Office of Religious Education
Oficina de Educación Religiosa

617-779-3625

 

Our Mission Statement ~ 
Go therefore... Teach!
       Matthew 28:19-20 

The Office of Religious Education 
            is delegated by the Archbishop to provide leadership in the catechetical mission of the Archdiocese of Boston. The Office is committed to the ministry of the Word centered in the person of Jesus Christ, and strives to lead people to ever more intimate communion with the Triune God.                           
The Office of Religious Education 
             promotes excellence in catechesis, that is, the life long Christian formation of the total person in heart, mind and will. The Office fosters a deep and systematic knowledge of the person and message of Jesus Christ and the teaching of the Catholic Church, so that the faith of the maturing believer becomes ever more living, explicit, fruitful, conscious and active.
The Office of Religious Education             
                supports the parishes of the Archdiocese by motivating, encouraging and preparing parish leaders and catechists for their mission of life-long formation of adults, youth and children toward the fullness of Catholic life. The Office plans, develops, implements and evaluates programs designed to serve parishes in a truly effective manner.

The Office of Religious Education               
            
is committed to collaboration with other Archdiocesan agencies, especially with those responsible for elements of the Church’s mission closely related to the six basic tasks of religious education. These tasks are: teaching the message of Christ and the Church, teaching people to pray, forming people for worship, sharing and fostering community, moral formation, and motivating people to service in the name of Christ.

PLEASE NOTE our new address:  Archdiocese of Boston, Office of Religious Education, 66 Brooks Drive, Braintree, MA 02184; Phone and Email information will remain the same; our new fax number is 617-746-5702.

Welcome to the ORE  

Description in English of 

Spanish Programs and Activities


Staff ~               Who's Who at the ORE 

Services         How can we serve you?

Certification Requirements  for Catechists and paraprofessionals 

Our Mission Statement

Resources 
         Information and resources for the Year of the Priest - June 19, 2009- June 19-2010
         
Guidelines:

Parent as Catechist ~ Home Schooling and Religious Education

Calendar  What's happening where and when

Check out upcoming enrichment, prayer opportunities, and conferences on topics of interest.

Catechetical Sunday Information 
                        
   

 opportunities for on-going education and formation

Virtual Learning Community for Faith Formation

The Master of Arts in Ministry Program   

 

What's New  

Catholic Network for Adult Faith Formation:  a new website

Religious Education for the deaf  

Faith Formation ~ Persons with Learning Disabilities

 

 

Welcome 
from Susan Abbott
Director, Office of Religious Education

Welcome to the Religious Education Office Home Page. This Office exists to support our parishes in their religious education ministry. Our Holy Father Benedict XVI, the writings of  Pope John Paul II, and the Bishops of the Catholic Church all have stated strongly that parish religious education is a life-long process of formation in the Catholic faith.  The Office of Religious Education offers resources for teaching the faith to adults, children and youth. We look forward to hearing from you.

return to top of page

 

Get to know us...

Ms. Susan Lang Abbott
 Director of Religious Education
Consultant for Family Faith Formation
Susan_Abbott@rcab.org


Ms. Susan Kay 
Assistant Director for Catechetical Leadership
Susan_Kay@rcab.org


Ms. M. Pilar Latorre
Assistant Director for Hispanic Catechesis

Hosffman Ospino, Ph.D.
Consultant for Hispanic Catechesis

Barbara Richards
Administrative Assistant

return to top of page

Calendar

SAVE THE DATE: OUR CATECHETICAL CONGRESS WILL TAKE PLACE ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2009, AT THE LANTANA.
Stay tuned, details will be posted during the summer.  

Our Calendar
  We learn from and are supported by each other and so we look forward to seeing catechetical leaders at our events.  

 
June  19

Pope Benedict XVI opens the Year of the Priest 

Details and resources coming, but for now, think about how your parish and parish religious education program can celebrate the gift of priesthood this year.

 August

10-13
2009

Monday thru Thursday

New England Religious Education Leadership  Convocation  
Sr. Sandra Demasi,ssj, Dr.Wendy Wright, 
Bro. Michael McGrath, osfs – major presenters.

Marriott Hotel,  Springfield, MA
 

 2009-2010 Calendar
Stay tuned!  As dates and events are confirmed we will post them here.

September 21

Catechetical Sunday: Proclamation and the Word of God

Catechetical Sundays are no longer being produced by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.  Materials are available for free download at their website: www.usccb.org/catecheticalsunday
23  Wednesday Orientation for new Catechetical Leaders TBA Pastoral Center, Braintree
30 Wednesday Enrichment Morning for Catechetical Leaders  9:30 - Noon Pastoral Center, Braintree

October

24

Saturday

Catechetical Congress

8:00 AM to 4:30 PM

The Lantana Randolph

 

 

 

 

 

 

November is Religious Education Month in New England 

November

 

  

 

December

2

Wednesday

Enrichment Day

9:30 a.m. - Noon

Pastoral Center, Braintree

   

 

February, 2010

26 Friday Workshop: Catechesis with Persons with Disabilities 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Pastoral Center

 

   

March

 

April 

 

May

 

 

26

Wednesday

**Appreciation Day

9:30 a.m. -1:00 p.m.

TBA

 August

11-12

 Tuesday-Wednesday

New England Adult Religious Education Symposium
 

 
Brochure to be mailed in winter.

*Catechetical Leader Advisory Board membership consists of two certified religious educators from each of the five regions of the Archdiocese who have three or more years experience.  The Board advises the Assistant Director for Catechetical Leadership in all matters pertaining to Parish Catechetical Leadership in the Archdiocese.

  ** RSVP NECESSARY   Lunch is included.  Pre-registration is required for the lunch count.  Please e-mail Barbara_Richards@rcab.org                                            

  return to top of page

 

                  

  return to top of page

 


CNAFF

The Catholic Network for Adult Faith Formation has a new web site devoted to promoting faith formation for Catholics.  From their web page:   

            The Network for Adult Faith Formation (NAFF) was created by the Emerging Technologies Committee, a standing committee of the National Advisory Committee on Adult Religious Education (NACARE) that, in turn, is a consultative committee of the Committee on Catechesis of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops on matters pertaining to adult religious education.... In April, 2004 the Emerging Technologies Committee was joined by the Adult Faith Formation Committee of the National Conference of Catechetical Leadership (NCCL). These two committees now administer this web site.

Parts of the site are, or soon will be, password protected for use by committee members and diocesan staff.  The site provides excellent materials for parish adult faith formation including articles and links to organizations and Church documents.  These are available to all and the site is a great resource for parishes.  Visit the site  www.cnaff.org

return to top of page

Religious Education Classes for the Deaf
Classes are now forming for Religious Education of Deaf Youth from First Communion through Confirmation age.  Classes are offered throughout the Metro Boston area: Brighton, Dracut, Framingham, Lowell, Middleborough, Newton, Randolph, and Stoneham.  To register or for further information, contact Kathy Carey or Father Jeremy St. Martin at 617-746-5645 (voice) 617-787-6083 (TTY). 
All classes are coordinated by the Deaf Catholic Ministries, Office of Cultural Diversity.  www.deafcatholic.org

Sacrament Preparation Resources for Persons with Learning Disabilities  
The Institute for Pastoral Initiatives at the University of Dayton has wonderful material available for children and young people preparing for sacraments.  The Network of Inclusive Catholic Educators (NICE) has student texts and resource binders for catechists and catechetical leaders and videos for catechist formation and enrichment in the are of inclusive religious education for persons with disabilities.  For more detailed information and price list, go to http://campus.udayton.edu/~ipi/nice

Local Resource Materials
The religious education program at St. Mary Parish, Winchester, has great resources for sacrament preparation especially for children with autism.  Designed by the mother of an autistic child, the material correlates with the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  For more information, check out the website: www.autismreligiouseducation.net

return to top of page

Catechetical Sunday
September 21, 2009, is Catechetical Sunday.  The theme is: Proclamation and the Word of God.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is no longer offering a Catechetical Sunday kit with poster and resources.  Most material is available to download for free at the website: www.usccb.org/catecheticalsunday 
Individual items such as catechist pins and prayer cards, can be ordered from the USCCB or from the National Conference of Catechetical Leadership  www.nccl.org 

return to top of page

Opportunities for Ongoing Education and Formation


 An Internet based E-learning initiative sponsored by The Institute for Pastoral Initiative of the University of Dayton and the Archdiocese of Boston

Because of this partnership, the fee for each course is only $40.00.Courses run 5 weeks and each class is capped at 12 students.  You don't have to leave home.  Your classroom is your own computer desk and your co-learners are from all over the country!  Many catechetical leaders and catechists in the Archdiocese of Boston have taken courses through the Virtual Learning Community for Faith Formation and have gone back for more!  Word is spreading fast that these courses are a wonderful means of personal or professional enrichment. This is a great way to become grounded in faith for parish ministry.
For more information: www.udayton.edu/~vlc 1-888-300-8436 or call Susan Abbott at the ORE

return to top of page

 

Master of Arts in Ministry Program
St. John’s Seminary
Degree and non-degree students are welcome
For information, call 617.779.4104

The Master of Arts in Ministry (M.A.M.) at St. John's Seminary invites you to consider taking an evening class at  the Creagh Library in Brighton (St. John Seminary campus). For a registration form or information, visit our website at www.rcab.org (click on Catholic Life) or call 617-779-4104.   Potential applicants is may come any Tuesday or Thursday evening during the school year and visit. We are happy to answer any questions over the phone: 617-779-4104. 

Aldona Lingertat 
Associate Director, Master of Arts in Ministry Program 
St. John's Seminary 
Bishop Peterson Hall 
Phone 617 - 779-4104
For more information email Aldona_Lingertat@rcab.org or Maryellen_Lenihan@rcab.org or call 617-779-4104.

return to top of page

 

Spanish Programs and Activities

The Office of Religious Education continues to serve the Hispanic Community in the Archdiocese of Boston through a series of programs of formation in Spanish for parish leaders involved in catechesis and other ministries. These are some of the programs:

 BASIC COURSE FOR CATECHISTS

This course is offered to catechists who begin their ministry for the first time or those who are planning on sharing the gift of faith in a catechetical setting. Catechists meet for eight weeks to review the basics of their Catholic faith and also to acquire the skills to present the message of the Gospel in a more adequate manner.

INTERMEDIATE COURSE FOR CATECHISTS

This ten-week course is aimed to further the formation received in the Basic Course. At the end of this Intermediate class the students are invited to continue their preparation in the Archdiocesan Institute for Ministry – Spanish track.

AIM PROGRAM IN SPANISH – INSTITUTO DE FORMACIÓN DE LAICOS

The AIM program in Spanish is organized somehow differently from its counterpart in English. It consists in a program of four semesters in which the students receive theological, biblical, and pastoral formation. The students meet for ten weeks each semester and four hours each day. In the fourth semester they choose an area of pastoral specialization, according with the needs of their communities.

ARCHDIOCESAN CELEBRATION OF CATECHETICAL SUNDAY (Spanish)

Every September more than 200 Latino catechists gather in one parish of the Archdiocese to celebrate Catechetical Sunday and to kick off the activities of the year. These catechists are sent out to their parishes with a special blessing and the support of the Office of Religious Education to accomplish their calling.

 CATECHETICAL CONGRESS – Spanish component

This yearly event gathers catechists from most parishes in the Archdiocese. Normally, twenty workshops are offered in Spanish as well as two keynote presentations. The participation of Latino catechists in this event has increased significantly in the last few years. 
Other opportunities for growth are: 
        *    Lenten retreat for catechists 
        *    Regular meetings with Directors and Coordinators of Religious Education working in Spanish programs

To read about the offerings and calendar in Spanish, go to  Oficina de Educación Religiosa

return to top of page

  

Clusters

"For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am  there in their midst." (Matthew 18:20)
"I get by with a little help from my friends." (The Beatles)

Working, praying, and sharing together, Clusters make the joys more joyful and the difficulties much easier to bear.  Religious education Clusters will be impacted by reconfiguration; if you don't know what Cluster you belong to, please call our office. We can help you find your group.

 

return to top of page

 The Office of Religious Education is funded by the Catholic Appeal.  
We are enormously grateful to all who have contributed or will contribute this year.
For more information about the Appeal or to donate online, click here:  www.bostoncatholicappeal.org


Thanks to the kind folks at 
RCNet for hosting this page www.rc.net

If you would like to contact the ORE via e-mail write to  Susan_Abbott@RCAB.org   Your comments and questions will be forwarded to the appropriate staff member.. 

return to top of page

This page was last updated June 12, 2009

Copyright © 2009 Archdiocese of Boston; all rights reserved