CNE Newsletter - May 29, 2025

Parish leaders face many obstacles to fruitful ministry:

Ministry fatigue and burnout
Difficulty finding ministry leaders and volunteers
Low turnout for ministry initiatives
A sense that you’re not having the effect you would like to have

Realizing, of course, that there are no silver bullets, I believe that if more people knew their charisms and were living according to them, our parishes could powerfully overcome all of these obstacles.

In April of 2023, the CNE hosted the Called & Gifted Workshop from the Catherine of Siena Institute, which launched many parish leaders into a process of discerning their own unique spiritual giftedness. Now, we want to equip you to bring this charism discernment process to the rest of your parishioners. See the announcement below for more information about this important next step for your parish.

God is good all the time, and He stands ready to “do a new thing” (Isa 43:19) in our lives and in our parishes!

The Peace of Christ to you,
Nicholas Hardesty

The CNE will be providing Called & Gifted Team Training on Mon., Nov. 3 and Tues., Nov. 4, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at Church of the Ascension (2025 Woodman Dr, Dayton, OH, 45420).

Called & Gifted Team Training will equip you and your key leaders to provide charism discernment for your parishioners so that they can know and live according to the spiritual gifts they received in their Baptism. Mary Martin and Colleen O’Dowd from the Catherine of Siena Institute will lead this two-day training. Both days of the training are required.

You and your team need to have completed the three-step Called & Gifted charism discernment process before attending Team Training. The three steps are:

Called & Gifted Workshop (live or online), which includes completion of the Spiritual Gifts Inventory
Charism Interview (in-person or via Zoom)
Charism Experimentation (personally or via a Discernment-in-Depth Small Group)

Registration for the Team Training is $50/person and is available at the button below. This covers lunch and all training materials for both days. There is a Q&A on the registration page that should address any questions you have about the Team Training, completing the three steps, and the charisms in general. You can also contact Nicholas Hardesty (nhardesty@catholicaoc.org) if you have any questions.

Since this is two full days of training, our hope is that, by giving you advanced notice, you will have time to reserve both days before your calendar fills up. This will also give you time to complete the three steps before the Team Training begins. Mark your calendar now!

Young Adult Pentecost Vigil & Social

Young adults (ages 18–35) are invited to a special celebration of the Vigil of Pentecost at St. Gertrude Parish on Saturday, June 7 at 7:00 p.m. This extended Vigil, modeled after the Easter Vigil, includes multiple Scripture readings and is a beautiful opportunity to reflect on the life of the Spirit and our call to mission. After the Vigil, stick around for a relaxed social with a bonfire, brats, hotdogs, and s’mores! Guests are welcome to bring a snack or drink to share.

Please RSVP for the social by end of day on June 5. We look forward to celebrating with you!

Summer Conferences

When we’re in the midst of work, it can be difficult to step away and invest time in our own growth and development. However, embracing good formation opportunities allows us to grow closer to the Lord, to be renewed in our mission, and to learn how to serve even more effectively.

This summer, we invite you to join us as we seek to continue growing as evangelists. We’ve identified some of the best conferences around the country for personal formation and for learning more about the apostolates that we recommend to our parishes. We truly desire for you to take advantage of these opportunities, so we’re offering automatic $100 scholarships for you to attend.

Check out the Summer Conferences page on the CNE website here https://www.centerforthenewevangelization.org/summer-conferences for more information!

NFP Awareness Week 2025
July 20 - 26

National NFP Awareness Week, July 20-26, is a national educational campaign by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to focus attention on natural family planning methods and the Church teachings that support its use in marriage.

The dates of National NFP Awareness Week highlight the anniversary of Humanae Vitae (July 25), which articulates Catholic beliefs about human sexuality, marital love, and responsible parenthood. During this week we also celebrate the feast day of Saints Joachim and Anne (July 26), the parents of the Blessed Mother. For more Archdiocesan information, contact nfp@catholicaoc.org.

Safe Haven Sunday

Safe Haven Sunday is a weekend set aside within the liturgical calendar by dioceses and parishes to directly address the societal harms of pornography. It is Inspired by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) formal statement, Create in Me a Clean Heart: A Pastoral Response to Pornography.

Safe Haven Sunday is an Archdiocesan-wide initiative on the weekend of August 10, near the Feast of St. Philomena, "Champion of Chastity". For more information, click the button below:

Fr. Spitzer will lead a workshop along with the team of Sophia Institute on The Catholic Faith and Science for principals and teachers of Math, Science, and Religion. This workshop will delve into what students need to know to maintain their faith throughout their lives, give evidence for an Intelligent Creator, and explore the science and the mystery of Eucharistic Miracles.

Sophia Institute for Teachers (Sophia Institute Press - Discover your next Catholic book) has given a scholarship to offset the cost of bringing Fr. Spitzer and the Sophia team! This will be an event you will not want to miss! In the morning, the Sophia team will engage teachers in interactive activities that will show evidence for God from the expansion of the universe, entropy, and to the fine tuning of the physical laws. In the afternoon, the Sophia team will lead hands-on activities to familiarize teachers with Eucharistic miracles and teach them the science confirming their authenticity!