I love Lisa Mladinich's energy and verve when it comes to sharing the faith with children. I've endorsed her work here and elsewhere. Today, I'm asking her to share, in her own words, her latest booklet, and how it can help us prepare children for their sacraments. --Pat
Sacraments: Bridging the Gap between Heaven and Earth
“The Sacraments of
Christian Initiation – Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist – lay the
foundation of every Christian life.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, par. 1212)
It is very humbling to be in this particular space. I’d like
to profusely thank Pat Gohn, catechist par excellence (for whom my admiration
is just huge), for inviting me to offer a guest blog in celebration of my new booklet, “Be an Amazing Catechist: Sacramental Preparation” (Our Sunday Visitor, 30 pgs). Written with both
parents and catechists in mind, it is
a guide for teaching the sacraments of Penance, Holy Eucharist, and
Confirmation accurately and vibrantly, so that both you and the children will
come to a more complete appreciation for their purpose, beauty and power to
transform lives.
“Sacraments are ‘powers that come forth’ from the Body of Christ, which
is ever-living and life-giving. They are actions of the Holy Spirit at work in
his Body, the Church. They are ‘the masterworks of God’ in the new and
everlasting covenant.” (Luke 5:17, 6:19, 8:46)(CCC 1116)
Teaching the sacraments can be unbelievably exciting.
Consider this: The Catechism of the
Catholic Church tells us that everything Jesus did during His public ministry
announced and prepared the way for everything He would accomplish in us
afterwards (CCC 1115). By coming to
earth in all His divinity and taking on human form, He bridged the gap between
heaven and earth. Before He ascended to heaven, He created a spiritual bridge for us by establishing the
sacraments, each a vehicle for its own
unique grace, to be administered by the Church.
It is well worth the effort to prepare ourselves to teach
these thrilling truths to our children with sensitivity, enthusiasm and wisdom.
As we pray, study, and cling to the sacraments, our lives become flooded with
God’s grace.
Culled from my own experiences, research, and interviews
with dedicated parents and catechists, this little guide on sacramental
preparation is packed with practical, creative, and inspirational help on
topics such as:
- The call to teach the Faith, and the call to conversion
- Submission to the Church’s authority and the graces that follow
- Heroes of the Faith
- Teaching reverence to children
- Lesson planning basics
- The purpose of confession
- Helping kids overcome their fear of the confessional
- Explaining the Eucharist
- Options for receiving Communion
- Confirmation preparation
- Breaking through to teens
- Nine things that confirmands should memorize
- Helping teens develop a Catholic identity
- Assessments
- The importance of reaching out to other parents
All my booklets run $2.95 for a single copy and $17.90 for bundles of ten.
The original booklet, “Be an Amazing Catechist: Inspire the Faith of Children,” a guide to creative teaching methodologies that can be used with any religious ed curriculum, is also available in Spanish!
--Lisa Mladinich
Lisa is also the founder of Amazing Catechists. Read Lisa's weekly column at Patheos.
The original booklet, “Be an Amazing Catechist: Inspire the Faith of Children,” a guide to creative teaching methodologies that can be used with any religious ed curriculum, is also available in Spanish!
--Lisa Mladinich
Lisa is also the founder of Amazing Catechists. Read Lisa's weekly column at Patheos.
