St. Peter Archives - Catechist's Journey

Pop-Up Catechesis: Saints Peter and Paul and Overcoming Rivalries

Rivalries can be harmful, but they can also be productive as rivals seek to “up their game” to keep up with and perhaps outdo the other. In today’s episode of Pop-Up Catechesis, we look at the rivalry between Saints Peter and Paul, whose feast we celebrate on June 29, and how the two were able to set aside their rivalry to work toward the same goal: spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends […]

A Little Lesson for Me as a Catechist from St. Peter

Joe Paprocki

Perched as we are on the doorstep of All Saints Day (Nov. 1), I thought it would be a good opportunity for several of us catechists to share some little lessons we have learned from the saints, inspired by the book Little Lessons from the Saints by my friend and Loyola Press colleague Bob Burnham. I always remind catechists that we are never alone when we teach: the Communion of Saints has our back. I often […]

Saint Peter: Flawed, Forgiven, and Faithful by Stephen Binz

Fishing for Men and Women

Special Contributor

If Jesus wanted to choose the ideal person to lead his church into the future, where would he look for such a person? We might suppose he could find such a person in Jerusalem, among the priests of the temple or perhaps among the educated and talented nobles of the city. Yet the person Jesus called for the task was not found among the religious leaders or the noble families of the capitol city. Simon […]

Updates from a REAL Pilgrim: Dr. Joe Bound

Joe Paprocki

I mentioned how some folks had been confused, thinking that I was truly on the pilgrimage to Italy when, in fact, I am home in Chicago, leading a VIRTUAL pilgrimage here on my blog! To confuse matters more, now I’m happy to pass along reports from a Joe who is ACTUALLY on the pilgrimage in Italy! His name is Dr. Joe Bound, and he is the Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Green […]

Papal Transition – It’s More About Continuity Than Change

Joe Paprocki

The media’s emphasis during this papal transition is all about change – as if one political party is about to replace the current political party and bring in a whole new agenda. While it is true that the Church is always in need of reform, for Catholics, the transition is more about continuity than it is about change. The white smoke and the words “Habemus Papam” are reassuring words that the Chair of St. Peter […]

Prayers for Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI on the Announcement of his Resignation

Joe Paprocki

Just a few months ago, I read an interesting book titled The Pope Who Quit that tells the fascinating tale of the election and subsequent resignation of Pope Celestine V in 1294, the only pope to ever abdicate the Chair of St. Peter. That story provides a context for us to understand just how historic is the announcement of the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. Given the significance of this moment, it is evident that our […]