Families & Schools of Discipleship

Office of Children & Youth Faith Formation

February 2022
Faith Formation/Youth Ministry Update
This monthly e-newsletter serves catechetical and youth ministry leaders in the Diocese of Green Bay by furnishing them with updates, events and other resources helpful to them in their ministry of fostering households and communities of discipleship.

Discover Jesus. Follow Jesus. Worship Jesus. Share Jesus with others.
Notices, Updates, Events
Generally Useful Information.
Gabriel's Calling . . .
On the Road to Online RE Registration
In order to meet the needs of our parishes in regards to designing an online RE/FF registration component to Gabriel, we'd like to see what your current registration form looks like. Could you please send a scanned copy or link to your registration form to rverstegen@gbdioc.org?
Love Begins Here 2022: Registration Now Open!
Registration for individual students and chaperones is now open. Please make sure your students/chaperones are signing up for the correct week.

Host parishes are set for Summer 2022! 
  • Appleton June 12-16 (HS)
  • Dyckesville June 19-22 (MS)
  • Antigo June 26-30 (HS)
  • Shawano July 5-8 (MS)
  • Oshkosh July 10-13 (MS)


Still interested in attending Love Begins Here but forgot to preregister? Please contact Lynn Terrien to get you into our schedule. Just have ready the estimated number of students you’d like to bring along with the number of chaperones and we’ll find you a week that works!
Know of Someone Looking for Work this Summer?
Camp and LBH still have openings for the right young adult
Camp Tekakwitha Counselor Looking for Female Counselors, age 18 and up
The ideal candidate will want to inspire young people, help create lifelong memories, and embrace the beauty of outdoor adventure. We provide a strong witness to our Catholic faith during each and every moment of Camp largely through the lives of our staff members. 

Summer counselors are at least 18 years.

Summer counselors will receive training in VIRTUS, CPR/First Aid, and Lifeguarding upon arrival - there are no requirements for previous training in these areas
Love Begins Here Core Team Looking for Male & Female Team Members, age 21 and up
In order for a Core Team Member to fulfill the mission and lead missionaries and volunteers in prayer and service, this person is expected to professionally and joyfully seek to know, love and serve Jesus Christ through active participation in the life of the Catholic Church. A Core Team Member should be at least 21 years of age and have passed insurance screening in order to drive missionaries in vehicles. 
Youth Ministry
Stuebenville Trip Announcement and Survey
This announcement was sent out in a separate e-mail on January 20, but in case you missed it . . . the Office of Child & Youth Faith Formation has decided NOT to sponsor a Diocesan trip to Steubenville Conference this year due to pandemic uncertainties and based on research, feedback from the field and discernment.

If your parish would like support or feedback on hosting your own trip, please contact Tommy Nelson, our new Assistant Director of Child & Youth Faith Formation Office.
Survey says . . .

Tommy says "As I begin my role as Assistant Director for our Mission Team, I would like to get your feedback about previous ways our office has offered support and resources and ways we can better serve your needs as you serve at your parish. If you would be willing to participate in a brief survey, it will help us to better assess the needs of our brothers and sisters in the Vineyard."
Office Hour: Thursday, February 3rd; 1pm
Life after ACRE
Our next Office Hour will be this Thursday, February 3rd!

We'll be talking about Life after ACRE (ACRE is no longer required by the Diocese of parish RE programs). Share your ideas and learn about what other methods of assessment might be helpful.

Of course, we're always available for any questions or concerns in the meantime; just call or e-mail!
Zoom Link for Office Hour:
Meeting ID: 869 9363 0041
Invite us for a visit! Scheduling calendar still open w/dates in Feb, Mar

Please use this spreadsheet to schedule a visit (via Zoom) with the Child & Youth Faith Formation Team in 2022, so we can pray with/for you, hear from you about your current program, and learn how our Office can support and encourage you in current and future plans.

We look forward to seeing you! You will receive a reminder and Zoom link about a week before the visit.

New this month: We'll feature some of the great ideas we're hearing about on our virtual visits in this newsletter! See this month's idea from Andy Krueger at St. Mary in Winneconne, below!
Registration Now Open: Thursday, February 24, 2022
8AM-Noon; Nativity Parish; Green Bay

"Loving All God's People": Formation for CREs, DREs, YMs, and Catholic School Administrators regarding gender and related issues, featuring Jason Evert, a nationally known speaker and expert on these topics.
This formation will help prepare our RE/YM and Catholic school leaders for upcoming guidance on these issues. You won't want to miss this formation.

Registration is free, but required. Please register before Feb. 14.
Franciscan at Home:
Our Office Did a Workshop as a Group . . . Here's what we learned:
  • There were many workshops to choose from! We chose "Empathic Listening" because better listening was one of the goals we set as a Team earlier in the year.
  • Workshops can be taken without a mentor in place.
  • Video segments averaged less than 10 minutes in length.
  • Discussing follow-on tasks for each segment was very enriching, interesting and easy. It was team-building!
  • The supplemental resources enhanced the lesson but were not required reading.
  • None of us had perfect attendance, but all of us had complete access to do the make-up segments we missed.
This is how our Diocese is doing Catechetical Certification; don't miss out! Contact sre@gbdioc.org with any questions about registering.
Contact mcabey@gbdioc.org with any questions about the requirements, coursework, etc.
Mental Health Educator Series:
Expressive Therapies: Why Music & Art Therapy Are Vital Tools
Join this ongoing series (via Zoom) on mental health topics. In this session, February 10th, 9am-10am (Zoom) we'll learn why music and art therapy are crucial interventions for care providers and school/ministry leaders to use. The endless physical and mental benefits of incorporating these expressive arts will be discussed, and examples of how to incorporate these interventions will be shared. 

Presenter: Josie Brown, APSW, Catholic Charities
Family Novena at the Shrine:
February 1-9 (Starts TODAY!)

The Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help prays six novenas during the year, and the Novena for families is February 1-9. Pray along with the Shrine by visiting:

From the Ecumenical Office: Kinship Drive
February 26, Green Bay
Help meet the immediate needs of families who are unexpectedly given care of minor children in their family. Currently there are over 200 grandchildren or nieces and nephews placed with relatives through Brown County. Your donations are appreciated!
Lenten Ideas from World Missions
The World Mission Director of the Catholic Foundation, Cindy St. Aubin, shares these Lenten resources: CRS Rice bowl and the new 2022-2024 World Mission Project booklet. Both have great information available for families, schools and parishes for prayer, reflections, activities, recipes and almsgiving.
Ideas to Share
Best practices, experiences and lessons learned from our Virtual Visits!
Winter Mingle
An Idea from St. Mary Parish, Winneconne
snowflake-cookies.jpg
St. Mary Parish has been doing Winter Mingle for about 6 years (suspended currently because of COVID). It's purpose is to bring parish members together and give them an opportunity to get to know one another.

Held after a 4pm Saturday Mass, it includes ice-breakers, adult beverages & snacks (childcare and appropriate refreshments for the kiddos provided separately) and activities meant to connect people.

Winter Mingle is hosted by the parish council who takes great pride in the event. It has become a highlight of the parishioners and has been a great community builder.
Have a great idea to share?
We heard this idea during our virtual visit with Andy Krueger at St. Mary Parish in Winneconne. If you have an idea to share, sign up for a virtual visit, or e-mail cfountain@gbdioc.org, with details.
Calendar
Upcoming dates you should know about.
Our upcoming events have been updated and will continue to be updated throughout the year.)

Dates to Keep in Mind:

Feb 3 - Zoom Office Hour: "Life after ACRE"
Feb 10 - Mental Health Educators Series (see article above)
Feb 24 - "Loving All God's People" event (see article above).
Resources
Studies, media, and materials to help you do what you do.
Our at-home resource page can be found HERE!
it gets updated as new information becomes available.

Rural Life Scholarship: The application period for the 2022 Rural Life Scholarship is now open. This scholarship worth $500 is sponsored by the Rural Life Committee of the Diocese of Green Bay. The purpose of this scholarship is to provide financial aid for an aspiring student going into the agricultural field. All information about the scholarship, the application, and the pastoral recommendation form can be found HERE. The scholarship deadline is April 1, 2022.

RCL Benziger introduces Our Catholic Heritage, to help catechize and evangelize children being initiated into the Catholic faith or introduced to the Faith for the first time (Ages 9-11 and ages 12-14). Explore the program.

"God and Gaming" by Word on Fire, feature Fr. Blake Britton and Bobby Angel as they discuss the Catholic approach to this wide and traditionally nonreligious field. Watch Episode 1 on You Tube.

Are you overwhelmed? Jared Dees, the ReligionTeacher.Com offers some empathy, encouragement and wisdom to you.

Free Sunday Gospel lessons from Sophia Institute for February are available at no cost.

Reminder: the current Diocesan COVID dashboard reflects the COVID-19 situation in the sixteen counties of the Diocese of Green Bay. Data is obtained from the Wisconsin Department of Health website. Weekly statistics including # of
positive cases, # of deaths and % positive cases will be updated by end of day on Mondays. The Activity/Case Rate (Burden) will be updated weekly on Wednesdays to align with weekly updates from the state. Questions? Contact your county health department.

Lent, Lent, Lent . . .

Ascension offers Kid Friendly Stations of the Cross card set for families to use at home.

Bishop Barron's Lenten Gospel Reflections is now available. Get one copy free (except shipping & handling).

Augustine Institute offers "Living Joy: 9 Rules to Help You Rediscover and Live Joy Every Day" by Chris Stefanick, for Lenten medidation. Available in English and Spanish.

or, if you'd prefer a webinar . . .

Augustine Institute invites you to a special episode (FORMED) of the Augustine Institute Show on March 1st, 6pm CST: "Prepare Your Heart for Lent" with Dr. Tim Gray and guest Sr. Miriam James Heidlant, a sought-after Catholic spekaer and evangelist.
Share Your Wisdom!
Have a resource that you've found helpful in training staff or engaging students? Watched a video that deepened your faith and led you closer to Jesus?

Email us at education@gbdioc.org with articles, videos, books, & more.

If you need anything; prayers, a listening ear, or other support, please do not hesitate to contact us. We appreciate ALL that you are doing to advance His kingdom!!

Maximus Cabey, Director
Child & Youth Faith Formation
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Families & Schools of Discipleship | Diocese of Green Bay
920.272.8309 | education@gbdioc.org