Religious Education

Catechetical Sunday

What's Happening

(updated April 3, 2009)

Catechetical Sunday 2009
This year Catechetical Sunday is September 20, 2009. The theme is Catechesis and the Proclamation of the Word. The resources once published in a book with CD-ROM will be available through the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) on a special web site as a free download by the end of April. Items for purchase, including a promotional poster, will also be available via the web site and phone by the end of April. Check for updates on the status of Catechetical Sunday materials at www.usccbpublishing.org

Lifelong Faith Formation
Pastoral Planning.com and Twenty-Third Publications are now working in partnership to support parish ministers. Recently they created a group of resource and service centers for this purpose. They offer free and unlimited coaching via phone for parishes planning for lifelong faith formation. To schedule the call, send an email suggesting a date and time to talk: Resources@PastoralPlanning.com and they will get back to you with a response. For more information go to www.pastoralplanning.com

Adult Faith Formation
Loyola Press has published A Well-Built Faith by Joe Paprocki. Written as a guide to help adults know and share what we believe as Catholics, a Leader’s Guide has been published to help parish leaders facilitate sessions based on the book. The guide provides twenty sessions based on the eighteen chapters, introduction and conclusion. For more information go to www.loyolapress.com

Called to Holiness, Spirituality foe Catholic Women is an eight-volume series on women’s spirituality offered by St. Anthony Messenger Press. The series will cover the many diverse facets of a woman’s interior life and help her discover how God works with and through her. Five titles are now available with the remaining titles published through Fall 2009. A companion CD is also available with diverse songs that offer personal enrichment for the individual books of the series. For specific titles and additional information go to www.americancatholic.com

Multicultural Resource
Saints of Africa by Vincent J. O’Malley, SJ is available from Our Sunday Visitor Publishing. Currently, the paperback book is available online with free shipping. Visit www.osv.com for details.


(updated March 25, 2009)

Continuing Formation for Catechetical Leaders and Catechists
The University of Notre Dame is offering a distance learning course through STEP. The six week course, Emerging Models of Catechesis: A Study of Faith Formation Models, is an opportunity to explore a variety of models for parish faith formation. The developer of the course is Ms. Lisa Orchen, M.Div. who currently lives and is involved in catechetical ministry in the Archdiocese of Hartford, CT. As a partner diocese discount tuition is available to participants from the Diocese of Manchester. For more information go to http://www.step.nd.edu

Save the Date!
RCLBenziger and the diocese are co-sponsoring a workshop for all Catechetical Leaders on Wednesday, September 16, 2009 from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. The day will include a keynote presentation on catechist formation, three Round Table topics for discussion and lunch. More details and a registration form will be available.

Resources
Lifelong Faith Associates has published a new resource with very practical suggestions for living the Christian Faith. The resource, Living Well: Christian Practices for Everyday Life, has a companion workbook, Living Well Children’s Workbook, designed for parents to use with their children or for older children to use on their own. For more information and/or to order go to http://www.lifelongfaith.com


New Catechetical Formation Core Team
A newly formed team of Catechetical Leaders, the Catechetical Formation Core Team, has been announced. The members will serve as an advisory body to the diocesan director of Catechetical Formation and continue the mission of what had been the New Hampshire Conference of Religious Educators (NHCRE).

The team represents a variety of backgrounds, depth of experience in catechetical ministry, diversity of parish communities and various geographical locations in the diocese. The members of the Catechetical Formation Team are:
  • Bridget Goudreau, Good Shepherd & Holy Family Parishes, Berlin-Gorham
  • Gertrude Hammond, St. Katherine Drexel Parish, Alton - Wolfeboro
  • Jennifer Lajoie, St. John Neumann Parish, Merrimack
  • Colleen Lang, St. Joseph Cathedral, Manchester
  • Anita Plourde, Director, Catholic Faith Formation Center, Keene


Click here for archived resources


On-Going Formation Opportunities

Click on the following links for more information about these events.


New England Convocation for Catechetical Leadership
The New England Convocation for Catechetical Leadership is scheduled for August 10 -14, 2009 at the Springfield Marriott, Springfield, MA. The Pre-convocation is dedicated to RCIA. The theme for the Convocation is "Catechesis, Evangelization, and Today's Culture: The Tapestry of our Lives." Scholarship applications are available through the Office of Catechetical Formation and registrations for the convocation are now being accepted.

Date: August 10-13, 2009
Time: 11 a.m. (Aug. 10) - Lunch (Aug. 14)
Location: Springfield, MA Marriott
Download Convocation Information and Registration Form (pdf)
Contact: Mary Ellen Mahon, (603) 669-3100, Ext. 159, memahon@rcbm.org

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Curriculum

Catechetical Leaders

Catechists

Religious Education Month
November is Religious Education Month
In celebration of Religious Education Month this November, the Diocese of Manchester is honoring those who have brought the Good News of Jesus Christ’s message to many new generations of Catholics. In a four-part series this month we will ask some of our Catechetical Leaders to talk about what their ministry means to them.

Ideas on how families can celebrate Religious Education Month are found in the profiles featuring some of our Catechetical Leaders.

Resources

Ministry Opportunities

View ministry opportunities available in our parishes.

Contact Us

Please contact us for information on:

  • facilitating parish meetings
  • presentations
  • workshops
  • retreat/days or evenings of reflection

Mary Ellen Mahon, Director
Diocese of Manchester
153 Ash Street, P.O. Box 310
Manchester, NH 03105-0310
Phone: (603) 669-3100 x159
Fax: (603) 669-0377
E-mail: memahon@rcbm.org

Donna Curran, Department Secretary
Diocese of Manchester
153 Ash Street, P.O. Box 310
Manchester, NH 03105-0310
Phone: (603) 669-3100 x173
Fax: (603) 669-0377
E-mail: dcurran@rcbm.org