New England Convocation for Catechetical Leadership

The New England Convocation for Catechetical Leadership is scheduled for August 5-7, 2011 at the Springfield Marriott Hotel.



The theme for the convocation is "Evangelizing Catechesis: Today, Tomorrow & Beyond".



The pre-convocation (on the RCIA) will be held August 4-5.



Register now! This is a wonderful opportunity for catechetical leaders to gather as a region to learn, explore, and share.



Major speakers include John Allen ("The Future Church"), ValLimar Jansen, Tom Kenzia, Sr. Ruth Bolare, Fr. Juan Calderon, Maureen Provencher, Rob Brancatelli, Mary Jane Silvia, LaVerne Bertin, and Carol Eipers.



Workshops are also available in Spanish.



For more information and the registration forms, go to our website - http://www.orehartford.org/.

Catholic Speakers Online

John Roberto will be presenting "Envisioning the Future of Faith Formation" in a webinar presented by Paulist Evangelization Ministries (formerly the Paulist National Evangelization Association).

The webinar is scheduled for Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 3:00 pm ET.

John will offer practical strategies, ideas, innovations, and resources for targeting the spiritual and religious needs of those who participate only occasionally, those who say they are "spiritual" but not religious, and those who are uninterested and unaffiliated.

John Roberto is President of LifelongFaith Associates (http://www.lifelongfaith.com/), editor of the journal "Lifelong Faith", and coordinator for the Faith Formation 2020 Initiative (http://www.faithformation2020.net/).

For more information or to register, go to http://www.pncea.org/ and click on "online events and training".

"Practice Makes Catholic" - Webinar

Join Joe Paprocki, National Consultant for Faith Formation at Loyola Press, who fill facilitate this complimentary webinar on "15 Ways to Make Your Religion Class More Catholic." Catholicism is a unique way of seeing. As catechists and religion teachers, we impart this way of seeing to others. The Catholic vision is characterized by the following:

• a sense of sacramentality




• a commitment to community




• a respect for the dignity of human life and a commitment to justice




• a reverence for Tradition




• a disposition to faith and hope and not despair.

Wednesday, May 11 at 7:00-8:00 pm, CDT (8:00-9:00 EST)

To register: go to Joe's blog - http://www.catechistsjourney.com/

Catechetical Leader Retreat

For parish Directors/Coordinators of Religious Education and Youth Ministers... Come and enjoy a Day of Reflection at Enders Island in Mystic - June 1, 2011, from 9:30 - 3:30. A day of prayer, sharing, and relaxation at the shore. Our retreat director this year is Deacon Bruce Bonneau, Assistant Director of Adult Evangelization and Spirituality in the Diocese of Fall River. To register, go to http://www.orehartford.org/ or contact me at pkeck@adh-ore.org or 860-243-9465.

Annual Awards Ceremony

Reminder!!!

The Annual Office of Religious Education Awards Ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday, May 25, 2011, 7:30 at St. Mark the Evangelist Church in West Hartford.
Awards will be presented for:

• Service Awards
• Completion of the Echoes of Faith Catechist Formation Program
• Recognition Awards (Light of the World) for adults
• Recognition Awards (Discipleship) for high-school seniors

Recommendation forms are due no later than March 25th.

For copies of the forms, go to www.orehartford.

Roman Missal Workshops

The 3rd Edition of the Roman Missal will be used in all parishes beginning with Advent, 2011.





Father David Baranowski, Director of the Office for Divine Worship, will be presented a workshop on what this change will mean for us and how we can best prepare for it.





The workshop is designed for Catholic school and parish Religious Education personnel.





There are 3 dates/locations to choose from:

• Tuesday, May 3rd at St. John of the Cross in Middlebury


• Tuesday, May 10th at St. Rita in Hamden


• Tuesday, May 17th at St. Mark the Evangelist in West Hartford

All workshops are from 10:00 - Noon.

The registration form can be found at our website - http://www.orehartford.org/ or contact me at pkeck@adh-ore.org or 860-243-9465.

Roman Missal Changes - Free Webinar

Joe Paprocki, National Consultant with Loyola Press, will be presenting a free Webinar titled What You Need to Know About the Roman Missal Changes.

There are 2 sessions to choose from: Tuesday, February 8 or Wednesday, February 9. Both sessions begin at 8:00 p.m. EST and end at 9:00.

In addition, recordings of these Webinars will be made available for those unable to participate live.

To register, or for more information, go to http://www.catechistsjourney.com/ and search for "Roman Missal". At this blog site, you will also find some wonderful articles (a ten-part series) about the upcoming changes to the Roman Missal.

New Cycle for VLCFF

Cycle 1 for the University of Dayton's on-line VLCFF (Virtual Learning Community for Faith Formation) is scheduled for January 23rd - February 26th, 2011. Register now!!!

Excellent courses - all online - and inexpensive. The Archdiocese of Hartford has partnered with the University of Dayton, reducing the cost from $90 to $40 per course (+ books). The courses are designed for parish catechetical leaders, youth ministers, volunteer catechists, RCIA coordinators and all adults who wish to learn more about their faith. There are 35 courses scheduled for Cycle 1. Included are courses in Church History, Ecclesiology, Catechesis, Liturgy, Morality, Scripture, Prayer, Sacraments, Spirituality, Catholic Social Teaching, Faith and Human Development, and many, many more.

For more information or to register: http://vlc.udayton.edu/.

3rd Edition of the Roman Missal

The Education Committee continues planning for the reception of the 3rd Edition of the Roman Missal.

The new translation will take effect the first Sunday of Advent, 2011 - now less than a year away.

For updates on workshops and resources - go to http://www.archdioceseofhartford.org/.

Teaching Religion - Online Course

Boston College's School of Theology and Ministry is offering an online course on Teaching Religion (Elementary) from October 25 - November 19.

Are you a catechist or Catholic school teacher who wants to feel more confident about teaching religion? Has your parish DRE invited you to become a part of the religious education program and you are considering it? This course will help you approach your teaching with enthusiasm. You will explore ways to connect your student with both religious knowledge and Christian practices such as prayer. You will consider different learning styles that will help you engage each participant in your class.

To register, go to www.bc.edu/c21online.