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...
How to Choose the Right Catholic Bible for Children
Getting children into Scripture requires careful planning, especially when it comes to choosing the right Bible for them. With several options in terms of translations, formats, and features, it...
Finding Scripture in the Mass
Every week at Mass, we listen as Sacred Scripture is proclaimed to the Church. Then, later on in every week during faith formation or religious education classes, we teach...
The ABCs of Biblical Literacy
Twenty years ago, we had an “Aha!” moment. We discovered that Catholic young people don’t know how to navigate the Bible, they weren’t familiar with its important people and...
The Scriptural Roots of the Eucharist: Making the Connection with Kids
Scripture and Tradition: The Heart of the Catholic Faith The core of our belief is rooted in what we hear and read in Sacred Scripture, interpreted by the Tradition...
Celebrating the Ascension with Kids
The Solemnity of the Ascension has the power to really wow kids with the marvelous account of Christ’s last moments, after his Resurrection, before he enters into Heaven. The...
Mary of Nazareth
Mary of Nazareth (ca. 18 BC—AD 50), the mother of Jesus of Nazareth, is without a doubt one of the most influential figures in all of Christianity. Revered by...
Supporting Faith and Fun in the Family
Spring is a time of renewal and a perfect time to renew efforts to support faith formation at home. Spring also signals the beginning of the end for the...
5 Action Steps for Nurturing Children in Faith
What are the best ways to help children learn and live their faith? How can we engage children so that faith comes to life for them? What are some...
Incarnation: The Mission of the Son
In the life, teaching, and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth, the understanding of the personal nature of God deepened, and the promise of personal relationship with God intensified. Jesus...
Bringing Lent to Life
Lent can be challenging, especially for younger children. It is a penitential season of the liturgical year. Penance, by definition, expresses repentance for wrongdoing and is neither fun nor...
