RTJ's Creative Catechist

Keep up your good work!

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Coffey Break

April 2013

Keep up your
good work!

Soon your classes for this year will be ending, and I invite you to
refect back on your ...

Savor your planning time

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 05:00:00 GMT

As I write this column, I remember how I put my lesson plans together when I was teaching. It wasn’t the topic I had trouble with (because the teacher’s manual and scope and sequence chart provided that), but it was how to pres...

Savor your planning time

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 05:00:00 GMT

SourceURL:file://localhost/Users/rosannecoffey/Desktop/N-D%20Coffeybreak.doc

As I write this column, I remember how I put my lesson plans together when I was teaching. It wasn’t the topic I had trouble with (because t...

Our gifts as catechists

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 05:00:00 GMT

As I sat in church at a First Communion liturgy recently, my thoughts drifted to all the teaching that went into preparing these children. Who were the catechists who gave the gift of themselves so these children could receive the gift of Jesus? T...

Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal Recipient

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Congratulations to Dr. Ashleigh Molloy, Director of the Transformation Education Institute, and a Vice Chair of the Toronto Catholic District School Board’s Special Education Advisory Committee, for being selected as a recipient of the Q...

Principled ministry: be comfortable with conflict

Fri, 11 May 2012 05:00:00 GMT

If your actions inspire others to dream more, to learn more, to do more and to be more than they are, then you are a leader. —John Quincy Adams

Effective leadership is similar to being a good chef...

The Spirit of Christ is contagious

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Have you ever watched a group of youngsters playing together and having fun? If you've worked with children, I'm sure you've witnessed their excitement over the smallest things life holds for them. Little children run, skip, laugh, ...

Where’s My Applause?

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

In August, I volunteered to teach sixth graders for our parish religious education program. I was encouraged to do something apostolic by my spiritual director, Father Steve, and since I'm always perfectly docile and obedient (ahem)...

Lent then and now

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT

We didn’t call them rituals when I was growing up, but every Lent we did the same things to mark the 40 days. First, Mother always put an empty box in Dad’s sock drawer. Any time we received candy during Lent, it was put in the...

Bishops' Guidelines

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 05:00:00 GMT

The tools (students' religion texts and teacher manuals) have been fashioned with the following criteria in mind:

1. Authentic: in harmony with Catholic tradition and magisterium or Church auth...

Looking for New Year’s resolutions—why not the baptismal promises?

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Aren’t baptismal promises just for Easter and the sacrament of baptism? After reading Susan Abbott’s article on infant baptism, commitment, and catechesis, I hope you will agree with me that the promises made for us at baptism,...

Liturgy: ever-changing, ever new

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 05:00:00 GMT

If you’ve been following our liturgy column this year, then you see how the author, Deborah McCann, is helping us and those we teach better experience the Mass by awakening our senses. This is especially helpful...

Remind children they're saints too

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Dressing up as saints for All Saints’ Day was not popular when I was young. But I have had the challenge and joy of introducing this type of costumed adventure to those I taught. Mischievous Johnny was suddenly transformed into peace-fil...

A firm foundation to begin anew

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Where do you begin when building a house, apartment, or high-rise? You begin with the foundation—and it must be strong and secure. We know that if the base is solid, it will support whatever’s built up...

Prepare your catechists for the upcoming year

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Why do we need volunteer catechists? It should never be “to fill a slot.” You want volunteers called to share the gift of faith with the children in your parish—volunteers who are excited and feel called to this minis...

Summer reading suggestions for catechists

Tue, 31 May 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Summer is a great time to feed your soul. Below are some excellent spirituality books to nourish and savor now that your classes are over. You can treasure one reflection, letter, chapter, or segment no matter how much or how little time you have ...

Let’s share our joys in being a catechist

Tue, 24 May 2011 05:00:00 GMT

This summer, refresh your catechetical spirit by reflecting on the following joys of being a catechist.

We’re answering a need in our parish.
A call for catechists was in the ...

Thank you for all your hard work!

Tue, 03 May 2011 05:00:00 GMT

This week is National Teacher Appreciation Week and all of us here at RTJ’s Creative Catechist want to thank you for all your hard work. You have spent the past year shaping the faith of those you teach and this is n...

Gratitude! Gratitude!

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 05:00:00 GMT

At this point in the teaching year, you certainly might expect someone to say thanks for all your volunteer efforts, and I sincerely hope they do. But let’s think about why gratitude might be an appropriate virtue for you to practice. Wh...

A Tribute to Mentors

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 05:00:00 GMT

As catechists, you are mentors. Think about it for a minute. A good mentor someone who is a wise and trusted teacher. Mentors are good listeners who offer support and encouragement. Good mentors provide constructive criticism even if it’...

A very special patchwork quilt

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 05:00:00 GMT

By this time of year, you’ve been with those you teach long enough to know that each of them is unique. Think about them as a patchwork quilt where no two squares are the same.

You have children who ...

The power of the Eucharist

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 05:00:00 GMT

I have a habit of putting favorite quotes on sticky notes and placing them all around my computer screen. When it gets too full, I put the notes in a journal and some day I will copy them all in there.

One of the quotes I have ...

The Advent art of waiting

Tue, 19 Oct 2010 05:00:00 GMT

One of my fondest memories of teaching in a Catholic school is helping the children understand and celebrate the season of Advent. The principal at our school “pounded into our heads” that we were to focus on Advent, the beginn...

Understanding your mission as a catechist

Tue, 05 Oct 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Did you ever equate your mission as a catechist to the role of John the Baptist? He did the same thing that you are asked to do—“prepare the way of the Lord!” You do it in the heart of each child you teach. Just as Jo...

What the saints have taught me

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 05:00:00 GMT

It seems like Catholics—and even non-Catholics—know who to pray to if something is lost. But St. Anthony and all the saints also hold much more for us if we but open our eyes and help our students learn more about them.

RTJ's Creative Catechist Companion

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 05:00:00 GMT

The RTJ's Creative Catechist Companion is a complement to RTJ's Creative Catechist, and is designed as an aid for catechetical leaders. Each mont...

2010-2011 Praying and Planning Guide sample

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 05:00:00 GMT

A sample of this useful guide for catechists, which includes inspirational lesson ideas, insightful articles on teaching, and a full-size liturgical calendar.