Amazing Catechists

Teaching and learning the faith together

Catholic Words and Games, an App Review

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Let’s face it, technology is not going away and kids love to play games using technology. But every now and then it’s be nice instead of playing Angry Birds they maybe played a game that they could learn from. Enter: Catholic Words and Games.
I downloaded it onto my iPhone and played, many times. There are five different games on the app: flash cards, memory match, tap it, spell it and name match. In theory, you could learn all the words using the Flash Card section and then move onto the other games. But that’s not how I roll. I just started playing. I made mistakes (flashcardheaderon purpose people, c’mon now) and nothing bad happened. Sadly, I didn’t have anyone to play with but I think it’s great you can play the games with others.

Memory Match is my favorite and you can choose from six different sized boards, the more squares you choose the more challenging. The Name Match is fun as well. My least favorite is Spell it, mostly because I stink at spelling!
I would definitely have used this game with my children, instead, I’ll start having my faith formation students play with it while we wait for parents.
The app is available for both mobile and desktop devices, for windows and mac users, on iTunes or Google Play. For more information and a peek at graphics, go to the website, Catholic Words and Games.

© Deanna Bartalini, 2016

Proclaiming the Message of Life – Book Review

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How often have you been to Mass, listened to the readings and homily and heard a clear message about the sanctity of life and why abortion is wrong? Or how the Church can help those who have suffered with the pain of abortion? Has the vast network of organizations that can support women in a crisis pregnancy been mentioned?
I can tell you that in all of my years attending Mass, I have only heard a handful of pro-life homilies at a Sunday Mass. Even on the Sunday in October dedicated as Respect Life Sunday, it is not discussed. It always seems to me that teaching about the inherent dignity of life and how abortion is in direct opposition to that is important and necessary.message-of-life-pic
I can understand that there may be concerns, hesitation and maybe just a bit of fear that people will respond in a negative way. However, if we, the people of God are not challenged how will we grow? As Fr. Pavone says, “Preaching should foster the ongoing conversion and growth in holiness of the people entrusted to our pastoral care. A pastor is a shepherd. To shepherd people, preachers must be clear and courageous in confronting evil and likewise calm and compassionate. Our desire is to instruct people, inspire them, and equip them to take action.” What a beautiful vision for preaching and one I hope all who preach aspire to.
The book for Fr. Pavone wrote is a wonderful aid in preaching the message of life. The book has two main divisions, part one of the book gives a general overview of why and how to preach this message while part two gives specific reflection for every Sunday of the Year for all three cycles of readings! It is very extensive.
The first part of the book talks about why and how to preach about abortion, including scripture and doctrinal points that can be used as a springboard for talks or homilies. My favorite chapter though is seven, “Common Obstacles to Preaching on Abortion.” The thirty-two questions raised and answered ran the gamut from “Am I afraid I won’t be loved?” to “Will I endanger our tax exemption by speaking on abortion?”.
Of course, it is easy for me to read these reflections, which I have, and say “yes, preach it!” So I checked in with my deacon husband. He preaches about one Sunday a month. He has read the reflections and found ways to include some of the thoughts presented in his homilies. And that is the point of this book, to include some thoughts about how and why we are a pro-life people.
I think this book would be a welcome addition to the libraries of those who preach and also those who are active in pro-life ministry. It is practical, useful and accessible tool. The book is full of reassurances to preach the truth, based on Fr. Pavone experiences of preaching all around the country as the national director for Priests for Life. Published by Servant, it is available in both hardcover and digital editions.

© Deanna Bartalini, 2016

Book Review – Keep Your Kids Catholic by Marc Cardaronella

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I was eager to read Keep Your Kids Catholic by Marc Cardaronella for many reasons.  Many people on social media and sites I frequent had positive comments about it; I need resources to share with my families in our faith formation program; and I’m working on revamping that program to include some parent component.  And of course, I wanted to know if I’d done of Marc’s ideas when I was raising my own kids. 

What I look for in resources for parents are books which teach without being preachy, doable activities that take a minimum of preparation and implementation time, and are possible for parents who are and those who aren’t, well versed in the faith.  I’m happy to say Cardaronella does all of that and more.

The book is divided into four parts, “How does Faith Work”; “Is Your Own Faith Secure?”, “What Kind of Education Fosters Faith?” and “How do You Create an Environment of Faith?”.  Each part has four chapters and at the end of each chapter there is a section called, “Reflect, Pray, Live” which gives action points for parents on how to implement the ideas in the chapter. 

Marc weaves his own faith journey story into the book, reminding readers that no one is perfect and coming to faith is a process which happens over time.  It’s not a once and done proposition.  Many points he made about our religious education programs resonated with me and reminded me yet again how much work we need to do in that area.

I’m not going to give you every quote I highlighted from the book, but here are two that can give you a sense of his tone and style. 

“Faith doesn’t automatically develop from reception of the sacraments and religious education…although those two things are important in nurturing faith.”   This is a constant struggle.  It is almost as if parents and even sometimes catechists and program directors believe that learning enough facts, prayers, and information to receive certain sacraments means we’ve helped someone grow in faith.  Knowledge does not determine faith.

This quote is possibly my absolute favorite, “The goal of faith formation is not a theoretical knowledge of Catholic doctrine, but a lived experience of faith in Jesus Christ.”  Can someone work on that thought becoming a part of every mission statement of faith formation programs?

I know I’ve focused quite a bit on my personal perspective of why this book is a necessary read.  Let me say that I found it to be a book for all of us who interact with children in regard to their faith journey.  I will encourage the parents of the families I work with to pick up this book and put its ideas into practice. 

Parents have a tremendous influence over their children and are often at a loss as to how to have a positive and effective input where faith is concerned.  Keep your Kids Catholic does a wonderful job of providing practical information on how to help children grow in their faith. 

For more information about the book or to purchase, you can go to Ave Maria Press. 

 

 

 

Book Review: To Heal, Proclaim, and Teach by Jared Dees

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Those of us in the business of doing Catechesis are well aware that things are not quite coming together as we’d hoped. And there is frustration all around along with finger pointing and blaming. In addition, we have this call to the New Evangelization and honestly, for many catechists that’s too much on top of trying to teach about the faith. Or is it?
Jared Dees new book, To Heal, Proclaim, and Teach: The Essential Guide to Ministry in Today’s Catholic Church shows us how to put evangelization and catechesis together in ways that I believe can work.
There is comprehensive information about where we stand in religious education, how we got here, and what needs to change. But Dees does not leave it there. Which is good, because at 300 pages I really wanted some practical advice on how to improve the faith formation program I run.Heal proclaim teach
And practical is what is in there. For different levels, ages and stages of the people we minister to in our parishes. Let’s face it, there is no one size fits all when it comes to “how to do it”, whatever “it” you are trying to do. But there are best practices and proven ideas they can help you figure out the next step.
A few key points from the book that struck me:
The distinction between kerygma and didache; “Kerygma is the first proclamation….It expresses the essential of our faith to those who have yet to fully accept it in their lives.” “Didache, on the other hand, is the deposit of faith passed down through the Church from Jesus himself.”
Dees quotes St. John Paul II, “The definitive aim of catechesis is to put people not only in touch but in communion, in intimacy, with Jesus Christ.” Yet when we plan our programs, is our main focus communion with Christ or what needs to be known in order to be confirmed? It’s not that knowledge is bad, but it is not the end goal.
One of my favorite sections in the book was Entertainment Vs. Engagement. Dees points out that “Engagement is unlike entertainment in that we are required to participate…we do the creating…Engagement is not easy; it is challenging. “Jesus challenged the people of his time and so must we.
Dees does an excellent job of explain what he means by heal, proclaim and teach. If he had stopped there it would be an interesting book. But he goes one step further in Part IV of the book by giving concrete examples of Evangelizing Ministry with Every Generation. Besides all of this practical information each chapter has additional resources on the website, To Heal, Proclaim, and Teach.
If you are involved in parish ministry, as a paid professional or volunteer, this book is an excellent resource. It gave me direction, practical ideas and even more importantly, hope. I could not recommend it more strongly.

For more information on the book and to purchase a copy go to Ave Maria Press.

10 Ways to Keep Holy Week Holy when You Work in a Parish

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10Ways to keepHoly Week HolyHoly Week is upon us. And you, like most Catholics, want to enter into the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus.

But you’re not like most Catholics. You belong to that special group who have chosen to serve the Church by working in a parish. And sometimes this week is difficult to enter into because you have so much work to do. I’ve been there; actually, I am there. But I’ve learned a few things on how to have a holy Holy Week.

The best way would be to go on retreat or leave town. That is usually not possible, if you work with the RCIA group, direct the choir, serve as the lone sacristan, or are the liturgical coordinator.

Here are ten tips that can help and are doable!

1. Plan ahead as much as possible. This means not only for the parish but for yourself and family. Have all your clothes chosen and ready for each liturgy. Keep the calendar as up to date as possible, noting the time you need to be at church–not when an event or liturgy begins. Line up any childcare ahead of time. And ladies, wear comfortable shoes. Smiling is hard if your feet hurt!

2. Spend extra time in prayer. But probably not at your parish: outdoors, at home, at another parish church–where you can be there and no one will need you to help with “just one thing for just a minute.” If possible, go to a neighboring parish for Mass that week. Allow yourself to be in the presence of God without worrying if everything is getting done.

3. Buy your favorite spring flowers, the ones that say “Easter” to you and put them on your desk and in your home.

4. Make sure you sleep and eat. Don’t rely on caffeine to get you through a non-stop Easter morning. By the noon Mass you’ll be a jittery mess and, like shoes that hurt, it makes it more difficult to be welcoming and calm.

5. Don’t host Easter dinner at your house, unless your spouse and children are willing to do it without your help–or you are serving Chinese takeout.

6. Something will go wrong and you just need to roll with it. One year, the lector for Holy Thursday forgot he was the lector. I saw him sitting in his usual pew and wondered why he was getting up. I couldn’t get his attention, so I had to read. At the same mass, the usher started taking up the collection while the priests were getting ready to wash feet. Lessons learned: Be prepared to do whatever is needed; remind people of the plan before you begin because no matter how many times we’ve done it, we are only human. That was also the year the altar server never took up the bowl of soapy water so the priests could wash their hands after washing feet.

7. If it is not absolutely necessary for you to be at church, don’t go unless you have the time and energy and your family will not suffer. While it may be nice to be present, ask yourself who it serves before you go.

8. Attend Mass with your family. If you are “working” at the Mass, have your family sit where you need to sit or as nearby as possible. If you are the choir director, try to sit with your family during the homily–if you can do so without calling attention to yourself.

9. Make time for your family traditions. You may need to arrange your family egg hunt on Easter Monday, but better on Monday than with a tired parent on Sunday.

10. And remember, we serve in the parish; but it’s Jesus who saves us all.

May you have a Blessed Holy Week!

Spiritual Works of Mercy Infographic

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I made an infographic to explain the Spiritual Works of Mercy to the children in the faith formation classes.  Each week I will teach about one work of mercy and then give some ideas as to how to practice it.  At the beginning of the next session we will discuss how the spiritual work was implemented and then go on to the next one.

spiritual works

Be Merciful – A Retreat

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This post is written in response to a question from one of our readers for a fun retreat for catechists. I willingly took up the opportunity to craft a retreat. I hope it is of use to you.

Since we are currently celebrating the Year of Mercy, it seems appropriate that we form our retreat around the theme of mercy.

Theme: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” Luke 6:36
Gather: Serve refreshments appropriate to the time of the retreat; have music playing in the background; if your group is large and people do not know each other’s names, provide name tags.
Welcome: The retreat leader should welcome the group and give an overview of the day.
Opening Prayer: Have a prayer space set up with a covered table, crucifix, Bible, flowers, candle, etc. Use items which are meaningful to your group.
Song: Sweep me Away by Kari Jobe
Psalm 136: Have copies of Psalm 136 available for each participant. Separate the group into two groups and pray the Psalm with each group alternately praying two verses. (Click here for handout)
Reflection: How do I see God’s mercy enduring forever?
Prayer: Lord, you are the Father of all mercy. Throughout history you have shown your people how to love and serve you and each other. You gave us the ultimate sign of your mercy in your Son, Jesus. Help us to know your mercy and then to learn to share it with those you ask us to teach. May your mercy flow in us as we grow closer to you this day. We ask for Mary’s intercession as we pray: Hail Mary…

Ice Breakers: These are helpful and important, especially if your group is large or unfamiliar with each other.
Some possible ideas
1. Human Bingo: Make up Bingo cards with one item in each square, people find one person that has that characteristic in the square. Possible squares: married more than 10 years, is wearing boots, speaks a foreign language, loves to cook, has been anointed, has read the entire Bible, goes to daily Mass, has on a medal or crucifix, carries a rosary in their purse or pocket, is on Facebook, etc. The first one to have a signature in each box wins.
2. We’re all connected: one person stands up in front of the group and starts talking about themselves: I’m from New York, my favorite food is steak, I like to sew, etc… As the person is talking, if another person in the group hears something that is also true of them, they get up, link arms and start talking about themselves until another person hears something that is also true of them, gets up, starts talking and so on until everyone has gotten up. When you explain the game remind people to tell unique things about themselves, not your usual I’m a mom, I teach Confirmation class.
3. That’s Me: (I can’t recall if that really is the name of the game) this works with a small group, no more than 12 or so. Each person writes down something very unique about themselves that people cannot tell by being casual friends or acquaintances. I often write that I forgot how to speak English when I was little. Once everyone has written something, they fold the slip of paper and put it in a basket. Pass around the basket, making sure you don’t have your own paper. Each person reads the slip and tries to guess who wrote it.

Break for bathroom/water

Talk: Retreat Leader or other suitable person
Pick a story from the Gospels that focuses on healing and mercy. For me, I’d have to choose between the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) and the Healing of the Blind Beggar (Luke 18:35-43). Read the Gospel passage chosen and give an explanation of it. After the explanation, it would be appropriate to give a personal testimony of mercy in your own life. Then, either in pairs or small groups, have each participant tell their own story of mercy.

We want to give people the opportunity to see God’s mercy in our everyday lives. When we see mercy in our own lives and reflect on it, it convicts us and hopefully leads us to share it with others.

Group Activity: Mercy is Falling
Play the song Mercy is Falling for the group. Break up into small groups and give each group a large sheet of paper and markers. Instruct the groups to either make a list of or draw what they see when they think of mercy.
When everyone is finished, have them explain to the whole group what they discovered. Post them around the room.

Break for lunch, allow time for fellowship, going outside weather permitting; come back together and open with a song.

Song: Lord I need You by Matt Maher

Lectio Divina: Luke 6:27-36
Here is an explanation of Lectio Divina from the Religion Teacher. I’ve also included an explanation in the handout. I recommend doing this in small groups, no more than five or six people.

Closing Prayer: Before praying, have each participant write their name on a small slip of paper, fold it and put it in a basket.
Pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
After the prayer, have each person take a name from the basket to pray for that person.

Closing: Thank everyone for coming, if a priest or deacon is present have him offer a blessing to the group.

If possible, do the closing prayer in a chapel or in front of the Blessed Sacrament.  This outline is for a retreat without a priest; if you have a priest I’d add opportunities for confession and Mass depending on time constraints.

Copyright 2015, Deanna Bartalini

12 Nuggets from Rediscover Jesus

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1RJ-SC-2TI finished reading Rediscover Jesus by Matthew Kelly and I enjoyed it very much!

I gleaned a few things I’d like to tell you about and I will in a minute.  First though, the book is a nice, easy read but it asks tough questions and offers ways to learn more about Jesus and grow into a, dare I say, better Christian.  Each chapter ends with action items:  Point to Ponder, Verse to Live, Question to Consider, and Prayer.  If you thought, learned and prayed those four items each day for forty days (which is the number of chapters in the book) I think you would be a different person, hopefully better, at the end of that time.  I suppose I could have done that, but I am a book glutton so I can’t just read one chapter a day.  Ideally, I’ll go back to those chapters which challenged me the most and read those again.

Onto my list of nuggets from the book!

  1.  “Jesus is the ultimate new beginning.”
  2. “He (Jesus) wants to perform miracles in you and through you.”
  3. “Who do you say that Jesus is?”
  4. “When is the last time you were awestruck by Jesus?”
  5. “Who does Jesus say that you are?”
    • “Jesus says you are a child of God.”
    • “Jesus says you are infinitely valuable.”
    • “Jesus says you are free.”
  6. “If we could just learn to recognize people’s needs and pain, there are so many prayers that God want to use us to answer.  Too many go unanswered because ordinary people like you and me don’t allow the Holy Spirit to guide us.”
  7. “God is not in the business of tweaking.  He is in the business of transformation.”
  8. “We don’t see ourselves as we really are, and God’s ways are not man’s.”
  9. “Few things will have more impact on your life than what you allow to occupy your mind…ponder the ways of God and you will find yourself living them.”
  10. “If you want to be a better Christian, start by denying yourself.”
  11. “What do I want?  What does God want?”
  12. God is more interested in your future than he is in your past – but he is most interested in your now!”

Chapters 24, The Gap and 28, Spontaneous Prayer , were probably my favorite.  The Gap was full of practical tips which Kelly explains fully in successive chapters.  Spontaneous Prayer made me think about and ponder Gospel verses in a new way.

If you’d like a copy of the book, go to Dynamic Catholic.  They’d make great stocking stuffers