GREENSBORO — Anyone who teaches the faith to others – including parents, catechists, other teachers and parish staff, and clergy – is invited to a Marian-themed catechetical conference coming up Saturday, March 25.
The one-day conference at the Grandover Resort and Conference Center, entitled “Forming Disciples After the Heart of Mary: Catechesis for Discipleship and Evangelization,” is being organized by the Education Vicariate of the Diocese of Charlotte. It will feature speakers from both the diocese and the Denver-based Augustine Institute, which aims to teach the faith and equip Catholics for the New Evangelization.
Conference-goers can participate in any of four program tracks: adult faith formation, catechists and educators, parish evangelization, and a Spanish-language track.
The Adult Faith Formation track will include topics such as “The Baptismal Catechumenate as the Model for Adult Faith Formation” and “Effective Pastoral Leadership for Adult Faith Formation.”
The Catechists and Educators track will include topics such as “Our Hearts were Burning Within Us: A Biblical Paradigm for Evangelization and Catechesis,” “Key Catechetical Methods for the New Evangelization” and “Being Imitators of Christ: The Spirituality of the Catechist.”
The Parish Evangelization track will include topics such as “Becoming a Church of Missionary Disciples,” “Building & Sustaining a Parish Evangelization Team,” “How to Effectively Lead Small Discipleship Groups” and “Parish Evangelization/Outreach Strategies.”
In the Spanish-language track, topics include: “Ser imitadores de Cristo: la espiritualidad del catequista,” “Proclamando las escrituras: haciendo eco a la palabra de Dios,” “Integrando las tradiciones culturales en la catequesis” and “Convirtiéndonos en una iglesia de discípulos misioneros.”
The conference will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mass will be celebrated by Monsignor Mauricio West, vicar general and chancellor of the Diocese of Charlotte, at 9 a.m.
The keynote address for the conference, entitled “The New Evangelization – The Extraordinary Mission of Our Time,” will be given by Lucas Pollice of the Augustine Institute. Pollice is the director of program development and associate professor of theology and catechetics at the Augustine Institute.
Other speakers include: Michelle Nilsson, associate director of evangelization and catechesis with the Diocese of Madison, Wis.; Scott Sollom, professor of theology at Franciscan University and coordinator of Campus RCIA; and Martha Toon, director of faith formation in Olathe, Kan., and a catechist with the School Of Faith Institute; Father Fidel Melo, Vicar of Hispanic Ministry for the Charlotte diocese; and Deacon Mark Mejias from Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro.
The registration fee is $25 per person and includes lunch and coffee breaks. Vendors and other amenities will be available throughout the conference.
For more information or to register, go to www.charlottediocese.org/ev/dcc
Questions? Call the Education Vicariate office at 704-370-3244.
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter