spiritual Archives - Catechist's Journey

How About Catechists for Parish Women’s and Men’s Clubs?

Too often, we Catholics approach adult catechesis with the notion of beginning a program that we hope to get folks to attend, when in fact, many people are already attending parish functions but not necessarily receiving faith formation as a part of the experience. One such example are Women’s and Men’s Clubs (Mother’s and Father’s Clubs, Holy Name Society, etc.) These are groups that gather numerous parishioners on a regular basis for a wide variety […]

Preparing for Our Mercy Experience – Permission Forms, etc.

Joe Paprocki

Tonight, before taking the kids to church for their monthly Mass, we will focus on our upcoming Mercy Experience (formerly known as service projects!). On April 21, we will be going to the Ronald McDonald House near Advocate Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, IL, to prepare and serve supper for about 30 people currently residing there. Kudos to my DRE, Deb, and to St. Cajetan for strongly suggesting that EVERY grade of religious education be […]

Under the Influence in San Antonio, TX!

Joe Paprocki

A great big THANK YOU to all the good folks who participated in the Mid Winter Gathering for the Archdiocese of San Antonio, TX! I get a kick out of that title: mid-winter! It was about 80 degrees today! Anyway, I had the privilege of doing the keynote presentation on my new book, Under the Influence of Jesus: The Transforming Experience of Encountering Christ, as well as a workshop on my earlier book, 7 Keys […]

Summer Vocation

Joe Paprocki

Memorial Day, of course, signals the official start of summer. As we look forward to the coming summer months, we find that we have many plans: trips, to-do lists, a little down-time. I suggest you grow that list to include some ideas for what you plan to do to enhance your spiritual life, advance your ministry, and grow closer to God. Tell us what you plan to do this summer to renew your faith!

Artistic Beauty Can Lead the Human Heart to God

Joe Paprocki

In a general audience in August, 2011, Pope Benedict spoke of the importance of art in the life of faith, saying that artistic beauty can lead the human heart to God. “Art is capable of making visible our need to go beyond what we see and it reveals our thirst for infinite beauty, for God,” said the Holy Father. Whether you consider yourself an artist or not, we are all drawn to beauty. In fact, […]

U.S. Catholic Book Club Selects 7 Keys to Spiritual Wellness for March!

Joe Paprocki

I was tickled to learn that U.S. Catholic Magazine has chosen my book 7 Keys to Spiritual Wellness as its selection for their Book Club for March, 2013!!! Here’s what they say about the book: Review: In the contemporary dualism that sees spirituality as distinct from religion, Joe Paprocki admits that Christianity is too often confined to the latter and considered “less as a spiritual path and more as a code of ethics.” In […]

What Are YOU Doing to Maintain Your Spiritual Wellness?

Joe Paprocki

In last night’s Webinar on The 7 Keys to Spiritual Wellness (if you missed it, a recording will be available here on my blog within a few days), I began by asking what folks are doing to maintain their spiritual wellness before I added my suggestions. Here’s a sampling of what folks are doing (I love the variety!) What are YOU doing to maintain your spiritual wellness? Daily mass Daily prayer active participation in […]

Catechists in Action – Chris Brett Talks About Spiritual Nourishment

Joe Paprocki

In this segment of Catechists in Action, 8th grade catechist Chris Brett talks to his recently confirmed class about spiritual nourishment. Watch for the following: Chris talks about how we need, not only physical food, but also spiritual food Chris asks what we mean by spiritual nourishment The kids offer various good answers about what spiritual nourishment is Chris talks about Scripture as God’s food for us. a phone goes off! Chris doesn’t skip a beat! […]

Spiritual but not Religious – Love Jesus but Hate Religion

Joe Paprocki

More and more today, we hear people saying that they are spiritual but not religious, meaning that they believe in God but choose not to encounter him within the context of the institutional church. One young man has chosen to post a video on YouTube in which he recites a poem about how he loves Jesus, but hates religion. I applaud him for taking the initiative to talk publicly about his faith. I couldn’t disagree more […]