Archdiocese of Boston
Office of Religious Education
Oficina de Educación Religiosa
Archdiocese of
Boston
Office of Religious Education
Oficina
de Educación Religiosa
66
Brooks Drive
Braintree, Massachusetts 02184
617-779-3625
Our
Mission Statement ~
Committed
to the ministry of the Word centered in the person of Jesus Christ, the
Office of Religious Education
strives to lead people to an
ever
more intimate communion with the Triune God
·
The
Office of Religious Education is
delegated by the Archbishop to provide leadership in the catechetical mission of
the Archdiocese of Boston.
1.
promoting
knowledge of the faith
2.
liturgical
education
3.
moral
formation
4.
teaching
people to pray
5.
education
for community life taking “special note of the ecumenical dimension”
6.
missionary
initiation including catechesis for inter-religious dialogue.
(General Directory for Catechesis ch. 3, #85)
January, 2011
Welcome to the ORE
|
Guidelines:
|
|
The Annual Catechetical Congress is March 24. Check out upcoming enrichment, prayer opportunities, and
conferences on topics of interest. |
opportunities for on-going education
and formation Virtual Learning Community for Faith Formation
Certificate and graduate degree
programs |
|
Catholic Network for Adult Faith
Formation: a new website |
Religious Education for the Deaf |
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.
Mrs. Janet Benestad
Cabinet Secretary for Faith Formation and Evangelization
Ms. Susan Lang Abbott
Director of Religious Education
617-746-5854
Susan_Abbott@rcab.org
Ms. Susan J. Kay
Assistant Director for Catechetical Leadership
617-746-5861
Susan_Kay@rcab.org
Ms. M. Pilar Latorre
Assistant Director for Catechesis with Hispanics
617-746-5862
Pilar_Latorre@rcab.org
Mr. Robert Kavanaugh
Administrative Assistant
617-779-3625
Robert_Kavanaugh@rcab.org
Check back often. Events and activities are added as soon as a date is confirmed.
| September 8 Thursday |
RCIA
101: The Vision and Principles |
The workshop will run twice: 1:00-3:30 and repeated 7:00-9:30 p.m. |
Pastoral Center, Braintree | |
|
SEPTEMBER 18 ~ CATECHETICAL SUNDAY ~ DO THIS IN MEMORY OF ME |
||||
| September 21 Wednesday |
Orientation for new Parish Catechetical Leaders | 10:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. | Pastoral Center, Braintree | |
| October 5 Wednesday |
Congress Committee Meeting | 10:00-Noon Please let Rob Kavanaugh know if you are planning to come: Robert_Kavanaugh@rcab.org |
Pastoral Center, Braintree | |
| October 12 Wednesday |
Confirmation Workshop Father Jonathan Gaspar Director of the Office for Divine Worship |
|
11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. | St. Brigid Parish, Lexington 2001 Massachusetts Ave. Link to googlemap: http://www.stbrigidlexington.org/StBrigid/webPage.aspx?OfficeInfo |
| October 13 Thursday |
Confirmation Workshop Father Jonathan Gaspar |
11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. | Pastoral Center, Braintree | |
| October 15 Saturday |
Confirmation Workshop Father Jonathan Gaspar |
9:00 - 11:30 a.m. | St. Michael Parish, N. Andover directions: http://www.saint-michael.org/index.html |
|
| October 18 Tuesday |
Confirmation Workshop Father Jonathan Gaspar |
6:30 - 9:00 p.m. | St. Athanasius Parish, Reading directions: http://www.rc.net/boston/stathanasius |
|
| December 6 Tuesday |
Let the Children Come to Me Workshop on Religious Education with children with different learning abilities. |
9:15 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. | St. Michael Parish, Bedford | |
| January 12 Thursday |
Archdiocesan Pastoral Plan: Disciples in
Mission (Overview) Please read the pastoral plan in preparation for the meeting: www.planning2012.com |
12:30 - 3:00 | Pastoral Center | |
| January 20 Friday |
Leadership Institute for New Catechetical Leaders Pre-registration required |
9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. | Pastoral Center | |
| January 22 Sunday |
Roots of Our Faith details
below This workshop is required for Archdiocesan Basic Catechist Certification |
2:00 -4:00 p.m. | Good Shepherd Parish (St. Zepherin campus) Wayland http://goodshepherdwayland.org/ |
|
| January 23 Monday |
Roots of Our Faith details
below This workshop is required for Archdiocesan Basic Catechist Certification |
6:30 - 9:00 p.m. | St. Francis Parish, Dracut http://www.saintfrancis.net/directions.htm |
|
| January 26 Thursday PLEASE NOTE LOCATION CHANGE! |
Archdiocesan Pastoral Plan: Disciples in
Mission (Particulars) RSVP: Richard_Gibbons@rcab.org ; (617) 746-5853 |
12:30 - 3:00 |
St. Brigid Parish Hall |
|
| January 31 Tuesday |
Workshop on Physician Assisted Suicide details
below |
1:00 - 3:00 p.m. | Pastoral Center | |
| February 7 Tuesday |
Workshop on Physician Assisted Suicide details below | 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. | Pastoral Center | |
| February 9 Thursday |
Enrichment: Mobilizing
Volunteers for Your Ministry sponsored by the Center for Ministry Development details below |
8:30 a.m. - 3:45 p.m. | Pastoral Center | |
TO BE RESCHEDULED |
Annual meeting: Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley, OFM Cap and Parish Catechetical Leaders | Pastoral Center | ||
| March 6 Tuesday (Waltham) |
Enrichment: Creating a Faith Formation Handbook: There are Rules! Sr. Carol Cimino SSJ, EdD sponsored by Sadlier Rsvp: KKrane@sadlier.com |
9:30
a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Lunch included |
The Chateau, Waltham (Tuesday) | |
| March 7 Wednesday (Middleborough) |
9:30 a.m. - Noon Breakfast included |
Fireside Grille, Middleborough (Wednesday) | ||
| March 14 Wednesday |
Enrichment: Remembering the Master Story: Passover and the Paschal Mystery Celia Sirois and Naomi Towvim |
9:30 a.m. - Noon | Pastoral Center | |
| March 24 Saturday |
Annual Catechetical Congress You've been waiting since the fall - the Congress is here and is bigger and better than ever. The day begins with Mass with Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley, OFM Cap and music by the Archdiocesan Black Catholic Choir. Over 24 workshops in English, workshops in Portuguese, and a complete track in Spanish. Click here for workshop topics and registration details. |
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. | BC High, Dorchester | |
|
March 27 Tuesday |
Children and Loss: Our Response An all-day workshop co-sponsored by Master of Arts in Ministry Program, TINE, St. John's Seminary, and the Archdiocesan Offices of Health Care Ministry and Religious Education |
9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. | Pastoral Center | |
| April 5-7 Triduum | ||||
| April 8 | Easter Sunday | |||
|
April 10 -13 Wednesday-Friday |
NCEA annual conference details available at www.NCEA.org |
Hynes Auditorium, Boston, MA | ||
|
April 27 Friday |
|
9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. |
Boston College Corcoran Commons, Heights Room Chestnut Hill Campus |
|
|
May 15 Tuesday |
DRE Retreat Day Pre-registration required; details to follow |
9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. | Eastern Point Retreat House | |
|
May 16 Wednesday |
DRE Retreat Day Pre-registration required; details to follow |
9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. | Miramar Retreat House | |
|
May 17 Ascension Thursday |
Graduation: Instituto de Formación de Laicos | 6:30 p.m. | Saint Rose Parish, Chelsea | |
|
May 30 Wednesday |
Leadership Appreciation Day | 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. | ||
THE
ANNUAL CATECHETICAL CONGRESS!!!
You've been waiting since the fall - get ready, the Congress is coming and
is bigger and better than ever. Save the date: Saturday, March
24. The day begins with Mass with Cardinal Seán P.
O'Malley, OFM Cap and music by the Archdiocesan Black Catholic Chior.
Over
24 workshops in English, workshops in Portuguese, and a complete track in
Spanish. Click here for
workshop topics and registration details.
Roots of Our Faith
Roots of our Faith is a fascinating presentation that examines our understanding
of Jesus as Jesus of Nazareth as well as Jesus the Christ. We explore Jesus’
life as a faithful Jew and as a man of his time. We will also look at the
context of the beginning of Christianity.
Presented By
Celia Sirois
A marvelous educator and scripture scholar whose area of Expertise is First
Century Christianity.
and
Naomi Towvim
A Jewish educator who is an expert in Judaism
This workshop is open to all and is required for Catechist
Certification from the Office of Religious Education, Archdiocese of Boston.
Sunday, January 22, 2:00-4:00 p.m. ~
Good Shepherd Church (St. Zepherin campus) 99 Main Street, Wayland.
Monday, January 23, 6:30-9:00 p.m. ~ Saint Francis Parish, Wheeler Road, Dracut
Physician
Assisted Suicide Workshops
An Archdiocesan wide education initiative on physician assisted
suicide will be launched on February 11, World Day for the Sick. A
workshop for priests, deacons, hospital chaplains and parish staff will be held
on Tuesday, January 31st, beginning at 1:00 P.M. and ending at 3:00 P.M. (light
lunch available at 12:30), or on Tuesday, February 7, beginning at 7:00 P.M. and
ending at 9:00 P.M.(light refreshments), both at the Pastoral Center, Braintree.
Presenters are Peter Cataldo, Ph.D., Chief Healthcare Ethicist for the
Archdiocese of Boston, and Reverend Myles Sheehan, M.D., S.J. Staff who
might be assisting with the implementation of this initiative are welcome; also
deacons’ wives are most welcome to attend.
Please RSVP to Karen Farrell at kfarrell@rcab.org
before January 24th for the January 31st session, and February 1st for the
February 7th session.
February 9 ~ Mobilizing Volunteers for Your
Ministry ~ 2012 Spring National Workshop from the Center for Ministry
Development
Parish leaders rely on the rich resource of volunteers to accomplish their
ministry, yet recruiting and sustaining volunteers is often a difficult part of
parish ministry. This workshop will provide many ideas to help you discover the
treasure of volunteers within your parish. The workshop will help you:
• Identify the current structure of your ministry and
learn ways to broaden leadership to open it up to more volunteers;
• Learn ways of identifying the gifts of the people in your faith community;
• Tap into the motivations people have for volunteering and provide
opportunities that match their motivations and gifts;
• Envision a system for volunteer management that works within your ministry
structure;
• Enhance current recruiting methods;
• Explore new ways of mentoring and training of volunteers, including online
resources.
For Whom Is the Workshop Intended?
The workshop is designed for all those whose ministries rely on volunteers.
Parish leaders will be invited to come together as a parish team to envision new
ways of relating to all parishioners while growing each individual ministry. All
diocesan offices that work with parish ministers may wish to offer this workshop
to their constituents.
At the workshop, you will hear about resources that can help you with your plan
for recruiting, training and sustaining volunteers. Resources will be available
for purchase during the workshop day.
Schedule of the Day
8: 30 a.m. Registration
9: 00 a.m. Welcome and Opening Prayer
9: 20 a.m. Introduction and Overview of the Day
9: 25 a.m. Session 1: Getting Ready — A Case for Volunteer Management
10: 40 a.m. Break / Bookstore Open
10: 55 a.m. Session 2: Recruiting Volunteers for Your Ministry
12: 00 p.m. Lunch / Bookstore Open
12: 45 p.m. Session 3: Setting Volunteers Up for Success through Training
1: 45 p.m. Session 4: Sustaining and Celebrating Volunteers
2: 45 p.m. Wrap-Up / Prayer / Evaluation /Bookstore Open
3: 15 p.m. Bookstore Closes
Registration Fee: $54 per person includes workshop materials, lunch, and refreshments. Please register at least two weeks in advance. To register, choose from these options:
• Register online at www.CMDnet.org/volunteerworkshop.
• Register by phone by calling toll-free: (888) 723-2433 (credit card payment
only).
Registration Form
Workshop you will attend (indicate location and date) Boston, MA; February 9, 2012
Name ______________________________________________________________________________________
Parish/School/Organization ______________________________________________________________________
Daytime Phone (include area code)_________________________________________________________________
E-Mail (required for communication purposes)_________________________________________________________
Parish/School Address Home Address______________________________________________________________
Street Address________________________________________________________________________________
City/State/ZIP ________________________________________________________________________________
(Arch) Diocese ________________________________________________________________________________
I am enclosing a check for $54 (US), payable to Center for Ministry Development
Mail to Center for Ministry Development, 5713 Wollochet
Drive NW, Suite A, Gig Harbor WA 98335
Or fax to (253) 853-5448
Mobilizing Volunteers for Your Ministry Spring 2012 National Workshop
Workshop Sponsor
Since 1978, Catholic parishes and dioceses have trusted Center for Ministry
Development to provide a vision and practice for ministry that is rooted in
Scripture, Church documents, and best practices research. Through our
partnership with ministry leaders, Center for Ministry Development strives for
excellence and innovation by providing practical, field-tested ministry
solutions and resources.
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
Faith Formation for Persons with Disabilities
From
Loyola Press: Adaptive First Eucharist Preparation Kit for Children with
Autism and Other Special Needs. Check out this new resource - it looks
great; www.loyolapress.com/special-needs
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
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 electronic mailing from the Pastoral
Center. Please ask the person who opens the parish e-mail to pass along
anything with: Religious Education Office in the upper right corner of the page,
to the PCL. If you have not given us your e-mail address, please contact Robert_Kavanaugh@rcab.org
so he can add you to our Constant Contact list.
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.
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.
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
"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.
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
This page was last updated January
23, 2012
Copyright © 2011 Archdiocese of Boston; all rights reserved
when