Education

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38 Participants in the Called to Discipleship Received Certification
In order to acquire and/or update the knowledge and skills our catechists need to hand on the faith, the diocesan Lay Ministry Formation Program offers basic and leadership level classes, formation days and retreats in various locations throughout the diocese. Last fall, responding to their baptismal call to ministry, thirty-eight participants in Called to Discipleship, the basic course in the Lay Ministry Formation Program, completed the course and took part in a Skills Formation Day and a Retreat Day to qualify for Diocesan Basic Catechist Certification.

Learn more about the Lay Ministry Formation Program and the newly certified participants.


2009 Catholic Vacation Bible School Materials

• Our Sunday Visitor is offering Discovery Canyon, Explore the Wonders of the World! Each day children explore the Word of God and meet the Saint of the day. A Parent Know-How component is part of this program. Visit www.thevbsplace.org or call 1-800-348-2440 XT 2173 for more information.
  
  
• Liquori Publications offers Son Rocks Kids Camp. The curriculum helps children build their lives on the rock, Jesus. For more information call 1-800-325-9521 or go to www.liguori.org/vbs

Continuing Formation for Catechetical Leaders

• Scholarship money is available to enable Catechetical Leaders to participate in workshops, retreats and courses as part of their continuing formation. Downloadan application form.
  

Catechist Formation Resources
Resources for Catechetical Leaders

• The Catholic Connections Handbook for Middle Schoolers from Saint Mary’s Press includes manuals, student texts and web resources for both the program coordinator and catechists. For more information go to http://www.smmp.org/CatholicConnections.cfm
  
  
• Pflaum Publishing Groupoffers Catholic Jeopardy! for use in Catholic schools, parish religious education programs, whole community/intergenerational events, and family nights. Games are coordinated with ACRE standards plus you can create your own games for learners of all ages. See or play a sample game and for more information, at http://pflaum.com/jeopardy
  
  
• Son Rock Kids Camp, a Catholic Vacation Bible School Program is available through Liguori Publications. See what’s new in 2009 for Catholic VBS at their Web site, http://www.liguori.org/vbs
  
  
• Leadership for Catholic Youth Ministry, A Comprehensive Resource, edited by Thomas East, presents the vision, theological foundations, and pastoral practice of Catholic youth ministry. It is a practical implementation of Renewing the Vision: A Framework for Catholic Youth Ministry. Designed to help all who work with youth learn what empowers young disciples, promotes active participation in a faith community, and provides for personal and spiritual growth for youth this resource is available from Twenty-Third Publications. Contact them at 1-800-321-0411 or http://www.23rdpublications.com
  

Resources for Lent

• Catholic Update, January 2009, “Day by Day Through Lent: Ordinary Things, Sacred Meaning.” For more information and/or to order go to www.americancatholic.org
  
  
• Sacred Lenten Calendar and Journey Through Lent are two resources available from www.pastoralplanning.com The calendar is one week per page and Journey Through Lent offers four weekly reflections on the Lectionary for Lent 2009. If you order these two resources they will give you Getting Started with Lent, an Ash Wednesday resource for you to distribute to your parishioners.
  
  
• Ministry Ideas for Celebrating Lent and Easter with Teens, Families and Parishes, by Judy Dankert, Marilyn Kielbasa and Marie Sajsa is available from Saint Mary’s Press. Go to www.smp.org for more information on this and other Lenten resources for teens.

• Ten top ways to provide adult formation without bursting your budgets are available from www.pastoralplanning.com Bill Huebsch and the team have compiled a variety of resources that are free or available for very little cost.
  
  
• A Place Prepared is a four segment DVD program to help adults talk with children about death and heaven and to help prepare the children for the losses they will experience in their lives. The segments include: Being honest with ourselves as adults, about death; Understanding death and children’s emotional response to it; Talking with children about funerals; Talking with children about heaven. The DVD is a total of 40 minutes and was prepared with consultation from catholic, Christian and Jewish religious leaders and certified death educators. For more information go to www.paracletepress.com
  
  
• When A Loved One Dies, Walking through Grief as a Teenager is a 30 minute DVD covering such topics as: Surviving the first days, weeks and months after a death; Grieving the relationship lost; Grieving particular types of deaths; Facing your future; Learning to cope; and Rebuilding your life. The segments can be used individual or in a series and helps teens understand the grief process through the testimonies of young people who have walked through it, and give hope that you can heal and grow through this life-changing experience. For more information go to www.paracletepress.com
  
  
• Praying in Color is a workshop experience that can be presented for children, teens or adults. It is an introduction to learning to pray through drawing and color. Especially geared for those who express that they do not know what words to use in prayer or what to pray for in certain circumstances, this way of prayer provides a non-verbal way of expressing in God’s presence our care and concern for others. For more information about Praying in Color by Sybil MacBeth, the Praying in Color Journal and The Workshop DVD go to www.paracletepress.com
  
  
• Journey to the Heart, Centering Prayer for Children by Frank X. Jelenek is a simple, colorful, practical book to teach children ages 3-10 how to practice prayer of the heart, contemplative prayer or centering prayer. For details go to www.paracletepress.com

The Catechist’s Toolbox: How to Thrive as a Religious Education Teacher, by Joe Paprocki is now available in Spanish. La caja de herramientas del catequista – Como triunfar en el ministerio de la catequesis, is translated by Miguel Arias. For more information go to www.loyolapress.com

A Well-Built Faith: A Catholic’s Guide to Knowing and Sharing What We Believe, by Joe Paprocki, follows the structure of the four pillars of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and makes them accessible and relevant to the lives of average Catholics, helping us feel confident in sharing our beliefs with others. See www.loyolapress.com for more details.

God’s Gift Program Director Resource DVD: Come and See, Vengan y veran
Provides three segments in English and Spanish that invite children and adults into conversation:

• “Your Role at Mass” explains the elements of the Mass in a way that children can understand and that will get parents talking.
• “A Tour of the Church helps viewers learn about the important people, sacramentals, and other items they see inside the church, including the reconciliation room.
• “Ritual Matters” helps parents understand how the rituals in their everyday life connect to our life in the sacraments.

More information is available at www.loyolapress.com

Family Resources
Linking Parish and Home is a series of twelve pamphlets addressing family concerns and circumstances. Seven of the titles are also available in Spanish. For specific titles and more information go to www.NACFLM.org

The Family Celebrates the Sacraments is a resource to assist families in preparing to celebrate the Sacraments of Initiation, Penance and Reconciliation, and Marriage. Go to www.NACFLM.org for more information. Resource for Family Spirituality
At Home with our Faith from Claretian Publications offers ideas, insight and inspiration to help make a difference in family spirituality. Published nine times a year this resource offers suggestions to help parents feel confident in handing on the faith to their children. The four-page newsletter can be distributed through religious education programs, Catholic schools, parish reading rack, sacrament preparation sessions or through the parish bulletin. Individual subscriptions and discounted rates for bulk orders are available. For more information about this and other resources go to www.claretianpublications.org.

Sacrament Preparation
Growing Up Catholic: Sacramental Formation that Lasts a Lifetime! This is a reproducible text (you make the copies) and very inexpensive. The method is parish catechists coaching parents to form their own children. For more information go to www.pastoralplanning.com

Forming Families in Faith: Sacramental Preparation with a Family Perspective is a resource manual that offers comprehensive materials for presenting both parent and family classes. It is available in English and Spanish and includes outlines, sample lessons, and PowerPoint slides. It is available from the National Association of Catholic Family Life Ministers, www.nacflm.org, (937) 431-5443.

Franciscan Communications DVD programs for Sacrament Preparation include three titles for First Reconciliation, three for First Communion and four for Confirmation. One DVD title for each sacrament is geared toward parents and there is one for sponsors in the Confirmation titles. For more information go to www.amerciancatholic.org

Whole Community Catechesis
26 Creative Celebrations for All Generations by Sister M. Valerie Schneider, SND is a collection of celebrations that focus on the gospels and include reflections, interactive prayers, points for pondering, creative ways to respond to the gospel message, and optional activities for families. Go to www.23rdpublications.com for more details.

Youth Ministry
Senior High Ministry That Works! A Parish-Based Initiation Model by Fred T. Mercadante offers a four-year experience of growing in Christ that parallels the RCIA process. It invites parish youth into full participation in a parish life that centers on Eucharist. Go to www.23rdpublications.com

Gospel Scenes for Teens provides 23 guided prayer meditations and Weekly Prayer Services for Teenagers is a three volume Lectionary-Based resource for the school year. These are available from Twenty-Third Publications, www.23rdpublications.com

Resources on Scripture, Liturgy and Liturgical Year, and Social Issues

Scripture

Liturgy and Liturgical Year

Social Issues

Catechetical Materials
Creative Teaching offers a new series of sacrament posters and activities for elementary and high school students. For more information visit their Web site http://www.creativeteaching.net

Pflaum Publishing Group has revised Together in Jesus , the First Reconciliation and Penance and First Eucharist preparation materials to include a CDROM for each child. To learn more go to http://www.pflaum.com