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.

Click to listen through SoundCloud. God is a perfect Father who lovingly cares for His children. In this workshop, Barbara Morgan gives the essentials and premises for the doctrine of “God the Father” in the Catechism. This workshop allows listeners to encounter their perfect Father and learn about how to effectively teach this doctrine to others.

Click to listen through SoundCloud. God created the world in His plan of loving goodness. He intends to bring everything He created to perfection and this includes you! God is all-powerful and good. He has a beautiful plan for your life. The only limitation is the freedom which He has freely given us to respond to His call. This workshop delves into the goodness of God the Father and how we can respond to His calling in our lives.

Click to listen through SoundCloud. Jesus said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” (John 21:17). Imagine Jesus facing you, and speaking to you these words, with no distractions, no doubts of His reality, identity or knowledge. Imagine facing Him with no loss of memory on your part about your whole past, nothing less than your whole future to offer, no misinterpretation of the profoundness of the question, Do you love me? A breathtaking question. Conversion is about finding what you are seeking in the deepest part of yourself, and finding it superabundantly. The result of true conversion is a rare combination: peace of soul and zeal of heart. This workshop explores how to support this work of the Holy Spirit, so that all catechesis is focused on conversion to Christ and to His Church, and continuing conversion becomes the norm for each Christian life.

Click to listen through SoundCloud. “The heart of catechesis is the explicit proposal of Christ to the young man in the Gospel; it is a direct proposal to all young people in terms appropriate to young people, and with considered understanding of their problems.” (GDC 183) This practical workshop helps youth ministers and all those who seek to reach teens with God’s love, especially parents, to understand the psychological make-up of today’s teens. The goal is to help a young person at this stage of life obtain a holistic picture of the role adolescence plays in the process of development of an emotionally and morally integrated Christian, which even in these transitional years can enable a path to spiritual peace and joy. Successful Catholic youth ministry in the Third Millennium will depend upon helping every young person experience a vibrant and lasting conversion. In Catholic youth ministry, two models of conversion have been contrasted: a purely evangelistic approach or a more catechetical approach. Taken in isolation, each model falls short. This workshop describes the stages that adolescents normally experience in moving from evangelization to catechesis, enabling teens to move deeper into the Mystery of Christ, and find the safety, solace, and strength that only the Holy Spirit enables in each soul.

Click to listen through SoundCloud. In our calling to guide souls in their relationship with the Blessed Trinity, we have the assistance of a powerful tool: the religion textbook! Religion textbooks play an undeniably important role in the Church’s mandate to foster a faith that is “living, conscious, and active” (see the General Catechetical Directory (GCD) 17). This workshop explores the purpose and best use of textbooks within catechesis, and assists participants in developing criteria for textbook selection while examining various materials currently in use for schools and parish programs. Ways to include the parents or caregivers, who are the “primary educators” (see General Directory for Catechesis (GDC) 226–227) of children, will be explored. We will also be challenging the dominance of the textbook in religious education, and the need to develop formation approaches that prioritize the person of the catechist above all: “The work of the catechist must be considered of greater importance than the selection of texts and other tools” (GCD 71).

Click to listen through SoundCloud. In order to pass on the truths of Faith in season and out, the catechist must be securely grounded in Christ. This workshop will consider the richness of the Catholic spiritual life as it pertains specifically to the life of the catechist. Prayer is not the “last ditch effort” of defense for us as catechists, but our first line of defense - the wings on which every effort should soar. Our society often has trouble recognizing that the invisible spiritual realities are in fact “more real,” and certainly more lasting, than the physical realities we touch, see, hear, and experience daily. A review of the spiritual tools of the trade is thus appropriate to help us as catechists joyfully incorporate prayer as our first, middle, and last act of the day, and of the teaching session, creating an environment for catechesis that is permeated by prayer.