Lake Barkley Conference Coming Soon! -- Webpage and Brochure

The Mid-South Catholic

Leadership Conference

November  4 - 7,  2012


Here are the webpage and brochure for the 2012 conference event!  Register now.

        http://www.rcdok.org/schools/midsouth_catholic_leadership_conference.php

Line dancing -- one of many activities
to enjoy with friends and colleagues!

Mr. Daniel Mulhall,  RCL Publishing -- One of our
main presenters and cantors at the 2012 conference

Registration is now open!

For many years, the Lake Barkley State Resort Park has provided the perfect meeting place. If you are new to the conference, or have been coming for many years, see the website to plan additional activities during your stay:

 

www.rcdok.org/midsouth

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U.S. Bishops Consider Challenges of Social Media

     A headline in a recent national catechetical news bulletin reads like this: 

               Bishops To Address Challenges, Opportunities In Digital Age


     The U.S. bishops will discuss a possible official Church statement on doctrine in the digital age at their November 12-15 (2012) meeting in Baltimore

     Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington, chairman of the Doctrine Committee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), will present the statement "Contemporary Challenges and Opportunities for the Exercise of the Teaching Ministry of the Diocesan Bishop." Later, it will be voted on by the entire assembly of bishops.

      The draft document cites the "quantum leap" in the speed of mass communications since the invention of the internet. It demands that bishops "respond immediately when Church teaching is challenged or misrepresented." The bishops also face the challenge that amidst many voices in the digital world -- "a bishop's voice on the Internet can appear to be just another in the competition for attention" requiring bishops to explain to people the nature of their authority.

     Cardinal Wuerl's writing also notes that the new digital media "constitute a blade that can cut two ways"

     New social media "create new difficulties for bishops in the exercise of their teaching office" yet "they also offer powerful new tools for more effective ministry."

      A key benefit of most new media is "that they offer the bishop the possibility of communicating with people in a relatively unmediated fashion," the statement says.

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7 Key Things About the New Evangelization

Seven Things Catholics Should Know About the New Evangelization


by Peter Murphy, D.Min.
Executive Director -- Secretariat of Evangelization and Catechesis
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)

(Peter Murphy is the Executive Director -- Secretariat of Evangelization and Catechesis at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. He writes from Rome as an auditor of the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization)

"Seven Things to Know About the New Evangelization" are:

1. It's not new in content, but new in energy and approach.
The New Evangelization re-proposes the faith to a world longing for answers to life's most profound questions. It's a call to share Christ and bring the Gospel, with renewed energy and through ever-changing methods, to new and different audiences.

2. It begins with personal conversion.
The New Evangelization begins internally and spreads outward. We are called to deepen our own faith in order to better share it with others. Then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger described this in the Jubilee Year 2000 as daring to have faith with the humility of the mustard seed that leaves up to God how and when the tree will grow. Conversion to Christ is the first step.

3. It's for believers and non-believers alike. Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput, OFM Cap., recently observed that the most difficult people to evangelize are the ones who think they've already been converted. So whether it's someone at Mass every Sunday, an inactive Catholic or someone for whom religion is not part of life, the New Evangelization invites all people to discover faith anew.

4. It's about a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. Before a person can share Christ with others, they must first experience Christ in their own life. The New Evangelization is about promoting a personal encounter with Christ for all people, wherever they are in their lives. Whether that means finding faith for the first time or spreading the Good News, the most authentic and effective efforts are the ones closest to Christ.

5. It's not an isolated moment, but an ongoing practice. Personal conversion and the encounter with Christ is an ongoing experience that lasts a lifetime. Catholics are blessed to encounter their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ in the Sacraments. Catholics are called to live in a way that reflects the love of Christ. God's love is shared with our neighbors through caring for the poor and welcoming those who feel distant from God.

6. It's meant to counter secular culture. G.K. Chesterton wrote that "each generation is converted by the saint who contradicts it most." The New Evangelization responds to Western society's ongoing move away from religion by urging Catholics to enthusiastically share Christ in word and through the credible witness of their lives. This is why Pope Benedict encourages Catholics to study the lives of the saints during the Year of Faith and learn from their example.

7. It's a priority for the Church. Blessed Pope John Paul II made it a major priority of his 26-year pontificate. Continuing this, Pope Benedict launched the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization in 2010 and made it the theme of the 2012 Synod of Bishops. The U.S. bishops issued a document in April, "Disciples Called to Witness: The New Evangelization," focused on welcoming inactive Catholics back to the faith. The New Evangelization has an urgency about it, an urgency for all Catholics to embrace the grace of their baptismal call and share the Good News of Jesus Christ with their family, friends and neighbors.


New Evangelization is available online: www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/how-we-teach/new-evangelization/

Sacramental Catechesis: Best Practices

Best Practices for Catechesis on the Sacraments

A Handbook by the Wisconsin Directors

of Religious Education Federation

      Catechetical Leaders from across the state of Wisconsin contributed over 80 different catechetical lessons and activities designed to engage children, teens, and adults in learning about the sacraments. While some of these can be used in preparation for first reception of the sacraments, most are for ongoing catechesis.

     Samples of the Best Practices: Collage on the Sacraments, Baptism Certificate made by Children, Readiness Signs for First Communion, Inside the Mass, Candidate and Sponsor Meeting for Confirmation, Night of Reflection for First Reconciliation, Abundance that Makes a Marriage Last, Holy Orders Bingo. Complete plans are included for each lesson or activity, including how much time is needed, a list of materials, and the number of adult assistants needed.

     This book-on-CD contains Microsoft Word files to make it easy for leaders to make adaptations for their settings.

     Best Practices for Catechesis on the Sacraments is published by the Wisconsin Directors of Religious Education Federation. It can be purchased from the NCCL office (www.nccl.org) or the NCCL bookstore --  http://astore.amazon.com/natioconfefor-20  -- for $15.95.

50th Anniversary -- Opening of the Second Vatican Council

‘10 Ways That Vatican II Shapes The Church Today’


    By  Most Rev. Gregory Aymond, Archbishop of New Orleans LA

    Online Source:   http://usccb.org/news/2012/12-155.cfm

    Dateline:  October 1, 2012

WASHINGTON—The Catholic Church marks the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council by Blessed Pope John XXIII on October 11. The Council ran from 1962-1965, producing 16 documents over the course of four sessions. Over 2,000 bishops from around the world participated. The Council introduced major reforms and stands among the most significant religious events of the 20th Century.

To honor this anniversary, as well as the twentieth anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI called for a Year of Faith, beginning October 11 and ending November 24, 2013, to strengthen the faith of Catholics and draw the world to faith by their example.

Archbishop Gregory Aymond of New Orleans, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Divine Worship, offers “10 Ways Vatican II Shapes the Church Today” to help Catholics appreciate the Council and how it relates to the Year of Faith:

1. Vatican II presented a renewed vision of what it means to be the Church. The Council document Lumen Gentium on the nature of the Church called the Church a light for the world and the source of salvation. The document Gaudium et Spes on the Church in the modern world said the Church shares the joys and sufferings of the world. Both documents refer to the Church as the People of God, reflecting a new appreciation of lay people that surfaced repeatedly at the Council.

2. It called the Eucharist the source and summit of the faith. The Council’s document on the liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, describes Holy Communion as the main source of God’s grace for Catholics. In the Eucharist, Catholics encounter the person of Christ. In this way, it is truly the foundation of the Church.

3. It reformed the liturgy. The changes to the Mass, perhaps the most well-known conciliar reform, promoted “full and active participation,” which led to the Mass being translated into the vernacular, or local language, and celebrated as a dialogue between the celebrant and the congregation.


4. It said every Catholic is called to holiness and to be a missionary. The document on missionary activity, Ad Gentes, expanded the view of how the Church evangelizes. Missionaries were no longer sent just to remote areas of the world to spread the Good News; now all Catholics play a role in evangelizing through their lives.

5. It emphasized the importance of the family. According to Lumen Gentium, the family is the “Domestic Church.” While the faith of the Church flourishes in parishes, dioceses and nations around the world, before all else is the family. It is the family that provides a strong foundation for each believer.

6. It reshaped the Church’s relationship with other Christians and other religions. At Vatican II, the Church adopted a spirit of respect and dialogue toward other faith traditions. Ensuing dialogues have built bridges of understanding and strengthened relationships with Orthodox Christians, Jews, Muslims, Protestants and others.

7. It promoted collaboration. The document Christus Dominus encouraged “collegiality,” or collaboration within the Church. Bishops, priests, religious and lay people all work together in a way that didn’t in the past. Bishops collaborate through episcopal conferences like the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and state-level Catholic Conferences. The Council also encouraged “subsidiarity,” by which authority is divided up and decisions are made at the appropriate level. 8. It updated the Church… John XXIII saw Vatican II as a chance for renewal in the face of the “signs of the times” and said he called the Council to open a window and let in fresh air. This resulted in reforms that made the Church more accessible to the modern world, such as Mass in the vernacular and dialogue with other believers, and the openness of the Council was reflected in the presence men and women religious, lay people and even non-Catholics among its official observers.

9. . . . but it also returned the Church to its roots. Vatican II also reformed the Church through a back-to-basics approach. This meant renewed appreciation for Scripture, the Church Fathers and the restoration of ancient traditions such as the permanent diaconate and the multi-step process for adults joining the Church.

10. Then-Father Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) played a significant behind-the-scenes role. The bishops at Vatican II were assisted by brilliant theologians. These assistants, or periti, included Joseph Ratzinger, who assisted Cardinal Josef Frings of Cologne, Germany. Father Ratzinger was involved in drafting speeches, shaping documents and defining the overall trajectory of the Council.

More information on the Year of Faith is available online:   www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/how-we-teach/new-evangelization/year-of-faith/index.cfm

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Oct. 16 -- Professional Webinar Series

Okay. I'm called be an agent of what?

Catechists and Teachers: Agents of the New Evangelization

In partnership with the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership, the National Association for Lay Ministry, and the National Federation of Priests' Councils,

Ave Maria Press is pleased to present this FREE Webinar.

Presenter: Lori Dahlhoff
Executive Director, NCEA Department of Religious Education

Tuesday, October 16, 2012  --  3:00 - 4:00 PM EDT

Register Here:  https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/849120416

Lori Dahlhoff, Executive Director of the NCEA Department of Religious Education, will explore what the Church means by the "new evangelization" and how it fosters discipleship through religious education. She will show how catechists and teachers are both agents of evangelization and witnesses to ongoing conversion in Christ.

For a full schedule of presentations in the Ave Maria Press Professional Development Webinar Series click on the blue link below --
https://www.avemariapress.com/webinars/?utm_source=Webinar%3A+Dahlhoff+-+PMR+%5BHeather%5D&utm_campaign=Webinar%3A+Dahlhoff+-+PMR&utm_medium=email

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The Catechetical Leader in the Third Millennium

     The Catholic Bishops of New York have published a new, official statement that should be of interest to those who follow this blog.

     The paper is called "The Catechetical Leader in the Third Millennium." It was published on September 27, 2012 by the Bishops in conjunction with the (Arch)Diocesan Directors of Religious Education throughout New York state.

      This new work -- "The Catechetical Leader in the Third Millennium" -- is a companion piece and a collaborative follow-up to a jointly written pastoral vision, for catechists, by the New York Catholic Conference during 1998 called The Catechist in the Third Millennium.

      This early document affirmed the primacy of catechesis in the mission of the Church and called for a renewed commitment to the recruitment, formation and ministry of the catechist as a top priority in parishes and Catholic schools. It also provided a framework for forming catechists in New York state, earning it a national award for articulating a provincial, unified vision of catechist formation.

      The newly-released statement asserts, by echoing the official National Directory for Catechesis in the United States, that 'the single most critical factor in an effective parish catechetical program is the leadership of a professionally trained parish catechetical leader.'

     Thus, today’s catechetical leader must be first and foremost a disciple of Christ. But he/she also needs particular competencies to address challenges faced by the contemporary church. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) says in its National Certification Standards for Lay Ecclesial Ministers identifies criteria for these competencies -- including formation in doctrine and tradition. 

The new profile, "The Catechetical Leader in the Third Millennium," builds on those competencies, then identifies five additional areas of proficiency for parish catechetical leaders:

            Evangelization, the Changing Parish Landscape, the Family, Cultural
            Realities and Technology.

     In conclusion, the Bishops of New York State now commit to preparing today’s catechetical leader for the variety of parish faith-formation issues and demands encountered in their ministries. In addition, they pledge support for all diocesan efforts to address, faithfully and with flexibility from diocese of diocese, the professional development parish catechetical leaders at the local level.


     Here is a web link to the New York statement:

     http://www.nyscatholic.org/2012/09/2001/