Resources
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What's new in the Resource
Room? What's worth adding to the parish religious education collection?
Print
(and CD)
A
Place for All ~ Ministry for Youth with Special Needs
by John E. Barone, The Monarch School
Saint Mary’s Press 2008, $26.95
Although
the copyright date is 2008, A
Place for All
just arrived at the ORE in December, 2010. It is a treasure! Written
from the heart and grounded in classroom experience, the book presents a step by
step approach to help the parish community and volunteer catechists truly be a
welcoming community. The author relies heavily on case studies to
illustrate his point. He provides scripted scenarios of how to handle
situations. Perhaps the most valuable part of the book is the thoroughness
given to catechist preparation. Well prepared catechists are happy and
more effective catechists and Mr. Barone puts forth catechist in-service
material that will go a long way to both preparedness and effectiveness.
From the St. Mary Press website:
"Every community has a growing population of young people with neurological
differences. Too often, youth with conditions such as autism, Tourette's
syndrome, and bipolar disorder find themselves left out of parish religious
education and youth ministry programs. In the pages of this book you will find
the following:
- Information about many of the neurological
differences that affect young people
- Tips for educating the entire community about
these differences
- Advice on how to reach out to youth with
special needs
- Practical steps to modify your facilities to
meet the needs of youth with neurological differences
- Training tools for empowering volunteers to
work with special needs youth
A
Place for All opens a window into the
challenging lives of children with neurological differences, the difficulties
faced by the adults who work with them, and the shift in philosophy and
methodology required for religious education professionals and volunteers to be
able honestly to say, "There is a place for all in our community!"
"
Mass, A Guide For
Visual Learners
By Margaret Froehlke; ISBN:
9780979074745
Mass, A Guide For Visual Learners is a booklet for
children and adults with autism - or anyone who learns best visually.
This is a photo-rich book with
clear text, explaining each part of the Mass. $5
+ $5 processing = $10. Read more at the Diocese of Lansing, Michigan
website: http://faithmag.com/faithmag/column2.asp?ArticleID=997
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Two must haves for all
religious education offices!
The descriptions below come from
the NCEA web site. For those not familiar with the books referenced in the
blurb, the earlier Legal Issues books for leaders and catechists were very
valuable resources in parish religious education work. If you have the
older edition you know how necessary these books are for a well-run parish
program, and you will want to order this new edition. For those who have
not read the original, order these new books now and plan to build the
information into your next catechist meeting or cluster gathering.
Legal
Issues for Catechetical and Youth Leaders by
Mary Angela Shaughnessy, SCN, J.D., Ph.D.
NCEA, 2006. 120pp., NCEA Non-member price: $21.00
This new book expands the scope of the previous Religious Education and the
Law: A Handbook for Parish Catechetical Leaders, to include parish and youth
ministers as well as religious educators. Topics either not discussed or only
mentioned in the earlier text include boundaries, harassment, hazing and
bullying, the Internet, email, health and medication issues, violence, special
needs and others.
Religious Education, Youth and Campus Ministry: Legal Issues for Catechists,
Ministers, and Volunteers
by Mary Angela Shaughnessy, SCN, J.D., Ph.D.
NCEA, 2006. 54pp., NCEA
Non-member price: $7.00 (packets of
10: $40.00)
Revised,
this book expands the previous volume Religious Education and the Law: A
Catechist Handbook touching on the same topics as Religious Education,
Parish and Youth Ministry: Legal Issues for Catechetical and Youth Leaders
from the perspective of catechists and youth ministers. Topics include
boundaries, harassment, hazing and bullying, the Internet, email, health and
medication issues, violence, special needs and others.
These can be ordered through NCEA (ncea.org)
or Amazon.com, but Amazon has the Volunteer booklet only as single copy,
not in packs of 10.
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Resources
Online
From the Archdiocese of Washington: wonderful resources on
the papacy including grade-level lesson plans for schools and parishes, a novena
for Pope benedict, prayers of the faithful and bulletin inserts. A great
resource http://site.adw.org/resources-on-the-papacy
Check publishers' pages too. Most publishers of basal
series have good resources available for this exciting time in our Church.
Wonderful teachable moments!
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Got Media Questions?
The National Association of Catechetical Media Professionals (NACMP) is adding a
FAQ section to its website. Questions range from copyright concerns
to latest movie reviews. The site is maintained by computer gurus from Cleveland
and St. Cloud. If you have questions, they'll have - or find - the
answers.
Check it out: www.nacmp.org
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Video Catalogue
~ Recursos Audiovisuales en Español
Our video catalogue contains 83 pages of videos indexed by
topic, with age suggestions, viewing time, and video description. In addition,
there is a section of Spanish videos with bi-lingual descriptions. Order one for
your religious education office now by calling the Office
(617-779-3625). The catalogue costs $5.00 which includes mailing
costs. Order now!
Of course, as soon as a media catalogue is printed it is out of
date. Additions to our video library will be listed and reviewed here and
in the Good News Letter.
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Disabilities Resources
Available from USCCB (www.usccb.org
800-235-8722):
*
Guidelines
for the Celebration of the Sacraments with Persons with Disabilities
* Pastoral
Statement on Persons with Disabilities
* Opening Doors to Welcome
and Justice / Parish Guide
Momentum
is a quarterly journal
published by the NCEA. They
consistently have worthwhile articles on inclusive classrooms and providing a
welcoming environment for persons with special needs and disabilities.
For subscription information, go to NCEA.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
Mass, A Guide For Visual Learners is a
booklet for children and adults with autism - or anyone who learns best
visually. This is a photo-rich
book with clear text, explaining each part of the Mass. $5
+ $5 processing = $10. Read more at the Diocese of Lansing, Michigan
website: http://faithmag.com/faithmag/column2.asp?ArticleID=997
Autism Resources
Resources that were distributed or mentioned at our February 11, 2011
workshop on autism with Sue Swanson are now available at http://www.bc.edu/schools/stm/edevnts/CampusEvents/Resources/Autism.html
This workshop was co-sponsored with Boston College through a grant from
Pyne Memorial Presentation..
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What you can order from the ORE
Check your parish Religious
Education library and make sure you have The Basics:
-
The General Directory for
Catechesis ($19.95)
-
The National Directory for
Catechesis ($19.95)
-
Curriculum Guidelines (grades K ~ 8) ($10.)
-
Video Catalogue
All of the items above are easy to order, just
call the office - 617-779-3625, and place your
order. We will mail them out to you with the bill.
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IDEAS!
Looking for a Retreat Site?
The SMA Fathers have a beautiful location on route 135 in Dedham.
In conversations with Sister Marion Batho, CSJ, Delegate for Religious for
the Archdiocese, the Fathers mentioned that their facility is available for
groups - students and / or adults - for days or evenings of prayer.
Here is the contact information for the SMA Fathers: 337 Common Street, Dedham,
(781) 326-3288
Vocations Speakers
Sister Marion Batho, CSJ, Delegate for Religious for the
Archdiocese, offers assistance to parish religious education and confirmation
programs who wish to have someone come to the parish to speak about
vocations. Sister Marian has a list of speakers willing to speak on all
aspects of vocation and discernment. Sister Marian can be reached at
617-746-5637. There are few opportunities or venues in which to invite our
young people to consider God's plan for them. Jesus said to his
disciples, "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the
master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest." (Matthew
9:37) We do a great disservice to our youngsters and
our Church if we do not raise awareness to religious life and priesthood.
Call Sister Marion and talk about having someone come to speak to your
children and teens.
Holy Childhood Association
HCA is part of the Propagation of the Faith, a Pontifical Mission
Society. From their brochure we learn that, "...HCA offers young
Catholics an opportunity to grow in faith through mission education, sacrifice,
and service for others..... HCA focuses entirely on 'children helping
children'"
Wonderful resources are available for use in parish
religious education programs. Check out the website: http://www.propfaithboston.org/Boston/hca.html
Other links with good information and resources: www.onefamilyinmission.org
and www.hcakids.org Here at the
Archdiocese, Maureen Crowley Heil is the Mission Education Coordinator for
HCA. She is ready, willing, and able to visit parishes and speak with
classes. For more information, contact Maureen at mheil@propfaithboston.org
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Labels are for Jars!
Labels Are For Jars is a creative effort organized by Father Paul
O'Brien, Pastor of St. Patrick Parish, Lawrence, to help feed the hungry in Lawrence. Young people from
parishes throughout the Archdiocese have gotten involved in Labels as a unique service
opportunity. To learn more about Labels Are For Jars, go to www.labelsareforjars.org
The website has lots of information about the project, including photos of the
meal center, Cor Unum, which was dedicated recently. This might be an
inspiration for your efforts to help our young people build the Kingdom with the
neediest of our brothers and sisters.
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Stewardship
Stewardship is a three
part approach to Christian discipleship involving Time, Talent and Treasure.
Most folks, however, forget the first two dimensions, Time and Talent, and focus
almost exclusively on the Treasure component. We have been in conversation
with the director of the Archdiocese's Office of Stewardship, about
the need to educate and form our parishioners in the real, complete, spirit of
stewardship. We will have more information during the school year but for
now, give some thought to how you can infuse Stewardship into your parish
program. Recruiting parish/parent volunteers to assist - not only as
catechists but as clerical, corridor and classroom aides - is inviting
stewardship. Asking a talented high school student to help design the
cover of your annual religious education calendar is inviting stewardship. We educate for
citizenship and discipleship; make stewardship a part of your
program. Channing Bete, publishers of scriptographic booklets has
some great resources to help children and young people develop a sense of
stewardship. Check them out at: www.faithguides.com
(Click on
Pricing and Ordering, then on Catholic and you will find an alphabetical list of
topics.)
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Maryknoll
Presentations in
Schools and
Colleges
"Know your brothers and sisters of other cultures”
Maryknoll
located in the Maryknoll Promotion House, E. Walpole, Mass., offers visual
presentations to students in schools, CCD classes and colleges.
1. Fr. Frank Breen did pastoral work in the East African country
of Kenya for 30 years and gives presentations on:
* General Introduction to East Africa (slides), including
causes of poverty and church (mission)
programs.
* A day of reflection on Globalization
(grades 11 & 12 only)
* A day of reflection on the environment
and faith (grades 6-12)
Fr.
Frank also speaks in colleges. He can be contacted via email at: Fbreenmm@aol.com
2.
Fr. Joe Towle did pastoral work in the Latin American countries of
Guatemala & Bolivia for 24 years. During and after those years he produced
educational videos for Maryknoll.
His
presentation includes a 14 minute video-profile of a young teenager of the
“Children of the Earth” series of Maryknoll. (Africa, Asia, Latin America
and the Caribbean, Native Americans.) For descriptions of this series, see the
enclosed brochure.
Fr.
Joe speaks to students from grades 6-12 and to colleges; he can be reached via
email: jwtowle1@aol.com
Maryknoll Fathers & Brothers 80 Emerson Rd. E. Walpole, Ma. 02032 Tel.
508-668-6831
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Web Resources
Keeping up with web sites is more than a full time job. While we
really cannot explore all the great sites out there (nor warn against the
not-so-great sites) occasionally we will pass along sites we feel are
informative, uplifting, somewhat related to the business of catechesis, and of,
course, accurate!!! Below are some good, general
sites, and in the next section, links to the major publishers.
ww.bostoncatholic.org
- our very own Archdiocese of Boston webpage
www.usccb.org
- web site of the American Catholic Bishops
www.vatican.va
- the official web site of the Vatican.
www.cnaff.org
- The Catholic Network for Adult Faith Formation has a new web site devoted to
promoting faith formation for Catholics. 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.
www.pauline.org The Daughters of Saint Paul have excellent resources at their
site.
www.sacredspace.ie - 10
minute daily prayer experience at your computer from the Irish Jesuits
www.CatholicWeb.com
is a free subscription based and member driven
online Catholic community. Their site describes their work:
"... provides Catholic content and online Web services to the Church,
it's members, and those interested in learning about the Catholic faith.
CatholicWeb's overall mission is to serve, be faithful, and provide information
consistent with the official teachings and Magesterium of the Holy Catholic
Church.
www.catholicweb.com
www.AmericanCatholic.org
St. Anthony Messenger Press another site with excellent information.
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Publishers' Sites and News
We are so blessed to work with wonderful publishers who help the diocese,
parishes, catechetical leaders and catechists spread the Good News. Check out some of the terrific pages from our publishers:
Harcourt Religion is now a part of Our Sunday Visitor. Web
page, materials, and ordering procedure remain the same: www.harcourtreligion.com
Call to Faith, the new Harcourt religion series is ready.
Intergenerational and whole community catechesis are alive and well in this new
series.
Loyola has two basal text series: Finding God and Christ
Our Life (revised in 2009): www.findinggod.org
and http://www.loyolapress.com/christ-our-life-religion-program.htm
Wonderful resources for catechists.
Resources for Christian Living (RCL) and Benziger have combined
to form, RCL Benziger. This new company, RCL Benziger has recently acquired some Silver Burdett
Religion resources from parent company Pearson Education. Because Pearson will
continue to produce other educational texts under the Silver Burdett imprint,
RCL Benziger will not use the Silver Burdett Religion name. SBR online
resources that accompany the Blest Are We series plus supplemental
materials art still available for download at www.blestarewe.com.
All SBR materials can be ordered through RCL Benziger. The new web
address for RCL Benziger is www.rclbenziger.com
Sadlier: www.cyberfaith.com and
www.comingtofaith.com.
Check out Sadlier's new intergenerational website at www.webelieveweb.com
Also, the We Believe series is now available in a bilingual edition: Creemos.
Sadlier has many helpful resources for families. In addition to the Unit
and Chapter Family pages in We Believe, Family pages are also available
in Creemos. For the past two years Sadlier has produced the Unit Family
pages in Portuguese and they are available at the Sadlier webelieveweb site.
Saint Mary's Press: www.smp.org
What is your parish doing for and with adults?
Adult Faith Sharing
The USCCB has a
wonderful series of faith sharing booklets designed to assist adults come to a
greater awareness and appreciation of Catholic social teaching. There are
five books in the series - they can be used as part of an overall program or can
stand alone. The booklets are: Shaping the Tradition, Sharing the
Future; The Call to Family, Community, and Participation; Dignity of the Human
Person; Preferential Option for the Poor; and Solidarity with the
Poor. Each booklet is a six week program with Scripture
readings, reflections, focus questions, and suggested group actions. Since
the booklets are only $1.00 per copy, they are budget-friendly for most parish
adult education programs. Contact the USCCB at 800-235-8722 to
order these materials
The United
States Catholic Catechism for Adults is another excellent resource for
adults. Stories of holy people begin each chapter and prayer and
meditation suggestions close each chapter. In between is solid teaching
about the Catholic faith. Based, of course, on the Catechism of the
Catholic Church, this U.S. version is very user-friendly. A
supplemental Reader's Journal is also available.
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