RCIA convocation offers more than four dozen practical workshops

Press Release

October 15, 2008

Forum Contact: James Schellman

202-884-9762, jschellman@naforum.org

www.naforum.org

North American Forum on the Catechumenate

RCIA convocation offers more than four dozen practical workshops

Washington, DC-Speakers and workshops at the Fifth International Convocation of the North American Forum on the Catechumenate will offer attendees both vision and practical suggestions for formation of newcomers to the Catholic way of life.  Forum will convene under the theme “Handing on What We Have Received from the Lord” November 6-8 in Cleveland, Ohio.  More than 600 parish and diocesan leaders throughout Canada and the U.S. are expected. Full information, including download brochure and online registration, at www.naforum.org.  Or call 202-687-8015 or e-mail: liturgy@georgetown.edu.

Participants in the Convocation will experience such major addresses as:

“Each Day the Church Gives Birth to the Church”: Reflections on the Contemporary Context of Christian Initiation, by Richard Gaillardetz, Professor of Catholic Studies at the University of Toledo and noted speaker and author. Gaillardetz will explore the distinctive shape of the Church being born in our world today and new questions that must be addressed with both faith and hope in the Spirit.

Participants will have four-dozen practical workshops to consider, for example:

How to Get the Whole Parish Community on Your Formation Team by Nick Wagner, a leader in catechumenate team formation and author of The Way of Faith: A Field Guide for the RCIA Process. This workshop will give you the tools you need to energize your entire parish faith formation process with simple and effective strategies drawn from the RCIA.

Apprenticing Disciples for Justice and Peace, by Kathy Brown, senior director of mission at Catholic Charities USA. Look at the role of the parish in forming others for discipleship, hear how parishes are integrating justice and peace in their formation, and look at some materials and resources available to support this work.

Breaking Open Liturgical Catechesis—What It Is and How You Do It, by Mary Birmingham, author of Word and Worship Workbook, Years A, B, C (Paulist Press) and Year Round Catechumenate (Liturgy Training Publications).  Explore the concept of liturgical catechesis and how to implement it—both theory and practical application.

Initiation in Cluster Parishes, by William Burke, priest of the Diocese of Antigonish (Nova Scotia) and director of the Canadian bishops’ National Liturgy Office. Consider the various forms of parish clustering and how these affect initiation, share experience and questions, for example, whether to maintain formation teams in each parish, where and with whom to celebrate the rites, the sacraments of initiation in particular.

Baptismal Catechumenate: Inspiration for All Catechesis, by Catherine Dooley, OP, former professor in the School of Theology and Religious Studies at the Catholic University of America and noted speaker and author. Based upon the principle that the RCIA models the future of all faith formation (see General Directory for Catechesis), this workshop will explore the components of a catechumenal catechesis, particularly the place of the rituals in this catechesis, and the implications for the future of all faith formation.

Restoration of the Order of the Sacraments of Initiation, by Gerald Wiesner, OMI, Bishop of Prince George (British Columbia).  This session will examine the teachings of Vatican Council II and subsequent Church teachings that refer to both the nature and the order of the initiation sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist.