Seven Ways to Create Presentations That Stick
Engage minds, refresh souls, make it a win for your audience
LISA MLADINICH
It’s five minutes to start time, as they file into the church hall...
The Spirit of VBS All Year
As we firm up our ideas for Vacation Bible School, we might look forward to the new year of faith formation that will begin in the fall and ask ourselves how we can continue the summer-time enthusiasm that our parish shares in anticipation of Vacation Bible School, parish festivals, and parish picnics. Can we recreate any of that excitement, anticipation, and sense of community in our parish religious education programs and classrooms?
Three Steps Toward Catechist Formation
By James Blankenship
A DRE shares the impact of Sherry Weddell’s 'Forming Intentional Disciples' on his approach to catechist formation
“Go, therefore, and make disciples of...
Holy Spirit: Gift and Giver
Sometimes a new thought, face, object, sound, or experience will call those ideas back. But there is one Gift we can always count on to call them back when we really need them—the Gift of the Holy Spirit that descended on the Church at Pentecost.
Effective Teaching: The Catholic Language of Mystery
By Joe Paprocki
How Catholics rely on sacramentality to transcend words
What is your native tongue? If you’re Catholic, your true “native tongue” is a language...
Keeping Our Kids and Ourselves Safe
Tips for those in catechetical ministries
MARY LOU ROSIEN
Those of us in catechetical ministry are all aware of the pressures that exist in working for...
Heart of Christ, Heart of the Catechist
KEVIN M. DOWD, PH.D.
One of the final gifts that Pope Francis left the Church was a beautiful encyclical letter of October 2024 called Dilexit...
Your Space: You Are the Light of the World
The learning area needs to inspire and engage your students. Here is an idea for how to decorate and arrange your learning space and prayer table using a theme that reflects Jesus’ teaching about our being the light of the world.
Can We Study That?
DREs are often viewed as “master catechists.” Their role is to oversee the curriculum that is being taught in a parish. Many times they are called upon to “fill in the blanks” when educational needs are presented in the parish. Often they are asked to research projects, give presentations, or teach topics that are varied and often complex. People in the community come to depend on them as excellent resource people for the plethora of interests that evolve in a learning environment. Most DREs love that facet of their jobs!
Ways to Help Children Grieve
We can help students grieve in healthy ways by offering them faith-based activities that help them draw strength and healing from their Catholic faith and the faith community.