ECHO
A Monthly Resource for Teaching the Faith 4.24
"The important question we ask ourselves today is; how can we talk about God in our time? How can we communicate the Gospel so as to open roads to his saving truth in our contemporaries' hearts, that are all too often closed, and minds, that are at times distracted by the many dazzling lights of society?"
Pope Benedict XVI
Happy Easter and a Blessed Holy Week to you! In most parishes, there are just a few classes left to plan for, post-Easter and Spring-break. In our last edition we focused on the Holy Spirit and planning for Pentecost. This edition of ECHO will close out your programming year with some evaluations, general training and a look at nurturing your own spirituality as you head into some more relaxing months where your catechetical volunteering may take a bit of a pause before we start looking forward to another wonderful year of forming disciples! THANK YOU, for all you do for the catechetical ministries in our diocese! We are grateful!
SHAPED BY THE SOURCE AND SUMMIT
Present or Praying? Here is a Guide to Full, Conscious and Active Participation in the Mass
From Catechist magazine
CATHOLIC 101
We are all blessed with gifts for ministry
Christian ministry is gift-based. We have special charisms of the Holy Spirit that flow forth from our Sacraments of Initiation and equip each of us for special tasks in Christ's mission. The word charism is a Greek word that means a freely given gift from God. Here is what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says about charisms: "Charism" is the Greek word used in the New Testament for "favor" or "gratuitous gift." Charisms, or spiritual gifts, are special abilities given to all Christians by the Holy Spirit to give them power both to represent Christ and to be a channel of God's goodness for people. Whether extraordinary or ordinary, all charisms ought to be exercised in the service of God." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2003).
Charisms include the gifts of encouragement, evangelism, prayer, leadership, service, healing, hospitality, mercy, administration, teaching and music, as well as others. When we consider our role as catechists, hopefully, we don't just see ourselves as teachers but as MINISTERS who are using our charisms, our talents, values, passion, and experience to accompany others on their faith journey. What are the gifts you bring to your ministry as catechist? How do your values and your passions enhance your role as a minister? What have you learned about God that you can share with others? Catechists share their own stories of faith and inspire those they serve to do the same!
Praying All Ways and ALWAYS!
FAMILY CONNECTION
Encourage faith development in the home over the summer months with these two activities, free to download, from Catechist's Journey. Consider handing these out along with some other resources for family prayer and service:
KEEP LEARNING
RESOURCE REVIEW
Growing Faith Catechism Program from Twenty-Third Publications/Pflaum
This set of 12 booklets provides an easy to use resource to provide a systematic exploration of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. This easy and inexpensive program could be used by a group or by an individual to develop a greater understanding of our Catholic faith and includes both excerpts from the Catechism as well as discussion and reflection questions. It is ideal for adult formation and could especially be considered for a parallel parents group held during children's formation. This would also be an ideal base for any family formation programs that separates parents into their own study group and could be used for some youth ministry catechesis as well! We have a set in our library for previewing or check out this sample:
THIS MONTH'S RESOURCE HIGHLIGHTS
Evaluating Your Year
Catechist Evaluation form from FAITH FIRST
Feedback from your families can help you improve in the future!
Here are some questions you can send out via email (provided by CATECHIST magazine)
Ask parents to complete three to five statements assessing various elements of the program. For example:
-The best part of the first reconciliation program was…
-The most important thing my child learned was…
-The weekly parent notes were…
-If I could change or add one thing to this experience,
I would…
-Overall, I feel that the program…
Your Spirituality as a Catechist!
A webinar from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops with Sr. Janet Schaeffler, OP, a prolific author of catechetical resources:
FIND DOZENS OF FREE RESOURCES FOR FAITH THEMES IN OUR GOOGLE DRIVE
The Office of Evangelization and Catechesis
Debtor in Possession
Email: leslie.barkin@dor.org
Website: oec.dor.org
Phone: (585)328-3210