Elizabethtown Praises the Why Catholic? Program

Fall 2012 Season

From:  St. James Catholic Church -- Elizabethtown, Kentucky

By:  Brenda Bush

(Sessions are being held at the home of Jim and Brenda Bush.)  

What a blessing our Why Catholic? group is! 

We all have remarked how much it means to us to be able to share our faith and learn more about what it means to be a Catholic in today’s world.   

Jim and I are fortunate to host this wonderful gathering of friends and Christian family. God has spoken to us in many ways through Why Catholic? We pray that we will continue to be guided by Him in our daily lives.

Thanks to Sue Spink, Greg and Laurel Padgett, Corby and Barbara Powers, Frank and Marlene Bryan, Bill and Joyce Godfrey, and joining us this session – Joe Padgett, Greg’s brother, as well as Greg & Laurel’s son Jeremy (who alos enjoys the time of fellowship).

We appreciate being together and give thanks to God,  St. James Church, Elizabethtown, and to the Archdiocese of Louisville for this opportunity!

                                                                                 

                                                               

PRAY FIRST -- Why Catholic Begins New Season

          #Pray First.  Why Catholic?  groups will begin meeting during early October. Be sure to sign up in your local parish this weekend, if you have not yet done so!

          Sign-up's to join parish small groups, retreat training sessions, and group leader trainings are all part of the current run up to the new season of the  Why Catholic?  program in the Archdiocese.

Click on the link below to see the "We're Back in Action" planning:

    http://whycatholic-louisville.blogspot.com/2012/08/we-are-back-in-action-why-catholic-fall.html

Now, look over the plan, get on the bus, and let's get going toward our new "PRAY FIRST" season.

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Training for Why Catholic Groups Begins Again

Finally it's mid-September. And the time has come to start a new round of small group leader training sessions and retreat-team workshops to prepare for the new season of the  Why Catholic?  program in the Archdiocese! The seasonal theme will be:

"Pray First!" 

http://www.archlou.org/ongoing-programs/whycatholic/

The training and workshop sessions for parish coordinators and small group leaders involved in  Why Catholic?  is coming upon us swiftly! 

Do you have returning group members? Or new people who want to get started?  

Check our preparation plan  by clicking on the link below for the new Fall season  of 2012  --


      http://whycatholic-louisville.blogspot.com/2012/08/we-are-back-in-action-why-catholic-fall.html

Archbishop Meets with Why Catholic Participants: Discusses the Synod on New Evangelization This Coming Ocotber

During August, Archbishop Joseph P. Kurtz held several meetings to hear the ideas, views, and feedback of  Why Catholic?  group members.

A key subject of discussion at each gathering was the upcoming  Synod on the New Evangelization, scheduled for October. Participants came from various locales in the Archdiocese to attend.

Here are some photos from the gathering at St. Albert the Great Parish.

Archbishop Kurtz (center) with meeting participants

We Are Back in Action! -- Why Catholic? (Fall 2012)

"Pray First!"  --   Why Catholic?  in the Archdiocese

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The new Fall season of the  Why Catholic?  program, in the Archdiocese, is coming upon us swiftly!  The theme for the Fall will be Christian Prayer.

http://www.archlou.org/ongoing-programs/whycatholic/

Do you have returning group members? Or new people who want to get started?  Here's the  plan  for the Fall  of 2012  --

September 8 - 9
September 15 - 16                Sign-Up Weekends @ Your Parish

September 17 - 21                Small Group Leader/Facilitator
                                                            Training Sessions  *

October 7 - 13                      Why Catholic? Groups Begin
                                                            to Meet  (6 Sessions)


*  Small Group Leader Trainings will meet
      on these dates  (pick one only):


September 19      St. Augustine Church
                                              in Lebanon KY  --  7:00 to 9:00 PM

September 20      Holy Spirit Parish/McGhee Room
                                              in Louisville  --  9:00 to 11:00 AM

September 20      St. James Parish
                                              in Elizabethtown KY --  7:00 to 9:00 PM
                                              (in Rodney Thomas Room)

September 21      St. Margaret Mary Parish
                                              in Louisville  --  7:00 to 9:00 PM
                                             (in the Hospitality Room)

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A Clever Picture and 1,000 Words Too!

There are several new resources available on the  New Evangelization.

One is a clever cartoon online. The other is a document from the Catholic Bishops of the United States.

Here is the web url that will take you to an expanded

http://formedinfaith.blogspot.com/2012/04/clever-picture-and-1000-words-too.html



Free Webinar -- 7 Keys to Spiritual Wellness

A free webinar on the "7 Keys to Spiritual Wellness" will be presented by author and catechist Dr. Joe Paprocki.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012
8:00 to 9:00 p.m. (EDT)

Sponsored by the Loyola Press

Based on Dr. Paprocki’s new book, participants will explore 7 key ways by which all can be renewed by the God's grace.

     Seeing Yourself as You Really Are
     Actively Seeking the Good of Others
     Thinking Before Acting
     Holding on Loosely
     Recognizing and Setting Limits
     Channeling Desires
     Unleashing Your Imagination

For more information and/or to acess the webinar sign-in page, right click here:

http://formedinfaith.blogspot.com/2012/04/free-webinar-7-keys-to-spiritual.html

An Ever-Changing Laity -- What Concerned Leaders Should Do

While the Why Catholic? model is on hiatus until Fall 2012, you really should take a look @ a short piece by Dr. Neil Parent on the spiritual sentiments and needs of our ever-changing Catholic laity in the USA.
Here is the Archdiocesan blog page on which you can find the Parent article:

http://formedinfaith.blogspot.com/


Have a great day, everyone!

5 Steps: Plan Your Parish's Social Media Use

New From  --  CatholicTechTalk.com


http://catholictechtalk.com/2012/04/01/5-things-to-do-to-plan-your-parish-social-media-strategy-effectively/ utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+catholictechtalk%2Farticles+%28Catholic+Tech+Talk%29&utm_content=FaceBook&doing_wp_cron=1333652836


Have you heard? Catholic bishops are tweeting. Facebook and Google+ look interesting. Texts and Tweets are careening thru virtual space. So you decide to give it a go.

But, at first, nothing seems to be happening . . .

Don't forget to first plan your overall parish social media strategy, as you would envision a great party.  Common business approaches don't work so well. So, have a successful launch for your social and online strategies by trying 5 practical steps.

Access the highlighted link above!

Happy Easter to All

Happy Easter to one and all from the Archdiocesan Faith-Formation staff.


Easter Prayer


by RENEW International

Your love, O God, embraces all creation, from the tree of the cross.
You have broken open the barriers of sin and selfishness
that separate us from one another and from you.
Remain with us and work through us
that others may come to see that love in us
that they saw and loved in Jesus-
a life freely given for the life of the world.
Until that great day, when your love will reign and all will be one,
may we walk in peace, work for justice,
live in gratitude, and celebrate unceasingly the wonders of your love.
Draw us all to you, O God, through the dying and rising of Christ,
in the power of the Spirit.

Amen.

Catholic Men's Conference -- March 31, 2012

Saturday, March 31  --  Check our Brochure and Webpage:

           www.cmclouisville.net


Presented by the Archdiocese of Louisville


  "Learning and Living:  The Difference
      that Jesus Can Make" 

Workshop on March 17 -- The Spirit of Evangelization

Start the Saint Patrick's Day celebration with a spirited workshop!

The Spirit of Evangelization in Catechesis

Sponsored by the Archdiocese of Louisville Ministry Institute. For more information and/or registration help, check the ALMI blog:

http://www.formedinfaith.blogspot.com/



Channel 19: Rev. Robert Barron Presents "Untold Blessing"

A special TV program will be broadcast locally during the season of Lent, beginning on February 24  -- "Untold Blessing: Three Paths to Holiness." It is a multi-part presentation by Rev. Robert Barron.

Father Barron's non-profit organization is Word on Fire Catholic Ministries (www.wordonfire.org), which is dedicated to Catholic preaching and to drawing people into, or back to, the Catholic faith.

"Untold Blessing" will be aired on the Faith Channel (19) at 7:30 PM on Fridays -- Feb. 24, March 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30. Encore showings will be broadcast on Sundays @ 7:30 -- on Feb. 26 March 4, 11, 18, 25, and April 1.

News Flash: Why Catholic Program Meets Lent 2012

Looking for something to renew your faith during Lent?  Get involved now!

Next week, many groups of Why Catholic? participants (literally, thousands of folks) will meet again weekly -- during the season of Lent 2012 -- throughout the Archdiocese of Louisville. Some participant groups will converse in English, and some will use Spanish.

Please pray that all Why Catholic? group members will experience a true, spiritual renewal along their shared journey.

Webpage -- http://www.archlou.org/ongoing-programs/whycatholic/


Newspaper -- http://www.archlou.org/2012/01/26/why-catholic-to-resume-next-month/

For more information, make contact with your local Catholic parish --
or the Office of Lifelong Formation & Education at 504.448.8581 & OLFE@archlou.org

Lenten Retreat Day on March 3

A Lenten retreat day -- called "Living in the Paschal Mystery" -- will be held on Saturday, March 3, from 9:00 AM till 3:00 PM.  The retreat leader will be Mr. Sal Della Bella, the Director of Faith-Formation for the Archdiocese of Louisville. 
The event will be held at the Flaget Center. 

Map:  www.archlou.org/flagetcenter/

The Paschal Mystery retreat theme will lead participants to "reflect on the ways in which we have experienced God through the process of letting go."

For more information or to register, contact Ms. Linda McLemore at the Archdiocesan Office of Lifelong Formation & Education (OLFE): 504.448.8581, x. 1324, and/or LMcLemore@archlou.org

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Seeking Answers to Life's Big Questions: Why Catholic? Program

A good article from a newspaper in the Archdiocese of Boston.  --

http://www.renewintl.org/renew/index.nsf/vPages/WhyCatholicSeeksAnswersLifesQuestions?OpenDocument

Newspaper Story Features Why Catholic? in the Archdiocese

The Archdiocesan newspaper, The Record, recently ran a special update about the program Why Catholic?  It included details about the start-up of the Lent 2012 season. It also included interesting 'voices from the field' quotes -- from around the Archdiocese -- about the how Why Catholic? has been received in church parishes, in both English and Spanish.

Use this internet address to access the recent Why Catholic? newspaper piece:
http://www.archlou.org/2012/01/26/why-catholic-to-resume-next-month/

Suggested Timeline -- Why Catholic? in Lent 2012

Here is a suggested timeline for the upcoming season of Why Catholic? 

(Please see your RENEW Parish Team Handbook for more specifics.)

Sign up Sundays – Occur before the Why Catholic? season (example: January 29 & February 5)

Begin Small Groups -- 6 group sessions begin during week of February 20  

                

Retreat Leader Training in March -- dates to be announced; designed to prepare interested individuals to act as parish retreat leaders for Why Catholic? themes.

Season 3 of Why Catholic? -- Get Ready for It

It is time to prepare for the next 6 small group sessions of Why Catholic? on the theme of  “Celebration of the Christian Mystery: Sacraments."

This week, your parish bulletin editor was sent bulletin announcements designed to help with RENEW Why Catholic? promotion.  Other suggestions for recruiting participants can be found in the Renew Parish Resource Manual, on the RENEW website (http://www.renewintl.org/), and by contacting Mr. Sal Della Bella -- Director of the Archdiocesan Office of Lifelong Formation & Education (OLFE).

Here is a suggested timeline for the upcoming season.

(Please see your RENEW Parish Team Handbook for more specifics.)

***  Sign up Sundays – Occur before the new Why Catholic? season

        (Example: January 29 & February 5)

***  Begin Small Groups -- 6 group sessions begin during week of February 20                  

***  March 2012 – Retreat Leader Training

(The Retreat Leader Training event was originally scheduled for February 2012. It will begin to prepare interested individuals to act as parish retreat leaders for various Why Catholic? themes.)

Times and locations for "onsite" Small Community Leader Training  -- for all new and existing small group leaders  -- have been set. We have heard from many that it would be helpful to share ideas/suggestions/challenges of the Why Catholic? group process with other small group leaders. An opportunity to do so will be provided, along with time to describe the process for the next 6 sessions. Please invite all of your small group leaders to attend!

For those who cannot attend in person, online training will be available via our website at   http://www.archlou.org/whycatholic.  Click on Download Center and then WhyCatholic? Small Community Leader Training Videos.

If online training is not an option, obtain a training DVD of the training from the Faith-Formation division of OLFE, at 502-448-8581.  

***  Times and Locations for Onsite Training -- January 2012

·   Tuesday, January 17^h – St Augustine, Lebanon  7-9 PM

·    Wednesday January 18 -  St Margaret Mary,  7-9 PM

·   Thursday January 19 -  St James, Elizabethtown  7-9 PM

(Please have small community leaders RSVP to  Ms. Linda McLemore: LMCLEMORE@ARCHLOU.ORG or 502-448-8581 for these training sessions.)

Hopefully your small groups from Lent 2011 still have their booklets (The Celebration of the Christian Mystery - Sacraments).  For this Lent we will be completing the booklet doing session 7-12..  If you are in need of additional books please go to the RENEW website, or contact RENEW by calling toll-free order: 888-433-3221

Check out our Louisville Why Catholic page on Facebook!  Log onto your Face- book account, then search for Louisville Why Catholic.  Be sure to "Like" our FB page.

In addition, the Archdiocesan calendar for Why Catholic? -- and other resources -- can be found at:

    www.archlou.org/whycatholic 

You might want to use your Twitter account to follow the Archbishop, @Archbishop Kurtz. And you can follow official Archdiocesan news, stories, etc., @ArchLouKY.

More information and resources will be disseminated, including
curriculum materials for youth and children, small group resources for Sacraments, and additional training opportunities/support.

Contact the Faith-Formation at OLFE for assistance --  e-mail:  SDB@archlou.org  and/or phone: 502.448.8581.

Happy New Year from the Faith-Formation Staff

Warm greetings and happy new year 2012 from the Faith-Formation office staff in the Archdiocese.  We look forward to serving you during the months to come.

A new, Archdiocesan-wide season of  Why Catholic?  will begin near the start of Lent 2012. Plan to take part.  Seek true spiritual renewal during this holy season.

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Small group leader and coordinator training -- in Spanish -- for the new season of  Porque Ser Catolico?  (Why Catholic? in Spanish) is scheduled for Saturday, January 7:

@ Saint Rita, Okalona  --  9:00 to 11:30 AM

@ Saint James, Elizabethtown  --  2:00 to 4:30 PM

These training sessions will be facilitated by Mr. Manuel Hernandez, a RENEW Why Catholic? staff member, from New Jersey.

Big News!

There will be a Catholic Men's Conference, in Louisville, on March 31 (2012).  The theme will be "Learning and Living Our Faith: The Difference that Jesus Makes." Presenters will include Most. Rev. Joseph Kurtz, the Archbishop of Louisville. Want to know more or to pre-register?  Check out two, new online sources:

Facebook:  Louisville Catholic Men's Conference  ("Like" this page on FB)

Website:   www.cmclouisville.net

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