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Nurturing faith – in the home and in the parish
Parishes around the Diocese of Manchester are “helping parishioners turn their hearts so fully toward Christ that a fire is lit in the heart of the parish itself.” This is the goal of lifelong faith formation and the work of Bill Huebsch, author of Dreams and Visions Pastoral Planning for Lifelong Faith Formation.
Last year Bill Huebsch was with us to lay out the basic outlines of pastoral planning for lifelong faith formation. We were inspired and challenged – and we went home with dreams and visions for our parishes. Now it’s time to revisit all this and keep the vision and spirit alive, to share our struggles and victories, our hopes and dreams, and lay out needs for further training and resources. Bill is coming back to spend another day with us – to facilitate this discussion and help us advance our ministries! We are looking forward to sharing this day with you, as we renew the energy and enthusiasm we experienced last year.
Throughout May, we will feature on catholicnh.org the best practices from parishes throughout the diocese. Some of the opportunities and examples of parish events that we will be spotlighting include:
• Weekend retreats for adults
• “The Question of the Week,” based on the Sunday readings designed for further reflection at home
• Seasonal and faith-related events for the whole parish
• Take-home kits for continued learning and living the faith
Related Links:
Read more about Life Long Faith Formation
Attend the Bill Huebsch workshop on June 13, 2008 - click here for details and to register
Read about Bill Huebsch
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Revisiting Lifelong Faith Formation Plans with Bill Huebsch A workshop of success stories, challenges, needs, and new ideas This workshop is for all pastors, associate pastors, principals, pastoral associates, deacons, catechetical leaders, school staff, and youth ministers. Download this flyer to let your colleagues know about this workshop. (pdf)
Friday, June 13, 2008
June 4, 2008Recommended Reading for First-time Participants: If you and your staff did not participate in last year's workshop and would like to participate this June, Bill recommends that you read Dreams and Visions prior to the workshop. Bill feels that having done that, you will be able to participate well and be an effective minister as the parish continues to move toward Lifelong Faith Formation. Download Book Order Form (pdf) |
Background - Life Long Faith Formation
Several documents on catechetical ministry have been promulgated by the church in recent years. Addressing general and specific areas of catechesis the documents call for developing faith formation that is life long with an emphasis on faith formation for adults. Consequently we are seeing and hearing a variety of terms that refer to what we once called “CCD” or “Religious Education.” Terms like Life Long Faith Formation, Whole Community Catechesis, and Intergenerational Learning are being used to describe parish catechetical ministry. It is important to note that none of these approaches eliminates age specific faith formation processes. Rather, this approach, by whichever term you choose, emphasizes that we are all called to a life long faith journey that involves an ongoing and deepening relationship with Jesus Christ.Last June pastors, deacons, catechetical leaders, pastoral associates, youth ministers, principals and catechists from 47 parishes gathered for a one day workshop with Bill Huebsch to learn about this important approach to faith formation. The workshop, Life Long Catechesis: A Dream or a Real Possibility, built on the diocesan mission statement and highlighted key principals from the documents of Vatican II, papal documents and documents from the United States Bishops. Two goals from these sources are pivotal: the need for Evangelization, helping people turn their hearts to Christ, and Catechesis, offering all members of the church some level of instruction in the faith to deepen their conversion
About Bill Huebsch
Bill Huebsch holds a BA in Religious Studies and a Masters in Theological Studies from the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago. He served as a diocesan administrator for many years in Minnesota and as DRE in a suburban Minneapolis parish.
In 2000 he established the Whole Community Catechesis Project, aimed at helping parishes and dioceses around the world implement the General Directory for Catechesis.
He now serves as the senior advisor on life long faith formation to Twenty-Third Publications in Mystic, CT.
(Read the full bio)
About Catholic Education
In 2004 the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) celebrated 100 years as an organization serving Catholic educators in the United States. Their Centennial Year celebrated a FAITHFUL PAST and the building of a FAITH-FILLED FUTURE.
Anyone who was formed and educated in Catholic schools, who made sacrifices to provide a Catholic education for their children or grandchildren or who served on a faculty in a Catholic School – contributed to that faithful past. Their legacy enables us today to continue to create a faith-filled future.
The challenges that face Catholic education today are many: continuing to provide quality education in a time of technological and communication explosion, searching for new funding resources as the cost of education spirals, employing competent, committed Christian educators in an increasingly competitive market and most importantly, being faithful to the mission of the Catholic Church to provide a strong foundation in religious formation for the young people entrusted to our care.
We believe in our mission. Bishop McCormack, the Catholic Schools Office and the Diocese of Manchester are committed to doing everything we can to ensure the future of Catholic education in New Hampshire. In our time, we can take great pride in our Catholic schools. It is our hope that a future generation who was formed and educated in our schools, who made sacrifices to provide Catholic education, who staffed our schools, who supported Catholic schools in any way or partnered with us as benefactors will celebrate a FAITHFUL PAST and hope for a FAITH-FILLED FUTURE.