By Gerald Montpetit

 Story Behind New Cat.Chat Song
"Ordinary"

Last September, I wrote a song called Ordinary for our new Great Journey With Jesus VBS program. Day 3 of the program focuses on the season of Ordinary Time in the church year. We are presently in the season of Ordinary Time and it's easy to overlook how special it truly is.

The goal of writing this song was to help remind kids that we can find opportunities to grow in holiness through the ordinary and mundane routines of our day. In this season, we’re invited to live out the everyday moments of our faith, not in grand gestures but in the small, routine actions that make up our lives. This certainly applies not only to kids, but to us adults as well.

Read more: Story behind new Cat.Chat Song - Ordinary

By Cat.Chat Productions

Decorating for “The Great Journey with Jesus Through the Church Year” VBS offers a creative opportunity to visually bring the church calendar to life! The decorations should reflect the different seasons of the church year while capturing the excitement of the journey with Jesus. 

By decorating in these creative ways, you help the kids understand the significance of each season and how each part of the year connects to the story of Jesus. Your decorations will help immerse them in the journey, making it both memorable and meaningful!

Read more: Decorating Ideas For The Great Journey With Jesus Catholic VBS

By Cat.Chat Productions

Making the faith Alive for kids sometimes requires a little extra encouragement to make it their own. One practical way to instill a sense of ownership of the faith is to encourage kids to be familiar with their Bibles.

Athletes are training for the Olympics, one of their top priorities is to have a good relationship with the coach. JESUS is our Head Coach! We need to spend time with Him if we want to become Champions for Christ. One way we can do this is by reading our Bibles everyday! It is Jesus that gives us the confidence to be bold in our faith. Don’t be afraid to share the Good News about Jesus with others. 

These Bold Bible Covers can remind us to read the Word of God to become Champions for Christ. 

Read more: Bold Bible Covers for Kids

By Reanne Montpetit

 

We recently got asked a question that many of you probably ask yourselves every summer, and if you aren’t, then maybe you should.

“How do we get families who don’t go to Church to come to our VBS?”

It’s not an easy question. Taking the first initial step of inviting people to parish activities and events can be overwhelming. Hopefully these tips can give you a little more confidence about what to do when the time comes, and why it’s important. These tips are by no means limited to VBS, and they can be applied when inviting people to any event.

Read more: How To Invite Them To VBS. (Even If They Don't Go To Church)

By Gerald Montpetit

 

My late grandmother had a tremendous devotion to Our Lady.

I remember before I was a teenager, I would often see a rosary in my grandma’s hands. Near the end of her days, she would quietly move from one bead to the next, knowing in her heart that she was getting closer to the other side of eternity. 

My mom also had a great devotion to Our Lady.  Even when she had dementia, she still had a rosary by her favorite recliner chair and also another one she kept under her pillow or bedside. 

Forgotten were the names and faces of almost everyone she once knew, except for a few close family members. What I find remarkable is, she still remembered all of her childhood prayers and loved to pray the rosary. I remember a few times, after forgetting that we had just prayed the rosary together, she would soon ask me; “Would you like to pray the rosary with me?” I would chuckle and say, “Sure mom that would be great!” and we would pray another decade. 

My wife Denise and I are so grateful that both of our parents have passed onto us the importance of having a sincere devotion to Our Mother Mary. Our Lady has certainly played an important role in many aspects of our family life and our Cat.Chat apostolate. We have often sensed her presence in the major decisions we’ve had to make as she would lead us and guide us, in what I believe, were key moments of ministry and discernment. 

Read more: The Grace to Say Yes

By Reanne Powell

 

The apostles and the saints were people who were filled with the Holy Spirit. They were on fire for God and it transformed their lives, and changed the world around them. They knew without a doubt that the message of Jesus Christ was not just a nice suggestion for a happier life, but was the only thing that really mattered.

The same Spirit that filled the apostles is with us today. The Holy Spirit who came upon the apostles with tongues of fire, who descended from heaven as a dove when Jesus was baptized, and who worked in the lives of countless men and women throughout the centuries is alive and active. 

The question is: how can we invite the Holy Spirit to work powerfully in our lives and in our VBS?

Read more: Invite the Holy Spirit to your Summer VBS

By Gerald Montpetit

I often get easily distracted and consumed during Lent… with my perpetual list of to-dos.

If all of my attempts at fasting, small sacrifices, increased devotions, and generosity during Lent were not helping me to become more like Jesus then I’ve missed the point of Lent. Lent is simply a time to look more like our Saviour, whose very nature is love. 

More of Him and less of my selfishness, my distracted mind and heart, my petty attachments, and my judgments towards others.  

Read more: How can I look more like love this Holy Week?  

By Cat.Chat Productions

 

“Jesus is the reason for the season.” We hear this often and it couldn't be more true, however, sometimes it’s hard to know how to make it a reality in our own family. Thankfully, there are some practical ways to help stay focused on Christ during this Christmas season. Whether you need a reminder for yourself or for your family, here a few ideas for you to use. 

Read more: Practical Ways to Focus on Faith this Christmas