Pop-Up Catechesis: Teaching Our Children Reverence

A few years ago, my wife and I had the pleasure of visiting Hawaii, and among the many places we visited was the Pearl Harbor National Memorial. It was extraordinary to experience the quiet that envelops the entire area as people walk and stand in hushed silence out of reverence and respect for the thousands of people who died in the attack there on December 7, 1941. Reverence, in many ways, is becoming a lost […]

Forming Children and Youth for the Mass, Part 1: Silence and Reverence

This is the first article in a series about forming children for active participation in the Mass. Do your catechists complain that students don’t know how to behave in church? The sad truth is many families do not go to Mass. Catechesis without Mass, however, is not going to “make them Catholic.” One way to help young people love and desire the Mass is by using “the language of mystery” in our catechetical sessions, as […]

Teaching Church Behavior

Last night, we had our end-of-the-year grade level meeting with Arlene, our DRE, and we talked about how things went this year and what we can do better next year. One of the main issues that came up was our concern over the kids’ behavior in church when we go over for prayer services or Mass. Each year, we go to the church probably five or six times: opening prayer for the year, Advent Reconciliation, […]