Outstanding initiatives
The Church constantly invites its members to take an active role in the apostolic dynamic. The Holy Father, with his constant exhortations to reach out to the boundaries of societies to bring the light of Christ, couldn’t be more clear: we are all called to do apostolate!
We are happy to report that Outstanding Initiatives is back on its search for Catholic initiatives and projects that aim to carry out the evangelical mission of the Church. Today, we present to you a set of carefully curated initiatives, which we hope will generate inspiration and imitation.
The Lord Jesus Christ did so many things during His ministry on earth (and continues to work today through the Holy Spirit). He was known to everyone as “Teacher”. Get to know two organizations that carry out the teaching mission, educating today’s generation of young Catholics:
Sophia Sketchpad
Sophia’s Sketchpad is a website that presents video materials created by a Catholic organization of educators known as Sophia’s Institute for Teachers. Founded in 2013, Sophia’s Institute for Teachers seeks to “renew and rebuild Catholic culture through service to Catholic education.” The core of this initiative is to “nurture the spiritual, moral and cultural life of souls and an abiding respect for the role and work of teachers.” They provide materials and programs that aim at helping Catholics to better understand their faith. The materials they produce are strategically designed to be both content-rich and practical. An excellent example of the organization’s output is an animated series published in a stand-alone website called, Sophia’s Sketchpad.org.
True to its name, Sophia’s Sketchpad contains videos that explain topics about the Church, the Gospel and their connections; presented through a sketch. These innovative and fun videos are perfect for classes, for personal use and for social media sharing. They also include free viewing guides and lesson plans to help teachers.
We share with you this fun and highly informative video about the Eucharist, which explains its true meaning using the words of our Lord Jesus in the Gospel.
The Religion Teacher
Founded by author Jared Dees of the book 31 Days to Becoming a Better Religious Educator, The Religion Teacher is a Catholic website that focuses on providing materials and calibrating Catholic educators to effectively meet the needs of their students, especially in helping them establish a personal relationship with Christ. The organization’s mission statement reads: “As Christ’s witnesses, we make disciples everywhere. (Acts 1:8, Mt 28:19).” Their mission begins in the classroom, but it doesn’t end there. They push users to take Catholic education forward by passing it on to others.
The Religion Teacher provides free resources like e-books, lesson plans, related videos and tutorials, and even activities for each season in the Liturgical calendar to effectively apply the lessons in class. We highly recommend this website for catechists and anyone aspiring to become one. This may be used in a formal classroom setting or in your own little work in the community; “the peripheries,” as Pope Francis likes to say.
We share with you this video from the archives of the website that talks about the true meaning of the word “Gospel”. The video discusses its etymology and its connection and relevance to the faith.
Check out The Religion Teacher’s awesome materials.
Religion teacher
As Catholics we are called to aggressively learn more and take to heart the true meaning of our Faith. Being Catholic does not end in observing Holy Days of Obligation, going through all the Sacraments and sharing quotes from the Bible on your Facebook timeline. We need to take our knowledge of the Faith forward by educating ourselves about the meaning behind Holy Days of Obligation, the Sacraments, the Holy Mass, their relevance to our spiritual growth, and how all these help strengthen our relationship with God. Sophia’s Sketchpad and The Religion Teacher show us just that: we should never stop learning and re-learning the Faith.
That wraps up this edition of Outstanding Initiatives MMXV. We highly recommend that you check them out and support these projects by helping spread the word about them. We also hope that our featured initiatives inspire you to start your own project and contribute to the mission of the Church. We encourage you all to keep testing your ideas and to start them now.
If you know of any group or individual project that is 100%-Catholic and very promising, please feel free to shoot us an email at [email protected] so we can give them a shout-out on the next edition of Outstanding Initiatives.
Tell us what you think, bookmark this page and share away!
- 3 Powerful Reminders From The Life Of St. Blaise
One of the most curious celebrations in the Catholic Church is the blessing of throats for St. Blaise’s memorial on February 3rd. I can recall as a small child being told about the blessing of throats and seeing it done at church. I sort of took it for granted, and as I grew up the […] - Five Ways Catholics Can Live Out Pro-Life Values
Many people never thought they would live to see the day when Roe v Wade was overturned. This historical decision, while very praiseworthy, comes with a call to action. There is no better time than now to renew our commitment to protect and cherish life at all stages, especially when it is most vulnerable in […] - Lent 2023: A Resource Guide For Catholics
The Lent and Easter seasons mark the holiest times of the year for us as Catholics. It’s essential that we start preparing now for Lent so that Lent will be a season spent preparing for Easter. This Lent resource guide is designed to provide Catholics with the books, videos, apps, and programs available to help […] - How Prayer Changes When You Become A Parent
I don’t have time to pray I have almost always struggled to feel like I pray “enough.” Believe it or not, the last time that I could definitively say that I didn’t struggle with that was before I had kids. I have 5 kids now and we also have some neurodiversity in the family, so […] - Anne Of Green Gables And Childlike Wonder
“What was wonderful about childhood is that anything in it is a wonder.” – G. K. Chesterton As a child, I remember exploring in the woods for hours with my cousins, playing in the creek and climbing trees. I would get lost in my imagination and in the beauty of it all. As I got […] - This Is Your Invitation To Daily Mass
When you love someone, you don’t just hang out with them once a week for Friday night dates. You want to be with them, in person, every moment you can. You don’t need entertainment. You don’t always need to understand each other or even say much. You just want to be with each other. Maybe […] - Discernment Of Spirits And Mental Health: The 3 Spirits At Work In Our Lives
I want to introduce two things to you- discernment of spirits as taught by St. Ignatius and Satan as the great accuser. St. Ignatius taught that there are three spirits at work in our lives. The first is the spirit of God. The idea is that we can tell which spirit is at work by the […] - This Lent, Take A Deeper Journey Through The Story Of Salvation
Salvation history has been called the most important story ever told—but even though it’s the most important, it’s surprising how few of us truly know it. Sure, we may recognize names like Abraham and Moses, David and Jesus. We may be able to pronounce locations like Canaan and Sinai, Judea and Galilee—maybe even Caesarea Philippi. Even so, […] - 5 Things Even Devout Catholics Can Do To Go Deeper In Discipleship
As Catholics, we have a desire to know the Lord, to deepen our relationship with God. To somehow invite Jesus Christ, who pursues us each personally, into every part of our lives. I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is […] - “Dog Gone” Is Packed With Life Lessons
911 Lone Star lead actor Rob Lowe stars in Netflix’s latest movie, Dog Gone. It’s one of the first feel-good movies of the year based on a true story of a father and son who search for a boy’s lost dog along the Appalachian Trail. Catholics will enjoy two saintly references in the film. In […] - Who Taught Mother Teresa To Be A Person Of Virtue?
Saint Teresa of Calcutta was known for spending countless hours attending to the dying, the sick, and the poor. This flowed from her rich prayer life: Daily Mass and a daily holy hour. Where did Mother Teresa learn to sacrifice herself for others? Her first teacher in virtue was none other than her mother, Dranafile […] - Why Is Peter The New Steward Of The Kingdom?
What is the Steward of the Kingdom? A steward is appointed by the ruling king or queen to represent them and help them to govern. Another word we could use to describe the steward is “prime minister.” In the Old Testament, the chief steward of the king was able to rule with the authority of […] - Top 3 Ways Catholics Can Start Improving Their Mental And Physical Health Today
Health and soundness are better than all gold, and a robust body than countless riches. Sirach 30:15 St. Paul made clear that our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16 -1 7; 6:19 – 20), and St. Thomas elaborated in his great Summa Theologica that Christ’s command to love God with […] - 9 (Easy To Understand!) Quotes From Pope Benedict XVI’s Encyclicals That Teach Us To Love, Hope, And Trust
CARITAS IN VERITATE | June 29, 2009 Each person finds his good by adherence to God’s plan for him, in order to realize it fully: in this plan, he finds his truth, and through adherence to this truth he becomes free (cf. Jn 8:32). Pope Benedict XVI Without God man neither knows which way to […] - A Catholics Guide To Living 2023: Quotes, Devotions, & Resources For A New Year!
Start 2023 strong by committing to grow in your Catholic faith and answering the call to be devoted to daily prayer. Our Catholic Guide to 2023 will lead you with the quotes, monthly devotions, and intentions to help you stay motivated each month of the year. Save or print this article so that you can […] - Is Pope Benedict XVI A Future Doctor Of The Church?
Today we mourn the loss of Pope Benedict XVI, a holy man of God who lived the faith well. May he rest in the arms of God for eternity! Read more about his life and be inspired by his legacy. Pope Benedict XVI Dies At The Age Of 95 Who Was Pope Benedict XVI? Long […] - Top Catholic News Stories From 2022
This Catholic Year in Review is not an exhaustive list of every important event to happen in 2022, but these are some of the biggest news stories in the United States and globally to transpire in the Catholic world. The war in Ukraine, the German Synodal Way, the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and much […] - Why These Two Words Are The Cornerstone Of Your Domestic Church
“I do.” These two words are the cornerstone of the domestic church. In the context of the marital vows, these simple words have the power to join man and woman together, to make of two one, with the purpose of leading them together toward eternal life. If these simple words can have this much weight […] - How To Make Real Spiritual Progress In 2023
“Each day that begins, if welcomed in prayer, is accompanied by courage, so that the problems we have to face no longer seem to be obstacles to our happiness, but rather appeals from God, opportunities for our encounter with him.” Pope Francis We all know that we should pray every day. Prayer connects us to […] - The Little Prince: Allowing Ourselves To Be Tamed
“To create ties.” This, according to the fox in the French novella, The Little Prince, is the meaning of the word tamed. When consulting my dictionary app, I found no definition that quite matched the fox’s, but for the purposes of this reflection, it’s the one I’m going to use. The Little Prince is by French author Antoine De […]
Related content:
I’m A Catholic And Proud Of It
This Video Clarifies The Responsibility Of EVERY Catholic
18 Catholic Colleges That Are Proud To Be Catholic!
Outstanding Initiatives: The Marriage Leadership Challenge
The Divine Communion
3 Catholic Prayer Hacks Even “Experts” Will Use
Outstanding Initiatives: 2nd Edition
Outstanding Initiatives: Catholic Projects to be Proud Of!
“We Are Catholic”: The Video That Will Make You Proud To Be Catholic!
