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Journey toward the Future of Catechesis

Join the NCCL Community of Catechetical Leaders. It's Free to Join.
NCCL is dedicated to promoting the ministries of evangelization and catechesis in the U.S. Catholic Church by fostering a community of leaders ​who proclaim ​and teach the Word of Jesus Christ ​through the witness of accompaniment, education, and formation in the Catholic faith.

Participate in the New Family & Intergenerational Survey

We are conducting a national study to identify how well churches are implementing practices of family faith formation and intergenerational ministry and faith formation. The survey is designed so that every church can participate in this study. 

Through the survey we hope to identify churches that are offering family and/or intergenerational faith formation programming at their church so that we can create a report with models and examples to help all churches embrace family and intergenerational models of faith formation. 
​
The results of the survey and models will be available to all churches. We really appreciate your time in completing this survey and describing what you are doing. Please complete the survey by April 3, 2023.
Go to SurveyMonkey to Complete the Family & Intergenerational Survey

Journey toward the Future of Catechesis

​NCCL's focus in 2023 - Journey toward the Future of Catechesis with All Ages and Generations - is designed to engage the catechetical community
​ in envisioning new directions and initiatives ​for proclaiming and teaching the Catholic faith in our world today.
​People do not put new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. ​Rather, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved. (Matthew 9:17) 
Building on the vision of the 1971 and 1997 Directories, the new Directory for Catechesis (June 2020) provides a fresh vision and blueprint for developing catechesis in the 2020s and beyond. This fresh vision describes catechesis as accompaniment, education, and formation. 
 
Catechesis makes the proclamation of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ continually resound in the heart of every person, so that life may be transformed. A dynamic and complex reality at the service of the Word of God, catechesis is accompaniment, education and formation in the faith and for the faith, an introduction to the celebration of the Mystery, illumination and interpretation of human life and history. By harmoniously integrating these characteristics, catechesis expresses the richness of its essence and offers its specific contribution to the pastoral mission of the Church. (Directory for Catechesis)
 
The big question for catechetical leaders is how can the vision and practices of the Directory for Catechesis guide catechetical ministry in parishes across the United States. This is the focus of NCCL’s “Journey toward the Future of Catechesis.” Together we are going to explore how the catechetical vision of the Directory and the practices that flow from that vision can transform catechesis with all ages and generations in a parish community. 
 
Over the next several months NCCL will explore how to apply the vision, major themes, and suggested practices of the Directory for Catechesis in parish catechetical ministry. 
 
Weekly articles will present the Directory’s vision with reflection-application activities. Each week you can read the short article and use the activities to apply the Directory to your parish community. Form a small group to “journey” with you, such as your parish staff or parish catechetical team or catechetical leaders from other parishes. Meet in person or on Zoom and share reflections on the article and application ideas. 
 
Over the next three months we will explore questions that translate the vision into practice. For example:  

  1. What is the new context (social and cultural) for catechesis today? What are the new needs of parents, families, and people of all ages? What are the challenges and where are the opportunities? 
  2. What does the Directory mean by Catechesis and how is it connected to Evangelization? 
  3. How can the catechumenal vision – as a source of inspiration for all catechesis – be put into practice with all ages and generations? 
  4. How can the five interrelated tasks of catechesis guide the development of a holistic curriculum and programming with all ages and generations? 
  5. How do we draw upon the seven sources of catechesis in designing catechetical curriculum and programming, and in teaching all ages and generations? 
  6. What is the relationship between catechetical content and method? 
  7. What educational approaches and methods are most consistent with the pedagogical vision of the Directory?
  8. How do we design catechesis for families and each stage of life (children, teens, young adults, adults, the elderly, and persons with disabilities) informed by the vision and practices suggested in the Directory?
  9. How do we prepare and form today’s catechist as a witness of faith and keeper of the memory of God; as a teacher and mystagogue, and as an accompanier and educator?
  10. What new models of catechist formation are needed to engage today’s catechist? 
 
The weeks of reflection upon the Directory for Catechesis and its application to parish catechesis provide a foundation that leads to NCCL’s seven regional Fall 2023 Convocations. The Convocation draws upon the vision and practices in the Directory to imagine and design the future of catechesis in parishes. 

​Download the this article in PDF.
The Journey Begins.pdf
File Size: 291 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Fall 2023 Convocations

September 18-19:   San Francisco
     Mercy Center, Burlingame, CA

​September 26-27:   Baltimore
     Bon Secours Center, Marriottsville, MD

October 3-4: Dallas
     Hilton Garden Inn DFW Airport South

October 10-11: Connecticut
     Holy Family Retreat Center,  Farmington, CT

October 17-18: Chicago
     Hilton Garden Inn O’Hare Airport 

October 24-25: Tampa
     Franciscan Center
​
November 29-30: San Diego
     Hilton Garden Inn Mission Valley 
Convocation Prices and
​Registration
We have a limited number of partial scholarships available, please contact John Roberto with an email describing your need for a scholarship: jroberto@lifelongfaith.com.

Convocation Schedule

​Day One 
12 noon - Arrival and registration 

1:00 pm - Sharing Our Catechetical Journeys

2:00 pm - Topic 1. Identify and Defining the Challenges facing the Future of Catechesis

5:30 pm - Dinner

7:00 pm - Topic 2. Envisioning the Shape of Catechesis into the Future: Life Stages,  Family, Intergenerational and  Whole Community

9:00 pm - Close 
 
Day Two
8:30 am - Morning Prayer

9:00 am - Topic 3. Designing the Shape of Catechesis – Creating New Initiatives 

12 noon - Lunch

1:00 pm - Topic 4. Implementing New Initiatives to Shape the Future of Catechesis
​

4:00 pm - Close 

What's New Online at NCCLCatholic

Videos and Resources for the Family Faith Formation and Adult Faith Formation Conferences are now online
  • Go to Online Conferences. 

Video and Resources for the "Becoming a Trauma Informed Parish" Webinar are now online.
  • Go to Trauma-Informed Parish Webinar
Join the NCCL Community Today
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The National Community of Catechetical Leaders (NCCL) promotes the ministries of Evangelization and Catechesis by fostering a community of leaders who proclaim and teach the Word of Jesus Christ through the witness of accompaniment, education and formation in the Catholic faith.
 NCCL
133 Old Towne Road
​Cheshire, CT 06410

Contact: 
John Roberto, Executive Director
jroberto@lifelongfaith.com
  • Home
    • About NCCL
    • Board of Directors
    • Executive Director
  • Future of Catechesis
  • Online Conferences
    • Trauma-Informed Parish Webinar
  • Certificate
  • Research
  • Library
    • Directory for Catechesis >
      • Introduction to the Directory
      • Chapter by Chapter Presentations
      • Practices for Catechesis
    • Catechetical Leader
    • NCCL White Papers
  • Jobs
  • Be a Sponsor