On September 27, the Church celebrates the Feast Day of Saint Vincent de Paul, who said, “Do not be content to say: I am a Christian! But live in such a way that it may be said of you: we have seen a man who loves God with all his heart and keeps his commandments.” Life of St. Vincent de Paul Saint Vincent de Paul was born in the countryside of France. His hard-working parents made many sacrifices so that he could go to school. He decided to become a priest, but not because he wanted to serve the Church entirely. He admitted later in his life that he had been embarrassed by his humble backgro ..read more

Our call to care for God’s creation is unceasing, and we as disciples are especially reminded of this call in Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si. Earth Day will be celebrated this month on April 22 and is another opportunity to discuss with children our responsibility to care for God’s creation. Using resources responsibly and helping to care for the planet is the responsibility of all disciples, regardless of our age. Even the youngest disciples can help to be stewards of creation. One of the ways to encourage this stewardship is by teaching young disciples about creation ..read more

On March 15, the Church celebrates the Feast Day of Saint Louise de Marillac. Louise was born in 1591, the daughter of Louis de Marillac, an important member of high society in Paris. Members of Louis’s family belonged to the French royal court, so Louise was raised among the French royalty. She was educated at a monastery outside of Paris where her aunt was a nun. As a teenager, she desired to become a nun, but the community did not accept her. Although she was deeply disappointed, her family advised her that to get married. And so Louise married Antoine Le Gras, the secretary to the Queen o ..read more

On January 26, the Church celebrates the Feast Day of Saint Timothy. Teaching children about saints provides inspiring examples of discipleship and models for living out their faith. Celebrate the Feast Day of Saint Timothy with a printable intermediate resource. Who Was Saint Timothy? Timothy was born in Lystra, a city in what is now the country of Turkey. His father was Greek and his mother was Jewish. It is believed that his grandmother was a Christian. When Paul came to Lystra as part of his first missionary trip to the region, Timothy was around 20 years old. Timothy converted to Christi ..read more

October 2022 marks the 60th anniversary of Vatican II. The second Vatican council has had a long-standing impact on the Church and the world. Learn more about the history and the significance of Vatican II in this article, and access a video resource that will help those in parish and school leadership today understand, celebrate, and share the importance of Vatican 2, sixty years ago and today! What is Vatican II? October 11, 2022 marks the 60th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council. The twenty-first ecumenical council of the Catholic Church, was the largest gathering at a ..read more

In this article, we sat down with Dr. Matthew Halbach, Sadlier’s Executive Director of Catechesis, to learn more about his role as a deacon. Matt earned his PhD in Catechetics from The Catholic University of America in 2014 and was ordained in 2018 for the Diocese of Des Moines, IA. Matt is known as the Deacon Doctor, and plays many roles professionally and in the Church. Deacon Matt was a major contributor to Sadlier’s newest catechetical program, Christ In Us, and is also a national author and speaker. Learn more about Deacon Matt’s experience through the answers he shared with us. Q: What ..read more

Catholic social teaching is the teaching of the Church that calls all members to work for justice and peace as Jesus did. Jesus’ life and teaching are the foundations of Catholic social teaching and the whole Catholic Church is called to live by this social teaching. It’s important to teach students about Catholic social teaching so that they can then live it out, through discipleship. Knowledge and understanding of the teachings and its seven themes are the foundation for action. Catholic social teaching resources can support catechists and families in teaching Catholic kids as a foundation f ..read more

“…The important thing is not to think much, but to love much…” Teresa of Avila Summer seems to be a good season in which to take Teresa’s words to heart. Lazing around on a summer day allows one’s thoughts to lighten and sheer love of life to emerge. Living in Colorado, I find the joy of summer in emerging from the indoors, particularly after a snowy winter, into lengthy periods outdoors. I’ve been watching a mother robin tend her babies in a nest she built on the beam of our neighbor’s front porch. Tiny goldfinches are regular visitors to the birdbath and a baby rabbit has taken to grazing ri ..read more

Don’t be stressed out by tech! In Episode 11 of Sadlier’s weekly live Catechist Stream hosts Steve Botsford, Sadlier’s Senior Director of Digital Catechesis, and Deacon Matt Halbach, PhD, Sadlier’s Executive Director of Catechesis, addressed the challenges and opportunities associated with adopting technology. This article shares their three top considerations when adopting technology for catechesis ..read more

The National Eucharistic Revival, sponsored by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, kicked off on June 19, 2022. The revival is a grassroots movement of Catholics, responding to the gift of the Eucharist in their own ways. In Episode 20 of their weekly Catechist Stream, Deacon Matt and Steve explored and explained the Eucharistic Revival. This article will share a summary and key takeaways of the episode hosted by Steve Botsford, Sadlier’s Senior Director of Digital Catechesis, and Deacon Matt Halbach, PhD, Sadlier’s Executive Director of Catechesis. If you missed it, watch t ..read more