One of the most compelling means of persuasion is storytelling—especially stories from one’s own experience. For that reason, storytelling has a significant role to play in evangelization and catechesis. Often, however, when I speak to catechists about sharing their stories, their initial response is, “But I don’t have a story!” The truth is, however, that all of us have a story to tell; in fact, we have many stories! All we need is a little […]
I make it a daily practice to ask the Lord to bless the people I love, people I like, people I have no strong feelings for one way or another, and people I have strong negative feelings toward. I will imagine as much detail as I can about each person, hold that image in my heart, and pray, “Peace, Lord, give this person peace.” The biggest challenge for me in this practice is to think […]
As you set forth to call people to the vocation of serving as a catechist, it’s a good idea to have a role description in place to describe what you are calling them to. Be careful not to make your role description so demanding and lofty that not even Jesus would qualify! Keep it simple and basic so as not to scare anyone away but specific enough to narrow the field so that you’re not […]
Recruiting and forming catechists is a primary responsibility for catechetical leaders and is an ongoing challenge. You’re not just looking for any warm body but for people with the gifts that enable them to apprentice others into the faith. With that in mind, I prefer to use the word calling instead of recruiting. We recruit people to perform a function. We call people to live out a vocation! Serving as a catechist is more than simple volunteerism. […]
Feeling a little flat? Except for having a flat tummy, it is usually not a positive thing to say that something is flat. Food, music, a carbonated drink, an acting performance, an athletic performance: if any of these are referred to as flat, that’s not a good thing! Sometimes, as catechists, we can find ourselves feeling “flat.” The General Directory for Catechesis tells us that, to avoid being flat, we catechists need formation that is […]
According to St. Ignatius Loyola, a healthy spirituality begins and ends with gratitude. On this Thanksgiving Day, we catechists have so much to be grateful for! Below is a catechist’s litany of thanks, which I invite you to add to. As a catechist, what are you most thankful for? Share your thoughts in the comments section below. Happy Thanksgiving! To each of the following, we pray, “Thank you, Lord!” For my vocation as a catechist… […]
When I was a little girl, my big brothers teased me when I told them what I wanted to be when I grew up: “First I want to be an artist,” I had told them, “then a teacher, then a mommy, then a ballet dancer, and then a nun!” I guess I wanted it all. Now that I am older, I know that a job and a vocation are different, and part of my job […]
In most parishes the process of finding catechists is pretty simple: we ask, even beg, for people to fill empty slots and some come forward. If that fails, we may tap former catechists or aides, or ask parents of children in the program to fill the needs. Failing that, we may even resort to guilt: “If no one volunteers, our children will have no one to teach them the faith.” Too often it seems we […]
Most of us recall the saying, “I must hurry and catch up, for I am their leader.” Most days, this is reality. Most days, I think I am so far behind; I will need to live forever in order to complete the many tasks at hand. Many times I wonder why I hurry so much. Is this rushing to live a part of my vocation? Does it have anything to do with the reality of […]
Our “roving reporter,” Dr. Joe Bound, sent in this superb summary of the first full day of the International Conference for Catechists taking place at the Vatican (he’s REALLY there!). Take it away, Dr. Joe! Hi Joe, Here is what happened today, Saturday, September 27, 2013: This morning after breakfast, the four of us hopped on the bus to the Vatican for a full day of talks on catechesis. After going through security, we entered […]
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