Next Tuesday, May 20th, we’re gathering for Part 2 of our Culture for Mission series, and I want to personally invite you and your team to be there. Whether or not you made it to Part 1, this session stands on its own—and it’s all about helping us understand how to walk with people as they grow from new disciples into missionary disciples. Using the Process of Evangelization and Discipleship diagram as our guide, we’ll explore how we, as ministry leaders, can create a culture that nurtures real transformation in the people we serve. This day is designed to strengthen your ministry, inspire your team, and provide practical tools for evangelization. Plus, lunch is included! I hope you’ll join us.
We often lump the thresholds of discipleship into one big bucket. If the journey of discipleship is lifelong, it makes sense that each threshold of that journey will require different levels of formation, accompaniment, and training. Join us as we break open the thresholds of Beginning Disciple, Growing Disciple, and Missionary Disciple. Together we will imagine new ways to accompany people through the thresholds of discipleship and commission them for mission.
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 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 June 5. We look forward to celebrating with you!
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.
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)
Contact Nicholas Hardesty at nhardesty@catholicaoc.org if you or any of your key leaders need to complete any of these steps before attending the Team Training.
Registration for the Team Training is $50/person and is available below.
Since this is two full days of training, our hope is that, by giving you this much advanced notice, you will be able to reserve both days for the training. This will also give you time to complete the three steps before the Team Training begins. Mark your calendar now!
Natural Family Planning Awareness Week is a national educational campaign. The Natural Family Planning Program of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops develops a poster each year with basic supportive materials. Check out the link below to learn more and access both educational and promotional materials.
This retreat is for young adults and adults with divorced or separated parents, and will take place on November 15-16, 2025 at the Jesuit Spiritual Center in Milford, OH. It invites participants to move through the broken image of love that appeared to them in their parents’ relationship to their deepest identity found in God. The retreat gives participants a greater understanding of the wound of divorce and the ways it affects their lives, offers advice about the difficulties concerning love and trust of others, and explains how the Catholic faith, spiritual practices, and the sacraments are essential to self-knowledge and healing.
This retreat has something for any adult child of divorce or separation, no matter how much healing you have already received or need. For more information, and to register please visit https://stxchurch.org/lgw/ or contact Tina Earnst at ternst@stxchurch.org
