January 2019
News and Views for
    Catechetical and  
         RCIA Leaders 
 
Published by  
The Catechetical Office
  Department of Youth Faith Formation 
Archdiocese of New York  
 
This Month
For All in the Ministry
Catechumenate (RCIA)
All in Ministry
Webmaster's Column
Guest Columnist

Save the Date 

Of Special Note   

 

  NYC Public Schools Sex Education Mandate  

 

Columns & Quick Links

FROM THE DIRECTOR
 
Dear Director/Coordinator,     
                                           
A blessed new year of 2019.
    
The beginning of a new year always fills me with hope. Last year is gone, never to return. Next year, 2020, is only in the future.   
 
Potentially we are being given 365 days to make a difference for the good. MORE 
For Catechists
Directors, Coordinators and your Catechists:
Come and discover your vital role in rebuilding God's Church in these turbulent times.
The Sixth Annual  
Catechists' Communion Breakfast
"Francis, rebuild my church!"

When:       Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019, gathering 9:30 am
Where:      The Riverview
                                  One Warburton Avenue
                                  Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706
               Celebrant:   H.E. Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan
                                  Archbishop of New York
               Speaker      Rev. Anthony Ciorra, PhD
                                  Vice President for Mission & Identity
                                  Sacred Heart University, Connecticut
        Price:         $20 per person

"Francis, rebuild my Church!" When the Lord said this to Francis, he meant not a building but the Church as the people of God, the community of believers -- all the people, all the believers, including you who hand on the faith to children, youth and their families. Come for Mass with Cardinal Dolan and an inspiring talk by Fr. Ciorra on rebuilding the church in 2019.

Register on line here or mail checks, payable to the Catechetical Office, to Archdiocesan Catechetical Office, 1011 First Avenue - 12th floor, New York, NY 10022. RSVP by Feb. 12.
For additional assistance, call 646-794-2822 or email stephanie.gonzalez@archny.org
For Catholics Who Teach  
in Public Schools
No one is more deserving of a day of spiritual renewal than Catholic teachers in public schools. If you or someone you know - maybe one of your catechists, a parent, a friend of relative - is a public school teacher, tell that person about...
 
A Day with Jesus and His Friends,  
Mary and Martha
When:      Saturday, Feb. 2, 9:00am to 1:30pm
Where:     Maryknoll Fathers & Brothers
         55 Ryder Road, Ossining, NY 10562 
               Celebrant: Bishop Gerald T. Walsh  
               Speaker:   Sr. Deanna Sabetta, CND  
Created by and for Catholic teachers in public schools, this day will enable participants to enjoy a feast of leisure and to restore a contemplative spirit.
 
Registration information is available here. For more information, call  (914) 965-0490  or email: 
Zelide.ceccagno@archny.org                                                              
For All in Ministry  
Annual Professional Day -March 8

Priests and Deacons, Directors and Coordinators of Religious Education, Youth Ministry, Adult Faith Formation and the RCIA, this day is for you: the Third Annual Professional Day: Recapturing the Joy of Ministry."

When:  Friday, March 8, 2019, 9:30 am -2:30 pm 

Where: The Riverview

            One Warburton Ave, Hastings-on-Hudson

        Fee:     $25 per person (incl. morning hospitality & lunch) 

 

Come and hear from Katherine Angula, MA, program director for Thriving in Ministry at the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame.   

 

These are not happy days for our church, yet all who are in ministry are called to reflect what Pope Francis calls "The Joy of the Gospel." How can we do that? How can we recapture the joy of serving God and God's people?

 

Spend a day with Katherine Angula and your colleagues. Be sure to invite your pastor, parochial vicar and deacon, along with all the lay leaders who minister in your parish, too. It would be a real gift to them.

More information and registration available here.

Free "CATECHETICAL" App
Directors and coordinators of religious education, along with pastors and catechists, can have all the offerings and news of the Catechetical Office on their smartphones and tablets. The Catechetical Office App, "Catechetical," available free at Google Play or the App Store, was created by the Catechetical Office webmaster, Jim Connell.

***** 
Visit our website 
Have you checked out the Catechetical Office website today? There are all sorts of informative and enlightening webinars and other learning opportunities, plus up-to-date information on all things catechetical. Be sure to visit www.nyfaithformation.org

 
By Jim Connell, Webmaster
 
"A picture is worth a thousand words."  If that's true, consider what a video may be worth!  There's nothing better than a short, well produced video to reinforce the point of a lesson or to help people think more deeply.  Internet services like YouTube and Vimeo have libraries worth of videos.  Although some may be inappropriate in a catechetical session, there are many that could enhance a lesson.  On the home page of www.nyfaithformation.org, there is space on the homepage called, Featured Video.  This video is changed frequently to provide catechists and catechetical leaders a sample of what is available to them.  If you click the link, "Visit our Video Archive," you'll find an archive of all the videos that have been featured.  Videos are selected with three criteria: they are often connected to the liturgical calendar, a doctrine or Catholic devotion; they are 5 minutes or less in length; and, they are creative/imaginative in presenting an aspect of faith.  Some are geared for children, others for adults.  Check it out and enjoy the show. 
Guest Columnist
The work of Christmas 
The Nativity set is put away, the tree has gone for recycling and the darkness of January is all around. Now begins what columnist Sr. Patricia McCarthy, CND, calls the work of Christmas.
 
The Christmas season is over. Some homes still have their outside decorative lights on to help us with these long dark winter evenings. Even the Churches have their Nativity sets stored for another year. Yet the Incarnation of Christ belongs more in our ordinary everyday lives than on just one day in December. It takes a lifetime to unwrap the gift of Christ himself which he gives to us. MORE