My Summer Reading
June 30th, 2007 by Joe
Take a look at “What I’m Reading” in the right column below to see what I’m wrapping my head around this summer…as usual, pretty ecclectic!
Archive for June, 2007
More Top Reasons to Become a Catechist
June 29th, 2007 by Joe
Fellow catechist Denise sends along these top reasons for becoming a catechist (she wrote these without seeing my list from yesterday):
A common recruitment answer is that you’ll learn more about the Catholic faith by teaching it. That’s certainly true, but my experience has been more that I gain new insights on knowledge already floating around my brain, new ways of looking at faith. The kids draw out those insights, and do it in such entertaining ways!
Being involved has been a great way to learn more about what happens in a parish outside of Sunday Mass. And my fellow catechists are great people to talk to.
I volunteered to be a catechist to share my teaching heart—not a teacher by training, but by calling. I wouldn’t have articulated it that way when I started, but I’ve since come to see my catechist work as a part of my calling. In the early days, I just enjoyed working with kids and thought teaching was a great way to do that.
I work specifically with junior high students because they need to know that someone believes in them. That’s true for all age levels, of course, but particularly of junior high. They need voices in the Church to show them they have worth and to try to understand them. I don’t claim expertise in understanding junior highers, but I’m enjoying every step of that journey!
Here are a few reasons from catechists that my friend Erika found online:
10 TOP REASONS TO BE A CATECHIST (according to Corpus Christi Catechists)
“The most important reason to get involved is so that we can help nourish the faith in children. If we don’t get involved, who will teach them and prepare them to be active members in the parish as they grow?”
“ I have met many wonderful people.”
“If all I did was come to Mass, all I would know would be faces in the crowd.”
“If you don’t have children in the program, it is a great way to meet other spiritual people and become more involved in the activities and community of the parish.”
“The time spent on preparing the lesson is time spent reflecting on your own faith and knowledge.”
“Since I did not grow up Catholic, I think it is important that I know what my girls are learning.”
“It is very faith enriching for us to look at the weekly readings from a child’s point of view. Sometimes even adults take it in better when given simplistically.”
“I used to think that I am not the one who should be teaching since I felt that I didn’t know ‘all the answers’. But it really is a learning experience for me as well as them. And it’s okay to not know some of the answers-you praise them for a good question and tell them you’ll return next week with an answer.”
“The best thing about teaching in the program…there are too many to count ! ……getting to know each child and the special gifts they have; how much they teach me!”
“Teaching our parish children provides the experience of learning how our young folk perceive the world and the Catholic faith as well as an opportunity to share the values and beliefs that our faith teaches us.”
“I have learned a lot about parenting and raising my own children in the Catholic faith through becoming a better Catechist.”
“I started teaching because I had to drop off the kids anyway, so I thought I’d might as well help out. Then I realized that not only did I enjoy teaching, but I was actually good at it !”
“I wanted to stay involved in my child’s education and teaching was a great way to do it.”
“Teaching in the Religious Education Program helps me be more involved in not only my children’s education, but also in the church in general.”
“A church cannot survive without its parishioners working together for its success.”
“Involvement in the religious education program enables us as parents to have a say in the way our children are brought up in the faith.”
“I want to be part of the process of motivating people to work on that friendship with God at an early age.”
“I enjoy working with kids and being with my son.”
“It was an excellent way to get involved and it was fun !”
“I was skeptical about what 4 & 5 yr olds could take from RE. I was surprised! It’s so important to start them out as friends & hopefully they will continue thru the RE program together.”
Top Reasons to Become a Catechist
June 28th, 2007 by Joe
At this time of the year, many Catholics find themselves considering an invitation to become a catechist in their parish. Directors/Coordinators of Religious Education/Faith Formation, Pastoral Associates, Priests, and Deacons are all “on the prowl” seeking out those who have the potential to serve in this role. Perhaps you’ve been invited to be a catechist. Perhaps you know someone who is thinking about becoming a catechist. Or, perhaps you are the one doing the inviting. Whatever the case may be, I’d like to offer the following Top Reasons for Becoming a Catechist. (I may add to this list in the days to come when I hear from colleagues/fellow catechists).
Top Reasons to Become a Catechist
- You will grow in your own faith, learn the teachings of the Church, and deepen your relationship with Jesus
- Your baptism calls you to share in Jesus’ ministry
- Children, teens, and adults in today’s world, more than ever, need to hear the Good News of Jesus
- Children, teens, and adults in today’s world, more than ever, need to encounter good role models of faith
- You have much to share with those you’ll teach and you’ll have opportunities to share faith with other catechists
- Today’s catechetical textbooks/resources offer outstanding support
- You’ll be challenged, you’ll have fun, and you’ll make new friends
- You’ll be helping people deepen their relationship with Jesus (you’ll be evangelizing!)
- You’ll be handing on a 2000-year-old Tradition that changes lives
- It’s our job: Jesus sent us to “go and teach all nations”
What other reasons would you include?
P.S. If you are considering the invitation to serve as a catechist, please send a comment to my blog and tell me (us, i.e. other catechists) what you’re thinking or ask any questions that you may have. There are lots of great catechists out there who would love to share their thoughts with you about this wonderful opportunity!
The Catholic Way of Seeing
June 19th, 2007 by Joe
I’m not one for believing that Jesus and Mary “appear” in tree barks, potato chips, window panes, and grease stains. We hear these kinds of stories on the news from time to time, of people seeing the image of Jesus or the Blessed Virgin Mary in the most unlikely places. I DO however, believe that it tends to be a Catholic phenomenon because Catholics are taught to see in a unique way.
In a sense, we see what we want to see. A few weeks ago, the long-time mayor of Rosemont (a suburb of Chicago), Donald Stephens, passed away. A week or so later, stories ran in the paper about how people saw his image in the bark of a tree! People saw what they wanted to see.
Catholics are trained to “see” or “recognize” God in everything. St. Ignatius prompted his followers to see in such a way that they will be “finding God in all things.” There’s a difference between thinking that Jesus and Mary are “appearing” all over the place and recognizing grace in all things. I think that, if a Catholic is taught properly and then given an ink-blotch test, he or she will recognize Jesus, Mary, the saints, the Holy Spirit, and numerous sacramentals. The same is true if a Catholic lays down in a field and stares at the clouds to imagine what they look like.
As catechists, we help to teach others to see. Catholic “eyes” are very special because we see the world infused with the grace of God. I hope that this summer is an opportunity for you as a catechist to renew your vision - to find God in wonderful places - and to come back to your teaching, ready to help those you teach find God in all things!
Linking Faith to Daily Living
June 18th, 2007 by Joe
Pope Benedict XVI recently told bishops from Slovakia (June 15) that “only by helping young people make a connection between their Christian faith and everyday life can the Church help youths resist the temptations and illusions of consumerism.”
I believe this is our sacred duty as catechists. Unless faith connects with daily living, it will remain a “subject” or “topic” for our young people instead of a way of life. What does this mean practically speaking for us as catechists? It means that we have to pay attention to what’s going on in the lives of young people. As part of our lesson planning, we need to:
- pay attention to current news stories - like it or not, Paris Hilton is a news story and her travails provide opportunities for us to teach. At the more sublime level are stories in the news about immigration, the war in Iraq, and other current events that surface each day.
- surf the Internet - visit sites that kids visit, especially places like Myspace, YouTube and Facebook, to see what kids are talking about
- stay in tune with popular music - it’s good to know what kids are listening to. Anna Scally does a great job of offering help to adults who want to stay in touch with the music that young people are listening to…visit cornerstone media inc.
- pay attention to sports - I get kidded about this a lot but I believe that sports can be a huge influence in a kid’s life. Most kids are involved in some kind of sports today. There are many opportunities for linking faith with daily living by using sports as a portal.
- talk/listen to kids! - what a radical idea! One of the best ways to know what’s going on in the lives of kids is to talk with them informally. Just ask them what’s going on and then LISTEN!
I like to compare a good lesson to a good homily. The best homilies make some kind of connection to daily living. Good homilies tap into what’s on the minds and in the hearts of people, calling them to revisit these issues with a new mind and heart. When planning a lesson, imagine that you are preparing a homily on the topic of your lesson. What current event or issue would you use to “hook” your crowd? That same “hook” can provide you with a doorway into the lives of your students. And, as St. Ignatius taught, “enter through their door but exit through yours” - meaning that you start with that life experience, connect it to the Gospel, and then move forward with a new way of looking at that life experience (conversion).
This is how Jesus taught and, as catechists, we are called to teach as Jesus did.
My New Book Is On Amazon!
June 18th, 2007 by Joe
My new book, The Catechist’s Toolbox: How to Thrive as a Religious Education Teacher is on Amazon.com for pre-ordering! Hint: bulk purchases will be much cheaper from Loyola Press…I’ll let you know when you can purchase online from LP, should you wish to buy in bulk (10 or more). In the meantime, you can call customer service at 800-621-1008.
For Christians, Every Day is “Father’s” Day
June 16th, 2007 by Joe
Acknowledging that God has no gender and with respect and sensitivity to those who prefer not to use male metaphors for talking about God, I’d like to offer a few thoughts about God on this Father’s Day weekend. (I have no doubt that everything I’m about to say could have been said on Mother’s Day too…I just didn’t think of it then and, being a father myself, these thoughts come more naturally to me!)
So what do we try to do on Father’s Day?
- We try to show our dads that we appreciate them.
- We treat them like a king (when I was a kid, we used to make a “crown” for my dad to wear on Father’s Day!).
- We express our love and gratitude for their steadfast love and protection.
- We present our dads with gifts to express this love and gratitude.
- We try to spend time with him and listen to him perhaps more than we do on other days.
- We just enjoy being in his presence on this day.
There was no “father’s day” in Jesus’ time, but respect and honor for one’s father was (and is) ingrained in Jewish culture. When Jesus spoke of God as “Father” and taught us to pray “Our Father,” he knew that this metaphor would be understandable for us and would help us to relate to God.
If any of us are wondering just how to approach God or how to teach others to approach God, just take my list of things we do on Father’s Day from the paragraph above and apply it to God and strive to do those things 365 days a year.
On this Father’s Day weekend, I honor and give praise to Our Father in heaven. I honor my own Dad who passed away almost 10 years ago…love ya, Dad and miss you! I offer my sincerest wishes to all fathers that you know how much you are appreciated and needed and I pray that you and I will continue to learn from God our Father and from St. Joseph, Jesus’ earthly father, what it means to be a loving and faithful father.
Happy Father’s Day to all dads, grandfathers, godfathers, and all who are like-a-dad to someone else!
Registering My Daughter for College
June 14th, 2007 by Joe
The other day, my wife and I took our daughter to register for her first year of college at the University of Illinois, Champaign. Everything went very well and she got all of the classes she needed and we got to see a lot of the campus as well. While she was in the building registering, my wife and I had a chance to scope the grounds and find the Catholic Center! We weren’t about to introduce our daughter to her new home without letting her know where the Catholics go! After she finished registration and we were heading back toward the other side of campus, we stopped in the Catholic chapel to say a prayer. We didn’t say a word to her about what we expected of her but I’m sure she got the message that when she leaves home, she takes her faith with her and this is the place where she can have that faith nourished. Whether she actually goes or not…God alone knows. However, she won’t be able to tell us that she didn’t know where the chapel was!
Tasting - A Different Way of Knowing
June 13th, 2007 by Joe
It occurred to me that, as catechists, we teach a different way of knowing. Certainly we teach knowledge but we also teach wisdom which is a different way of knowing. Jesus said that we are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (MK 12:30). We are called to teach others to do just that and I think it is important to realize that the mind is only one way of knowing. What comes to mind is the phrase “taste and see the goodness of the Lord” (Psalm 34:8). Tasting is a way of knowing. We taste a meal and we know that it is good. But that knowing is more than cognitive…it is a knowing that involves our whole being.
As we look forward to our next experience of serving as a catechist, let us strive to give those we teach a taste of the Lord and help them to savor his goodness!
The Catechist’s Toolbox - A Testimonial
June 11th, 2007 by Joe
Here is a wonderful testimonial about my new book, The Catechist’s Toolbox (Loyola Press). This endorsement was written by Sr. Judy Dieterle, Associate Director of the Office for Catechesis and Youth Ministry in the Archdiocese of Chicago. Thanks Sr. Judy!
Over many years now as an Archdiocese we have provided training for new catechists as they step before their first group of learners. Our “handout” packet was continually growing, along with major concerns about destruction of trees and copyright issues around who actually created what we were distributing.
A year ago we did a major revision, refocusing the intent of the program and decided to provide a book for each participant rather than giving out a packet of handouts. The challenge was finding a book that contained what we needed.
This year at the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership one of our coordinators drew my attention to the advanced copy of The Catechist’s Toolbox. I took it to my room overnight, browsed through it, and returned to the booth the following day to order four hundred copies for our training program for new catechists.
Since then I have read the entire book. It offers an easy-to-understand comparison between the tools used in home repair and the tools needed by an effective catechist. It is extremely practical for the new catechist, offering many suggestions on how to transmit the faith to different age groups and learning styles. It offers ideas for praying, for developing learning objectives, for maintaining discipline, for assessment, and much more. The anecdotes and cartoons are enjoyable and keep it very easy to read.
Some of the aspects I like most about The Catechist’s Toolbox are the emphasis from the start on the vocation of the catechist, the necessity of ongoing formation and training along with the encouragement to participate in the certification processes of the diocese, the quotations from the Catechetical Documents, and the Scripture references and prayer at the end of each chapter. We will be using this book to help train the new catechists and each of them will return home with a copy of the book so they can continue to glean its riches. We anticipate training around 400 new catechists this fall and look forward to the time when something of this caliber is available here in Spanish too.
