DISCERN
The community will be led in a thoughtful discernment process. With the anticipation of a new General Directory for Catechesis, NCCL is prepared to position itself in a system of meaningful change. Utilizing the Meitler consulting group, NCCL will continue the ongoing comprehensive discernment process with members, and explore the implications of adjusting systems, processes, and approaches in both the functioning of our national organization, and in the ministries of catechesis and evangelization.
Morning General Session:
(re)model your toolkit
AN INSPIRATIONAL SERIES
(re)claiming
Richard D. Garcia and Erika Cuellar
Afternoon Toolkit Workshops – Session 1
Healing Lives and Land through Urban Agriculture
Richard D. Garcia and Erika Cuellar
Alma Backyard Farms (ALMA) has transformed an underutilized plot of land at a parish in the Los Angeles Archdiocese into a vibrant urban farm where formerly incarcerated persons learn to heal themselves by growing food that nurtures food-insecure families. Approaching urban agriculture through the lens of restorative justice, ALMA works to heal broken communities by creating opportunities to nourish souls through faith, food, and fellowship. This workshop sheds light on how community remains responsible for the restoration of its members, most especially those on the margins.
Using Biblical Models in Assessing Pastoral Goals
Fr. Frank de Siano, CSP
This session will look at some of the biblical goals that Catholics uphold and test the ways in which they can become tools to assess pastoral success in our parishes. Application of these biblical goals to both parish life and catechetical ministry will help listeners imagine concrete ways we can re-imagine Catholic parish ministry.
Catechesis Online: How to Engage People in an Online Process
Amy McEntee, Sponsored by RCL Benziger, a company of Kendall Hunt
The digital environment is transforming the ways in which we think, communicate, and learn. This workshop will explore what the catechetical process might look like on a digital platform. Bring your questions to share as we dig into unique features of eLearning, considerations for selecting online platforms or resources, and great examples of digital engagement.
Inspiration, Organization, and Renewal: How the New General Directory and Other Catechetical Documents Can Energize and Shape Your Ministry
Joseph White, Sponsored by Our Sunday Visitor
In the catechetical documents, we can find inspiration to renew our work in faith formation. This session will briefly review some key insights and directives from recent catechetical documents, including the new general directory, and invite participants to envision how to put the catechetical vision of the Church into practice in innovative ways that respond to our current challenges.
Formando familias en la fe
Skip Bacon, Sponsored by Sadlier
Skip has served as a catechetical leader for more than 15 years with her areas of focus including whole parish catechesis, Hispanic ministry, and adult faith formation. Skip Bacon earned a master’s degree in theology from the University of Notre Dame and is a certified lay minister. Skip has also spent a good deal of her career working in Catholic publishing and currently works with Sadlier serving northern California.
Avoiding Silos & Politics on Catholic Leadership Teams: Practical Tips for Joyful Effectiveness
Ken Ogorek, Sponsored by the Evangelium Consulting Group.
Parish and diocesan leadership teams are susceptible to the same dysfunctions experienced by any upper-level group of administrative staff. At the 2017 USCCB Convocation of Catholic Leaders, organizational health of leadership teams was highlighted as a key for answering the call to missionary discipleship in America. This session provides an overview of organizational health and a taste of what it feels like to grow more organizationally healthy, as well as several low-cost or no-cost tips for leadership teams to grow more effective in carrying out their God-given ministry.
Ken Ogorek is an author, speaker, retreat facilitator, and Catholic leadership consultant. A past president of NCCL, he currently serves as Director of Catechesis for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. Additional information about Ken’s work with the Evangelium Consulting Group can be found at www.evangeliumconsulting.com.
Afternoon Toolkit Workshops – Session 2
One Campus, Two Worlds: Growing Hearts for Social Justice.
Kimberly Kay Cox
The Father McKenna Center serves men who are currently experiencing homelessness and low-income families that face food insecurity. The Center is located in in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC and is also located on the campus of a Jesuit High School for boys. This co-location creates unique opportunities for service learning, both for the students at Gonzaga College High School and from other high schools, colleges, and universities who spend a week living at the Center and are immersed in the life of the Center and the people it serves. The workshop will discuss some of the critical learning opportunities and transformations of the heart that occur.
Six Tools for a More Evangelizing Catechesis
Joe Paprocki, Sponsored by Loyola Press
Today, more than ever, faith formation needs to be more evangelizing: not only informing but also transforming hearts and minds. In order to do this, catechists need to be equipped with the tools needed for a more evangelizing catechesis. With that in mind, Joe Paprocki, DMin has identified six tools to empower catechists to move from being teachers of a subject to being facilitators of an encounter with Jesus Christ.
Joe Paprocki, DMin, is National Consultant for Faith Formation at Loyola Press in Chicago. His experience in pastoral ministry spans over four decades, and he has presented in nearly 150 dioceses in North America. Joe is the author of numerous books on pastoral ministry and catechesis, including the best-selling The Catechist’s Toolbox. Joe, who has an MA in Pastoral Ministry from the Institute of Pastoral Studies (Loyola University) and a DMin from the University of St. Mary of the Lake, Mundelein Seminary, blogs about his catechetical experiences at www.catechistsjourney.com.
Engaging Families when Engaging Families Is Hard
Paul Canavese, Sponsored by The Pastoral Center
“Because the Church says so” isn’t working any more. Study after study show us that the great exodus of youth from the Church stems from parents who are tepid about faith or who try to delegate (to us!) their role as primary catechist of their kids. How do we shift from a role of being “just” educators to one of evangelists, influencers, and coaches who persuasively speak to people where they are at (in the tradition of Paul the Apostle)? Applying key principles from the #1 NY Times Bestseller Switch: How to Change Things when Change Is Hard, let’s explore together practical ways we can attract and engage families so we can accompany, coach, and empower parents. The future of the Church depends on it.
Paul Canavese is the director of PastoralCenter.com and GrowingUpCatholic.com, along with his wife Ann. They live with their two daughters and seven chickens in Alameda, CA, where they operate a mini-urban farm and look for creative ways to build community in their neighborhood. Paul has his MTS from the Franciscan School of Theology in Berkeley, and focuses his ministry on helping parishes coach parents, evangelize, and connect the Gospel with daily life.
Be inclusive! Church is for ALL.
Charlene Katra, Sponsored by Loyola Press and National Catholic Partnership on Disability
God’s vision of inclusion calls us to be adaptive. Doing so makes all the difference in meeting the needs of diverse learners. Come learn strategies to transform your catechetical ministry so that God’s vision becomes a reality.
Charlene Katra, Executive Director, National Catholic Partnership on Disability; co-author of The Adaptive Teacher and author of How to Talk to Children About People with Disabilities.
People Over Programs: Accompaniment as Key in Evangelization and Pastoral Renewal
Tom Quinlan, Sponsored by Loyola Press
The Church is increasingly aware of the importance of accompanying people in their journey of faith. But who are we called to companion and what does this mean? Our session will explore accompaniment not only in evangelization ministry but in the broader life of the parish. This simple shift has the potential, within the parish and beyond, to be transformative!
Tom Quinlan serves as the Ministry Director of the St. Joseph Educational Centeron in the Diocese of Des Moines. For the past 25 years, Quinlan has served in parish and diocesan catechetical ministry in northern Illinois. He most recently served the Diocese of Joliet as Director of Religious Education for 17 years. He is a published author of two books, Excellence in Ministry (Loyola Press, 2017) and How to Talk to Children about the Mass (Twenty-Third Publications, 2017), and has presented throughout the U.S. and Canada. His experience also includes extensive work with the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership, serving on the governance board, representative council, and multiple committees.
Sanado vidas y terrenos a travez de agricultura urbana
Richard D. Garcia and Erika Cuellar
Alma Backyard Farms (ALMA) a transformado un terreno descuidado localizado en una parroquia en la archidiócesis de Los Angeles. Hoy, el terreno es una vibrante huerta urbana donde personas anteriormente encarceladas aprenden a sanarse a si mismos mientras cultivan vegetales que alimentan a familias con inseguridad alimentaria. Por medio de le agricultura urbana y los valores de justicia restaurativa, ALMA se enfoca en sanar comunidades destrozadas mediante la creación de oportunidades para nutrir el alma a través de la fe, alimentos y compañerismo. Este taller arroja luz sobre como la comunidad sigue siendo responsable por el bienestar de sus miembros, especialmente los marginados.
Amy McEntee
Kimberly Kay Cox
Mark Mogilka
Armando Cervantes
Anna Betancourt
Andrea Chavez-Kopp