The Bible Blueprint 10th Anniversary Giveaway

I was thrilled to learn recently that Pope Francis has declared the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time as “Word of God Sunday,” with the first observation of this taking place on January 26, 2020. What a great way to highlight the role of Scripture in the faith lives of Catholics! It is through Scripture that God reveals himself to us as a God who seeks to rescue, restore, and reassure us. This is our story—our […]

An Openness to the Word

The Church’s deepest nature is expressed in her three-fold responsibility: of proclaiming the word of God (kerygma-martyria), celebrating the sacraments (leitourgia), and exercising the ministry of charity (diakonia). These duties presuppose each other and are inseparable. (Deus Caritas Est, 25) I find this quote from Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI to be a powerful reminder of the intimate relationship between charity and the Word of God. Charity, he seems to remind us, is an expression of […]

Forming Children and Youth for the Mass, Part 3: Listening to the Word

This is the third article in a series about forming children for active participation in the Mass. To help children listen well to the Word of God at Mass, catechists should provide experiences of Scripture that allow young people to respect the Word, to become aware that Jesus speaks to them through it, and to engage in holy listening.* Respect for the Word From early childhood, students should learn that a reading from the Bible […]

Catechists in Action – Katie Elwood Teaches How to Spread God’s Word

In this segment of Catechists in Action, 2nd grade catechist Katie Elwood teaches her class about how to spreak God’s Word. Watch as she… transitions by inviting the kids to stand up and give praise to God invites the children to read from their text book relates what they read to a previous discussion about sharing good things with others explains how we are called to spread the good news about the Holy Spirit to […]

Teaching About Jesus Using PowerPoint

At the recent plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, Pope Benedict XVI encouraged the use of new technologies of the digital age to spread the word of God. With that in mind, for the first time in my life as a catechist, this evening I will be having my students create Powerpoint presentations rather than posters! For the last few years, during the Jesus unit, I have had my classes work at […]