The Bread of God’s Word
<p>We do not live “on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God” (Mt 4:4; cf. Dt 8:3). In our gospel for the First Sunday of Lent (Year A), we hear...
View ArticleWhat Is a Sacrament?
<p>Yesterday one of our directors of religious education expressed her frustration over people’s attitudes towards sacraments. She lamented the fact that last year she had 250 children...
View ArticleGuess who’s coming to dinner?
<p>Twenty-five years ago, Pope John Paul II reminded families that they were called not only to <em>find </em>Christ in the family, but to <em>become</em> Christ...
View ArticleHow Sacraments Teach
<p>“Is there power in that water?” ten-year-old Hector asked as we stood next to a gurgling baptismal font waiting to go into church. As any astute catechist would do, I...
View ArticleTeaching from the table
<p><em>One Sunday morning in May in the 1950s, a little blue-eyed Catholic six-year-old woke up hungry but knew there would be no eggs and pancakes that morning. It was her first Communion...
View ArticleThree Keys for teaching the Eucharist: Story, ritual, life
<p>One of my earliest memories of the Eucharist comes from my first Communion. I can still picture myself wearing my brother’s disco-inspired, second-hand leisure suit. Freed from the...
View ArticleSix classroom activities for learning Scripture
<p>“Lord, send out your spirit and renew the face of the earth….” The Easter season leading into Pentecost offers us an opportunity to look anew at Scripture...
View ArticleA new life of holiness
<p>“The end is near”? Odd words to use at the beginning of a new school year, but words that are quite relevant to Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians. In this...
View ArticleLearning to Pray!
<p>We know that as catechists and teachers we must be people of prayer. But sometimes in prayer, we feel distracted. Our mind is wandering from this to that, from one anxiety to another. Our...
View ArticleBasic Catholic prayers
<p><strong>Hail Mary</strong><br />Hail Mary, full of grace,<br />the Lord is with you;<br />blessed are you among women,<br />and blessed is the fruit of your...
View ArticleThe Lord's Prayer
<p>It has been called the perfect prayer. It is the only prayer known to have been taught by Jesus himself. Today, it is known in all possible languages and dialects.</p> <p>If we...
View ArticlePlanning a liturgy for First Eucharist
<p>Planning a liturgy for First Eucharist is a real challenge; there are so many things to consider! Yet each year, when I see the excitement in the eyes of our second graders, I find new energy...
View ArticleTips for teaching about the sacraments
<p>Sacraments are gifts that are part of who we are and who we will become.</p> <p>In order to encourage the children to learn about the sacraments, you need to find ways to involve...
View ArticleWhat family meals teach us about Eucharist
<p>If Julia Child is not a saint, she is at least a “blessed” in my book. She changed how Americans understand meal sharing, and meal sharing is central to our lives as...
View ArticleFirst Communion
<p>In trying to live out the challenge of the bishops, St. Stephen’s Parish in Croghan, New York, has worked to assist families preparing for first communion to realize this very simple...
View ArticleTeaching liturgical literacy
<p>“Mom, can I take notes during Mass today?” my nine-year-old daughter, Rachel, asked as we drove to church on August 15, the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary. Granted,...
View ArticleCatechetical Sunday 2010
<p>In honor of Catechetical Sunday and its theme: <em>Marriage as a Sacrament of Enduring Love</em>, we offer this reflection, prayer, and activity for catechists and those they...
View ArticleMany ways to say thanks
<p>Thankfulness is a human trait. The moon and stars, roses, and robins cannot thank their creator or anyone else. Only we, who are conscious of the good done for us, have the power to...
View Article“Remembering” Advent and Christmas
<p>I was a little girl at Bible Camp, and I was sitting in the shade behind the public school listening to the young Protestant youth minister urging us to memorize our daily Bible passage. I...
View ArticleGrowing Faith
<p>“Catechesis for adults,” the <strong><em>General Directory for Catechesis </em></strong>tells us in article 59, “…must be...
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