Dear PCLs, Principals, Catechists, and Teachers,
By now you are aware that “in person” summer programs for professional development and formation will not proceed as planned. In this letter is some clarification about our cancellations and information about how the Office of Faith Formation plans to move forward.
- The following “in person” programs are cancelled
- All June Associate, Advanced, and Master level classes
- Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion Training (June 9-10)
- Ministry of the Word: Role of the Lector… (June 15-16)
- Advocacy 101: Where our Faith meets the Road! (June 24)
- Catechist Retreat: Rejoice and Be Glad (July 23)
- As of now, we do not intend to hold “in person” classes in July. However, we are keeping in place the schedule and location for the July associate level classes at the Maloney Center in the event the CDC, local government officials, and Archdiocesan leadership allow us to have “in person” gatherings.
- August workshops are still to be determined.
- Loaning of all media materials (DVDs, books, etc.) for media option classes or classes with the University of Dayton’s Virtual Learning Community for Faith Formation classes has be suspended until further notice.
We know many of you were looking forward to participating in our offerings this summer and many of you are concerned about how you will fulfill credits needed to satisfy archdiocesan guidelines for catechist certification. To help participants complete the Associate level we have attached a list of online classes from our office that fulfill 4 of the 8 required classes for the Associate level. (In the past persons could only take 3 out of the 4 online options to complete the Associate level, but this restriction has been lifted for the time being.) Also, on the attachment is a listing of classes that are offered from the Virtual Learning Community for Faith Formation (VLCFF) from the University of Dayton. Persons can complete all the requirements for the Associate level by taking a combination of classes from VLCFF and the Office of Faith Formation’s online classes. Note: Our office does not recommend taking more than one VLCFF class at a time.
For persons who are in need of completing credits in the Advanced or Master level there are several options of classes from our office and any of the classes from VLCFF classes will also apply. Introduction to Catholic Social Teaching in an online class where participants may begin the class at anytime and move through the class at their own pace. Attached are the enrollment instructions. Here is a link to all our online video classes, https://archlouff.org/catechist-certification/online-learning/ and here is a link to the VLCFF calendar, https://vlcff.udayton.edu/calendar/. Here is a link to help you get started with registering for VLCFF classes, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53gLDvUD_Tk&feature=emb_logo.
Just a note about our online video classes and classes from VLCFF. Our online video classes can be started and completed at any time. Participants work at their own pace. You must watch the entire video and complete any assignments that are required (writing a reflection paper, completing additional reading, completing worksheets, etc.) Classes from VLCFF have a start date and end date. Reading and assignments are given each week with VCLFF classes and must be completed by the end of the week to receive credit. The next cycle of classes for VLCFF will begin on July 12and registration is open now but will close July 8. If participants wish to take a VLCFF class, they must register with and make payment directly to VLCFF. VLCFF classes very often require reading assignments. In the past our office was able to loan out books for these classes, if they were in our library. At this time, we are not able to loan out any of our media materials. (We have begun to look into how we can make this possible but still be able to follow safety protocols.) If a book is required for a VLCFF class, it can be purchased on Amazon. You may also want to investigate some other bargain book websites such as Half Price Books, Better World Books, Book Outlet, etc. or other book retailers.
Finally, our blog, https://archlou.org, is where we will post information and updates about the status of our classes and our office operations. To stay up to date with information from our office be sure you are following our blog. We also have a Facebook page for our office that you may want to follow, Faith Formation – Archdiocese of Louisville KY.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about our programs, your catechist record, credits, or other concerns you may have.
Lynn McDaniel
Coordinator for Catechetical Ministry
Archdiocese of Louisville
lmcdaniel@archlou.org
502-636-0296 ext. 1267
Attachment for how to complete Associate level classes using all online classes
Overview Part I Enrollment Instructions
Intro to prayer_201209051537 Catechist Toolkit
Intro to Sacraments Handbook for Today’s Catechist
Formed In Faith 