidated by the prospect of teaching their children the faith. To help them teach effectively, we need to provide them with user-friendly tools that can help them engage their children in their faith-formation […]

Family Catechesis: Telling Parents “You Can Do This!”

Joe Paprocki

Last week, I wrote about the importance of the adult faith formation “piece” of family catechesis. This week, I’d like to take some time to talk about assisting parents in actually doing the work of catechizing their children. Most parents understandably react to being told that they are their child’s primary catechist by reminding us that they are not teachers. My friend David Heimann, Director of Religious Education at St. Andrew Parish in Chicago, explains […]

Family Catechesis, Adult Faith Formation, and Combatting the “Drop-Off” Mentality

Joe Paprocki

Perhaps the biggest challenge that I hear catechetical leaders and catechists talk about is reaching the parents of children in religious education programs. Over the past half-century or so, the Church has done a very effective job of training parents to drop off their kids at religious education classes so that “we”—those involved in the parish catechetical program—can teach them the Catholic faith. Years ago, when families and communities reinforced Catholic values, teachings, and practices, […]