The National Directory for Catechesis (USCCB, 2005) emphasizes that " The single most critical factor in an effective parish catechetical program is the leadership of a professionally trained parish catechetical leader" (p224). Each person delegated responsibility for forming adults, teen, and children finds both information and inspiration for quality, effective service by participating in ongoing development. One can accomplish this through regular reading, participation in live trainings and webinars in addition to participating in a ministerial organization like Maine's Lifelong Faith Formation Association (LFFA), the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership (NCCL), or the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry (NFCYM).
The OLFF staff regularly reviews and curates examples of webinars, articles, and books that may be helpful to those serving as catechetical or youth ministry leaders in parishes. Suggested resources are organized by topic. Click on a topic to access the page of related resources.
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General Ministry or Administration (see below)
- Prayer and Spirituality
- Sacraments and Liturgy
- Partnering with Families
- Forming Adults
- Forming Teens
- Forming Children
- Church Teachings
- Culture or Timely Issues
- Discipleship & Evangelization
General Ministry or Administration
| Title | Summary | Source | Shortened Url (if available) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Ways to Get Christmas Crowds Coming To Church webinar | Marilyn Santos and Paul Jarzembowski offer insights about the lives of those who are marginally connected to Church and how to develop relationships that continue beyond a holiday | USCCB | https://bit.ly/2GWCN0D |
| Asking "Catholic Questions" article | Describes the importance of asking good questions as one matures in faith or being open to the questions of others, especially "nones' | USCCB | download |
| A Challenging Participant handout | Strategies for dealing with 7 types of challenging participants during a meeting or training | Association for Talent Development | https://bit.ly/2wMtNmG |
| Best Practices in Faith Formation journal articles | Offers grounding and strategies for 7 different modes of faith formation: internerational, family, children, adolescent, young adult, adult, parent. | Lifelong Faith Journal | https://www.lifelongfaith.com/uploads/5/1/6/4/5164069/lifelong_faith_jou... |
| The Effective Catechetical Leader Series books | Made up of six books written by various authors the Effective Catechetical Leader Series address a variety of topics from the call of the Catechetical leader to ways to recruit and train new catechetical leaders. | NCCL & Loyola Press | https://bit.ly/2AEgRTV |
| Mission Trip Planning Guide diocesan guideline | Diocesan guideline for mission trips (youth or adult) along with planning guide | Porltand OLFF | download |
| Trauma Informed Pastoral Care webinar | Fr. Jeff Putthoff helps us to understand trauma better, identify some adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) that can contribute to risky behaviors and physical/mental health problems. | NFCYM | https://bit.ly/2EVUnQt |
| United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) website | Information and resources on prayer and worship, beliefs and teachings, issues and actions, Catholic news, and much more | USCCB | http://www.usccb.org/ |
| USCCB Leadership Institute webinar archive | A series of webinars focused on important topics for church leaders, especially those serving in evangelization and catechesis | USCCB,NCCL and ,NCEA, | https://bit.ly/2bcWaD5 |
| Your Peak Life Now: How to Face Career Decline with Faith and Grace article | Essay suggests the best way to prepare for our inevitable demise is a healthy focus on death, discipleship, and worship. | Christianity Today | https://bit.ly/2JPVnqy |
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