By Kate Ristow Soon you’ll bid farewell to your students. You’re likely to have a year-end party in your classroom, play a variety of review games, take time to underscore the important truths the children learned this year, and share with them the growth in faith you’ve observed in them. However, in no way do you want to close the book on learning for the year. It’s important to help the children recognize that—no matter how young or old we are—faith is a life-long journey. God does not take a vacation from us. God wants us to stay close to him throughout the fun and sunny days of summer, ev ..read more

Connecting with Millennials and Generation Z PAT GOHN A major task of Christian discipleship is to bring Christ to the world. The mission of Young Catholic Professionals (YCP) is dedicated to young adults, while it helps to foster dynamic Catholic witnesses in the workplace. This 10-year old organization, whose patron is St. Joseph the Worker, has received the endorsement of many bishops and others from around the country. Bringing together adults in their 20s and 30s, Young Catholic Professionals’ national organization supports more than 20 chapters in the U.S. and continues to grow. The fu ..read more

by Robert McCarty and Ela Milewska Does it ever seem that passing on the faith to our children and youth is becoming more and more difficult? All the research points toward a diminished role for Church in the life of the family, declining membership in Church denominations, and an increasing number of people described as “nones” (no affiliation with an organized religion). Research highlights that among Catholics who leave the Church, approximately 68% do so between the ages of 13 and 23. It certainly seems that youth ministry and young adult ministry are significant challenges in our faith c ..read more

by Cullen Schippe Back in my college days, I minored in education. One of my professors stressed (seemingly at every opportunity) that the best learning takes place when the students are motivated to learn. He would describe at length what we refer to now as the teachable moment. Beth Lewis, a noted elementary education professional has given a succinct definition of the teachable moment. She writes: “A teachable moment is an unplanned opportunity that arises in the classroom where a teacher has an ideal chance to offer insight to his or her students. It is not something that you can plan for ..read more

By Robyn Lee “Why are people so afraid of going to confession?” I could tell that this question resonated with my confirmation class because there were so many responses. The students said because it was embarrassing, they were afraid the priest would judge them, the priest seemed unapproachable, or they thought they would get yelled at. These fears are real concerns and they are the reason many stay away from the Church for years. I reminded my students that the Church has an “endless desire to show mercy” (Face of Mercy, 10) and that when they enter the confessional the priest is in persona ..read more

by Jessica Gordon CLICK HERE to download a pdf of this activity. Copyright 2016, Bayard, Inc. All rights reserved. This article is protected by United States copyright and other intellectual property laws and may not be reproduced, rewritten, distributed, redisseminated, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast, directly or indirectly, in any medium without the prior written permission of Bayard, Inc. Read Crafts for Catechists: Our Lady’s Bug on CATECHIST Magazine ..read more

by Margie Copeland A couple of years ago my parish community finally planned and executed the parish’s first VBS—Vacation Bible School. But before the first advertisement went out, before we even had a theme, and before the plan unfolded, I had a few doubts. I wondered about scheduling, planning time, and whether this program would actually be a success. With the Lord’s guidance and support, I knew we would succeed, but beyond the spirit-filled partnership with our Lord, how does it happen? The preparation for VBS begins about a year before the actual week. Several factors made it clear that ..read more

by Kate Ristow St. Paul prayed that the Philippians would “discern what is of value” (Philippians 1:10) as they continued to learn what it meant to live their faith. The same is true today. As catechetical leaders we need to regularly step back from our ministry and evaluate the effectiveness of our efforts. We must determine what is of value and decide on any improvements or changes we want to make. We must gather information, review the year, and check whether we are headed in the right direction. The process of evaluation is an opportunity not just to critique, but also to dream. It’s abou ..read more

by Jessica Gordon CLICK HERE to download a pdf of this activity. CLICK HERE to dowload the Glory Be prayer worksheet.   Copyright 2016, Bayard, Inc. All rights reserved. This article is protected by United States copyright and other intellectual property laws and may not be reproduced, rewritten, distributed, redisseminated, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast, directly or indirectly, in any medium without the prior written permission of Bayard, Inc. Read Crafts for Catechesis: Glory Be Prayer Poster on CATECHIST Magazine ..read more

DAVID O’BRIEN Here’s a 20-question quiz on the Catholic Church. It contains sample questions such as: What is the central mission of the Catholic Church? Once Christ saves us from sin and eternal punishment, our life in Christ is nourished by____? The word catholic means___? There is also a 10-question kids quiz as well. This quiz can help you, your students, and your students’ families review their knowledge about our Catholic faith. Permission is granted to share it at church, school, or at home. The Quizzes and the Answer Keys are available in a free PDF. Click here to download: CAT.Marc ..read more