Free Webinar!

The Paulist National Catholic Evangelization Association is offering a free webinar on August 19, 3:00-4:00 pm EST. Fr. Frank DeSiano will speak about PNCEA's newest program, Seeking Christ. This program aims to solve the problem parishes face when people inquire about the Catholic Church, but the parish has no way to begin receiving them. it includes eight sessions that can be used in a variety of ways to welcome and engage people who are inquiring about becoming Catholics. For more information about the program, click here. To register, click here.

July ORE Newsletter is Here

The July newsletter is now on our website: www.orehartford.org/newsletter/10-07.pdf.

A Workshop for Parish Leaders

The Office of Religious Education and the Center for Ministry Development are hosting a workshop for parish leaders - Connecting Catholic Families with the Bible. This 2010 National Workshop Series will explore effective strategies and practices for involving families in the religious education process.

The most important element in the success of any parish or school formation program is what happens in the home.

The workshop is scheduled for Saturday, November 20, 2010, 8:30 am-3:00 pm at the Archdiocesan Center at St. Thomas Seminary.

Leif Kehrwald will be the presenter. He is the Project coordinator for Family and Intergenerational Services at the Center for Ministry Development, now located in Gig Harbor, Washington (formerly in Naugatuck, CT).

The intended audience includes parish leaders who work with families: pastors, priests, deacons, DREs, Pastoral Associates, Youth Ministers, RCIA and Sacramental Prep Coordinators, Coordinators and team members of Generation of Faith parishes and coordinators of Whole Community Catechesis.

The registration fee for the Archdiocese of Hartford leaders, employees, parishioners is $10 each. For guests from outside the Archdiocese, the fee is $25 each. The fee includes workshop materials, lunch and refreshments.

To register, go to http://www.orehartford.org/.

June Newsletter

The June newsletter is here... www.orehartford.org/newsletter/10-06.pdf.

Passport to Success

The New England Conference of Diocesan Directors of Religious Education (NECDDRE) invites you to the Summer Institute and Retreat - Passport to Success - to be held June 25-27, 2010 at the Immaculate Conception Spiritual Renewal Center in Putnam, CT.

Passport to Success is a four-part journey for training and enrichment of parish catechetical leaders.

Part I - Preparing for the Journey - is designed for new or nearly new parish catechetical leaders. It allows participants to identify their gifts and leadership qualities and clarify the nature and scope of their parish responsibilities plus an opportunity to increase skill and knowledge in the areas of management/administration, communication/relationships, curriculum implementation and recruiting/training catechists.

Part II - Embarking on the Journey - has as its focus building on the foundation of Part I or its equivalent. Topics incluce Call to Discipleship, Role of the Catechetical Leader in Prayer and Worship, and Role of the Catechetical Leader in Evangelization.

Part III - Ports of Call - is open to anyone involved in parish ministry. The focus is based on the topics in The Effective DRE: A Skill Series from NCCL/Loyola Press. The topics offered in June include Understanding Catechesis, Catechizing for a Just World, Building Community and Maintaining Professional Balance.

Part IV - Extending your Journey - is open to parish ministers or persons who seek to enrich their faith. Part IV is based on Catholic Basics: A Pastoral Ministry Series. Topics covered at the June session include Mary and the Saints, Ecumenism, Sacramental Theology and Ecclesiology.

There are also evening events open to all participants.

For more details or to register, go to http://www.necddre.org/ or contact Pat Keck or Olive Greene at ogreene2@optonline.net.

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/.