faith formation Archives - Catechist's Journey

How Do Things Look from Your Vantage Point?

I kid my wife, on occasion, that the best weather report can be found by looking out the window and seeing for ourselves. While it can be helpful to get detailed satellite images and computer-generated forecasts from professional meteorologists, it’s hard to argue with what we see with our own eyes when we look out the window and gaze at the heavens! In a similar way, it can be helpful to read professional research about […]

For Catechetical Leaders

Joe Paprocki

Here are some quality resources for catechetical leaders from my friend Tom Quinlan designed to help explore important aspects of catechetical ministry through the lens of evangelization. Equipping Catechetical Leaders to Deliver Evangelizing Faith Formation

Attracting Adults By Telling Them They Are Needed

Joe Paprocki

A popular idea for engaging adults in faith formation is to invite parents of children in RE to some type of enrichment at the same time that their children are in class – another way to combat the “drop-off” mentality. These efforts are often met with mixed results. Some parishes have had success with this approach while others get only a handful of parents to stay. Part of the problem is that we are often […]

YouTube Videos as Supplemental Resources for Jr Hi and HS Faith Formation

Joe Paprocki

The General Directory for Catechesis states clearly that NO resource, no matter how well-tested or glitzy, “can dispense with the person of the catechist in every phase of the catechetical process.” (156) Some faith formation programs would have you believe that their resources, whether a textbook or a series of DVDs, will do all the work and that all a catechist needs to do is to facilitate the turning of pages in a book or […]

Energize, Evangelize, Catechize: NCCL 2014 in St. Louis

Joe Paprocki

I had a very enriching experience at the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership in St. Louis this past week, mainly because of the fantastic opportunities for networking with so many talented catechetical professionals! I had the privilege of delivering 2 workshops: one on my latest book, Under the Influence of Jesus, and one on my earlier book, 7 Keys to Spiritual Wellness. Thanks to all who attended my workshops and for the great interaction and […]

For My New Jersey and East Coast Friends

Joe Paprocki

Here’s an opportunity for those of you on the East Coast, especially New Jersey: an evening of gratitude, hope, and expanding horizons of mind and heart with my friend, colleague, and fellow-blogger, Vinita Hampton Wright. You are cordially invited to join us for an evening of faith enrichment. Vinita Hampton Wright, author of Praying Freedom: A Book of Lenten Meditations, will facilitate the retreat. Join Loyola Press for an evening of gratitude, hope, and […]

Check Out a New Online Course on Bible Basics!

Joe Paprocki

I was honored to write a new course for the University of Dayton Virtual Learning Community for Faith Formation (VLCFF). It is called Bible Basics and the required text for the course is my book, The Bible Blueprint: A Catholic’s Guide to Understanding and Embracing God’s Word. Thanks to Richard Drabick, the Assistant Director of the Institute for Pastoral Initiatives for inviting me to write the course and to Sr. Angela Ann Zukowski, MHSH, the Director […]

Des Moines DREs Do it Best!

Joe Paprocki

Thanks to all the good folks – catechetical leaders, youth ministers, RCIA and AFF coordinators, etc – who invited me to spend the day with them in Des Moines, Iowa, on Thursday, March 3. We enjoyed a great experience of exploring ways to provide formation for our catechists. Thanks especially to John Gaffney, the Director of the Department of Evangelization and Catechesis for the Diocese of Des Moines, for making this event possible. Thanks folks…I […]

We Have Our Work Cut Out for Us

Joe Paprocki

This is nothing that we didn’t already know, but a new 2010 survey (8000 respondents) compiled for the strategic planning process of the Archdiocese of Chicago identifies some key challenges that we face in the areas of evangelization and catechesis. Here are just a few findings (a complete summary is forthcoming)… Most Catholics who leave the faith do so by age 24. Further, in our survey, the one factor that correlated by far the most […]

Oops! My Bad!

Joe Paprocki

Thanks to Jennifer Schneider, Director of Faith Formation, and her staff at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church in New Prague, MN, for alerting me to the fact that I made a big boo-boo on question #1 of the What’s Your Catholic IQ? in the current issue of Catechist Magazine. Here’s her email: Joe We are having a bit of a dilemma here at our office around a question in the Catechist Magazine catholic IQ. The question […]