Pop-Up Prayer: Guest Fr. Brice Higginbotham

In this episode of Pop-Up Prayer, our guest is Fr. Brice Higginbotham, a Catholic priest for the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux in Louisiana who is currently pursuing a Licentiate in Sacred Scripture at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. He is also the author of Remaining with Jesus: Discipleship in the Gospel of John. Fr. Brice shares his thoughts about listening for God’s voice in the silence and pre-disposing ourselves to prayer.

Visio Divina and Silent Night

This Christmas presents an opportunity to introduce young people to the prayerful practice of visio divina in conjunction with one of the most beloved Christmas songs of all time: “Silent Night.” First, let’s talk about visio divina. For some people, visuals can be very helpful for prayer experiences. For this reason, the Church has a tradition that parallels lectio divina (“divine reading” or reflection on the Word of God in Scripture), known as visio divina […]

Pop-Up Prayer: Guest Eric Clayton

In this episode of Pop-Up Prayer, Eric Clayton talks about the role of writing in the spiritual life and prayer. Eric Clayton is the deputy director of communications for the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States and author of Cannonball Moments: Telling Your Story, Deepening Your Faith.

Pop-Up Prayer: Guest Gary Jansen

We continue our series, Pop-Up Prayer—brief interviews on the topic of prayer with prominent people in pastoral ministry and spiritual authors. In this episode, Gary Jansen talks about praying to heal past wounds—our own and those of others. Gary Jansen, Executive Editor of Acquisitions at Loyola Press, is a popular speaker and the author of several books, including The 15-Minute Prayer Solution, Station to Station, Microshifts: Transforming Your Life One Step at a Time, and his most […]

Pop-Up Prayer: Guest Fr. Michael Rossmann, SJ

We continue our series, Pop-Up Prayer—brief interviews on the topic of prayer with prominent people in pastoral ministry and spiritual authors from all over the country (and the world)! In this episode, Fr. Michael Rossmann, SJ, talks about how to avoid getting into a rut in our prayer lives. Fr. Rossmann is a Jesuit priest and doctoral student at the Gregorian University in Rome. He previously served as the editor-in-chief of The Jesuit Post and […]

Cultivating Peace in Our Classrooms in an Anxious World

We live in a fast-paced and increasingly anxious world that is clearly affecting the social, emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual health of children. Studies published in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics and based on data collected from the National Survey of Children’s Health indicate significantly increased rates of anxiety among children, youth, and young adults. Researchers found a 20 percent increase in diagnoses of anxiety for children ages 6–17 between 2007 and 2012. […]

Gratitude Sticks

My students are a little different each year. Several years ago, my first graders all had something to say in our prayer circle. The next year’s class was much quieter (except for a fidgety few). When I saw a variation of a pick-up sticks game on social media in which players named things they were grateful for, my creative wheels started turning! I quickly had an idea to get my quieter-than-normal group to speak up […]

Finding God in Beauty: Visio Divina

Over the Church’s history, it was known—long before anyone had heard of multiple intelligences—that some people learned better through visuals. This was especially true during times when average folks were illiterate. Today, even though most people are literate, many people (including yours truly) consider themselves visual learners. For some people, visuals are also helpful for prayer experiences. For this reason, the Church has a tradition that parallels lectio divina (“divine reading” or reflection on the […]

Daily Examen Journal

The daily Examen is way to pray through the events and emotions of the day to find God with us. When practiced regularly, the Examen can help those who pray it identify God in all aspects of the day and see the patterns of God’s presence over time. It is a key way to pray in Ignatian spirituality. Introduce teens and adults to the Examen with our daily Examen journal—printable and foldable as a booklet. […]

Pop-Up Catechesis: Letting God’s Word Sink In (Lectio Divina)

When giving directions to young people for completing a task, catechists and teachers have grown accustomed to hearing at least one participant respond with, “Wait, what?” Experienced educators know that, when giving directions to young people, we have to repeat several times and check for comprehension. We can’t assume that the first time we say something, it has been heard and received! The same holds true with the Word of God. Often, upon first hearing, […]

1 2 3 4