Some years ago, I was trying to make small talk with a little child who lived on my block and wandered over to say “Hi” to me as I was raking fall leaves. I asked him what he was going to be for Halloween, and he responded, “We don’t observe Halloween. It’s of the devil. We’re Christian.” He was clearly parroting something his parents had taught him. This was not the first time I had […]
If you’ve ever been out of the country on one of our major patriotic holidays, you might have felt a little homesick. This happened to me and a group of teenagers and their families several years ago when we were in Assisi on the Fourth of July. I’ve been leading pilgrimages to Italy for about 20 years now, and people tell me I’m a good planner. Before we left the United States, I had purchased […]
On this Memorial Day, we pause to honor all of those military personnel who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in order to defend the freedom of others. May they rest in peace and may we always remember and be inspired by their selfless actions. This holiday also gives us an opportunity to reflect on what it means to “lay down your life” for others. Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay […]
In honor of Mother’s Day, I share with you the following brief reflection from Amy Welborn’s A Catholic Woman’s Book of Days: There is no way I could have imagined, at the beginning of any of my pregnancies, who the child within me would turn out to be. Oh, I had my hopes and dreams, but in more than twenty years of watching the fruit of my womb grow, I have found, without exception, that […]
A great big THANK YOU to all the good folks who participated in Part Two of my Getting Started as a Catechist Webinar! As promised, here is the pdf of 10 Things You Can Do RIGHT NOW to Be a More Effective Catechist. Likewise, here is a link to a sample Guided Reflection from the Finding God grade 5 Catechist Manual. Over the next few days, I’ll be answering some of the questions that came […]
Hi Friends! I wish you a very Happy and Blessed New Year! May 2009 be a year of grace for all of our catechetical efforts! Yesterday, I spent the morning with 15 catechists (and about 5 aides) at Maternity BVM parish in the West Humboldt Park area of Chicago. If the name of that neighborhood rings a bell, it’s the location where the recent movie, Nothing Like the Holidays, was filmed (a very funny movie!). […]
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