Julianne Stanz Archives - Catechist's Journey

The Catholic Parents' Survival Guide: Straight Answers to Your Kids' Toughest Questions by Julianne Stanz - author pictured next to book cover

Supporting Parents Beyond Baptismal Prep: The Catholic Parents’ Survival Guide

I’ve written previously about the importance of remaining connected with parents following the Baptism of their children and before the children reach catechetical age. Rather than simply requiring parents to attend a required class for Baptism and then check it off their list, we need to accompany them on their journey as they rise to the challenge of raising a family in today’s complex world. I’d like to suggest one great way that we can […]

Answering Your Kids' Toughest Questions: A Webinar with Julianne Stanz

Answering Your Kids’ Toughest Questions: Learning from Julianne Stanz

Joe Paprocki

Join me for a webinar with Julianne Stanz on Thursday, January 25, at 10 a.m. CST, as she talks about her newest book, The Catholic Parents’ Survival Guide: Straight Answers to Your Kids’ Toughest Questions. This will be a great opportunity for parents, grandparents, catechists, and other interested adults to learn how to speak to children about Catholic beliefs, ethics, morality, and faith practices. It will also be a great chance for you to get […]

Supporting the Domestic Church: The Catholic Parents’ Survival Guide

Joe Paprocki

Being a parent in today’s world is challenging. Now, add to that the job of being Catholic parents trying to raise children with Catholic values in a world where such values can be thought of as countercultural, and we’re talking about a major challenge. This is why we, as a Church, must do all we can to support parents in their efforts to make their home a domestic church. Thankfully, help has arrived in the […]

Christmas Traditions

Joe Paprocki

Did you talk about Christmas traditions with your group this year? Here, Julianne Stanz talks about two Irish holiday traditions. If Julianne’s Braving the Thin Places wasn’t in your stocking, get your copy here.

Pop-Up Prayer: Guest Julianne Stanz

Joe Paprocki

We continue our summer series, Pop-Up Prayer—brief interviews on the topic of prayer with prominent people in pastoral ministry from all over the country! In this episode, Julianne Stanz talks about a simple strategy for praying with others and how this way of praying is a powerful evangelizing tool. Julianne is Director of Discipleship and Leadership Development for the Diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin, a consultant to the USCCB Committee on Catechesis and Evangelization, a […]

Braving the Thin Places Lenten Read-Along - text and image of Julianne Stanz and her book

Lent as a Thin Place: Embracing Our Brokenness

Joe Paprocki

One of my favorite musical performers was the late Leonard Cohen, and one of my favorite songs by him is “Anthem.” In the refrain of this wonderful song, Cohen shares this profound truth: Ring the bells that still can ring Forget your perfect offering There is a crack, a crack in everything That’s how the light gets in Indeed, it is through the “cracks”—our brokenness—that the light gets in. It is this same truth that […]

Braving the Thin Places: A Webinar with Julianne Stanz

Joe Paprocki

With the start of a new year, many of us make resolutions related to losing weight and getting thin. Well, I can’t help you in that department, but I can help you start off the year by experiencing thin places! In her new book, Braving the Thin Places: Celtic Wisdom to Create a Space for Grace, the amazingly talented Julianne Stanz shares her profoundly personal insights and draws on her Irish-Celtic heritage to help us […]

four children giving group high-five -photo by Robert Kneschke/EyeEm/Getty Images

What Does Discipleship Look Like for Children?

Joe Paprocki

When we talk about discipleship, we tend to have adults in mind—and rightly so, since all of our efforts at forming disciples should be oriented toward adult discipleship. At the same time, all of the children who have been baptized and have been welcomed to the Table of the Lord (the Eucharist) must be considered fellow disciples. But what does discipleship look like for children? Let’s explore this! I’d like to begin by borrowing from […]

Everyday Evangelization Ideas - art for e-mail series by Julianne Stanz

Everyday Evangelization: Make Proclaiming the Good News a New Year’s Resolution

Joe Paprocki

Too often, we think of evangelization as something done by either professionals or fanatics. We can’t see ourselves going door-to-door or walking up to people and asking them if they’ve been saved or have encountered Christ. But there are other ways of evangelizing in our everyday lives. In my book, Under the Influence of Jesus: The Transforming Experience of Encountering Christ, I talk about a evangelizing strategy that I refer to as “spiritual residue”—leaving traces […]

Bearers of Hope presentation by Juliane Stanz - presentation cover image

How We Can (and Must) Be Bearers of Hope

Joe Paprocki

How are you holding up? Let’s face it, this pandemic is really taking its toll on us in a variety of ways. We know already that the holidays can be a time of despair for some people—a situation that will be made even worse with shelter-at-home orders that will prevent holiday gatherings from happening. More than ever, we need some hope! As catechists, we are called to be bearers of hope, bringing the hope-filled message […]