Adult Faith Formation: Beyond Trauma
As we make our way out of quarantine, many of our people in the archdiocese have suffered loss of family members, friends, employment, and loss of hope. This is a time for healing, and as you know our Lord is here to help us through it. In collaboration with the American Bible Society, the Office of Adult Faith Formation will be hosting a workshop titled Beyond Trauma. This workshop, focused on the healing process, will be open to anyone. This may be a great opportunity for your ministry leaders who will be leading their groups and may encounter someone who suffered great loss, or it may be for your ministry leaders themselves. The workshop will be held on Tuesday, August 25th in English and Spanish. More information to come on our website at www.archny.org/faith-formation-from-home/
Adult Faith Formation: The Search
As you know the kerygma is essential to a Christian’s everyday hope. The Augustine Institute has created a new resource called The Search. It envelops the kerygma in an apologetic, yet very appealing manner by providing scientific reasoning behind the existence of God. The Search is a great resource for reaching our adults in the parish. I recommend its use in a parish hall small group setting with hospitality. I encourage your parish to create a time and space for people to come together and share their thoughts and feelings about such an important part of their faith. The video series comes with a discussion guide that can be used in a small group setting. The Search is a paid resource on FORMED, yet will be available for 8 weeks on FORMED starting in September. A virtual study will be held via Zoom hosted by FORMED. With the resource on the platform you may launch a group in your parish or invite your parishioners to take part in FORMED’s virtual study.
For more information go to: https://www.thesearchbegins.org/
Adult Faith Formation: Archdiocesan Adult Confirmation Program Resumes Fall 2020
The Office of Adult Faith Formation will continue to offer the Archdiocesan Adult Confirmation Program in the Fall of 2020 at three locations; Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island. This is a sacramental preparation program for adult Catholics (18+) who already received their first holy communion and are seeking to receive the sacrament of Confirmation. This program is organized for adults who do not belong in their parish Catechumenate (RCIA). Pastor’s permission is required to enroll. The full schedule and registration will be available online on July 15th at http://archny.org/adult-confirmation/.
Additionally, if a pastor has an adult Catholic already prepared to receive the sacrament of Confirmation through their own parish program and wants to send their candidate to one of the Archdiocesan Adult Confirmation Program Masses scheduled for this Fall 2020 (September 21 in Staten Island; December 9 in Manhattan; December 14 in Staten Island), please contact our office at 646-794-2574 or at [email protected].
Development: Renew + Rebuild Rebate Process
First and foremost, the Development Team hopes that everyone is well and that you and your families and parishioners are all staying safe and healthy during these unsettling times. We are thrilled that so many parishes have re-opened for Mass even at a limited capacity.
We wanted to go over the rebate process for Renew + Rebuild. We are currently preparing the July rebates and wanted to share some information about how they are calculated. We are happy to report that for July, over $4.2M in rebates should be disbursed.
Family Life: National NFP Awareness Week
By the time you receive this letter, National NFP Awareness Week (July 19 – July 25, 2020) will have begun. With my full effort on planning the virtual Pre-Canas, I wasn’t able to get this notice to you in last month’s Chancery mailing; nevertheless, I wanted to share some resources and opportunities that are available to your parishioners and their families, especially throughout July and August.
Family Life: Podcasts for Catholics Affected by Divorce and for Families in Crisis
Over the last year, the Family Life Office has been promoting the St. Raymond Nonnatus Foundation’s online support group for those struggling/suffering due to divorce or separation, and the online support group for adult children of divorce (both in English). This online ministry engaged and ministered to a total of 80 people who took advantage of one of the two online monthly meetings that included a moderator and a priest. The Foundation’s goal is to offer prayerful accompaniment to individuals and families affected by divorce and separation, and prayerful support to families in crisis. The St. Raymond Nonnatus Foundation continues to serve individuals and families, and to improve their outreach and engagement, they have moved to a Podcast format to reach more people. As such, we ask you to share the following ad in your parish bulletin as often as possible.
Family Life: Recovery Sunday | Domingo de Oración por la Recuperación
As you may recall, “Recovery Sunday” is a national day of prayer during the month of September for those suffering from addictions. Cardinal O’Connor first instituted “Recovery Sunday” in 1999 in the parishes of the Archdiocese of New York, designating a weekend in September to pray for those with addictions and their families at the Sunday Masses. Cardinal Egan continued the observance of “Recovery Sunday,” and in 2016 Cardinal Dolan reintroduced the tradition of “Recovery Sunday” in our Archdiocese.
Sisters of Life: Healing After Abortion
Do you know someone who is carrying the grief of a past abortion? There is always hope. The pain and sorrow of abortion does not need to endure for a lifetime. A “Day of Prayer and Healing” offers the opportunity to experience the love and mercy of God and to respond to His invitation to begin the journey of healing the wound of abortion. For upcoming dates, locations, and confidential registration, or just to talk to a Sister, please call the Sisters of Life at (866)-575-0075 (toll free) or reach us by email at [email protected].
Young Adult Outreach: Love & Responsibility Series
Join world-renowned speakers from across the country and young adults from across the Archdiocese for live talks and music on Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., streaming live on Facebook, with a Zoom social to follow. For more information, please visit our Facebook here.
July 23: Jackie Angel
TBA: Matt Fradd, with music by Maria Spears
Youth Faith Formation – Catechetical: Parish Religious Education for Children/Youth in Grades 1 to 8
While you are working on your plans for the opening of parish religious education in September, we in the Catechetical Office are working on resources that can assist you. All of us are beginning to get a clearer
understanding of the challenges that will face both schools and our own parish religious education programs. In various ways, we have already begun meeting these challenges—you at the parish level and we at the
archdiocesan level. This letter will alert you to guidelines and resources that are basically “in place” but at the same time are being further developed and shaped to serve the needs of your parish religious education programs during this unprecedented time.
Youth Faith Formation – Youth Ministry: Ongoing Youth Ministry Plans for September 2020 through May 2021
We continue to work hard in the Office of Youth Ministry to find resources and establish guidelines for your continued ministry with the youth of your parishes. While in-person meetings will remain challenging, in the past couple of months, we have been able to discover innovative ways to keep our teens engaged in their faith while practicing social distancing. Below are some ways to still keep youth ministry alive as well as resources to keep you connected.
Youth Faith Formation – Youth Ministry: Parish Religious Education and Youth Ministry in the Fall of 2020
It would be our great desire to give you clear cut directions on exactly how to proceed with parish youth ministry and religious education in the fall of 2020, but as we all have experienced—and our governor has stated—the situation with COVID-19 is fluid and ever-changing. However, we can provide for you some guidelines to help with your planning.