Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year

May your Christmas be filled with the peace and joy of Christ.  May you be blessed with happy times with family, and friends, warm memories and good food and drink. Check back in January for new information about the Adult Faith Formations programs for 2010.

Discernment: Are Your Catechumens Ready for Election

This is the first of a series of conference call workshops offered by Team RCIA. Now you can receive training for RCIA without even leaving your home. TeamRCIA.com has a new live training workshop that is only $10.00 if you sign up before January 1, 2010. The presentor is Miriam Malone, SNJM. For more information go to this page.

Advent

Well it's that time of year again! The liturgical season of Advent is a time of waiting and anticipation for Christmas, when we celebrate once again the birth of the Christ child. We remember God's love in sending His Son for our salvation.

But for many of us, the season of Advent is a time of shopping and preparation for the Christmas holiday that leaves us feeling tired and chaotic. We try to cram more activities into our aready busy lives.

It's not too late to start a few Advent practices that might enable us to capture the spiritual foundation of the season. Take a 5 minute break from the Christmas rush and spend those minutes reflecting or praying; let God speak to you. Here are a few web sites that will give you ideas for your Advent reflection: www.usccb.org/advent. For sometimething a little different try the advent calendar at http://www.bustedhalo.com/.

Lay Ministry Formation

Are you an active Catholic and involved in a parish ministry? You may be interested in a two year Lay Ministry Formation Program. This program is offered through the Archdiocesan Office of Religious Education and registration will be open in January 2010. A new Lay Minstry class will begin in September 2010. For more information, click here , http://www.lm.orehartford.org/.

Adult Confirmation

We congratulate the 65 adults who were confirmed at the Archdiocesan Adult Confirmation ceremony on Wednesday, October 28, 2009. Bishop Peter A. Rosazza,D.D. was the celebrant. The next classes for Adult Confirmation will begin on April 8, 2010. The Spring Adult Confirmation ceremony will be on
May 18, 2010 at the Cathedral of St. Joseph, Hartford. registration forms will be avaiable in January, 2010 on the following web site, http://www.orehartford.org/.

Evangelization Resources

I was asked by a lay minister if I could recommend any resources to use to welcome back inactive Catholics. Please check out the Paulist National Catholic Evangelization Association web site. They have a program called Awakening Faith. It is a small group process that meets once a week for 6 weeks. Participants share on various topics such as Spirituality, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Mass, and the Church. There is a short video that explains the program on the web site.

Don't Miss the Religious Education Congress

The Religious Education Congress for the Archdiocese of Hartford will be held on November 7, 2009 at St. Paul High School in Bristol, CT.  Please visit this site for more information. If you want to know more about our speaker go to her web site.

Check out my favorite RCIA site, TeamRCIA.com  for a great article about getting ready for Advent and the holidays.Go to this site to find the article.

RCIA Workshops for Beginners and Veterans

The  second Archdiocesan RCIA Workshop will be on Saturday, October 17, 2009 from 9am to 12 noon at St. Thomas Seminary, 467 Bloomfield Ave., Bloomfield. The topic is The Period of the Catechumenate, Celebrating the Rite of Welcome and Acceptance, Dismissal Rite and Breaking Open the Word. To register email mmarsan@adh-ore.org or call 860-243-9465. There is no charge for this workshop. All are welcome.

RCIA Resources

Many parishes throughout the Arcjdiocese are in the midst of running Inquiry sessions for those people interested in learning more about the Catholic church.

We would like to share some helpful resources for use in your ministry. One of the newest resources is a web site www.TeamRCIA.com, This website is the creation of Nick Wagner, who is a member of the North American Forum on the Catechumenate and has been a leader in the catechumenate ministry for over twenty-five years. If you like free material, check out this site. There are many helpful articles and even free bulletin inserts to explain the RCIA to your community.

In the Religious Education Office we now have 2 copies of the Journey of Faith series (Ligouri Publications) in both English and Spanish (Camino de Fe).

Don't miss our RCIA Workshop on Saturday, September 26th from 9am to 12 noon at St. Thomas Seminary, 467 Bloomfield Ave., Bloomfield, CT. Walk-ins are welcome. For more information email us at mmarsan@adh-ore.org or call 860-243-9465.

RCIA Worshop

This coming Saturday there will be a workshop for Coordinators, catechists, anyone involved in RCIA. If you are interested, you can visit our website (www.orehartford.org) or download here the flyer with more details.

If you need more about information about RCIA in the Archdiocese of Hartford, please contact me at the office (860.243.9465) or via e.mail (mmarsan@adh-ore.org)