204,000 Fewer Students

The July 14, 2006 issue of the West Nebraska Register carried a story by Jerry Filteau from the Catholic News Service. The story highlighted figures from the 2006 Official Catholic Directory. According to the article,

There were some 729,000 high school students enrolled in parish religious education programs, 26,00 fewer than the previous year. Elementary students in religious education numbered nearly 3.5 million, but the total was 81,000 below the previous years figure.

In all, the number of Catholic children receiving faith formation in Catholic schools or religious education programs last year was 204,000 lower than the year before.

As a diocesan director, I would like to discuss this drop in participation. Several questions do come to mind. Are there any other studies that report the same drop in participation? If the Catholic population in the U. S. is increasing, as the article says, why is participation in religious education programs dropping? Are there fewer children to share the faith with or are families opting not to send their children? If they are opting not to send their children, I wonder why. Is the drop in participation uniform across the country, the same in rural and urban areas and the same across cultural lines? So many questions.

Don

Diocesan Director Survey

I received a survey from Mary Ann Ronan, President and Neil A. Parent, Executive Director today regarding NCCL and the Diocesan Director’s Forum. I hope all those who received the survey will take time to complete the online survey and submit it. The survey questions are:

• What are your most important considerations in determining whether to attend NCCL’s annual conference?
• In looking to services from NCCL, which are the top three you look for?
• What are your top two or three major concerns/needs as a diocesan director?
• NCCL has a forum specifically established for diocesan directors. In what
ways can the forum function to make it the most beneficial to you?
• If NCCL could focus its energies and resources on only one issue
this coming year, what would that be for you?

I would find it helpful to discuss our answers to these questions. Share your responses with us on the DDRE forum email list. If you are not yet a member of the list please join us on the DDRE Forum email list. To join the list you will need to register with Google Groups. If you have any difficulty joining the group please let me know at DDREForum@gmail.com
Don

Jeanne Brady

Many of you knew Jeanne Brady from her days as Diocesan Director of the Christian Formation office for the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, from her work with NCCL's Annual meeting or time on the Rep Council. Jeanne died last Friday, June 30, from cancer. Jeanne Brady's funeral arrangements have been made.

Visitation is on Wednesday, July 5th from 6 - 9 pm at Prince of Peace Church, 16000 W. 143rd, Olathe, KS 66062

Funeral Mass is on Thursday, July 6th at 10 am, Prince of Peace Church, Olathe, KS. Burial at Resurrection Cemetery.

If you wish to make a donation in Jeanne's honor, she was working with English as a 2nd language program after her retirement. Donations can be sent to:
Project Finish
1477 E. 151st Street
Olathe, Kansas 66062

Bishop Wuerl appointed Archbishop Of Washington

Pope Accepts Cardinal McCarrick’s Resignation, Appoints Bishop Wuerl As Archbishop Of Washington; Resignation Of Bishop Imesch Of Joliet Accepted, Bishop Sartain Of Little Rock Is Named As Successor

WASHINGTON (May 16, 2006)—Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick of Washington and appointed Bishop Donald W. Wuerl of Pittsburgh as his successor.

The Pope accepted the resignation of Bishop Joseph L. Imesch of Joliet, Illinois and named Bishop J. Peter Sartain of Little Rock, Arkansas as Bishop of Joliet.
Read the story here.

Fr. Gallagher's PowerPoint

The PowerPoint from Michael Paul Gallagher, SJ afternoon presentation at the Chicago Conference
“Culture: Faith’s Friend or Foe” is available on NCCL's web site. Access the PowerPoint here.

"God's Call Comes by Cellphone"

The latimes.com reports, "Bible verses on a BlackBerry, sermons on an MP3 -- an explosion in digitalized spirituality is making true believers of online e-vangelists. " This article about the use of digital technology in religious formation is an interesting read. Catechists relying on old technology may find themselves left out in the cold so to speak. Read the article here.

Don

DON KURRE RECEIVES NCCL TECHNOLOGY AWARD

Don Kurre, former president of NCCL and most ardent supporter of the use of technology in catechesis received the 2006 Technology Award at the banquet Wednesday, May 3 in Chicago during the annual meeting and conference. Congratulations Don, and thank you!

Catholic Education and the New Apologetics

The May 4, 2006 issue of Origins (Vol. 35 No. 46) contains an address Bishop Braxton gave at a recent conference in Atlanta. Bishop Braxton makes the point, "An essential component of the new apologietic must be the aggressive, up-to-date, sophisticated, attrative and interactive ways in which we announce, explain and defend the good news of Jesus Christ on the Internet." Braxton's text begins on page 763.

Don

Was your In Box full after Chicago?

Dealing with E-mail is a continuing challenge for catechetical leaders. David Tebbutt offers some positive suggestions for dealing with that flood of E-mail you faced when you arrived in your office after attending the Annual Conference in Chicago. Read David's comments here.

Don

Mancini and Roat Elected

Maribeth Mancini and Anne Roat were elected to serve as Animators for the Diocesan Director's Forum duing the Forum meeting in Chicago. We want to thank Jim Kemna and Mary Kay Cullinan for their work as Animators. We do appreciate the time and effort you gave to the forum. Thank you. (Animators pictured Maribeth Mancini, Sharon Horgan, Anne Roat and Sr. Pat McGinley L to R)

Officers Elected

New Officers were elected during NCCL's 2006 Annual Meeting in Chicago. The Officers are
Mary Ann Ronan - President
Rev. David Loftus - Vice President
Janet Schaeffler, OP - Secretary
Lorraine S DeLuca - Treasurer
Congratulations to our new officers.

The election provided more excitement than we expected. After a historic three ballots produced no elected slate the Board gathered and determined the outcome. Joe Swiss, Chair of the Discernment Committee, announced the institutional vote was tied on the third ballot. Remember, if a third round of voting is necessary and neither slate carries a majority of both the institutional votes and the individual votes, the slate that carries the institution vote is declared the winner. The slate of Ronan, Loftus, Schaeffler and DeLuca received a significant majority of votes from the Individual Ballots. The Board's action brought a lively campaign season to a close.

We also offer a special word of thanks to our outgoing officers for their service. So, Anne Comeaux, Rev. Tony Salim, Mary Ann Ronan and DJ Florian --- Thank you! We do appreciate all you gave to NCCL.

Don

“Why a DDRE Forum Blog?”

On November 16, 2004 we asked the question, “Why a DDRE Forum Blog?” Read the post here.

A time to select our leadership

During NCCL's National Conference & Exposition being held in Chicago April 30 - May 4, 2006 we will have the opportunity to elect new leadership. As you know this is an important election. We think it is essential for the members of the DDRE Forum to take time to get to know the members of each slate and their vision for NCCL. The contact information for each member of the slate is available in the Membership Directory on the NCCL web site here. Now is the time to contact the members of the slates and talk with them about NCCL.
The two slates are:

• Harry Dudley - President
• Charleen O’Connell - Vice President
• Marc Gonzalez - Treasurer
• Kathy Gallo - Secretary
  

• Mary Ann Ronan - President
• Fr. David Loftus - Vice President
• Loraine DeLuca - Treasurer
• Sr. Janet Schaeffler - Secretary

Join the email discussion group and discuss your vision for NCCL and the skills and talents we need in leadership positions. Click here to access the DDRE Forum discussion group.

Proposed DDRE Forum Gathering Agenda

The forums will take place Tuesday, May 2, 3:30 - 5:30 p.m. as part of the 2006 NCCL National Conference & Exposition being held in Chicago.

Agenda for the Forum Gathering:

3:30 Prayer

3: 45 Developing a Catechetical Plan for the Diocese
The NDC directs dioceses to develop a catechetical plan. This segment of the gathering will present a process to help Directors network and resource one another on this vital issue. . The results of each roundtable discussion would be provided to the directors afterward.

4:30 Reflections on the Symposium: The New Catechetical Reality
This segment will give directors a chance to process insights gained at the recent symposium with Richard Gaillardetz. It could add further “meat” for the discussions about the diocesan catechetical plan. The results of each roundtable discussion would be provided to the directors afterward.

5:00 Election of New Animators
Replacements for Jim and Mary Kay will be elected at the gathering.

5:15 Other Business Items
This segment might include a brainstorm session on future symposium possibilities and topics.
Also, a chance for the DDRE Forum to communicate anything as a group to NCCL or possibly to propose a resolution regarding a current issue in NCCL or on the national scene.

Share your thoughts on the agenda with the animators at DDREForum@gmail.com.

Nominations for the Role of Animator

At the NCCL Annual meeting in Chicago two new animators will be chosen. The role description for forum animators:

• Animators are elected for a three year term
• Plan and facilitate the Forum Meeting at the NCCL Annual Meeting
• One animator will represent the Forum on the Representative Council
• One animator will serve on the Leadership Discernment Committee
• Solicit suggestions for membership on the Animating Team and conduct elections
• Solicit names for conference leadership
• Facilitate networking among forum members
• Help plan forum events to meet the needs of the membership throughout the year
• Communicate with other forums, the board of directors, and the executive committee, and the executive director

Nominations and background information must be submitted to Jim Kemna by April 17, 2006. E-mail Jim at DDREForum@gmail.com.

Let the discussion begin

At a recent meeting of the MINK region we discussed our inability to take advantage of technology in our ministry. On arriving home I read an interesting observation on JP Rangaswami Blog, “Confused of Calcutta” that made our discussion all the more depressing. Rangaswami works for an investment bank in London and he said:

“My son Isaac takes two minutes to critique a mobile phone. My daughter Orla holds a dozen IM sessions in parallel while doing her nails, her homework and listening to music. And the youngest, Hope, gets frustrated as only a seven-year-old can, when she can’t install the game she’s bought because of poorly designed parental control filters that should affect web browsing and not CD-ROM installing. They are the future.”

I’m convinced we must become more aggressive in our use of technology and digital media. It is not enough to have a web site while those around us have TV and radio networks, podcasts, IM channels, blogs and wikis. Adding an RSS feed to the NCCL web site, making it easier for members to keep up-to-date on changes made to the site, would be a small step forward. With technology we are far behind and the longer we wait the harder it will be to get back in the game.

We also heard from at least one publisher that publishing companies are looking for some guidance from organizations like NCCL and the Directors’ Forum on Safe Environment resources. The question is what would we like to see included in textbooks for Safe Environment Education? Since we are expected to provide Safe Environment training for participants in catechetical programs it seem logical for some of that material to be included in textbooks. So, what advice would we give to the publishers?

Don Kurre

Congratulations to the Diocesan Staff Forum

I want to congratulate the Diocesan Staff Forum for their use of NCCL's web site to share information about Forum activities during The 2006 NCCL National Conference & Exposition April 30 - May 4, 2006. Here is the link to download a copy of the Forum's agenda during the Conference.

Don Kurre

Meetings, meetings and more meetings.

Meetings, meetings and more meetings. Meetings seem to fill most of our working life. It follows that our ministry would be more effective and perhaps more enjoyable if we ran productive meetings.

I found a list of 9 tips for running more product meetings on one of my favorite websites, "43 Folders." So here are Merlin Mann's 9 tips for running more productive meetings.

You might find this hard to understand from me but I especially liked his point number 4. He said,

No electronic grazing. Period. - Laptops closed. Phones off. Blackberries left back in the cube. You’re either at the meeting or you’re not at the meeting, and few things are more distracting or disruptive than the guy who has to check his damned email every five minutes. Schedule breaks for people to fiddle with their toys, but fearlessly enforce a no grazing rule once the meeting’s back in session. Emergency call to take or make? They have to leave the room. No exceptions. If you’re too busy to be at the meeting everyone else has made firewalled time for, just leave.

Read all 9 of Merlin's tips here.

Don

Lenten Retreat - "On Bended Knee"

If you are looking for something to enrich your expereience of Lent in 2006 I would suggest the VLCFF seminar, On Bended Knee.

Based on the Pastoral Letter of Bishop Anthony G. Bosco, Diocese of Greensburg, this mini-online course is a spiritual journey for critically reflecting upon one's understanding of the Eucharist and its meaning and impact on our relationships with one another. Eucharist is so much more than getting our attendance card checked off in heaven for attending Mass on the weekend. The Eucharist calls us to service! Environment: While journeying through this mini-course it is appropriate, if you are able, to create a special reflective space or environment to enter into the experience. You may need to select a special time to participate in these sessions to ensure your prayerful journey. You may decide to light a special prayer candle. Begin each session by taking a few moments to center yourself in the presence of God. In session #2, you are asked to reflect on a cross (one given to you for the course or one that is particularly special to you). Journal: It is recommended that you keep a personal journal as you proceed through the mini-course. You may do this in a handbook or as a Word document. The journal helps us to focus and monitor our reflections for growing in understanding how Eucharist calls you to service!

Click here for more information.

Don

Blogging, The Newest Evangelization

The Winter, 2005 issue of Church has an article on blogging entitled, "The Newest Evangelization." The lead to the article by Phyllis Zagano says, "Find out what opportunities blogs and bloggers offer pastoral ministers who are eager to reach young readers online?" In the conclusion to the article, Zagano says,

Anyone who writes or speaks about Catholic matters and affairs is well advised to take stock of the 'new Catholics,' who receive their informaiton and opinion from an ever-increasing variety of places.

The article is in Church Volume 24, Number 4, page 19 -- 24.

Don