Join Ave Maria Press online for a series of free, professional development workshops for parish ministers! Enjoy access to free presentations by experts in every area of parish ministry from the comfort of your home or office. Sign up for live webinars to participate in our question and answer sessions or watch the free videos below at your convenience.
Who’s Caring for the Caregiver? Ministering to the Caregivers in our Midst
There are an estimated sixty-five million family caregivers in the United States today, a silent army of people who struggle with stress, guilt, and spiritual depletion. How do we, as the Church, minister to these caregivers? What can we do to address their struggles, which include losses in relationships, loneliness, and crises of faith? In this webinar, Deb Kelsey-Davis and Kelly Johnson, cofounders of Nourish for Caregivers, will help you learn how supporting caregivers strengthens families and our parishes and extends Christ’s love to the community.
Joyful Witness in the Spirit of Francis and Clare of Assisi
Sts. Francis and Clare of Assisi, by their words and deeds, encouraged Christians to live out the belief that the kingdom of heaven belongs to the poor in spirit. In fact, the core of Franciscan spirituality claims that the reality of God’s divine love enables us to radiate joyful optimism and sacrificial generosity. In this session, Susan Muto and Lori McMahon of the Epiphany Association—which promotes the teaching and research of formative spirituality—will explore fundamental themes of Franciscan spirituality, leading us to a deeper understanding of how we are called to full participation in Christ, embracing a life of suffering, joy, and compassion.
Mobilizing the Field Hospital: Pastoral Care and Accompaniment with Young Adults
To respond to the realities of a COVID-19 world, the Church must approach young adults as the “field hospital after battle” that Pope Francis has advocated for years. This approach involves intentional pastoral care and accompaniment to tend to the physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and economic wounds of those who struggle through this crisis moment – and beyond. In this webinar, Paul Jarzembowski, assistant director of the USCCB's youth and young adult ministries and lay ecclesial ministry, will discuss how to position ourselves so that we can respond and bring the light of the Gospel to young adults today.
The Spiritual Top 10 List
Everyone loves top 10 lists, right? What about a spiritual top 10? The spiritual top 10 is those times you felt a special closeness to God, a grace-filled moment. In these challenging times, we all need extra grace and St Ignatius Loyola recommends returning to the graces God has shared with us with a spirit of gratitude to renew a sense of peace and trust in the moment. St Ignatius invites us to “ask for interior knowledge of all the great good I have received, in order that, stirred to profound gratitude I may become able to love and serve the Divine Majesty in all things” (Spiritual Exercises, 233). In this webinar, Fr. Joe Laramie, S.J., will lead us in this exercise to help deepen your relationship with the Lord and in your family and community.
Five Practical Ways to Grow Closer to the Heart of Jesus
One of the most inspiring reasons to practice a deep and personal devotion to the Heart of Jesus is that it unites you to the "Heart of the Church." This prayerful practice has been lived out since St. John the Apostle placed his head on the breast of Jesus at the Last Supper. In this webinar, Emily Jaminet, executive director of the Sacred Heart Enthronement Network, will share a brief history of this powerful devotion and how our Lord is calling us to develop a deep and lasting relationship with His Most Sacred Heart.
Engaging in Dialogue with our Multicultural Catholic Communities about Race, Faith, and Culture
It’s not always easy to speak about racism, race, and culture within the context of our faith. It is sometimes easier to stay silent, especially in our politicized environment. However, silence can hurt our chances of truly learning about the lived experiences of our brothers and sisters in the peripheries. Jesus taught us about loving our neighbor, feeding the hungry, and forgiving multiple times. Join Cynthia Psencik, director of the office of youth ministry for the Archdiocese of New York, and Armando Cervantes, director of youth and young adults and interim director of Hispanic ministry for the Diocese of Orange, as they discuss and share how authentic dialogue can help us make the changes needed in our communities.
Strengthening Your Inner Life in Challenging Times: The Simple Care of a Hopeful Heart
One of the greatest gifts you can share with others is a sense of your own peace. But you can’t share what you don’t have. Dr. Robert J. Wicks, an expert on the prevention of secondary stress—the pressures you experience in reaching out to others—offers insight into how you can live in peace and extend your warmth to others without losing your inner fire. You will learn how to: * offer a nonjudgmental presence; * maintain a healthy perspective; * avoid dangers that lead to unnecessary stress; * develop a self-care protocol; * Know the four “voices” we need in our circle of friends to have balance and courage in life; * improve self-awareness; * face inner darkness; and * develop a richer sense of prayer. Practical, illustrative, lively, this rich presentation will provide essential information on resilience, compassion, spirituality, and personal/professional wellbeing.
6 Leadership Lessons from the Saints and How to Live Them Today
Leadership books pack bookstore shelves, but few are rooted in an authentically Catholic perspective. The Church claims some of the greatest leaders in world history—the saints. Based on a year of research, John Cannon will discuss six lessons for authentic Catholic leadership rooted in the lives of great saint leaders. He also will offer clear, practical applications for leaders today.
RCIA Will Never Be the Same Again
Many of us who guide and form spiritual seekers are hoping for a return to normal as soon as the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. But normal probably won’t look like what we are used to. The effects of the pandemic have permanently ruptured “the way we’ve always done it.” For the most part, that is a good thing. In this webinar, Nick Wagner and Diana Macalintal of Team RCIA will look at some ways initiation ministry and our lives as disciples will be permanently changed for the better.
Grow Giving During the COVID-19 Crisis
The COVID-19 crisis has many parish leaders scrambling for funds so that they can keep their doors open and fulfill their mission. In this webinar, Fr. Michael White and Tom Corcoran, bestselling authors of Rebuilt and ChurchMoney, will share immediate action steps and long-term strategies to fund your mission to make disciples. White and Corcoran will reveal key opportunities to increase giving in the midst of the pandemic.
What Parish Leaders Should Know about Ministering to Couples Experiencing Infertility
Infertility affects approximately one in six couples in the United States. For many Catholic couples, the Church is the natural place to look for help and much-needed support. In order to offer healing and hope for the journey, it is important to first understand what infertility is and how it affects couples. In this webinar, Angelique Ruhi-Lopez and Carmen Santamaria, authors of The Infertility Companion for Catholics, will offer tips, advice, and resources in order to provide spiritual and practical support for couples facing infertility.
Credibility in Crisis: How to Leverage Pivotal Life Moments in Youth Ministry
Teens are watching, listening, and judging the way you respond to crisis, whether it's quarantine during Coronavirus, death, an error in judgment, or any time that life seems to stop. Our decisions at these moments can either build their trust in Christ and the Church or break it down. Join the student ministers from Church of the Nativity in Timonium, Maryland, in exploring how they're learning to leverage pivotal life moments. God is still good even when life isn't.
Accompanying Young People through Quarantine
A new study from Springtide Research points out that social distancing is heightening the feelings of isolation and loneliness in young people, even as they are participating in online Church services and engaging with more digital content than ever before. They’re consuming a lot, but processing very little. Join Catholic author and speaker Katie Prejean McGrady as she discusses how to help young people feel connected while accompanying them through abruptly ended school years, uncertain summer plans, and the worry and fear of these times. Prejean McGrady will share three things adults can do for teens and young people and explore strategies on how to stay mentally healthy and focused as ministers serving during this pandemic.
Running on Empty or Powered by Prayer? Tips to Rejuvenating Your Prayer Life to Build Your Ministry
What’s the secret to taking your prayer life to the next level? Michele Faehnle and Emily Jaminet say that it’s all about spending time with God, rather than demanding things from him. In this webinar, Faehnle and Jaminet share basic prayer principles that have helped them to become women of prayer, including encouraging stories, practical advice, and tips from the lives and writings of the saints. Learn how these practices can help fuel an active life of ministry in the Church for you, too.
Teaching Catholic Youth to Think Critically
As a teacher or minister, how can you guide young people to seek the truth in areas such as science while maintaining their faith? Stacy A. Trasancos, executive director of the St. Philip Institute of Catechesis and Evangelization in the Diocese of Tyler and author of Particles of Faith: A Catholic Guide to Navigating Science, will share the fundamental tools that will help you encourage young people to think critically without being derailed by temptation.
Building a Dynamic Team of Volunteers
We all know that we can't lead on our own, but recruiting, managing, and building a team of volunteers can be a challenge (especially if you are part-time or a volunteer). In this webinar, Christopher Wesley will share simple tips and strategies that will help parishes recruit, manage, and train a team of volunteers who can take ministry to the next level.
How Can the Catholic Church Support Individuals and Families Impacted by Addiction?
Addictions, compulsions, and unhealthy attachments are commonplace within our culture, and Catholics are not immune from their devastating effects. How is the Church called to respond to the growing trend of addictive behaviors that take hundreds of lives each day while destroying the fabric of families? Scott Weeman discusses opportunities to bring the healing power of Jesus Christ to those desperate for recovery by sharing his own experience and the strength of others whose lives have been transformed by overlapping the sacramental life of the Catholic Church with the 12 steps of addiction recovery.
Five Best Practices for Growing Vibrant Women’s Groups in Your Parish
A vibrant, self-sustaining women’s ministry is a key component of any vital parish, says Elizabeth Tomlin, who for nearly a decade has launched and built up Catholic women’s groups in the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA. In this webinar, she presents several best practices for starting a group in your community or building upon an existing women’s ministry. This webinar will help you to consider foundational relationships in a parish women’s group; women’s ministry leadership as a call within a call; methods for outreach; and approaches to building a leadership team that helps women serve with their charisms.
Be Devoted: 8 Vital Practices for a Healthy and Passionate Marriage
Bob Schuchts, founder of the John Paul II Healing Center, will share insights gleaned from more than three decades as a marriage and family therapist about how to cultivate intimacy, restore friendship, and repair trust. Schuchts will share his professional experience as well as what he learned personally during his 42 years of marriage, applying the lessons to a relationship with God, close friends, or in serious dating or engaged relationships.
Let’s Talk about Truth
In the midst of the presidential election season that's already heating up, questions of truth, lies, and “fake news” become part of everyday conversations. These conversations often cause tension among families, friends, and fellow Christians. As preachers and teachers of the faith, we are called to shed light on discussions of truth rather than add to the heat. In this webinar, we'll look at four distinct ways the Catholic tradition talks about the word “truth” and consider how each of them gives us clues for how to live our faith in this challenging time.
How Jesus Trained His Disciples for Success: What We Can Learn for Our Ministry Today
We live in an increasingly anti-Christian culture and so did the first disciples. Facing a hostile Roman Empire about the same size as today's United States, Christians successfully converted most of that vast empire in an amazingly fast time. The training that Jesus himself gave in Luke 10 proved to be enormously successful and will work anywhere, anytime, and in any culture. This webinar will reveal the training that Jesus gave his disciples in Luke 10 that you can use today for success as a parish minister.
¿Por qué decimos que le Biblia es palabra de Dios? / Why do we say that the Bible is the Word of God?
Catholics are used to saying that the Bible is the Word of God, but do we really know what that means? In the liturgy, we listen to texts that are introduced as the work of human authors such as the prophet Isaiah or the disciple John, but we conclude the readings by saying, “The Word of the Lord." We accept that the Bible contains the truth, but we also find apparent inconsistencies that are the consequence of God coming to us in a language we can understand. In doing so, he has accepted the risk of being misunderstood. In this webinar, Fr. Rafael M. Ramirez will explore the immense gift that Sacred Scripture represents for the Church and how you can help those in your parish understand the Bible and find God in it. This webinar will be presented in Spanish.
The Role of Scripture in Cultivating Fruitful Disciples
Scripture is proclaimed at every Mass, but how many people actually “remain” in the Word, which Jesus said will make them “truly” his disciples (Jn 8:31)? How can a parish foster a deeper relationship with Christ in Scripture among parishioners? In this webinar, Sarah Christmyer will discuss the importance of intentional Scripture formation and will offer some general principles and practices to foster ongoing, fruitful engagement with the Word of God.
Implementing Christus Vivit in Family Life and Ministry
Youth and young adults are the future of the Church; they are also the future of families, the domestic church. In this webinar, we will examine Pope Francis’s recent post-synodal exhortations Christus Vivit and Amoris Laetitia as a continuum of formation: recognizing that the youth are the fruit of the family and the seeds of future generations. We will explore how pastoral leaders can implement both exhortations to enrich their ministry with youth and families.
The Evangelizing Excitement of Ashes: Reconnecting with Young Adults on Ash Wednesday and Lent
Strange as it might sound, “the most wonderful time of the year” for evangelization and outreach to young adults, especially those on the margins and those who have disconnected from their faith community, is actually Lent. Studies show that Ash Wednesday and Lenten practices draw young adults in their 20s and 30s to Church in record numbers, including those who are disaffiliated. It is a wonderful opportunity to reconnect and accompany those young men and women in the spirit of Pope Francis’s Christus Vivit. In this webinar, Paul Jarzembowski, assistant director for the Secretariat of Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth of the USCCB, will explore the phenomenon and offer creative ideas for engaging young adults during these moments of return and beyond.
5 Ways Your Parish Can Share Your Community Experience on Social Media
Many parishes are looking for ways to draw new members or engage current ones. There are many ways that social media can help with that. This webinar will provide five easy ways to create posts that capture your unique parish culture and community experience. Examples that have worked for parishes will be shared.
Accompaniment and Formation of Young Adult Missionary Disciples
Accompaniment is the new Catholic buzzword. What does this mean and what are some practical steps in the accompaniment of young adults? This webinar will give real-life, practical examples and advice on how to accompany and form young adults as missionary disciples.
(Re)lighting the Digital Way: Ministering to the Cyberbullied and the Cyberbullies
According to a Pew Research study, 85 percent of young people are connected to social media. Today’s youth and young adults, now more than ever, need ministers to help them form meaningful responses when they encounter toxic digital environments. This webinar will explore cyberbullying–its effects, and what pastoral ministers can do to help youth and young adults be the digital disciples Christ is calling them to be.
There is a Place for Gay Catholics in the Church
When gay people come to Church--or when gay kids grow up Catholic--what do they see? We want them to see hope for their futures, and possibilities for flourishing in harmony with the Church. But, do they? This webinar will explore practical approaches to meeting people's basic needs, so that we can "bear one another's burdens" and receive one another's gifts. We will also consider the resources scripture and Catholic teaching offer to build communities where gay people can give and receive love.
Tending to Grieving Hearts: Insights on Listening Well
How comfortable are you when ministry or everyday life leads you to brokenhearted people who want to talk about their grief? Has anyone ever said that you are a good listener? It’s much more than a compliment. Good listening skills are a basic essential for those of us who take to heart Christ’s call to kindness. Join M. Donna MacLeod--a nationally recognized grief ministry specialist and author of Seasons of Hope: Creating and Sustaining Catholic Bereavement Groups and its accompanying participant journals--as we explore the essential elements of compassionate listening. We’ll look at some ways to prepare ourselves and welcome sharing, as well as the essence of grief stories and how faith often impacts heartfelt grieving.
Bringing Salt and Light to the Parish: The Gift of our Catholic Social Teaching
"I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security.," Pope Francis wrote in his apostolic exhortation The Joy of the Gospel. Our bishops have also challenged us to be “salt and light” to our communities. In this webinar, Rev. Kevin E. McKenna will discuss how reflecting on and living the Catholic social teaching tradition can renew our parishes from the heart of the Gospel.
Ministering To, With, and For Hispanic Youth
The goal of this webinar is to learn how to embrace both Hispanic and American cultures in your ministry especially with youth. If you are experiencing a rapid growth of Hispanic families in your parish, this webinar will help you understand the viewpoints that each culture brings to the table and the best practices to be effective in your ministry.
Tips for Cultivating a Culture of Witness in Your Parish
Every Catholic is called to be a witness to the power of God in everyday life. Many of us think faith is a private matter and don’t want to impose our beliefs on others. However, seekers and believers alike need to hear the faith stories of others in order to encounter Christ. Vibrant parishes cultivate a culture of witness in which parishioners are encouraged, trained, and given opportunities to share their faith one on one, in small groups, and at parish services and events. When the parish has a culture of witness, parishioners are empowered to “Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord,” sharing their faith in their homes and workplaces and in the world at large.
Christ is King; Cash is Crucial
Money is a useful tool. It is sometimes labeled as the root of all evil, but it can also be a font of charity. Admittedly, money can be an uncomfortable topic. And when it comes to money and the Church, that topic is even more uncomfortable. However, it is vitally important we get over our discomfort because we need money to do ministry and people need to give money in order to grow as disciples. In this webinar, Fr. Michael White and Tom Corcoran—authors of the bestselling Rebuilt and the Rebuilt Parish series—will help you get more comfortable with the issue of money so that your parish can have the resources it needs to fund its mission and vision.
Companions in Conflict
When we are in times of tension with families, friends, and fellow church members, we can end up feeling isolated and alone. We feel as if we must be doing something wrong. No one else has these problems, do they? But a look at our Church’s history reveals that conflict is a part of every Christian’s life. We are not alone. We have companions on the journey and models of handling tension well. Come along with Ann Garrido to discover five saints who were no strangers to conflict and who may have clues to help us unknot our own tough relationships.
Four Essential Practices for Great Catholic Parishes Webinar
In this webinar Bill Simon, founder of Parish Catalyst and author of Great Catholic Parishes, will share some of the most important findings in an exhaustive and unprecedented study of 244 successful Catholic parishes.
Examining Christus Vivit
Pope Francis's exhortation from the Synod on Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment is filled with insights, initiatives, and inspiration that will affect the way youth and young adult ministry happens in coming years. In this webinar, Katie Prejean McGrady--who participated in the pre-Synod meetings in Rome on behalf of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops--will reflect on: how Christus Vivit lays out a framework for ministry programs; what the Pope is encouraging youth leaders to focus on when engaging young people, and; what it means for ministry going forward.
Talking to Teens About Suicide
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among teens today. Teens want us--parents, teachers, parish ministers, and youth leaders--to talk with them about suicide, even though they may not initiate the conversation. While it is uncomfortable to talk about, it is essential that we engage teens in this tough conversation. This webinar will help those working in parishes, youth ministry, and schools.
The Rules of Engagement
Church leaders bemoan the number of teens and young adults leaving their faith behind. Contrary to popular belief, these folks don't want to be entertained by the Church; they want to be engaged in their faith. In this webinar, Mike Patin will explore the values and principles needed in this digital generation to bring people into catechesis and ministry.
María en la Espiritualidad Hispana
Los hispanos tienen una profunda devoción a María y veneran muchas imágenes y santuarios. Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe es la más conocida y es la Patrona de América, pero todo país de Latinoamérica y el Caribe tiene como patrona una advocación mariana distinta. En esta sesión vamos a analizar el tesoro de la devoción hispana a María. También vamos a explorar formas para entender y profundizar en esta espiritualidad a la luz de todo la Tradición católica sobre María. This webinar will be presented in Spanish.
Choose Joy with St. Thérèse of Lisieux’s “The Little Way” as a Guide
How prepared are you to serve, even in difficulty and hardship? Using St. Thérèse of Lisieux’s "The Little Way" as a guide, Mary Lenaburg will share what she discovered when applying those lessons to her daily life while serving as a catechist, extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, sacristan, youth ministry volunteer, and one-time liturgy coordinator for her home parish.
Partnering with Ministries: Engaging the Faith Community through Marian Devotions
How can we bring various ministries together in a way that invites inclusion – whether they are serving families, youth, young adults, or elders in the parish? In this webinar, Maria Johnson will explore practical ways to establish community and partnerships across ministries with education and Marian devotion.
The Way of the Listener: 10 Steps for Listening to Homilies (even bad ones!)
How can ministry leaders, laity, and clergy help the Church improve preaching? Believe it or not, it’s not just the preachers’ responsibility—it’s everyone’s. Spiritually speaking, the quality of preaching depends as much on listeners as it does on speakers. How we listen to homilies (and how we help others listen) is an important part of evangelism and parish ministry. Fr. Joshua Whitfield, author of The Crisis of Bad Preaching, offers The Way of the Listener: 10 Steps for Listening to Homilies (even bad ones!) to help those listening to homilies make the best of it! If you thought the homily was time to take a nap, think again! Learn how to listen to homilies the right way!
The 5 Habits of Prayerful People: Fresh Strategies for an Overscheduled Life
Most Catholics have a desire to pray but when a full calendar gets in the way, prayer can be the first thing to go. Michael St. Pierre, author of The 5 Habits of Prayerful People, will share five strategies for restarting your prayer life, no matter how busy you are. Both parish staff and volunteers will benefit from this down-to-earth approach to prayer, resulting in greater confidence and simple strategies to boost your prayer life.
Does Your Parish Need a Fresh Approach to Marriage Preparation?
Bowling, director of the Office of Family Ministries for the Archdiocese of Louisville, came upon Joined by Grace, a marriage prep program that emphasized the connection between marriage and the other six sacraments. In this webinar, Bowling will share many practical tips and strategies he has learned in the last three years to help you bring a fresh approach to marriage preparation in your parish or diocese.
Pro-Life and Pro-Woman: How to Empower a Culture of Faithful Feminism
In this webinar, Claire Swinarski offers information and insight on how to empower the women in your parish to understand that to be pro-woman is to be pro-life. Offering pro-life answers for pro-choice questions, Swinarski makes the argument that true feminism lies within Jesus and His teachings, and that to be truly pro-woman is to be pro-life. This webinar will help you effectively communicate about pro-life issues within your parish in a way that’s dignifying, graceful, and scientifically accurate.
Humble Leaders, Lasting Impact
There are many kinds of leaders, but humble leaders take a ministry from “good” to “great.” But humility isn’t always intuitive and can even seem counterproductive. How do we lead humbly without giving up our credibility? How do we celebrate wins without being prideful? This webinar examines the key to success and the necessity of humility as a characteristic of any leader and how we serve and strive for great things while remaining grounded and focused.
Renovación Carismática Católica: Una corriente de gracia
La Renovación Carismática es el movimiento más grande entre los hispanos católicos en los Estados Unidos, ya que cuenta con casi la mitad de las parroquias con ministerio hispano que también tienen una comunidad de la Renovación. En este webinar, Andrés Arango, nos guiará a entender la Renovación Carismática y su importancia para los hispanos en la Iglesia de los Estados Unidos. Quienes están en la Renovación, así como líderes fuera de ella, llegarán a apreciar las contribuciones que ha hecho la Renovación a la Iglesia y las oportunidades que esta corriente de gracia trae a la tarea de la evangelización. This webinar will be presented in Spanish.
Shrink to Grow: Building a Culture of Small Groups
Small groups are nothing new: Jesus gathered twelve apostles, and the early church met as small communities in homes. Much of parish ministry defaults to running programs, which is problematic. Programs often end just as missionary discipleship begins. In contrast, small faith communities foster ongoing friendship, honesty, and depth of faith which can transform parishes. Join the discussion on moving parish vitality forward while going back to the basics.
Helping Teens Lean Into Stress
In this webinar Roy Petitfils will identify the difference between good and bad stress. He will show ministry professionals how to help teens not just cope with stress but utilize it to grow into happy, holy, healthy adults.
Finding Peace in Parish Ministry
Parish ministry can be a very rewarding vocation. If we're not careful, however, it can sometimes lead to anxiety, burnout, or despair. In this presentation, Gary Zimak will offer advice for maintaining your peace as you serve the Lord and His people. As you will discover, the answer is simpler than you might expect!
The Synod on Young People: Why It Mattered and What We Do Now
Katie Prejean McGrady attended the pre-synod meeting in March as one of three delegates sent by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. She directed Ave Explores, an Ave Maria Press initiative that analyzed the Synod on Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment in October. Join her for a conversation about what happens next now that the synod is over.
What It Means to Wait for the Lord: The Obedience of St. Joseph
This webinar by University of Notre Dame professor Leonard J. DeLorenzo promises to be personally enriching and pastorally relevant as he demonstrates a way of reading scripture that can be employed in parish programs, schools, and at home.
Marriage in a Hookup Culture Webinar
Hookup culture is prevalent among many young adults in the world today. Hooking up involves the use of sex not as a way to foster communication but to avoid it. In this webinar, Dr. Timothy O’Malley will show how the Church's theology of marriage can offer a healing medicine for those seeking love in a hookup culture. He will also share helpful tips for all those who work with young adults or prepare couples for the sacrament of marriage.
Webinar: The Work of Prayer and the Prayer of Work for Ministers: What the Saints Can Teach
In this webinar, Justin McClain will look at how saints throughout history worked to balance reflection and action, prayerfully centering their lives on Christ and spreading his Gospel while living virtuously in contemplation of the Good News and its promises. This is a perfect topic as All Saints Day approaches.
Becoming an Everyday Disciple in a Post-Christian World (and helping others do it too!)
In this webinar, Kevin Cotter, Executive Director of Programming and Content at the Amazing Parish, will show what it looks like to help your parishioners take the next step in their walk with God and how their encounters with God can be the best thing to help others.
Empowering Families Through Parish Ministry Webinar
Lauri Przybysz, Catholic family life minister, catechist, and president of NACFLM, understands how parish ministers spend a great deal of care and energy in meeting the needs of the families they serve. This practical webinar will help parishes ensure that current programs, policies, and ministries are building up family life and assist families -- of all ages and descriptions -- to recognize their unique call as church of the home. Explore ways to develop working relationships with families and make adjustments to alleviate some stresses they -- and you --experience.
Lectio Divina & the 5 Questions That Will Transform All Religious Education
There is no better way to help students encounter Christ in class than to apply the process of lectio divina to lesson planning. The five lectio divina questions we use to encounter Christ in Scripture can be applied to everything we teach. In this webinar, Jared Dees will introduce the five lectio divina questions and share dozens of immediately implementable strategies that will help your students learn, meditate, pray, contemplate, and take action in class.
How to Make the Case for Catholicism
Brandon Vogt, author of Why I Am Catholic (and You Should Be, Too), did not grow up Catholic. He chose to enter the Catholic Church in college, precisely when so many of his friends were heading in the other direction. Learn what drew him to Catholicism and how you can make the same case to others, especially atheists, agnostics, and the "spiritual but not religious."
La Iglesia: Pueblo de Dios llamado a la comunión (Webinar)
Uno de los grandes desafíos para los católicos estadounidense en el siglo XXI es ser arquitectos de comunión en medio de la diversidad, el pluralismo y las tendencias secularizadoras de nuestro tiempo. En este webinar reflexionamos qué significa ser Iglesia explorando ciertos principios teológicos, bíblicos e históricos clave que nos ayudan a entendernos como Pueblo de Dios. Reflexionamos también en la experiencia y contribuciones de los católicos hispanos a la construcción de una Iglesia que es comunión en esta esquina del mundo. Éste es un gran recurso para catequistas y evangelizadores interesados en presentar el tema de la Iglesia con entusiasmo.
Forming Followers, Not Fans: How to Help Young People Meet Jesus
Join author and speaker Katie Prejean McGrady in this high-energy presentation for anyone who works with youth in the Church today.
Rethink: Walking People through the Process of Conversion
What does conversion look like? Pope Benedict stated that conversion in Greek means to "rethink." In other words, conversion begins and continues through the process of thinking and rethinking about life.
Adult Faith Formation Practices for Mature Adults
In this webinar, Sr. Janet Schaeffler, OP explores some of background principles for what we might do in our parishes today as well as practical, usable, sensible, and realistic methods and practices.
Faith Formation with Older Adults
Many people 75 years and older are living these words through losses, illness, and uncertainties. At the same time, many of them are peaceful and content, still active in the prime of health. In the midst of these realities, this webinar will explore: what can ministry/adult faith formation with older people look like? Webinar panelists include Sr. Kawsar Choufani, Richard Johnson, and Mary Ann Ronan.
The What, Why, and How of Pre-Evangelization, Evangelization, and Discipleship
In this webinar Marcel LeJeune, founder of CatholicMissionaryDisciples.com, will guide you through an exploration of the stages of pre-evangelization, evangelization, and discipleship. You will come to a better understanding of what the stages are, why we need them, and how to apply them in pastoral ministry.
Addiction Recovery: A Catholic Solution
565Twelve-step addiction recovery and sacramental healing through the Catholic Church share key overlapping principles. Explore the extraordinary transformation that can take place when this overlap is uncovered and learn what the Church can do to minister to those impacted by the darkness of addiction. Scott Weeman, founder of Catholic in Recovery, shares personal examples of how an active recovery ministry can bring new life into the culture of your parish.
El Credo: un encuentro con la fe de la Iglesia
564Vivimos en un mundo en el que cada vez es más urgente afirmar en qué creemos los católicos. No existe una mejor fórmula que el Credo para dar razón de nuestras convicciones de fe cuando nos piden razón de nuestra esperanza. Este webinar es una invitación a profundizar en la riqueza de lo que creemos como cristianos yenamorarnos más del Dios que se revela en la historia. Es un gran recurso para catequistas y evangelizadores para introducir la fe de la Iglesia.
Navigating the Transitions of Midlife Adult Faith
In this webinar, Jim Merhaut presents the developmental and faith lives of adults in their forties and fifties and offers insight into adult faith formation opportunities for parishes accompanying Generation X in this season of life.
Women’s Ministry: Small Groups and Faith-Filled Friendships
Many women have expressed the heartfelt need to find friends that they are able to share their faith with. Help engage your parishioners in women's ministry and small faith-sharing groups that will build faith-filled friendships to help them along their journeys to heaven.
Creative Answers and Specific Approaches to Young Adult Faith Formation
This webinar features panelists with a variety of young adult faith formation ministry experiences. These young adult ministers will offer creative and practical ways to help Millennials grow in authentic faith and in Christian community.
Webinar: On the Way of Catechesis: Highlights of History, Hope for Ministry
For this webinar, Dr. Jerry Baumbach will (1) explore some contemporary perspectives and four characteristics for advancing catechesis; (2) consider selected highlights from major eras of the Church’s catechetical history; and (3) reinforce our looking ahead as a breathing community of living faith, still emerging, developing, and inquiring.
Faith Formation for the Generations & Seasons of Adulthood
One of the key features of twenty-first century adult faith formation is addressing the unique life tasks, needs, interests, and spiritual and faith journeys at each stage of adulthood: young adults (20s-30s), midlife adults (40s-50s), mature adults (mid 50s-mid 70s), and older adults (75+). Given this great diversity across the adult stage of life, it is imperative that adult faith formation programs, activities, and resources are targeted and tailored to the lives of adults—at each stage of life and in each generation. This webinar will provide practical approaches for addressing the four seasons of adulthood using new 21st century tools and methods.
Becoming Confident Catholics: 5 Confidence Boosters to Share with Wobbly, Wounded, and Weakened Cath
In this webinar, author and catechist Pat Gohn discusses five faith strongholds where discouraged and weary Catholics can place their trust.
Catechesis for Children with Special Needs
In this webinar, Peter Ductram will discuss the vision of the Church in the United States for catechesis with people with special needs and the effective implementation of that vision. He will share valuable resources to help start and build a more creative catechesis.
Praying, Reflecting, and Sharing the Faith with the Questions of Jesus
In this webinar Allan Wright will discuss a few of the questions Jesus poses in the Gospels as a way to grow in our faith and and to share that faith with others.
Be Transformed Webinar
Dr. Bob Schuchts, founder of the John Paul II Healing Center and author of the new book Be Transformed, will offer insights into how parish leaders and experience and present the sacraments in ways that will transform their lives.
Confirmation: More Than Another Graduation
Join Christopher Wesley, author of the new book, Rebuilding Confirmation, as he shares how we can take back the sacrament and build a program that helps teenagers go deeper and wider in their faith.
The Witness Webinar: Learning to Tell the Stories of Grace that Illumine Our Lives
Recent research shows that the single greatest difference between those who identify as Catholic and those as former-Catholics is "the belief that God is a personal being involved in the lives of people today." If we are to shape our whole lives as a Christian story, we must first learn how to recognize, craft, and share stories of grace about particular life experiences.
Exploring “12 Little Ways” to Embrace the Evangelical Mission of the Church
This webinar will explore four lessons that parish ministers can apply to their lives today and that they share with anyone in their parish who is committed to becoming reanimated followers of Christ in today’s world.
Revisiting Rebuilt
In this unique webinar event, authors of the bestselling book Rebuilt will walk Fr. Michael Saporito through a series of exercises and reflection questions to help him rebuild his parish.
Four Factors that Make Marriage Preparation a Success
In this webinar, marriage experts and authors of the Joined by Grace books, will examine four factors in marriage preparation that instill the attitudes and behaviors necessary to make marriage preparation successful.
The Nuptial Mystery: The “New” Order of Celebrating Matrimony Webinar
This webinar will explore both the theological and ritual changes to one of the earliest rites promulgated after the Second Vatican Council. It will also discuss how formation for this rite in dioceses and parish can be a catalyst for the New Evangelization.
El Catolicismo Latino: Actualidades y Oportunidades
Latinos transform Catholic life in parishes, apostolic movements, liturgy and devotion, the faith formation of our children and youth, and much more. This webinar will examine faith and ministries among Hispanic communities, with the hope of enriching the faith and leadership of all participants. This webinar will be presented only in Spanish.
What Every Parish Leader Ought to Know about Religious Education
Cardinal Newman's surprising discovery is what we've lost sight of in our religious education programs, and it's what every parish leader ought to know. Join Marc Cardaronella, author of the new book Keep Your Kids Catholic, as he unpacks this discovery and offers practical ways parishes can make drastic improvements to their religious education programs.
Evangelization Essentials Webinar
Using strategies and stories from his book To Heal, Proclaim, and Teach, Jared Dees offers ten highly practical and easy-to-implement approaches to evangelizing ministry that have the potential to transform your parish. These approaches are based on the work of thriving ministers and ministries seeing growth in the number of people who are passionate about the Catholic faith.
The Wedding Banquet Webinar: Inviting Couples to Experience Divine Love
Tapping into their experience developing a pre-Cana program and their book, The Four Keys to Everlasting Love, which is based on the teachings of St. John Paul II, Dr. Manny and Karee Santos will show how couples who desire intense love on the human level can be invited to seek Christ's divine love as well.
Families of Mercy: 10 Practical Ways to Get Families Excited During the Year of Mercy
The goal of this presentation is to help parish leaders present the fourteen works of mercy in a way that is practical and helpful for families. Participants will be excited to practice the works of mercy themselves and, at the same time, able to convince others to join them.
Redeeming Conflict Webinar: Strategies for Working Through Ministerial Challenges
Author and national speaker Ann Garrido offers a framework for analyzing the conflicts that pop up in any ministry. During the webinar she teaches the particular set of skills that will help you engage in the difficult conversations that need to be had with and among your staff and volunteers.
Engaging & Relational Evangelization
Using stories from her life and work with teens in Catholic high schools and parish youth ministry, Katie Prejean will offer practical ways anyone can become better at evangelization using engaging and relational methods.
Stranger God: Encountering God in Refugees and Migrants Webinar
Sr. Marilyn Lacey, R.S.M., has spent her life working with displaced peoples. As the founder of Mercy Beyond Borders, she currently works with women in South Sudan and Haiti. In 2001 she was personally honored by the Dalai Lama as an "unsung hero of compassion." Her spiritual memoir, This Flowing Toward Me: A Story of God Arriving in Strangers, was published by Ave Maria Press in 2009.
The Holy Spirit: Power for Your Life and Ministry
The Holy Spirit wants to animate the lives and impact the ministries of Catholic leaders today. In this webinar, popular preacher and charismatic leader, Fr. Dave Pivonka, T.O.R., will discuss what it looks like to live a life in relationship with the Holy Spirit. Webinar participants will come to understand the how living a life led by the Spirit will bear fruit in their lives and in their parishes and parish ministries.
Advent Action: Open the Doors of Mercy
In this webinar Sr. Terry Rickard, Executive Director of RENEW International, will reflect on the Year of Mercy and offer practical ways our parishes can bring mercy into people’s hearts and homes, especially during the Advent season.
How to Get Through the New Testament in an Hour
Join Dr. John Bergsma, professor of Theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville, for a short "guided tour" through the New Testament.
10 Ways to Get the Most Out of NCYC Before, After, and During the Event
To help the parish and diocesan leaders prepare themselves and their teens for this landmark event, Ave Maria Press is partnering with the National Federation of Catholic Youth Ministers (NFCYM) and the National Association of Catholic Youth Ministry Leaders (NACYML) to gather a panel of experts to help everyone in attendance get the most out of their experience before, during, and after NCYC.
Understanding and Sharing Pope Francis’s Encyclical, Laudato Si Webinar
In this webinar Ted Miles, Youth and Education Relationship Manager at Catholic Relief Services, highlights some of the core themes of the Holy Father’s recent encyclical in light of the environmental challenges faced by the world’s most vulnerable people. Explore the collection of resources offered by Catholic Relief Services and others that aid in fostering dialogue and faith-filled engagement with young people on this core issue of our time.
Rebuilding Your Message Webinar
This webinar shares some of the key lessons Fr. Michael White and Tom Corcoran learned as the leaders of the Church of the Nativity. Join them and learn the strategies and tactics that were instrumental in the rebuilding of their parish, especially the ways in which they communicated with their parish.
An Introduction to Spiritual Direction
Spiritual Direction is the ministry of being a trusted companion for another person on their spiritual journey. It offers a person the time and space to discern, discover, and grow in their relationship with God, the sacred, and what they hold most holy.
Unleashed for Ministry Webinar
In this webinar, author Sonja Corbitt will offer surprising yet powerful tools that can help parish leaders emulate the Holy Spirit in influencing those they lead in exponential, eternal ways and teach others to do the same.
Webinar: Supporting Divorced Catholics: Welcoming the Wounded into the Field Hospital
At a time when divorce has become an everyday occurrence in society, parish leaders may feel at a loss as to how to address the overwhelming needs of the many divorced Catholics in their communities. With the wide range of emotions, questions, and dilemmas these men and women go through, how can they be effectively supported with truth and compassion? This webinar offers practical tools that can help parish leaders reach and serve this group within the Church.
Rebuilding Youth Ministry in Your Parish
In this webinar Christopher Wesley, Former Director of Student Ministry at Church of the Nativity, will break down some of the practical steps in his new book Rebuilding Youth Ministry. He will offer five steps that any youth minister can take to build (or rebuild) an effective and engaging youth ministry in the local parish.
Chasing the Devil Out of Your Parish: Recognizing and Resisting Evil in Everyday Parish Life
In this webinar for parish ministers, Father Louis J. Cameli will draw insights from his book The Devil You Don't Know: Recognizing and Resisting Evil in Everyday Life and make applications to the struggles we frequently encounter in our parish life together.
Learning Wisdom in the School of Your Own Life: Thomas Merton’s Practice for Contemplative Prayer
In this webinar Montaldo will examine three key texts from Merton's journals that feature the monk's understanding of the value of his relationships with others as guidance for creating his own destiny to love and seek God. This teaching will instigate a new way of meditation as a practice for ourselves and for those we guide in spiritual formation.
Best Practices in Catholic Youth Ministry Webinar
There are a number of opportunities and challenges facing youth ministers in the Church today. One of the best ways to improve the way we reach out to and build relationships with Catholic teenagers is to share ideas with others in the field. Listen in on a panel of nationally known parish youth ministers as they share their success stories and growth moments.
Best Practices for Catechesis with Hispanics Webinar
In this webinar panel discussion, leaders in Hispanic catechesis will discuss a wide variety of issues.
Webinar: Transforming Your Ministry in Just Three Moments of the Day
Making an offering of the day every morning, reviewing how that offering went at the end of the day, and being united to the offering of Christ's sacrifice every day in the Eucharist lays out a path for our daily prayer as ministers of the Church.
Pope Francis on Faith and Evangelization: Insights into Lumen Fidei and Evangelii Gaudium
First, Jared Dees will summarize and elaborate on the key points of both documents in a short overview that could easily be shared or adapted for parish presentations of these documents. (Free downloads will be available for webinar participants.) In the second part of the webinar, Jared will point out specific ways parish ministers can apply these documents to the way they carry out their work as pastors, DREs, catechists, teachers, faith formation leaders, retreat leaders, and parents.
Webinar: Be Healed: A Guide to Encountering the Powerful Love of Jesus in Your Life
This webinar is for all those who truly desire to share Jesus' powerful love with others, and who personally long for ever deepening healing encounters with Him. With over thirty-five years of experience in parish ministry and in working intimately with Church leaders, Bob Schuchts has led many into profound healing encounters with Jesus.
The Secret to Teaching Adults in the RCIA
In this webinar, Nick Wagner, director and founder of TeamRCIA.com, will explore: Why using an adult-learning model is essential for catechumenate formation What adult learning looks like How to lead a catechetical session using adult learning methods What the impact of an adult learning process might be for your parish
Seven Habits that Define our Catholic Identity Webinar
In this informative webinar based on his book The Heart of Catholicism, Bert Ghezzi presents a vivid picture of what it means to be a Catholic. He describes in a lively popular format seven practices that shape us as Catholics.
Reclaiming Francis Webinar: 10 Lessons Parish Workers Can Learn from the Saint and Pope
Msgr. Charles Murphy, who has served as pastor of four parishes, distills from the examples of the saint who was commissioned to "Rebuild my Church" and of the pope who took his name ten practical ways we can rebuild the Church in our day.
Starting and Sustaining Effective Young Adult Ministries Webinar
In this panel discussion, a group of Catholic young adult leaders will discuss the current state of young adult ministry in the Catholic Church and share their greatest successes and learning experiences in reaching this very important group of people.
Where Two or Three are Texting: Incarnation and Sacrament in a Virtual World
The young people in our schools and parishes are increasingly citizens of a virtual world where they carry out many traditionally “physical” activities, including living out their faith! Other Christian communities are experimenting with “online church.” What is an "online church" and is it an option for Catholics? How does the "digital continent" influence the way we prepare young people and catechumens to receive the sacraments?
The Living Gospel: Warming Hearts this Lent through Witness and Story
Pope Francis encourages us to be a Church that warms hearts. One of the best ways to warm hearts, whether teaching or preaching, is through witness and story: helping people encounter God in the ordinary stuff of life.
Tools for Rebuilding Webinar
In this webinar, Fr. Michael White and Tom Corcoran, bestselling authors of Rebuilt and the new book Tools for Rebuilding, will share some of the important tools that have been most instrumental in the transformation of their parish.
Bringing Hope to the Bereaved in Your Parish: Insights from the Seasons of Hope Approach
Join M. Donna MacLeod, a nationally recognized hospice care and bereavement specialist and author of Seasons of Hope: Creating and Sustaining Catholic Bereavement Groups and Participant Journals, as we explore what makes the Seasons of Hope bereavement group approach truly minister to the spiritual side of grieving. This overview also highlights Seasons of Hope’s simple session format that flows with a comforting blend of prayer, commentary, scripture, reflection exercises, faith sharing, fellowship, and Catholic tradition.
Faith Formation for Families with Six Sacred Rules Webinar
Tim, a theologian who teaches at Boston College, and Sue, a therapist and religious educator, reflect on how Ignatius spirituality offers parents a way of looking at their vocation of raising faith-filled children. They draw six sacred rules from the Ignatian tradition that people in all walks of life—no matter what their current relationship to the Church may be—can use to cultivate a spiritual life both for themselves and their children.
Rebuilding Parishioners Webinar
If the Church is to be a movement, it means that individuals have to move. In this webinar, Tom Corcoran, co-author of the best-selling book Rebuilt, will look at seven practical strategies that will help the members of your parish transition from consumers to contributors.
“Marketing” Catholic Marriage in a Post-marriage World Webinar
This webinar will enable parish ministers and married couples to discover effective ways of communicating the value of Catholic marriage to engaged and dating couples. Participants will be able to share concrete examples of the benefits of entering into an authentic, Christian marriage rooted in a free, total, faithful, and fruitful love.
The Spirituality High School of Administration Webinar
Speaking out of her own experience as an administrator in theological education, Ann Garrido will look at practices of administration that can be potentially transformative, making us not only effective administrators but holier, healthier Christians.
The Spirituality of Administration Webinar
Speaking out of her own experience as an administrator in theological education, Ann Garrido will look at practices of administration that can be potentially transformative, making us not only effective administrators but holier, healthier Christians.
Webinar: Msgr. Stephen Rossetti’s Thoughts on the Priesthood Today
In this webinar, Msgr. Stephen Rossetti will talk about the challenges of ministering as a priest today in this increasingly secular culture. He will talk about the specific demands this secular culture makes upon the priests and how to stand up and prosper under the stresses and pressures the culture imposes.
Catholic Going Mobile
In this panel discussion, representatives from three dioceses who have experimented with mobile apps this year will share their experiences in creating and leveraging mobile technology to reach Catholics in their areas.
5 Ways to Bring Your Parish to Life using the First Spiritual Exercises
This webinar will give you the top five ways to use The First Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola in your parish. After a short general introduction, the methods are explained.
The Spiritual Formation of Catechists: 10 Simple Ways to Transform Volunteers into Witnesses
In this webinar for catechetical leaders, parish DRE/CRE's, and diocesan leaders in evangelization and catechesis, Jared Dees, creator of the popular website TheReligionTeacher.com, presents ten simple ways for ongoing spiritual formation of catechists.
Open the Doors: Seven Approaches to an Encounter with Christ
In the spirit of this year's Catechetical Sunday theme "Open the Doors of Faith," Lee Nagel, Executive Director for the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership, will share the seven key elements in creating an environment that engages those present and facilitates an encounter with the Risen Christ.
Growing the Next Generation of Disciples through Small Groups
Why do teens graduate from their faith when they graduate from high school or eighth grade? In most cases, they never made a personal connection with the local church. While traditional religious education is filled with priceless information and catechesis, the delivery system of that information is insufficient.
13 Ways to Become a Better Religious Educator During Summer Break
School's out, but that doesn't mean teachers and catechists can't use the summer to become the best teachers and leaders they can be next year! Jared Dees, author of the new book 31 Days to Becoming a Better Religious Educator, will share thirteen exercises and scriptural reflections for religious educators to increase their effectiveness as master-teachers. Participants will renew their sense of mission as they reflect on this past school year and look ahead to the next school year.
Helping Real Men Pray the Rosary in Your Parish
David Calvillo, author of the new book Real Men Pray the Rosary, shares insights into his experiences growing a ministry centered on praying the Rosary. His organization, which shares the name of his book, is called along with all Christians to promote the Rosary with conviction—in the light of Scripture, in harmony with the Liturgy, and in the context of our daily lives.
Parishes, New Media, and the New Evangelization: A Roundtable Discussion
In this edition of the Ave Maria Press Professional Development Webinar Series, we will host a number of new media and new evangelization experts in a roundtable discussion about how parishes can use digital media to reach new people and connect with their parishioners.
Bodacious! 10 Discussion Starters about the Feminine Genius during the Year of Faith
In this webinar Pat Gohn, author of the new book Blessed, Beautiful, and Bodacious, and Endow's Executive Director and Bodacious Foreword writer, Terry Polakovic, discuss the top themes that celebrate the gift of womanhood from a Catholic perspective. In this "Top Ten" style presentation, (with apologies to David Letterman), Pat and Terry unpack the wisdom and the beauty of the feminine genius, with a special emphasis on a woman's blessed dignity, beautiful gifts, and bodacious mission.
Cultivating Contemplation in Your Parish through Photography
Join Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, the online Abbess of www.AbbeyoftheArts.com, as we explore the gifts and possibilities photography can offer parish communities. The lens of the camera will be our guide in learning how to engage folks in contemplative practices of prayer and new ways of seeing the world around them. Christine's special love is bringing together the gifts of monastic tradition with the power of the expressive arts, and offering tools and practices to cultivate one's inner monk and artist.
Rebuilt Webinar: Introducing Positive Change into Your Parish
Many parishes are struggling to maintain membership, regain relevance, and grow momentum. Numbers are declining and the influence the Church has on the people in the pews is declining as well. In this webinar, Father Michael White and Tom Corcoran, pastor and pastoral associate of the Church of the Nativity in Timonium, Maryland and authors of the new book, Rebuilt: Awakening the Faithful, Reaching the Lost, and Making Church Matter, share their experience of frustration with the decline of the Church's influence in their parish and what they did to change consumer Catholics into contributing ones.
Before They Do: Helping Couples Prepare for the Sacrament of Marriage
In this Webinar, Anthony Garascia will focus on how host couples or group sessions can help engaged couples prepare best for their marriage. Critical issues of communication and conflict resolution will be addressed, as well as suggestions on how to integrate the FOCCUS and Prepare-Enrich inventories into the marriage preparation.
What Are You Craving? 5 Ways to Restore Sanity and Serenity to Your Relationship with Food
It's the start of a new year, a time when most of us reflect on our lives and set some goals. But are we approaching our resolutions from the wrong perspective? Maybe dropping ten pounds has less to do with the food we eat and more to do with the messages we play in our heads and the holes waiting to be filled in our hearts.
Simplifying the Soul: Renewing Lenten Practice
We often think of Lent as a season of deprivation. We're supposed to "give up" something we love (chocolate, wine, movies) for the next six weeks, though we're never quite sure why. What's more, we can hardly wait until it's over so we can go back to "normal life." But there's another, more spiritually effective way to approach Lent. We can look at it as a special, set-apart time for getting back to what's truly important.
The Living Gospel: From Ash to Living Flame (Lenten Webinar)
Lent can be a blessed season of renewal if kept in a meaningful and realistic way. Doing so can be a challenge in our overscheduled, secularized world, but it is far from impossible! Join Fr. Scott Hurd for this webinar to explore how to encourage and lead those you serve to have a "good" Lent this year.
Bereavement Ministry: Giving Voice to Our Grief and Suffering
In this webinar, authors David Aaker and Jan Nelson will help participants give voice to those who suffer, as well as those who care for the suffering. How do we give voice to ambiguous losses, for example, when we lose our job, become ill, or are deployed?
The Emerging Models Project: Key Pastoral Implications
Major findings and implications of the three-year, phase two, "Emerging Models of Pastoral Leadership" project will be the subject of a concluding symposium this fall. This webinar will summarize the key findings and implications that emanate from the seminar and the project's extensive research into various aspects of parish life and pastoral leadership. Presented by Neil A. Parent, Director of Emerging Models Pastoral Leadership.
Exploring Advent with Luke: A Spiritual Pilgrimage to the Heart of Christmas
Timothy Clayton, author of the new book Exploring Advent with Luke, presents a webinar that brings Luke's two rhetorical tools clearly into view. Clayton will guide the participants' interaction with them in order to facilitate a spiritual pilgrimage to the heart of the season of Advent, resolving many of the issues that hinder the joy of Christmas.
O Radiant Dawn: Ministering to Families (and Yourself) this Advent Season
As clergy, religious, ministry professionals, laity, family members, and parents, we strive to make Advent a season of prayerful preparation for those around us, but we often fall prey to the busyness and demands of the season. Join author Lisa Hendey for a look at how to make this Advent season meaningful for yourself and others, while at the same time seeking peace and a sense of amazement at the splendor of God's love.
Catechists and Teachers and the New Evangelization
This year the Catechetical Sunday theme was, "Catechists and Teachers as Agents of the New Evangelization." In this webinar, Lori Dahlhoff, Executive Director of the NCEA Department of Religious Education, explores what the church means by the "new evangelization" and how it is part of fostering discipleship through religious education. She also shares practical ways catechists and teachers are both agents of evangelization and witnesses to ongoing conversion in Christ.
Supporting Motherhood: Facing the Challenges from a Parish Perspective
In a parish environment, there is an increasing need for volunteers in various ministries and yet there is also an audience that needs ministry attention: mothers. It's a group that serves others in many invisible ways and yet is often ignored and overtapped. Sarah Reinhard, author of A Catholic Mother's Companion to Pregnancy, will consider how we minister to mothers within our parish communities.
Exploring the National Certification Process for Lay Ecclesial Ministers
This webinar explores the national certification process for lay ecclesial ministers. Christopher Anderson of the National Association of Lay Ministers (NALM) and Dr. J. Michael McMahon of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians (NPM) explain the background to the new lay ecclesial minister certification process. The presentation includes an overview of the whole process and a review of the steps to certification that applicants should follow.
Catholic Teaching on Homosexuality: New Paths to Understanding
Rev. Louis J. Cameli, nationally renowned pastoral leader and priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago, will explore the cultural, ecclesial, and pastoral context within which he wrote his recently published book, Catholic Teaching on Homosexuality. The webinar will introduce participants to the topics of the book as well as extend the conversation for those participants who already have some familiarity with it. The webinar's question and comment component will provide participants with opportunities to raise questions, seek clarifications, or offer alternate perspectives.
View from the Pews: Emerging Models of Pastoral Leadership’s Parishioner Survey Results
Join Melissa Cidade, director of CARA's Pastoral Assistance Surveys and Services (PASS), and Neil Parent, project director for Emerging Models of Pastoral Leadership for a presentation on the results of in-pew surveys of parishioners that participated in the Emerging Models project. These results provide an understanding of how parishioners view their parishes and how satisfied they are with them. Special topics of focus will include multiculturalism. They will also discuss comparison of the views of parish leaders and parishioners in traditional parishes to those in parishes that are using multiple parish ministry, those with their pastoral care entrusted to a deacon or lay person under Canon 517.2, and those that have been involved in mergers and closures.
Bible Basics: How to Get Through the Bible in an Hour with Dr. John Bergsma
The Bible is so long, it's easy to lose sight of the forest, because you're lost in the trees. Join Dr. John Bergsma, associate professor of theology at the Franciscan University of Steubenville and a senior fellow at the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, as he shares perspectives, techniques, and light-hearted sketches that make it easy to learn, remember, and teach the "big picture" of the Bible storyline. Based on his new book, "Bible Basics for Catholics," Dr. Bergsma's visual approach can be adapted for a variety of settings in the parish or school, for catechesis, evangelism, or faith formation.
Perspectives from Parish Leaders: Emerging Models of Pastoral Leadership’s Parish Leader Survey Results
Mark Gray, senior research associate at the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University, and Neil Parent, project director for Emerging Models of Pastoral Leadership, for a presentation on the results of a nationally representative survey of parish leaders. This presentation is designed to provide a current view of the state of US parishes from those providing ministry and service in them. It also provides insight on where parish leaders are coming from with an eye toward the next generation. Special topics of focus include comparison of the views of parish leaders and parishioners in traditional parishes to those in parishes that are using multiple parish ministry, those with their pastoral care entrusted to a deacon or lay person under Canon 517.2, and those that have been involved mergers and closures. They also discuss multiculturalism in the parish.
The Spirituality of Supervision
Often as experienced ministers we are asked to mentor and/or supervise a new minister in the field. As Ann Garrido discusses in her book, "A Concise Guide to Supervising a Ministry Student", quality mentoring can provide a valuable service to the new minister, but it also can be transforming in the life of the experienced minister as well. In this webinar, Garrido will explore the way that the practices of supervision, including theological reflection, can enrich the spiritual journey of the mentor.
Teens and Chastity: Implementing the USCCB’s New Document, “Catechetical Formation in Chaste Living”
In this webinar, Sister Kieran Sawyer will offer an approach to sexuality education that she believes corresponds to the core content of the Chaste Living document. Based on the acronym LIFE (love, infatuation, friendship, and exploitation), her approach has been used successfully with teens for many decades.
The Changing Face of Catholic Parishes
According to the first major comprehensive study of Catholic parish life in nearly 30 years, changes are occurring that are impacting the shape of pastoral leadership, ministry, and sacramental life. The research, conducted by CARA, is part of the Emerging Models of Pastoral Leadership Project with funding from the Lilly Endowment. The webinar will describe the nature of the research and present the data most likely to affect pastoral leaders as they seek to remain relevant and effective in their respective roles. The presentation will draw on the first phase of research including survey responses from 850 randomly selected parishes in the United States.
Digital Ministry and Social Media Webinar
Today's Church is seeking to serve an increasingly "wired" population. Join Lisa M. Hendey of CatholicMom.com and author of The Handbook for Catholic Moms for an overview of social media technologies, including social networking sites Facebook and Twitter, as well as tools for communicating through blogs, podcasts, and streaming video. Participants will learn about the basics of these tools, their prevalence in society, the Church's recommendations for employing social media, and best practices being used around the country by parishes, dioceses, and organizations to communicate, support, and evangelize.
Up in the Sky and Down to Earth Webinar: A Catholic Conversation about Climate and Creation Care
Dan Misleh, the executive director of the Catholic Coalition on Climate Change, teams up with author and farmer Kyle Kramer for this thought-provoking webinar. Dan will discuss Catholic teaching as it relates to environmental stewardship and concern for the common good and the poor, especially in regard to the pressing problem of global climate change. Kyle will share reflections from over a decade of trying to put the principles of good stewardship and simplicity into practice on a small-scale organic farm, surrounded by family members, rural neighbors, and the nearby community of Benedictine monks.
Pastoral Leadership in the Christian Community
John Quincy Adams defined leadership this way: "If your actions inspire others to dream more, to learn more, to do more and to be more than they are, then you are a leader." Leadership is an extremely complex issue. It is multidimensional - an amalgam of many different components. Effective Christian leadership requires a balanced mixture of spirituality, skill, positive relationship, unique qualities, sound theory, principles, and, perhaps, even a dash of charisma. Join bestselling authors, Br. Loughlan Sofield, S.T., and Sr. Carroll Juliano, S.H.C.J. as they explore the elements of effective Pastoral Leadership in the Christian Community.
Technology Tips for Religious Educators
Technology is changing fast. With so many new developments in e-textbooks, websites, software, apps, and online resources, it is easy for teachers to get overwhelmed. Jared Dees, the Digital Publishing Specialist at Ave Maria Press, as he provides a series of tips and teaching strategies for using technology in the classroom. Some of the tools that are introduced include: etextbooks, PowerPoint, SMARTBoard, Animoto, Screenr, Camstudio, Audacity, YouTube, Vimeo, Dropbox, and Evernote.
Catholic Moms: Building and Sustaining Small Groups to Support the Vocation of Motherhood
Today’s population of Catholic Moms want and need spiritual support just as past generations did, but reaching out to them and meeting their various needs can be a challenge. In this webinar, Lisa M. Hendey of CatholicMom.com and The Handbook for Catholic Moms will discuss a variety of suggestions for communicating with, encouraging fellowship among, and spiritually empowering the Catholic women of your diocese, parish, or organizations. Topics will include “What moms want," logistical and practical considerations, potential “Moms Group” ideas, and using the latest social media technologies to support and nurture the faith of your Catholic Moms.
Open Our Hearts: Exploring the Spiritual Riches of Lent
Lent is the time when the Church is on retreat. It is a time for all of us to look deep within through prayer, reflection, worship, and journeying with others. This webinar will encourage participants to use the season fully by spending time breaking open the Word and listening with full hearts to the call of the Lord.
Pastoral Planning as a Way of Being Church
Pastoral planning is more than a way of dealing with a set of practical problems faced by dioceses and parishes: imbalances between human, financial, and facility resources and the membership of faith communities. While these issues of growth or decline are important to the health of dioceses, pastoral planning must focus on ways to create and sustain vital faith communities, no matter the circumstances in which they exist. This webinar will focus on pastoral planning as a way of being Church rather than a set of tools and techniques for planning.
Celebrating the Four Pillars of Faith Webinar
Join Msgr. Peter J. Vaghi for an informative reflection on the four pillars of the faith, creed, sacraments, morality, and prayer, as set forth in the "Catechism of the Catholic Church" and the "United States Catholic Catechism for Adults." His presentation is sure to enliven and equip RCIA leaders and all those who faithfully seek to pass on the treasures of our Catholic faith in adult formation.
Communication for Parish Vitality: Styles and Skills
Good communication methods are central to the vitality of any organization, including a parish. However, as the demands on ministerial leaders increase, it is common for poor communication practices to set in. Join Sr. Margaret Kelly and Dr. Larry Boone for tips on auditing the communication effectiveness of parishes and church organizations as well as practical means for making meetings instruments of community-building and organizational strength.
Win It All for God’s Kids; Be More Passionate than a Football Coach
Teens today have even bigger issues on the table than high school football. You are aware of the many ways teenagers are hurting. This webinar presents a step-by-step guide to set teens, and you who minister to them, on fire for Jesus Christ and lead them on the way to Heaven.
The Unsheltered Heart: Exploring the Spiritual Riches of Advent
Advent is a new beginning for all people. It is a time to awaken within us a deep desire Christ's presence and to awaken our hearts to God's faithfulness. Join Fr. Raab for an hour of guided reflection on how to prepare your own heart to be unsheltered, open, vulnerable, and free
The Catholic Spirit: Integrating Literature and Art into Religious Education
Are you looking for ways to inspire young people to learn about their faith? Literature, art, and film can be excellent tools to encourage students to develop an emotional connection with learning and to help them think critically about their faith. Teachers who use a multiple intelligences approach will appreciate the tips contained in this presentation as will all schools hoping to establish a cross-over between theology departments and English departments.
Management for Ministry: Emerging Trends and Necessary Skills for Leaders
Larry W. Boone PhD, and Mary Ann Dantuono, J.D.,of the Vincentian Center for Church and Society present a number of topics found in their recently published book, "A Concise Guide to Catholic Church Management."
The New Face of Adult Faith Formation
A webinar with Neil Parent about Adult Faith Formation.