Catechist Formation

One of the difficult things for volunteer catechists to do is find time to read catechetical or theological material. After all, catechists are busy people. They often have families, jobs, and household responsibilities, and, of course, they generously volunteer their time to be catechists. A book and media club might be one way to help catechists reflect on their experiences of faith. It might also be a way to help them develop a sense of community among themselves.

Teaching Catholics to pray should be a snap because we use so many prayer postures week after week. We genuflect, cross ourselves, kneel, bow, and strike our breasts. But somehow the phrase "teaching prayer" makes us feel uptight, and we think "memorization." The "enthusiasm and joy" that the Pope asks of us during this Year of Faith disappears. "Faith grows when it is lived as an experience of love received and when it is communicated as an experience of grace and joy," he says (Porta Fidei, n. 7).

Master Catechists answer questions from readers.

For religious education teachers, meeting a new group of children provides a fresh and exciting opportunity to lay a solid foundation for the year ahead. The way in which your students experience you for the first time can make a powerful and lasting impact that will lead them enthusiastically forward into the months ahead.

Is faith one of those words we use often, not realizing the depth of its meaning? Could we ever realize its expanse? In many ways, we could make several distinctions of faith or look at faith through different lenses and, through each, see a new facet.

Your questions, answered by Master Catechists.

Returning to school in September, right after Labor Day, is a good time to think about work and celebrate what work means in our lives. After a leisurely summer vacation, we rev up for another year of all the possibilities that await us in teaching and studying. I can feel the energy of September! Of course, the beginning of a new learning year means work—and work is a law of the human condition through which we learn and grow.

Master Catechists answer questions from readers

February is always a difficult month for me. The days pass slowly, making it a hard month in which to enjoy life and get energized about things.

Any discussion of spirituality and popular culture requires a detailed consideration of the nature and function of popular culture.