The NCCL Blog

Mentioned by name twelve times in the Gospels, Mary (from the town of Magdala on the Sea of Galilee) was one of a group of women who traveled with Jesus during his public mini...

St. Peter To Rot was a Papua New Guinean Catholic who was canonized for his continued practice of Catholicism in the face of Japanese repression during World War II.

Peter wa...

Sometimes called the “second apostle of Germany” (the first being St. Boniface), St. Peter Canisius was a Jesuit scholar who preached and wrote in defense of the faith during ...

NCCL Feature: A closer look at... CATECHIST FORMATION

How can we design catechist formation around the lives of today’s catechists?

We know our catechists lead busy lives m...

Paul Miki was a very successful Jesuit preacher; his companions came from every walk of life -- priests, brothers and laymen, Franciscans, Jesuits, and members of the Third Or...

Sr. Maria de la Cruz Aymes (1919–2009) was an influential Roman Catholic religious educator, author, and member of the Society of Helpers.

Born in Mexico, she ministered to m...

Lee Nagel’s life offers catechists a compelling image of what it means to serve the Church not only with competence, but with heart. He served in the Diocese of Green Bay as d...

For catechists, the life of Saint John Henry Newman offers a deeply reassuring and challenging witness: faith is not static—it is a living journey shaped by truth, conscience,...

It has been said that there is no one who has had greater influence on the way Catholics read Scripture than St. Jerome.

Born into a rich family around 347 in what is now Yug...

Dr. Gabriel Moran, AFSC, was a theologian, educator, author, and lifelong learner whose work invited the Church to continually ask: How is God calling us to respond in this ti...

The witness of the 10 Martyrs of Quiché offers catechists not simply a story from the past, but a living mirror of our vocation today.

In late April 2020, the Catholic Church...

In the years following the Second Vatican Council, when the Church was learning anew how to listen as well as teach, leaders like Jane Wolford Hughes helped shape a vision of ...

After completing a master’s degree in theological studies from Harvard Divinity School in 1980, Jack accepted a high school teaching position in Madison, Wisconsin.  Later he ...

Hildegard, a medieval (1098-1179) mystic, composer, author, preacher, poet, playwright and Benedictine nun was canonized in 2012 and named a Doctor of the Church (the fourth w...

For catechists, the life and vision of Françoise Darcy-Berube offer both a challenge and a deep source of encouragement.

She stood at a pivotal moment in the life of the Chur...

St. Albert, teacher, scholar, scientist, preacher, and bishop, offers catechists a powerful example of what it means to devote one's life to seeking and sharing God's truth. B...

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin lived at the intersection of faith, science, and wonder. A French Jesuit priest, philosopher, paleontologist, scientist, and mystic, he refused to s...

The story of Paul is one of the most dramatic stories of transformation in Christian history. Saul of Tarsus was intelligent, educated, passionate, and deeply committed to his...

As an author, lecturer, professor, scholar, and mentor, Gerard Sloyan, a priest of the diocese of Trenton, NJ, helped shape the fields of religious education, Scripture, litur...

Born in Greece, Cyril and Methodius were brothers who became missionaries to the Slavic people of ninth century Moravia. They did far more than teach the faith; they showed wh...

Christiane, born in Louvain, Belgium, was a catechetical advocate for children and a pioneer in the implementation of the Rite of Christian Initiation in the United States.

I...

Sr. Catherine (Kate) Dooley, O.P., Ph.D. was a Sinsinawa (WI) Dominican Sister who was a professor of Catechetics and Liturgy at the Catholic University of America, Washington...

For catechists, the life of Francis de Sales offers a deeply reassuring and practical model of ministry—one rooted not in force or brilliance alone, but in gentleness, patienc...

James J. DiGiacomo was a high school teacher, youth minister, university professor, popular national and international lecturer. He was known for his ability to tell a good st...