I have to laugh when I see TV shows called Secrets of the Bible or Bible Secrets Revealed or some such title. The implication is that the Bible was written in code and needs to be deciphered by experts to reveal deep secrets that are hidden from plain sight. I laugh because the Bible is the complete opposite of a collection of secrets; it is revelation! In other words, Scripture is one of the most powerful […]
During week 1 of our Faith Refreshed online retreat, we are focusing on “God’s Revealing Moments” and how the first pillar of our Catholic faith—the Creed—summarizes what God has revealed about himself over the course of salvation history. In this episode of Pop-Up Catechesis, we explore how sometimes, we may need to “stare our way” into recognizing how God is revealing himself to us in our everyday lives. For more information about recognizing God’s revealing […]
Welcome to Week 1 of Faith Refreshed, an online retreat to help us “hit the refresh button” in our spiritual lives so that we might better see things we weren’t previously seeing and return to our lives and ministry with a new outlook! Throughout this retreat, I will draw from my best-selling book, A Well-Built Faith: A Catholic’s Guide to Knowing and Sharing What We Believe, as we revisit the four pillars of our Catholic […]
I couldn’t be happier with how my first session went last evening, thanks to a great group of kids, a highly organized DRE, and a wonderful aide (my wife!) I ended up with 9 students having lost one boy and gaining one girl, so now, I have 6 girls and 3 boys. They come from 5 different schools but have “traveled” together through religious education at St. Cajetan for 6 years and have a great […]
When I was a mere “babe” in the catechetical ministry (early 1980s), I was introduced to the notion of the catechetical process. At the time, those 2 words could not be spoken without also mentioning the name of Dr. Thomas Groome and his groundbreaking work, Christian Religious Education: Sharing Our Story and Vision . At the heart of Groome’s approach is an unmistakable connection between lived experience and the faith Tradition of the Catholic Church. […]
I’ve completed the 4 Learning Stations for the New Testament that will be part of our lesson this coming Monday evening. Here they are in PDF: GOSPELS Learning Station ACTS OF THE APOSTLES Learning Station LETTERS Learning Station REVELATION Learning Station Here are the Student Fill-In Sheets for the New Testament Learning Stations: Bible Learning Stations fill in sheets – NT And here are the New Testament bookmarks: NT Bookmarks Lastly, I’ll get to work […]
Welcome to our online summer retreat, Preparing for a Year of Faith! Take a few minutes each day at your convenience to “gather” here on my blog as we seek to add some flavor to our faith lives by deepening our understanding of the truths of our faith as given to us in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Learn more about the Year of Faith. Watch a brief video explaining what this online retreat is […]
As one of my “catechist-at-large” responsibilities, I did an introduction to the Bible last evening with the 6th graders at Most Holy Redeemer parish in Evergreen Park, IL. It was a very enjoyable experience. Here are the details: There were about 30-35 kids present along with their 3 catechists and 3 aides. Each child had a New American Bible (although there were 2 different editions which precluded me from relying on page numbers. I don’t mind, […]
Here’s my plan for tonight, the 2nd session of the year. I was away for a few days, so I didn’t get to plan for this session as early as I usually hope to. But don’t we all face this from time to time? Anyway, here’s the plan: The theme (BIG idea) is “God Reveals Himself to us through his Son, Jesus Christ.” I will emphasize the notion that Jesus reveals to us who God […]
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