Scholarship Fund

Dear Diocesan Director:

This brief note is to inform you that a temporary scholarship fund has been established to assist diocesan directors of religious education to attend the NCCL Annual Conference. As you well know, natural disasters, settlements of lawsuits, and diocesan downsizing have placed budgetary restrictions on many diocesan religious education offices. This has resulted in the inability of some diocesan directors to attend the annual conference. If, for these or other reasons, you need financial help in order to attend the 2007 annual conference, please consider this opportunity to apply for financial assistance.

It is important for NCCL to have your presence and your voice as we continue to advocate for and develop the ministry of catechesis. Your insight and experience, and the needs of the catechetical community of your (arch)diocese will be missing if you do not attend the annual conference in Columbus.

We hope all is going well in your ministry.

Blessings and Christ's peace.

NCCL Scholarship Committee :

Anne Roat, Diocese of Lafayette, chairperson
Sr. Margaret Kuntz, Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee
Daniel Luby, Diocese of Fort Worth
Jim Kemna, Diocese of Jefferson City
Pete Ries, Diocese of Lansing

Jean Marie Webber takes position at Cardinal Stritch University

JEAN MARIE WEBER JOINS THE FACULTY AT CARDINAL STRITCH UNIVERSITY, MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, AS PART OF THE NEW SAINT CLARE CENTER FOR MINISTRY FORMATION

Dear Colleagues:

This announcement comes to you within the context of gratitude to all of you, my co-workers in the vineyard of our God with whom I have labored for these past four years as Director of Certification for the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops Commission on Certification and Accreditation (USCCB/CCA). I have been recruited and have accepted a position on the faculty of Cardinal Stritch University, effective, January 16, 2007. I look forward to being part of launching a newly formed Saint Clare Center for Ministry Formation which will be fully operative by August, 2007.

The main focus of this new Saint Clare Center for Ministry Formation is the education and formation of lay and ordained ministers of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and other Christian churches of Southeast Wisconsin. The Center is shaped by the Franciscan tradition, serves a diverse ecumenical community and assists the Religious Studies Department in helping students discern their individual callings and prepares them for a wide variety of ministries. Cardinal Stritch University is opening this new Center in response to the closing of Saint Francis Seminary here in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. The University is located in Milwaukee at 6801 North Yates Road, Milwaukee, WI 53217-3985, (414) 410-4000, (800) 347- 8822, weberjm@sbcglobal.net

I am grateful for the opportunities that the USCCB/CCA afforded me since October 2, 2002. It has been an honor and privilege to have served in this role with you and for you. My position of Director of Certification at USCCB/CCA has not been cut, but we have been informed of the forthcoming budget reductions and potential restructuring plans for the USCCB/CCA effective 2007. I leave the USCCB/CCA with regret, since I have both loved and enjoyed this important, national leadership work, but know that this new employment offer is the next step in God’s plan for me. You are part of my praying and learning community and in that Spirit we remain connected. Please pray for God’s blessings on this new and challenging ministry.

Thank you,
Jean Marie Weber

“For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the LORD. . . .

(Jeremiah 29:11-14)

Joyce Crider's Brother Passed Away

Kathy Kandefer, BVM sent the following email.
I would like to share some sad news with you.

Joyce Crider, associate director for NCCL, brother, Alton Ray Crider, passed away on New Years Day. Ray is being buried today in Georgia. He is survived by his wife Edith, children and grandchildren.

Please keep Joyce and Ray’s family in your prayers.

Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year

We wish the members of the DDRE Forum a very Blessed Christmas and the best in the New Year.

Merry Christmas

Sandy Compas

Associate Religious Education Director of Little Rock
killed in car accident

Published:December 04, 2006 on Little Rock Diocesan Webpage

Sandy Compas

Sandy Compas had a passion for teaching religion to children and adults for 20 years. As the associate director for religious education and Christian initiation for the Diocese of Little Rock for the past three years, she was able to spread the faith across the state.

The diocesan offices were eerily silent Monday morning, Dec. 4 when the news broke that Compas was killed in a car accident the night before near Bald Knob. She was returning to the state from a friend's diaconate ordination in Missouri . She was 44.

Msgr. J. Gaston Hebert, diocesan administrator, and Dennis Lee, chancellor for administrative affairs, gathered employees in Morris Hall Chapel at St. John Center in Little Rock to share the news and lead them in a rosary for the repose of Compas' soul. At noon Msgr. Hebert celebrated a Mass for the Dead in the chapel.

She is survived by her mother, Mildred; and one sister, Lynn. Funeral arrangements are pending.

Received from NCCL's National Office

"What a Catechist Is and Does

"What a Catechist Is and Does" is the title of a speech Archbishop Donald Wuerl gave to the archdiocesan catechetical convocation on October 28, 2006. The text of Archbishop Wuerl's speech is in the November 16, 2006, Volume 35, Number 23 issue of Origins.

Committee on Rural Ministry

Dorothy, on behalf of Region 12, asked the Board of Directors to consider establishing an NCCL Rural Ministry Committee. The Council engaged in a lively discussion about the proposal before turning the question over to the Board of Directors. One task of the committee would be to identify the many experiences of rural. Rural in one diocese may not describe the same experience as rural in another diocese. While no formal advice (no vote was taken) was given by the Rep Council to the Board it was clear to this participant that the Council favored establishing a rural ministry committee. We hope the Board will act quickly and establish the committee. Most members of the Council that I talked to recommended Sr Dorothy as chair.

Technology and the Conference

The success of the Omaha meeting came in part from the very effective use of several technological tools. The Officers made excellent use of Power Point in the orientation they conducted for the Council. Cheryl recorded notes for the Council during several presentations including Bishop Malone's report on the USCCB's strategic plan. Our table recorder tracked our discussion on his computer and emailed the notes from our discussion to NCCL's Secretary.

We need to be aggressive with our use of technology in our conference work and our ministry. The incorporation of technology into our work is no longer a luxury but an essential tool of communication. Our experience in Omaha taught us that internet access, computers and LCD projectors are valuable tools for our work. Affordable internet access needs to be available at all sites used by NCCL for meetings and workshops.

RE Omaha Rep Council Meeting

I planned to blog for the duration of the Council meeting however, for some reason I was not able to connect to Blogger. Oh the plans of mice and ... On the whole it was a very good meeting. Many of the new Council members found the orientation to and review of the purpose of the Council very helpful. I heard several council members say, "Now I understand our role." Be sure to ask your Province Rep for the minutes from the meeting. The officers made a big push for reps to be accountable to both the Council and to their constituents. I appreciated the emphasis given to accountability. If Council Reps take their responsibility seriously and hold themselves accountable both to the council and to their constituents I believe NCCL and the Catechetical ministry will benefit. We might want to establish a Hold Your Rep Accountable Day. We want to thank the Archdiocese of Omaha for the support they gave to the meeting. A special word of thanks goes out to Cathi Snyder for her help and support.

Report from USCCB

Members of the Rep Council had a very good dialogue with Mike Steier who answered questions with respect to the USCCB’s Report. Much of the discussion focused on the National Doctrinal Curriculum Framework for High Schools. For more information contact Mike at USCCB.

Comments from Bishop Malone

Bishop Malone opened our Saturday morning session with a survey of the reorganization and strategic plan for the USCCB. The proposal takes the Conference from 36 committees to 16. The Conference will set up a committee on Catechesis and Evangelization. The Rep Council is encourage that evangelization will be the primary focus of the mission of the Conference. As a result, all activities of the conference will be evaluated through the lens of evangelization. A key mission relationship for the Catechesis and Evangelization Committee will be with catechetical, stewardship and evangelization organizations. The plan is available on the USCCB web site. Bishop Malone reported that response to the US Adult Catechism has been very positive. When used well, Bishop Malone said, it will be a good resource.

Something to Remember

I especially appreciated being reminded of this comment from Jane Regan. She said, "Adults learn best when they are in conversation with other adults about things that matter." Great quote.

Echoes of Faith Plus

Ed Gordon and Jo Rotunno introduced the new Echoes of Faith Plus and the revision of Echoes of Faith modules. Jo said the revised modules will be available by December. By the end of 2007 14 modules will be revised and in parishes. After the revisions are made they hope to begin producing modes NCCL requested. Progress is being made. Jo 's asked the members of the Rep Council how the booklet, DVD and CD Rom fit together. The booklet drives the process of Echoes of Faith. Catechist formation needs to happen in a community of faith. This process is at the heart of Echoes of Faith. You will not be able to access less than half the content if you only turn on the DVD. The whole of the content and formation is the result of using the booklet,
DVD and CD. Ed reminded us that Echoes of Faith is the product of NCCL. It is our product and we need to talk about it and use Echoes of Faith as well. Let's get behind Echoes of Faith. By the way there will be a CD glued to the back of each booklet. The CD will augment Echoes of Faith process. This CD will be a resource and a support for the Echoes of Faith participant. For more information visit RCL's web site here.

Accountability

Mary Ann encouraged us to consider how we are accountable to our constituency and to other members of the Rep Council. I think it is a good idea for us to consider the issue of accountability. What insights do you have about accountability? I'd be interest in your reflections.

Don

Rural Catechesis Committee

The Rep Council will consider recommending to the Board that the Board establish a Rural Catechesis/Ministry Committee. The Council will discuss this for action during the Saturday Session.

Committee Chairs

David Loftus described NCCL's committees and their function. The NCCL Committees and their Chairs are:

Executive Committee	Mary Ann Ronan
Project Viability	Mary Ann Ronan
Strategic Oversight	Harry Dudley
Finance Committee	Lorraine DeLuca
Development Subcommittee	Sr. Jane Marie Osterholt, SP
Leadership Discernment	Joseph Swiss
Publication	Dave Galusha
Annual Meeting	Barbara Romanello-Whitman
Membership	Joan McKeown and Andrea Sabor
Communications	Ann Roat
Standards & Certification	Garole Gastelum and Carol Jadach
Technology	Angela Ann Zukowski, MHSH
Adult Faith Formation	Jack McBride
Catechesis and Culture	Mary Jo Waggoner
Catechist Formation	Ken Ogorek
Theoretical Foundations for Catechesis	Maribeth Mancin
Catechist Formation (Echoes)	Ed Gordon
By-laws and Policy Review	Jim Tucker
Operation Catechesis	Jeanne Schremp
Executive Director Search	Maribeth Mancini & Carole Augustine

Powerful Challenge

Harry challenged members of the Rep Council to ask, “Who have I invited to Catechetical ministry?”

Coming to you from Omaha

The Rep Council opened in Omaha on Thursday, October 26, 2006 at the Hilton Garden Inn. Thursday night we began our work with several team building activities concluding in prayer. Friday morning we opnned with prayer titled “The Mustard Seed.” David, Mary Ann and Harry reviewed NCCL’s structure with the Rep Council. Questions about how people become members of the Rep Council were addressed.

Rep Council trivia: Since there are 32 provinces we have a potential of 32 Diocesan reps and 32 PCL reps with partner organization the Council could have 89 members. 53 people are participating in the Omaha Rep Council meeting. 29 of the 32 Provinces are represented by a Diocesan person. 9 Provinces are represented by PCLs. All the provinces who have named a PCL rep are in attendance.

The Council moved into table discussion around three questions:

• Who is represented at the table?
• Who is not represented at the table?
• What challenges might this reality pose to the Rep Council of the NCCL?

Key responses to these questions included:

• Outreach to diocese and other organizations
• Clarify the value of NCCL to possible members
• Enter into dialogue with diocesan offices regarding participation on the Rep Council
• There are financial issues to address
• Regions of the country are different and we need to address the differences.

Strengths of the Council:

• Flexibility
• The Chaos resulting from our commitment to to stay located in the Grass Roots
• Commitment to Cat Excellence
• Structure for local regional and national Catechetical Voice
• Structure for planning and visioning-Network to foster growth

Youth Ministry in a Culturally Diverse Church

The October 12, 2006 issue of Origins has the text of a recent talk given by Alejandro Aguilera-Titus from the USCCB entitled, "Youth Ministry in a Culturally Diverse Chruch." Alejandro Aguilera-Titus shared an overview of pastoral principles for youth ministry in culturally diverse parishes at the annual Connections Conference on Youth Ministry sponsored by the Catholic Youth Organization of the Archdiocese of Detroit. It is worth reading.

Don

Rep Council to Meet in Omaha

The Representative Council will meet in Omaha, NE October 26, 2006 through October 28, 2006. Talk with your Province Rep about the agenda. Mary Ann Ronan tells me they have a very positive training on the Rep Council planned for the meeting. Other agenda items include gathering nominations for the 2007 Catechetical Award and the Distinguished Service Award. During the meeting the Animators for the DDRE Forum will be planning for Forum sponsored in-services. If you have any suggestions please let the Animators know. The Animators are: Maribeth Mancini, Anne Roat and Sr. Pat McGinley. The Animators are planning to use technology to make Forum programs available to a larger audience. I’ll blog the Rep Council meeting so check back during the meeting and see what’s going on. E-mail questions to DDREForum@gmail.com

Don