Pope Francis Archives - Page 5 of 5

Come, Let Us Adore – Worldwide Eucharistic Adoration with Pope Francis

One of the most loved and famous Christmas hymns is O Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles) and it’s great refrain: “O Come let us adore him!” To adore someone is to desire to devote all of your attention to him or her. It means to think of that person as being above all others and to admire his or her beauty. Catholics have a great tradition called adoration. For a good description of the practice […]

Faith that is CAUGHT, not TAUGHT – What Makes a Message “Contagious”

Joe Paprocki

In ministerial circles, it is not uncommon to hear the phrase “Faith is caught, not taught.”The point of the phrase is that faith is something that involves more than just transmitting information. With that in mind, it might be helpful to know just what makes a message go “viral” – what makes a message “contagious.” Seeking answers, I recently read a very good book: Contagious: Why Things Catch On by Jonah Berger (Simon & Schuster) […]

The Sights and Sounds of Pope Francis’ Election – A Primer on Catholic Identity

Joe Paprocki

The election of Pope Francis last month provided the world with what can be called a “primer” on Catholic identity. The images from St. Peter’s Square leading up to and including the introduction of Pope Francis were rich but often subtle…too subtle for the media to catch and articulate. In my book, Practice Makes Catholic, I identify 5 characteristics of Catholic identity: A Sense of Sacramentality – making the intangible, tangible; the invisible, visible (signs, […]

A Jesuit Pope, Heroic Leadership, and the “Splendid Mission” of Catechesis

Joe Paprocki

We have a new chief catechist! Pope Francis, the first Jesuit Pope, brings with him to the papacy an approach to catechesis as a “splendid mission” that is a “pillar of the Church.” These are words that the former Cardinal Bergoglio used to celebrate a Day of the Catechist in Buenos Aries in 2010. What else did he say about catechesis and catechists? Here’s a sample: He expressed gratitude for the “silent and committed dedication” of […]

Welcome Pope Francis!!!

Joe Paprocki

We rejoice at the announcement of the papacy of Francis I, a Jesuit Pope! The former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenes Aires becomes our 266th pope and we join him in praying for unity and peace. I’m excited about him being a Jesuit since I work for a Jesuit ministry, Loyola Press, and attended Jesuit schools for 12 years! Ignatian spirituality resonates with so many people and it’s wonderful to have a pope who understands […]