A Dynamic Catechist Retreat

A Dynamic Catechist Retreat

A Dynamic Catechist Retreat

Hebrews 10:25 Round Table

February 2, 2017

  1. Introduction
  2. Background for this retreat
  3. Bishop Ricken came to the parish and spoke about his vision for Discipleship and his discipleship model.
  4. Our team opted to forego an Inservice for the Fall and attempt to offer a retreat experience
  5. We wanted to offer our catechist an “encounter” moment with Jesus as much as you can within the context of time constraints of most catechists
  6. Venue
  7. Opportunity to get “off campus”
  8. Can still be held at your parish but if possible to “Retreat” take advantage
  9. We are blessed to have connections to the Jesuit Retreat Center in Oshkosh
  10. Other examples

a)St. Norbert Abbey

b)Mount Tabor Center

c)Other Parishes in your area

  1. Might be funds available to help pay for costs.
  2. We cooked and prepared our own meal at the facility
  1. Retreat Schedule
  2. 5:30-6:00: Welcome and dinner
  3. Chance for Fellowship, food
  4. 6:00-7:00pm Part I Discovering Jesus
  5. Opening Prayer

a)Gift of a journal to every catechist

  1. Witness Testimony (someone on your staff or bring in someone else who can give a good story of encountering Jesus or discovering Him for the first time)
  2. Journaling Our Story

a)Give the catechists guiding questions to journal and reflect for a few moments

(1)Do you have a moment in your life where you encountered Jesus in a powerful way?

(2)How has that shaped your life?

(3)How can you share that story with your students?

  1. Sharing our Stories

a)Break into small groups

b)Essentially share the stories they just journaled about with other catechists in their small group

(1)May want designated small group leaders but we trusted them to lead themselves

  1. 7:00-7:10pm BREAK
  2. 7:10-8:00pm: Walking & Talking with Jesus
  3. Small Group Prayer

a)Moved to a prayer space (Chapel or Sanctuary)

b)Invited them to share concerns from their personal life or concerns about their class this year and to pray about it as a small group

  1. Adoration

a)Praise & Worship

(1)Song Books

b)Recorded Music

c)Guided Reflection

  1. Other Considerations
  2. We got a great deal of compliments from the catechists who chose to attend
  3. Catechists recognizing their ability to relate more personally to their students
  4. Resist the temptation to combine the evening with business. A retreat should be a retreat. A meeting should be a meeting
  5. Really wanted to try and get the catechists to try and get outside their comfort zone
  6. Also wanted to be respectful to their time and commitments
  7. Scheduled on a Wednesday when we didn’t have regular RE class scheduled
  8. Sent an invitation with a brief description of what to expect and why it’s important to have retreat experiences.
  9. Questions/Comments
  1. Contact Information

Tommy Nelson

Coordinator of Youth Ministry

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