Click to purchase from Franciscan University Bookstore. Extensive notes, commentary and cross-reference Elegant, readable typesetting Quality Bible paper Words of Christ in red Attractive durable gold foil stamped cover Hardcover

Throughout the generations, the Word of God has been handed on as a precious jewel. The Church has guarded this Deposit of Faith so that the saving message of hope might shine out for all to see. Now it is up to us. It is our turn to hand on this jewel, unscathed. It is up to us to catechize, continuing the unbroken chain of passing on the faith throughout the ages. The term catechesis comes from two Greek words meaning, “to echo down,” reflecting the call to us to “echo down,” to hand on, the whole of the faith in its saving fullness. This Deposit of Faith is summed up for our times in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. We will look at this important teaching tool for catechesis in this workshop, to discover how we, too, can effectively pass on the precious deposit of Christian teaching. And in learning how to do this, we are able to insert our own name into St. Paul’s exhortation, “O catechist, guard what has been entrusted to you.”

Click to listen through SoundCloud. This workshop explores what is the Catholic worldview. It is the way that Catholics perceive, think, and act in light of the authentic realities and transcendent truths that God has revealed through the Church. It is seeing and understanding the world as Christ and His Church see it. The result of conversion to Christ is peace of soul and zeal of heart. Developing a Catholic worldview takes time – cooperating with God’s grace, turning away from things that are not of God and towards those that are, becoming “strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might” (Eph 6:10) Founded in grace, the power of God’s very life, then they can say, more and more each day, “it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal 2:19-20) until they achieve the goal that Jesus set before the crowds on the mountain in Galilee: “You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is Perfect” (Mt 5:48).

Click to listen through SoundCloud. How do I know what to teach? How do I know what is essential? What can I not leave to chance that my students will get on their own? Many catechists are never helped and trained to go beyond pre-written outlines. They never discover how to take a piece of God’s revelation, a doctrine, and break it down in a way that answers these critical questions. This workshop explores how to identify the premise, essentials, common misunderstandings, related doctrines, and foundational Scriptures for the truths all catechists are called to pass on, so that each catechist can develop teachings that flow from his or her own deep grasp of the saving truths.

Click to listen through SoundCloud. “That which was from the beginning...that which we have seen and heard we proclaim to you...” (1 John 1:1, 4). St. John Paul II proclaimed that, “The definitive aim of catechesis is to put people not only in touch but in communion, in intimacy, with Jesus Christ…” (Catechesi Tradendae, 5) The work of catechesis is not just “education,” but “intimacy with Christ.” God wants to make Himself known, to communicate His own Divine life to us and make us capable of responding to Him. God gradually “pulls back the veil” by words and deeds, but especially in Jesus Christ, the mediator and fullness of all revelation. By His revelation, God has answered all the questions of the human condition. God wants all to be saved, so he arranged that His revelation remain in its entirety and be transmitted to all generations. This workshop focuses on the apostolic work of passing on the truths of the faith in an organic and systematic way. This is done to make disciples of Christ and to initiate them into the fullness of Christian life through an encounter with the communion of believers and with Christ the teacher. “The whole concern of doctrine and its teaching must be directed to the love that never ends” (CCC 25).

Click to listen through SoundCloud. This workshop outlines the Church’s purpose and understanding of sacred liturgy in light of God’s wonderful plan of salvation. It helps youth ministers develop a Catholic identity with their teens through the Sacraments of the Eucharist and Reconciliation, offering pragmatic and well-tested ways to help teens participate in the liturgy, as well as strategies to help teens see the Eucharist as the ‘source and summit’ of their lives.

Click to listen through SoundCloud. “In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son” (Heb 1:1-2). Revelation means to pull back the veil. It is God’s method of manifesting a bit 
of Himself, allowing us time to absorb it and respond, before He shows a bit more; and the process repeats. Because the work of catechesis is oriented towards conversion, the catechist needs to understand clearly how a person gets faith and grows in faith. This workshop delves in the sacred pattern of God’s methodology – how He reaches out to us, and how He calls us and enables us to freely respond.

Click to listen through SoundCloud. St. John Paul II tells us that, “Family catechesis... precedes, accompanies and enriches all other forms of catechesis” (CT 68). These words challenge us to examine our thinking about how to pass on the Catholic faith. The Catechism tells us that, “the family is the community in which, from childhood, one can learn moral values, begin to honor God, and make good use of freedom” (CCC 2207). Parents teach their children everything and it seems to never stop, regardless of age. The most important lesson parents must teach their children is what it means to be a Catholic. This workshop examines the mind and heart of the Church in regard to the primacy of the family in religious education, and discusses concrete ways to assist families in becoming the first and foremost catechists for their children.

In this workshop, Barbara Morgan gives her own testimony about battling illness and encountering God’s mercy and healing through it all. She takes listeners on a journey to encounter their loving Father and how He cares for each one of us.

Click to listen through SoundCloud. St. John Bosco said, “Get them to love you and they will follow you anywhere.” This line is a key to fruitfulness in catechetical work because catechists want to lead others to Jesus. Catechists must be passionate witnesses to the reality of what they teach and have relationships with their students. This workshop delves into the life of St. John Bosco and how catechists can use his life as an example of how to bring others into the Church.