Each parish in our diocese is responsible for sharing YEARLY Safe Environment lessons to every age group in grade school. This is a yearly requirement of YOUR CURRICULUM. Please be sure to follow our diocesan requirements. More information can always be found in our policies and procedures portal:

NBA Star Joins the Church because of the Eucharist.

Join us for a day of retreat as we unpack what this spirit of hope means for our pilgrimage through Advent and the Jubilee celebration in 2025! We are blessed to welcome Father Aaron Kelly, Parochial Vicar at St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish in Rochester and judge on the diocesan tribunal, as our retreat leader. The day will include two engaging talks, Mass, an opportunity for the Sacrament of Confession, personal prayer time, and lunch. Following the retreat, there will be an Advent social gathering. Click the image below for more information and to register for the retreat!

IF YOU ARE USING FRANCISCAN AT HOME TO TRAIN MINISTRY VOLUNTEERS your parish is asked to provide a handful of staff or volunteer ministry leaders to serve as mentors to your online learners. Please send names of those who will serve as mentors to leslie.barkin@dor.org.

We are nearing 400 engaged learners on the system. That is very exciting! Keep it up! Below you will find a new resource you may find helpful to engage learners and to use the workshops in your various ministry settings.

Many of you have requested some assistance in choosing workshops to use in a group setting. This list will be ongoing, but here is a overview of some workshops and their possible use in training volunteers and working in different ministry areas. Click on the PDF below!

Join Don Smith for the second Catechist formation of the programming year for a look at the theological virtue of hope as we prepare to the Jubliee in 2025. We will explore what it truly means to be hopeful. Other topics that we will touch upon are Faith and Love as well as Jubilee and pilgrimage.

2:00 PM Session: Please click on the orange welcome message below to REGISTER

7:00 PM Session: Please click on the orange welcome message below to REGISTER

Did you know the National Catholic Partnership on Disability offers multiple courses on their platform to address the specific needs of individuals with disabilities in your parish? If you are struggling to meet needs and require more education on specific disabilities, you can take courses and learn within your own schedule. Check them out at the link below:

Free NCCL online Conference, NOVEMBER 14

It is a great time to share some lessons on vocations within your catechetical programming. A generous donation by our Vocations Office has made these outstanding lessons, from Vianney Vocations, available to all our parishes free of charge. To use the lessons, simply sign on with the code DORVOCATIONS. The access code, for student-centered handouts is CALLEDBYGOD. The site provides a brief tutorial for new users. We are excited to share this resource with you as we observe National Vocations Awareness Week and hope you find them valuable in your programming.

For more information on Vocations Awareness Week, visit:

https://www.usccb.org/committees/clergy-consecrated-life-vocations/national-vocation-awareness-week

The ongoing conversation about what evangelizing catechesis looks like urges us to make positive change in our programming. Need inspiration to move forward? This webinar is worth a watch! Julianne Stanz and Dr. Steven Serafin share their thoughts with John Poitevent and we hear about the real experiences of catechetical leaders around the country!

Are you looking for a way to engage young people in your ministry while allowing them to feel like their answers can be anonymous? PLICKERS is a tool that can do just that. Plickers uses coded cards that young people hold to “vote” on pre-determined answers that the leader sets up. As they hold their cards, the leader uses the Plicker App on their phone to scan the codes. The results are then displayed on a screen for all to see how many answered for each per-selected answer. This can then help spark conversation about the topic you have planned for that day. There are free and subscription options available. The free version allows up to five slides per presentation but if you split your topic into two or three presentations then you are able to work around the need for a subscription. Want to try it out? Go to www.plickers.com for tutorials and to get started. Rich has used it in many ways but he likes to use it best for the various scenarios used in the teen lesson plans required to cover each year in faith formation and youth groups.

The Hands of Christ is a recognition program, sponsored by the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis, in which the Most Reverend Bishop Salvatore R. Matano affirms high school seniors of our parishes who have been the “Hands of Christ” in their churches, homes, schools and communities. Seniors will be recognized at one of several diocesan recognition ceremonies in 2025. Ceremony details will be shared at a later date.

• More information about the nomination process can be found below.
  
• Helpful hints for conducting the nomination process can be also found below.
• A paper nomination form (to assist in the parish nomination process) can be used and found below.

• Approved nominations must be submitted online by clicking the button below.
• The deadline to submit approved nominations is December 1, 2024.
• Approved nominations submitted after the deadline will be accessed a late fee.

Joseph Schoene, a young person from Holy Trinity Parish in Webster, has been selected to serve on the National Youth Advisory Council (NYAC) for the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry (NFCYM). NYAC’s mission is to give a voice to the faith, hope, and love of youth by building bridges and nurturing safe spaces across generations, cultures, and backgrounds. It is a diverse group of young people that integrate their voices and gifts into all work and ministry of NFCYM. NYAC met with Pope Francis during a Rome pilgrimage in 2022. Check out a recap of the pilgrimage at https://youtu.be/k4u_hsTaTw8.

Joseph is the first young person from the Diocese of Rochester to serve on this council. Joseph's one-year term began in October and it will conclude at the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) in November 2025. Please help us congratulate Joseph and offer prayers of support for his work!

Celebrated on the Solemnity of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (Christ the King Sunday) | November 23-24, 2024.

On this feast day... the Church proclaims the Kingdom of Christ, already present, but still growing in all its mystery towards its full manifestation ... young people are indispensable bearers of the dynamics of the Kingdom of God, the hope of the Church and the world. - St. John Paul II

CLICK BELOW FOR RESOURCES YOUR PARISH CAN USE TO HONOR THIS CELEBRATION!

With the support of the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry (NFCYM), the New York State Community of Catholic Youth Ministry is a platform for those involved in youth ministry within New York State to collaborate with/support one another and engage in the work of NFCYM. NFCYM is recognized as the largest youth ministry organization in the United States and is the foundation for synodal dialogue about the needs and concerns of those who minister to youth. ALL THOSE WHO MINISTER TO/WITH YOUTH IN THE DIOCESE OF ROCHESTER ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO JOIN THE COMMUNITY'S FACEBOOK GROUP BELOW. For more information, email Mark here.

Marian University and Springtide Research Institute are conducting a study to understand how priests, ministers, and faith leaders can better engage and reach young and young adults, ages 13-25. This survey will ask questions about previous experiences with Christian messages, feelings about these messages, and a few general demographic questions to help them understand trends within the data. The survey should take about 10 minutes to complete, and all responses are confidential. After completing this survey, participants can enter a drawing for a $25 Amazon e-gift card. The survey can be found by clicking the button below.

Connect with us!

The latest edition of the Bridge Newsletter, the official newsletter of the National Catholic Committee on Scouting (NCCS), is out! This issue is packed with news and updates. See the front page article about the recent ICCS World Conference held in Cairo. Additionally, Theresa Dirig, the NCCS Religious Activities Chair, has curated some innovative ideas for scouting retreats, ensuring that gatherings are both enriching and spiritually fulfilling. To read the newsletter and learn more about the work of NCCS, click the buttons below!

Don explores the relationship between catechetical lessons and retreats.

Please share your Confirmation retreat information with us! You can email the date, time, cost, and any other information to Don at donald.smith@dor.org. I will only share the information with Confirmation Coordinators who are looking for retreats. All requests for an alternate retreat to the parish offering should come from you, not parents.

There will be a mandatory meeting for Confirmation Coordinators who celebrate at the Cathedral on Tuesday, January 7 at 10am at Sacred Heart Cathedral. We will review the celebrations and expectations for the upcoming celebrations.

Next month's newsletter will include a form to gather information for OCIA candidates. We will be gathering the usual information including:

• Coordinator & Parish contact information
• Total number of candidates & catechumens
• Name, age, and town of residence for each
• If Catholic seeking Confirmation, baptism information
• Easter Vigil presider (for delegation letters)

UPCOMING WEBINAR: Tuesday, November 19 at 2:00 PM Making the Faith come Alive: Catechesis and the Art of Story with Dr. Joseph White from OSV. This is a hot topic in our discussions lately! Join the webinar to dive more deeply into the topic! Click on the Zoom link below to register:

We warmly welcome Lisa Shaw and Vivian Strache as new ministry leaders in our diocese! Lisa is leading youth ministry efforts at St. Benedict Parish in Bloomfield/Canandaigua. Vivian is leading youth ministry at St. John Vianney Parish in Bath/Hammondsport.

Leslie Barkin, Diocesan Director of the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis x1244

Contact for information on all newsletters, evangelization, training, consultation

Mark Capellazzi, Project Coordinator of Youth and Young Adult Ministry x1375

Contact for youth ministry/young adult or Catholic scouting consultation/website questions, Certification process

Don Smith, Coordinator of Sacramental Catechesis and Family Life x1243

Contact for Sacramental information and Fully Engaged

Website: oec.dor.org
Location: 1150 Buffalo Road, Rochester, NY, USA
Phone: 585-328-3228