LifelongFaith Associates

The Spring 2010 issue of Lifelong Faith on "The New Digital Media & Faith Formation" has received very positive responses from their subscribers.

Consider subscribing to LifelongFaith. Just go to http://www.lifelongfaith.com/. There are some free articles to view if you would like to check it out before you subscribe.

The Faith Formation 2020 book will be published in Fall 2010. And a brand new website just for Faith Formation 2020 will also be launched in the Fall.

John Roberto has published some wonderful articles - do yourself a favor and check them out. There are articles on every aspect of life long faith, including quite a few on Adolescent Catechesis, Moving Online: Faith Formation in a Digital Age, and Emerging Adulthood & Faith Formation.

Check out the website for information on upcoming workshops.

Adult Faith Formation Symposium

The New England Conference of Diocesan Directors of Religious Education invites you to join us for the biennieal New Englad Adult Faith Formation Syposium 2010, scheduled for August 11-12 at the Doubletree Hotel in Westborough, Massachusetts.

The theme of the Symposium is "New Technologies, New Relationships: Connecting with Young Adults. We Will discuss what is important to young adults, how technology can bea useful resource in your parish and how we can use technology effectively in lifelong faith formation.

The speakers include Mike Hayes, co-founder of Bustedhalo.com and the author of Googling God: The Religious Landscape of People in their 20's and 30's; Tim Welch, consultant for Educational Technology at Catholic Education ministries, Diocese of Saint Cloud, MN and author of Technology Tools for Your Ministry; Sr. Janet Schaeffler, a national consultant, author and VLCFF online faculty membor and columnist for Catechist Magazine; Fr. David Frederici, a priest from the Diocese of Fall River and chaplain to CARIAS, a student organization at Cape Cod Community College; and Richard Drabik from the Institute for Pastoral Initiatives at the University of Dayton and the develper of the Virtual Learning Community for Faith Formation.

Registration fees are $135 before July 19 or $150 after July 19.

For more information or to download the registration form/brochure, go to http://www.necddre.org/.

"Teaching Theology with Technology"

Upcoming Webinar:

Don't be intimidated by the technology. Effective teaching/catechesis never changes, but the tools do. Ave Maria Press will be hosting a Webinar that will provide a brief survey of some of the latest tools and resources online and in many of your classrooms.

Date: Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Time: 4:00 pm EDT (duration - 30 minutes)

To register, go to https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/304302721

The New Roman Missal is Approved

The Roman Missal, Third Edition, the ritual text containing prayers and instructions for the celebration of the Mass, has been approved by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments (Vatican).

Pope Benedict XVI welcomed the news that the English translation of the Roman Missal will be published soon. He stated that "A new task will then present itself...one in which one way or another will involve all of you - the task of preparing for the reception of the new translation by clergy and lay faithful".

As catechetical leaders, it is very important that we stay abreast of the work by the Office of Divine Worship. Please look at the General Resources and the Parish Resources available on the United States Bishops' website - http://www.usccb.org/romanmissal/index.shtml.

(Available in Spanish at http://www.usccb.org/romanmissal/espanol2.shtml.

Catechetical Sunday 2010

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis approved for Catechetical Sunday 2010 the theme "Matrimony: Sacrament of Enduring Love" to coincide with the release of the Bishops' Pastoral on Marriage.

Catechetical Sunday will be celebrated on September 19, 2010.

Some of the resources are already available (at no charge) online at www.usccb.org/catecheticalsunday/resources.shtml.

Included are lesson plans, teaching aids, resources for catechetical leaders and families, prayers, and various articles for pastors, etc.

The National Conference for Catechetical Leadership has also developed some resouces - a reflection booklet on the Sunday readings, designed for catechists and parents and a pin with a silver cross with a gold heart laid upon the cross. Check them out at http://www.nccl.org/.

Growing as a Catechist - Free Webinar

A Self-Evaluation Based on 7 Critical Tools from The Catechist's Toolbox...l

Facilitator: Joe Paprocki, D.Min.

Brought to you by Loyola Press, A Jesuit Ministry

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

7:00 - 7:45 p.m. (Central Standard Time)

At this time of the year, many catechists are coming to the end of their teaching schedules. This is a good time to pause and take stock - to engage in a self-evaluation in order to grow as a catechist. In this Webinar, Joe Paprocki invites catechists to evaluate their efforts this year in light of 7 critical "tools" (skills and qualities) drawn from his book The Catechist's Toolbox.

This Webinar will assume a very different flavor from the previous ones in that the focus will be on answering 7 poll questions (one for each of the 7 tools), resulting in a highly interactive and fast-paced experience.

In the days following the Webinar, Joe will answer questions on his blog, Catechist's Journey.

This free Webinar is led by Joe Paprocki, an eight-grade catechist in the Archdiocese of Chicago with over 30 years of experience in pastoral ministry. Joe, national consultant for faith formation at Loyola Press, is the author of numberous books.

To register for this free Webinar, go to https://loyolapressevents.webex.com/mw03061/mywebex/default.do?siteurl=loyolapressevents or check out Joe's blog at http://catechistsjournal.loyolapress.com/

Free PNCEA Webinar

Join the Paulist National Catholic Evangelization Association for a free webinar discussion with Fr. Frank DeSiano, CSO, co-author of Awakening Faith.

Parishes often want to reach those who are less-than-active in their faith. But they are frustred about how. Awakening Faith is a comprehensive program with a methodology attuned to many inactive Catholics - those who are not marginalized or angry, but mostly on the edge and disconnected. Awakening Faith gives the rools, the preparation and the follow-up to allow a parish to reach out.

For more information about the program and other offerings from PNCEA, go to http://www.pncea.org/.

To register for this webinar, go to https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/9333813659.

Awakening Faith 2010 - Free Webinar

Join the Paulist National Catholic Evangelization Association for a Webinar on Thursday, February 11, 2010 3:00-4:00 pm ET

Join us in a free webinar discussion with Fr. Frank DeSiano, CSP, co-author of Awakening Faith. Parishes often want to reach those who are less-than-active in their faith. But they are frustrated about how. Awakening Faith is a comprehensive program with a methodology attuned to many inactive Catholics—Those who are not marginalized or angry, but mostly on the edge and disconnected. Awakening Faith gives the tools, the preparation and the follow-up to allow a parish to reach out.

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.


System RequirementsPC-based attendeesRequired: Windows® 2000, XP Home, XP Pro, 2003 Server, Vista

Macintosh®-based attendeesRequired: Mac OS® X 10.4 (Tiger®) or newer
Space is limited.Reserve your Webinar seat now at: www.gotomeeting.com/register/854352291

Prayer for Haiti

God of all creation, as we weep with our family in Haiti, console us.
In this time of crisis, open our eyes to look beyond the disaster
to see Christ in our brothers and sisters in Haiti, as Christ sees us.
Be with us as we stand in solidarity with those living and working in Haiti.
Be with us in our mourning and guide our efforts to feed the hungry, shelter the
homeless, comfort the grieving and stand for justice.
With your mercy, sustain us at this time as we continue to work for peace and justice.
Amen

How to Help:

Donate via phone: 1-877-HELP-CRS
Donate online: www.crs.org
Write a check: Catholic Relief Services
P.O. Box 17090
Baltimore, Maryland 21203-7090
Memo portion of Check: Haiti Earthquake

New RCL Benziger Sales Representative

RCL Benziger has recently realigned territories to provide us with better service. Maureen Provencher, our former rep, will now handle the Eastern New England territory, covering the dioceses of Portland, Burlington, Providence, Fall River, and the Archdiocese of Boston.

Effective January 1, 2010, Jane Person will be our new sales representative for the Archdiocese of Hartford. Many of you will remember Jane from her over 25 years with the former Silver Burdett Ginn Religion company. She has since been a member of the RCL Benziger family for the past 2 years. Jane brings to us a great knowledge of the resources and of the catechetical ministry, a dedication to this ministry and a commitment to serve. Jane lives in Worcester, MA.

Jane can re reached at: 1-508-797-9027 or jperson@rclbenziger.com.