You did it! The first year of Beacons of Light is under your belt. For many of you, it has been a wild ride and you have had to overcome a great number of challenges. Most likely you are still in the midst of many of them. You know that next year promises even more challenges.
Despite all of this, the Lord has used you. You were called to your position for a reason. The Lord still has plans to work through you. Stay the course, we need you. As always, trust in the prayers and support of all of us in the CNE.
Sean Ater
Director, Center for the New Evangelization sater@catholicaoc.org
The CNE Welcomes Christine Baumgardner!
Christine Baumgardner (cbaumgardner@catholicaoc.org) Associate Director for Adult and Family Evangelization
We are excited to welcome Christine Baumgardner to our Parish Evangelization Team! Christine will be assisting parish evangelists with creating and implementing
evangelization methods that target the whole family. Some of her responsibilities will include launching adult small groups, answering Family Evangelization questions, and overseeing Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.
Christine is a Dayton native and graduate of Wright State University with a degree in Elementary Education. She taught 2nd grade before deciding to spend some time at home with her children when they were young. Her most recent position was at Our Lady of Sorrows as the Director of Religious Education. While there, she completed her graduate degree at Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary and School of Theology.
Christine and her husband Steve have been married for 28 years and have three boys. As "empty
nesters" they enjoy traveling, cooking together, and taking walks in their neighborhood with their dog.
Christine's favorite Bible verse is from Romans 8:28: “We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”
Welcome to the CNE, Christine!
RCIA Corner
It was great to meet so many of you at “Light the Match.” There were many talks on adult evangelization that I hope were helpful to your work as catechumenal ministers. Here they are again, in case you missed them:
If you’re involved
with the RCIA process, you’re an evangelist of adults. So, it’s worth considering how we can prioritize adult evangelization in our parishes, create discipleship pathways, and think creatively, even outside of RCIA, about how to evangelize adults.
Also, as most of you will begin your RCIA process in late August and early September, it is worth remembering that the Pre-Catechumenate stage has no predetermined length. This stage begins when an inquirer first contacts you, and it ends whenever he or she is ready for the Rite of Acceptance. Some ways to accommodate this variability in the early-going include:
Creating an Inquiry Team that can receive and accompany individuals whenever they arrive;
Scheduling 2 or even 3 Rites of Acceptance (see RCIA, 18.3) so that people can enter the Catechumenate when they’re ready;
Making discernment conversations a regular part of the process so that we aren’t asking people to progress too soon, and so that we can be looking for the signs of discipleship.
It’s not too late to implement some or all of these strategies this year. Let me know if you would like any help along the way.
The Peace of Christ to you, Nicholas Hardesty, Assoc. Dir. of Adult Evangelization and RCIA nhardesty@catholicaoc.org
ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS
"Run Alpha" Training
Join us for an interactive training to experience what it is like to run Alpha, a space for people outside of the
church to explore faith within the context of the local church.
Gather with other churches and leaders from across the region for an interactive training to develop an understanding of Alpha and how to get the most out of running a course in your context. We will cover topics like 'What is Alpha?', the seven best practices of Alpha, the Alpha small group, and leading prayer ministry.
"Run Alpha" training is hosted by the CNE and led by Dan McCarty, Network Director for Alpha Great Lakes.
All priests, deacons, parish staff, volunteer marriage preparation mentor couples, and NFP instructors are invited to our second annual Marriage & Family In-Service on Oct. 12th from 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Tipp City, OH.
This year the theme will be the Marriage Catechumenate. The event will focus on the archdiocesan plan to assist parishes in implementing the guidelines of the Catechumenal Pathways for Married Life, the 2022
Vatican document on the Marriage Catechumenate.
Presentations will be offered by archdiocesan staff from the Marriage & Family Evangelization team and local pastors, plus there will be break-out sessions and time for brainstorming creative ways to implement the marriage catechumenate in parish life. The day will begin with Mass and include a light breakfast and lunch.
Registration is $10 per person. Please RSVP here no later than October 6, 2023. Please contact Adriana Vásquez at avasquez@catholicaoc.org with any questions.
