Environmental Saints and Models
“The world and all that is in it belong to the Lord; the earth and all how live on it are his.” (Psalm 24:1) Yes, the Earth is God’s,...
Respect for the Earth: Caring for God’s Creation
Consider the ways you interact with nature. Have you ever thought about how all our lives depend on nature? How often have you felt in awe of the beauty...
The Paschal Mystery
The Paschal Mystery is a core doctrine of the Church, one of the essential beliefs of all Christians. Though all doctrines are important, some define the very heart of...
Enacting Easter
If you were to ask most people about the story of Christmas, they could likely recall it in some detail. Religious or not, people would likely name the shepherds,...
How to Find a Bible Verse
Reading the Word of God is key to building a personal relationship with Jesus and the Church while learning to live our faith! Did you know there are 73...
Building Community
In a society where young people are well connected virtually but still feel isolated and lonely, how can we build school communities where young people feel important and seen?...
What is Active Learning?
Watch Steven Ellair talk about engaged, active learning and how his experience as a religion teacher informed the creation of Discover! Finding Faith in Life. Discover! is a brand...
Love One Another
We talk a lot about love and the need to be loving people, but what is love? This is a question that Paul’s converts in Corinth must have been...
Prayer: The Heart of the Matter
When I first began teaching, I would invite the class to take several minutes for silent prayer before we began. Shortly after I started this, individual students would approach...
A Confirmation Reflection
I don’t recall where I first heard this quote, but it has stuck with me ever since. It is a quote that simply states, “What we do inside of...
Four Attitudes for 2024
The new year is here! The twelve months to come stretch before us, like clean pages on a calendar. You may already have appointments and other responsibilities marked, but...
Saints for a New Year
We honor the saints because they followed the way of Jesus, each in their own way and with their own gifts and talents. The saints encourage us to follow...
Active Learning Webinar
You may have heard about “active learning.” Let’s take a few minutes to dive into this topic with Steven Ellair and envision how you can incorporate this practice into...
Reclaim Reconciliation
During the season of Advent, the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation often becomes a sacrament of focus in faith communities. Children celebrate First Reconciliation during Advent, and parishes often...
Four Ways to Create More Meaning with Young People
Have you ever been teaching, and you look out to see a room full of young people just staring back at you with glazed eyes? Maybe you’ve experienced sessions...
The Joy of Advent: Complete Catholic lessons for every age, ready to teach
This is such a special time of year. The excitement of the holidays is mounting, and Advent is about to begin, our preparation for the Incarnation and Nativity of...
Celebrating Halloween, All Saints, and All Souls
The ancient Celts, who invented our Halloween celebration, were particularly sensitive to the turning-points of the year. They had to be, for their survival depended on their knowledge of...
Three Ways to Maximize Learning for Kids
If you’ve been in the classroom for some time (or have children of your own), it is no secret that learners have different ways and different circumstances in which...
The Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy
As Christians, we know we’re called to serve one another. This, we can understand, is one of the core messages of the Gospel, especially significant in the instructions to...
Scriptural Prayer with Children
Among the many ways to pray, scriptural prayer is one of the best for children. The stories, images, characters, and words of the Bible are an excellent starting point...
Understanding Aquinas’s Five Proofs for the Existence of God
The Summa Theologica, written by Saint Thomas Aquinas between the years AD 1265 and 1274, is one of the most extensive summaries of Catholic theology ever written. Meant to...
An Inexhaustible Mystery: Images of the Church in Scripture
If you were asked to describe what the Church is, how would you answer? Would your answer be about the buildings, the people, or the teachings? Once you have...
Engagement in the Age of Online Learning
In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus tells his disciples, “Then every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who...
Three Easy Ways to Celebrate the Assumption
With the Solemnity of the Assumption right around the corner, we’re thinking of some creative ways to celebrate with kids—ways that will help to bring the wonder and meaning...
Describing and Defining the Sacraments
Like signs and symbols, the sacraments are about the mystery of a threefold communication: from God to humans, from humans to God, and among humans in community. The very...
Breathe Easier
Having grown up in a family that spent a lot of time outdoors, I always find that time in nature refreshes my soul. Whether at the beach, the mountains,...
Bringing Faith to Life for Middle Schoolers!
Have you ever had the experience of revealing to others that you teach young adolescents only to have them say, “That’s nice!” when their faces seem to say, “Why...
