Growing Disciples E-Newsletter Evangelization in the Diocese of Des Moines August 22, 2011

Free Webinar from the National Catholic Partnership on Disability – Symbolic Catechesis and Other Tools in Catechetical Ministry with Students with Disabilities – Tuesday, September 13 from 1:00 to 2:00 pm The Diocese of Des Moines is a member of the National Catholic Partnership on Disability (NCPD). Frequently they hold webinars which you can participate in for free because of our diocesan affiliation. The first webinar of the season focuses on symbolic catechesis, where the Christian community links the symbols of everyday life with those of God’s presence. The facilitators, Father Bill Gullum, OFM Cap., and Mary Mirrione, MAPS-CGS., the national director for the National Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, will focus on the following goals for the webinar:  adaptive tools for catechesis of benefit to those children with or without disabilities,  methods to use with parishioners with sever disabilities,  Catholic Church teaching, and  Live Q&A with real time captioning.

Father Gullum is the director of pastoral care at McGuire Memorial Hospital in New Bright, PA. He is the author of Awakening Spiritual Dimensions: Prayer Services with Persons with Sever Disabilities. Mary Mirrione is the mentor for Children’s Catechesis in the Diocese of Phoenix as well as the director of the National Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. The webinar is moderated by Lee Nagel, the executive director for the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership (NCCL).

This webinar is recommended for:  parish and diocesan catechetical leaders, youth ministers and Catholic School principals  parish catechists and youth ministry volunteers  Catholic School teachers,  seminary studies,  young adult ministry  disability ministry  chaplaincy

Register for this event at NCPD.org. Please find the flyer for this event attached. Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Level 1 Training: Mary Heinrich, director of Faith Formation at St. Pius X Church in Urbandale, and Ginger Peterson, director of Faith Formation at All Saints Church in Stuart are the formation team for the upcoming Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Level 1 spiritual formation for catechists working with children ages 3-6. The formation location will be St. Pius X Catholic Church in Urbandale. Attached please find the brochure. Registration is due by October 1, 2011. Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is thriving in many places around the diocese and is an all-inclusive model for children of many different talents. For more information please contact Sherri Hunt at 515-278-5684, ext 130 or e-mail her at [email protected].

CLADD Schedule for 2011-2012: Attached please find the calendar for this year’s CLADD meetings. Those of us within the Diocesan Department of Evangelization and Catechesis and the CLADD Leadership Team have put together a wonderful season of informative meetings to help you thrive in your ministry. Please remember that CLADD is for all catechetical leaders including those working in: religious education, youth ministry/adolescent catechesis, adult faith formation. We have many new people this year and it will be very helpful for all if our network continues to grow. Your presence is an amazing gift to all within our diocesan community, but especially new members encountering this beautiful ministry for the first time.

Centennial Religious Education/Youth Ministry Visits for Fall 2011: Information for those parishes that are scheduled to visit the Cathedral for their Centennial visits will be e-mailed to the respective parish communities Friday, August 26, 2011. This information will include: a suggested letter for you to mail to your parents (which includes a map); lesson plans about the bishop, cathedral, and the diocese for K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12; and links to pictures of the Cathedral, the stained glass windows, and archival information about St. Ambrose Cathedral that is found on our website.

Youth Ministry Kick-Off 2011 Scheduled for Thursday, September 8 at All Saints Church in Stuart: Join Bob Perron and Tessa Schealler from the St. Thomas More Center from 5:30 to 9:00 PM. Special guest for the evening is Steve Nespor who uses very usual objects in some very unusual ways to help us focus on placing young people at the feet of Jesus. The schedule for the evening is: 5:30 PM Dinner 7:00 PM Presentation with Steve Nespor 8:30 PM Information & Closing Prayer

The event has been moved from the St. Thomas More Center to All Saints Church in Stuart to help facilitate more involvement from those who are driving long distances. The evening is for youth ministers, catechetical leaders and pastors. If you are working with young people in your parish, this event is for you. Did Bob and Tessa mention it was FREE! Register by e-mailing [email protected] or calling 515-309-1936 by September 1.