Archive for April, 2008
Have you heard of MyCatholicVoice.com? It’s a great new Web site that is kind of like the Catholic YouTube. Here’s what the site says about itself:
Launched in February 2008, MyCatholicVoice is your online Catholic resource for personal inspiration and community ministry.
Designed to capture, organize and share the tradition of the Catholic church for the next millennium, the site features a broad range of current and historical material that speaks most to you.
MyCatholicVoice invites you to…
- …ask questions
- …find inspiration
- …create conversation
- …listen to great music
- …share your thoughts
- …connect with people
- …seek your truth
- …participate in the global Church
- …see beyond the pew
- …explore tradition
- …find your voice
- …visit a safe place online
- …explore what matters most to you
I thought I’d try my hand at MyCatholicVoice, so I uploaded the brief segment that introduces my DVD Welcome to God’s Library: Introducing Catholics to the Bible. Check it out:
http://www.mycatholicvoice.com/media/view/snRY2s
With the end of most religious education program years occurring, this is a good time for catechists to do a little bit of self assessment. Feel free to use the following by yourself, with a peer or group of peers, or with your DRE.
1 = poor/I disagree
2 = fair/I somewhat disagree
3 = good/I somewhat agree
4 = excellent/I agree
I became more aware of my vocation as a catechist
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I took time to deepen my own understanding of the teachings of the Church
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I faithfully practiced my faith, participating in the life of the Church
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I paid attention to my own spiritual life and sought to grow spiritually
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I dedicated adequate time to planning my lessons
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I was welcoming to my students
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I got to know my student’s names quickly
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I became very familiar with the textbook/resources I was using
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I covered the material that I was responsible to cover
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I was prepared for my classes (materials, equipment, etc.)
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I used a variety of activities to keep the students engaged
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I made adjustments for various learning styles/special needs in my classroom
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I prepared my learning environment
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I kept my students engaged in the learning process
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I included opportunities for prayer in each session
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I became a more effective prayer leader
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I effectively handled discipline challenges
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I tried new things to stretch myself and widen my “repertoire”
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I kept a good sense of humor
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I included Scripture in my sessions
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I integrated technology in my sessions (CD, DVD, VCR, computer, PowerPoint, etc.)
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I facilitated effective class discussions when appropriate
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I effectively assessed the progress of my students
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Since last Monday was our last class, tonight is my first Monday evening off in a long, long time! Believe me, as much as I like being a catechist, the time to be at home and resting is much appreciated! Between now and next Monday, I need to complete my report cards. They are to be turned in at a catechist’s meeting next Monday.
I was deeply inspired by John, one of my fellow catechists the other night. As we were chaperoning the 8th grader’s pizza party after our last class on Monday, we got to chatting about next year. He’s been a catechist for 11 years and has just seen his daughter through his own 8th grade class. It often happens that when a catechist’s last child completes the program, they “retire.” This is very understandable because they often need to devote attention to their children’s high school and college activities. John said that he would like to come back next year even though his daughter is finished. He said his wife is eager for him to have his Monday evening’s free after all these years but that he would like to continue on. He then paused and said, “I enjoy doing this…it’s my…it’s my CALLING!” When he said that, his eyes lit up and his voice was filled with enthusiasm I got the impression that it was the first time he had ever used that word to describe what he was doing. It seemed like a personal revelation for him. And he is absolutely right. We have a calling to serve as catechists. A vocation. What an honor and a privilege!
Here’s a good one (and it’s a true story).
A DRE friend of mine told me that one of her Confirmandi was ill the day of Confirmation and was unable to attend the celebration. The DRE spoke with the mother of the child on the phone and offered her all of the upcoming opportunities for the child to celebrate the sacrament at neighboring parishes. The mother replied, “Can’t you just send me the certificate?”
Ugh!
What an impoverished understanding of the sacraments! This is just another example of how much work we have to do in terms of catechizing adults.
I like to remind people that, according to Canon Law, each of us has a right to catechesis. When we encounter adult Catholics who have little or no catechesis, rather than blame them, we need to view it as a violation of their rights and we need to do all that we can to see to it that their rights are being protected.
Of course, along with rights comes responsibilities and we need to remind all adult Catholics of their responsibility to seek a full understanding of their faith.
When these rights and responsibilities are embraced, the result is growth in knowledge of the Lord.
Last night was our last class for the year and it was a very nice send-off. The closing Mass was very good and the young people seemed genuinely touched by the little token that I offered them. A number of the 8th grade students also went out for pizza afterwards accompanied by 3 of us catechists.
As it turns out, last week, when I missed class because of my daughter’s illness, my aide, Kris, had the young people make thank you cards for me! What a nice gesture! Here are some of the comments that they wrote in their cards:
- Thank you very much for taking the time to teach me about Jesus.
- Thank you for dealing with us all year. Thank you for volunteering your time to teach us about God. Iliked the way we meditated. I don’t like reading in the book so it was cool that you made PowerPoints.
- Thank you very much for your class this year. I really learned a lot and enjoyed it very much. I liked how we meditated in class. You always came to class knowledgeable and prepared and we really appreciated that. Since you came wanting to be there, most of the class ended up wanted to come. This year we made our confirmation, and I think I was really ready for it. Your class was a lot of fun and it was the best year of CCD I’ve ever had!
- Thank you for the time you spent with us talking about Jesus Christ.
- Thanks for the meditation time.
- Thank you for all the things you have taught me. You taught me things outside the book that no other teacher has done. The meditation helped me pray and spend time with Jesus and God. Thanks for everything.
- Thanks for teaching our class. U really made it fun this year! It went by so fast! So thanx.
- Thank you so much for making my last year of CCD awesome! When I first came in and heard you were one of the authors of the book, I was thinking to myself, “Oh, great, we are going to do nothing but read from the book.” But I was wrong. Even though we used the book at times, this class was really fun. Learning about the history of the church and watching Jesus of Nazareth was very interesting. The meditations were also really cool. Thank you!!
I think I’ll keep doing the meditations, eh?
For tonight’s class, which is our last, we will celebrate the Eucharist followed by a pizza party. In between, I will gather my troops one last time for a few last words and then will present them with a small gift that I purchased at a Catholic church goods store named Heaven Sent. They are small flat stones (about the size of a half-dollar) with a dove symbol on one side and the following inscription on the other: “Grow in faith and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.” I thought this was very appropriate and they each cost only a couple of bucks. With a thin black marker, I was able to write the name of each student on the stone and sign my name as well. I’ll let you know how the farewells go!
This Monday is the last session for religious education for the year and we will mark it with a celebration of the Eucharist. It’s hard to believe that the year is already coming to an end. In retrospect, it seems like we had so little time together and in many respects that is true. However, I hope and pray that I have been able to make an impact on the young people that I was privileged to teach this year. I think I will devote some time this weekend to finding a small gift that I can give to each of them that will express my hopes for them as they move on. If anyone has any ideas, let me know.
Sorry I’ve not updated for a few days but one of life’s curve balls came my way when our college daughter came home sick and we unexpectedly had to take her to the hospital. She will be fine but your prayers are appreciated. As a result of this, I was unable to teach class last night which would have been the last real class of the year. Next week, we have a closing Mass. So I’m disappointed I didn’t get to tie things up with a neat little bow, but that’s life! I have a vocation as a catechist but my primary vocation is as a husband and parent and that’s where I need to be right now. I’ll be in touch when things calm down. Peace.
Not so long ago, I announced the availability of my (previously out-of-print) video, Welcome to God’s Library, on DVD!
In the year 2000, I filmed a video titled Welcome to God’s Library which provided a basic introduction to the Bible for Catholics (intermediate/junior high through adult). The video summarizes the thrust of my book God’s Library. Several years ago, this video and the original edition of the book went out of print. Since then, I’ve been receiving inquiries from people interested in buying copies of the video (especially since Loyola Press published a new version of the book, God’s Library: A Catholic Introduction to the World’s Greatest Book in 2005)
So here’s what I did: I worked with my son, Mike, who is a videographer, to update the master copy of the video so that it is up to date (except for the fact that I look 8 years younger than I am now!) and refers to the new edition of the book. We then transferred it to DVD.
Take a peek:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbNQtQDiXf8
This DVD is available for $15, which is HALF of what it cost when it was available on VHS! You can order copies by sending me an e-mail at welcometogodslibrary@comcast.net, providing me with your name, shipping address, and quantity and I’ll get back to you with details.
Here is a description of the DVD (42 minutes):
This video is for those who are interested in deepening their knowledge and familiarity with the Bible.
- DREs may use this video for catechist formation
- individuals can use it in the privacy of their own home for independent study
- parish leaders can use it as a formation experience for parish ministers
- pastoral staffs can use it as an introduction to parish Bible study
- RCIA teams can use it as part of the catechumenate’s introduction to Scripture
- youth ministers can use it to introduce adolescents to the Bible
- catechists can use it to introduce intermediate and junior high students to the Bible
The DVD consists of 3 parts. Part One is an introduction and overview:
- comparison to using a library
- how the Bible is arranged
- How to choose a Bible
- How to use the Table of Contents
- How to use Scripture citation to locate passages
Part Two covers the Old Testament:
- How to use the God’s Library bookmarks to become more familiar with the sections of the Bible
- exploration of the arrangement of the Old Testament
- overview of the highlights found in the 4 sections of the Old Testament: Pentateuch, History, Wisdom, Prophets
Part Three covers the New Testament:
- continuation of how to use the God’s Library bookmarks
- overview of the highlights found in the 4 sections of the New Testament: Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, Letters, Revelation
- the importance of footnotes
- how to pray the Bible
- tips for where to begin reading the Bible
- introduction to the Lectionary
- conclusion
I hope you find this resource helpful! Thanks!
