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
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.
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Get to know us...
Mrs. Janet Benestad
Cabinet Secretary for Faith Formation and Evangelization
Ms. Susan Lang Abbott
Director of Religious Education
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
Ms. Barbara Richards
Administrative Assistant
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Calendar
We learn from and
are supported by each other; we look
forward to seeing catechetical leaders at our events.
2010 - 2011 Calendar of
Events and Programs is in progress. Please note two fixed
dates ~ September 19 and October 23
| SEPTEMBER |
|
|
|
| 22 Wednesday |
New catechetical leader orientation*
*Rsvp: Susan_Kay@rcab.org |
10:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. (Mass at 12:05,
followed by lunch) |
Pastoral Center, Braintree |
Catechetical Sunday is September 19 and the
theme is “Matrimony: Sacrament of
Enduring Love.” Background materials for Catechetical Sunday 2010 are now
available online at www.usccb.org/catecheticalsunday.
Among the free online materials, parishes participating in Catechetical Sunday
can find prayer resources, art, catechist commissioning materials, plans for a
catechist in-service, and an array of materials for teachers, pastors,
catechists and others working with couples preparing for marriage.
In support of NCCL (National Conference for Catechetical Leadership), we
encourage catechetical leaders to consider purchasing their products from NCCL
and the NCCL Bookstore http://www.theobooks.org/department/nccl-10001.cfm?killnav=1.
Catechetical Sunday materials include a plan for a family and intergenerational
retreat on Christian marriage, articles on Church teaching on various aspects of
marriage, and resources for adult faith formation. Materials are provided in
English and Spanish.
This year’s theme has been chosen to coincide with a variety of new Priority
Initiatives from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, including the
release of a pastoral letter on marriage and the For Your Marriage Web
site (www.foryourmarriage.org),
as well as other Conference initiatives intended to strengthen marriage.
NCCL has two items available for purchase
to enhance the celebration of Catechetical Sunday with catechists:
NCCL has designed a pin: a nickel cross with a gold heart, reminding
wearers that God’s love continues forever and whenever we make the sign of the
cross we remember God’s enduring love. The pin is item # 21002 (Member price:
$2.95; non members: $3.25 )
The second Catechetical Sunday item is a new reflection book. This book is not
only appropriate for catechists but for parents as well. Written by David M.
Thomas, PhD and Leland Nagel, it includes reflections on the Sunday gospel, a
question for consideration and a short prayer that expands your names for God.
The book also contains prayers and reflections written by children, youth and
parents. This book can assist parents as they reflect God’s enduring love. The
book is #NC21000. (Member price: $2.25; non-members $2.50)
Catechetical Sunday products can be ordered from the NCCL office or the
NCCL Bookstore. Sample pages from the 2010-2011 reflection book, Reflecting
God’s Enduring Love can be found on the NCCL website (www.NCCL.org) along with other
products that were created by USCCB but are available for sale through NCCL.
Order now!
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October
23, 2010 ~ Annual Catechetical Congress
In the Footsteps of the Master
8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. at The Lantana, Randolph.
Keynote
Speaker: Monsignor James Moroney
Keynote:
Imbued With Spirit and Power: Sacred Liturgy and Sacred Catechists
REGISTRATION
DEADLINE: October 18. Please respect this
deadline.
Click here for additional information and registration.
CHRIST THE TEACHER. Used with permission
Artist: Michael O'Neill
McGrath, OSFS www.beestill.com
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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
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Religious Education Classes for the Deaf
Religious Education of Deaf Youth from First
Communion through Confirmation age are offered throughout the
Metro Boston area: Brighton, Dracut, Framingham, Lowell, Middleborough, Newton,
Randolph, and Stoneham. To register or for further information, contact
Father Shawn 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
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Who gets mailings .... and how?
How do we know to whom we should send
things? YOU tell us. The new procedure for mail going from the Pastoral
Center to parishes means that individual mailings will rarely be sent in
a separate envelope to parish catechetical leaders (PCLs) and pastors.
Letters, brochures, fliers, and forms that are intended for the parish religious
education office, will be included in the weekly mailing from the Pastoral
Center. Please ask the person who opens the parish mail to pass along
anything with: Religious Education Office in the upper right corner of the page,
to the PCL. It may be helpful to check with the person who handles the
mail periodically.
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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
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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.
The Catechetical Certificate program from MAM which can lead to
catechetical certification recognized by the Archdiocese of Boston. The program
is directed by David and Angela Franks and begins in the fall. This year
the program will be offered in two locations: the MAM building in Brighton and
the Pastoral Center in Braintree. To learn more
about the program read the information brochure and register online, go to www.catecheticalcertificate.org
Aldona Lingertat
Director, Master of Arts in Ministry Program
Phone 617 - 779-4104
For more information email Aldona_Lingertat@rcab.org
or Maryellen_Lenihan@rcab.org or
call 617-779-4104.
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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
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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.
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The Office of Religious Education is
supported 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
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This page was last updated August
19, 2010
Copyright © 2010 Archdiocese of Boston; all
rights reserved