Volume XV, Issue XXV June 29, 2026

Echoes~

Your Weekly Catechetical News from the

Office of Christian Formation

Greetings!

Annual Catechetical Leader Day of Reflection

Called to Minister in Jesus' Name

Tuesday, August 11, 2026

9:30 am - 2;30 pm

Marywood in the Wisdom Center

Our retreat speaker will be Brian Lemoi, Executive Director of the Franciscan Center in Tampa. Brian has served in many areas of the Catholic Church, beginning in education, then parish life, and then to the Pastoral Center in the Diocese of St. Petersburg where he served for 27 years in the areas of faith formation, evangelization, family life, and lay ministry. You will enjoy Brian's presentation as well as his fun sense of humor.

The day is open to all parish ministers.

Jotform to register

Family Faith Formation

As we work as a diocese to implement more fully what us asked for in the Directory for Catechesis, I share a few things as you begin to plan the new catechetical year.

Goal of all Catechesis:

Catechesis makes the initial conversion ripen and helps Christians to give a complete meaning to their existence, educating them in a mentality of faith in keeping with the Gospel, to the point of gradually coming to think, feel, and act like Christ." #77

A key element in the Directory is offering faith formation that is family centered and family friendly.

As mentioned, 2 years ago, the better title for programming with children/youth is some variation of Faith Formation. As the quote above tells us, it is more than rote memorization and doctrine. It is about the whole child and forming them to think, feel, and act like Christ.

Baby Steps a few simple ways to start followed by some more challenging proposals. Erin's local document.

NCCL Webinar ~ Forming a Team for Family Faith Formation power point and guide available in both English and Spanish

NCCL Seasonal Family Activities

Families Forming Disciples The Archdiocese of Atlanta has developed a year-by-year program that involves parents at every step. This is quite intensive and not the model used by their parishes, but it has a lot of great ideas for singular events and parent take homesgraphs. Place article copy here.

Text Link

Introduction to Catechetical Sunday

Catechetical Sunday was inspired by the Vatican document Provido sane consilio (On the Better Care and Promotion of Catechetical Education) published in 1935.

This document asked every country to acknowledge the importance of the Church’s teaching ministry and to honor those who serve the Christian community as catechists.

In the United States, Catechetical Sunday was first observed with national catechetical congresses held in conjunction with the Vatican celebration.

Beginning in 1971, the USCCB’s Department of Education began producing materials to help parishes celebrate the event at the local level. When the Committee on Catechesis, now named the Committee of Evangelization and Catechesis, was named by the Conference as a standing Committee, it continued to publish Catechetical Sunday materials each year.

Those whom the Community has designated to serve as catechists will be called forth to be commissioned for their ministry. Catechetical Sunday is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the role that each person plays, by virtue of Baptism, in handing on the faith and being a witness to the Gospel. Catechetical Sunday is an opportunity for all to rededicate themselves to this mission as a community of faith.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops designated the third Sunday in September as Catechetical Sunday which this year is September 20.

Link to USCCB downloadable resources

Save the date: Saturday, October 3 for the 42nd Annual Faith Formation Day at

Bishop John J. Snyder High School.

Our main sponsor will be the Augustine Institute

For your planning and to include on your OCIA calendar of gatherings:

Neophyte Day of Reflection: Sunday, May 30, 2027 from 2:00 pm - 7:00pm location TBD. All neophytes expected to attend.

Candidate Day of Reflection: Saturday, June 5, 2027 from 9:00 am - noon. All candidates brought into full Communion are welcome.

From our friends at the Tribunal: Easter is early this coming year. Therefore, the deadline to submit all, that is all paperwork for a full annulment will be July 15, 2026. Recall, this also does not mean an annulment will be automatically granted after 8 months or that it will only take 8 months. This is a best guess.

A Workshop on Marriage Law for Parish Professionals

An Introduction for parish workers, particularly those who are involved in OCIA, on the annulment process will be held at St. Catherine of Siena Parish in the St. Cahterine Room on Saturday, July 25 from 9:30 am - noon. This workshop will aid you in accompanying people through the annulment process, especially those in the OCIA, covering the following:

~ The basics of the process

~ Key terminology

~ A look at the various types of annulments

~The timeline

$5 donation for handouts taken at the door.

Jotform to register

Adult Confirmation Dates for 2027:

Saturday, January 16 at 5:00 pm

(Epiphany Parish, Lake City)

Sunday, May 16 at 2:00 pm (Cathedral Basilica)

August 14 4:30 pm (Location TBD in Jacksonville)

Education and Formation of Catechetical Leaders

As the program year comes to a close, NCCL is looking forward to offering a variety of new formation programs for catechetical leaders in 2026-27. Here's what's coming soon:

Welcome to Catechesis - a 4 Session Online Course in August for beginning leaders

· For information and registration go to: Welcome to Catechesis

NEW: Certificate in Family Faith Formation - October 2026

· A new three-course Certificate program focused on faith formation with families and parents.

· The first cohort launches in October. Stay tuned for more information.

NEW: Certificate in the Practice of Catechesis - In Spanish

· A new Certificate program designed around the needs of Hispanic catechetical leaders in Spanish-speaking parishes. The program will be taught in Spanish.

· The first cohort launches in early 2027: Stay tuned for more information.

NEW: Certificate in Adult Faith Formation - In 2027

· A new three-course Certificate program focused on faith formation with adults in parish communities.

NCCL is creating a series of video-based educational programs to equip parish catechists and Catholic school educators with skills and practices for the three roles outlined in the Directory for Catechesis: 1) witness of faith and keeper of the memory of God, 2) teacher and mystagogue, and 3) accompanier and educator. The goal of each video is to develop one particular practice or skill that is essential for catechists and educators to engage children and youth in learning and growing in faith.

NCCL Videos

From Fall 2026 through Fall 2027 NCCL will produce the videos and make them available for free on the NCCLCatholic website.

Each video will be 15 minutes in length and have an accompanying Guide (PDF) with teaching strategies and resources.

Catechists and educators will be able to access the videos 24x7 whenever they need to understand and develop a particular skill or practice.

·Parish Catechetical Leaders and Principals will be able to combine video programs into workshops, in-service sessions, retreat days, and more. The Organizer's Guide (PDF) will provide ways to use the videos.

The first season of videos will be available in August-September of 2026. They include the following topics:

1. Called to be a Catechist

2. Planning and Preparing for Teaching

3. Creating the Right Climate for Learning

4. Designing for Different Learning Styles

5. Engaging the Learner in the Learning Experience

6. Building Relationships

7. Facilitating Creative Learning Activities (Part 1)

8. Facilitating Creative Learning Activities (Part 2)

9. Preparing Children for Worship - 1 (Four Movements of the Mass)

10.Preparing Children for Worship - 2 (Symbols, Colors, Ritual Actions)

11. Teaching and Experiencing Bible Stories

12. Preparing and Leading Prayer Experiences

Online course:

Disability Ministry: From Vision to Action:

Strategic Planning and Practical Implementation for Parishes.

The Scope of this Course

This course offers diocesan and parish leaders a practical framework for strengthening disability ministry through clear vision, collaborative leadership, and intentional planning. Disability ministry is most effective when it moves beyond isolated programs or occasional events and becomes part of the ongoing life and mission of the Church.

Drawing from NCPD leadership formation sessions on strategic planning, diocesan steering committees, and sustainable ministry growth, this course will help leaders reflect on where their ministry is now, where it is called to grow, and what practical steps can help move that vision into action. The course is designed for diocesan directors, parish leaders, clergy, catechetical leaders, educators, volunteers, and others seeking to advance the meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in the Church.

By the end of this course, participants will be better prepared to:

Articulate a mission-rooted vision for disability ministry
Assess current strengths, challenges, and opportunities
Form or strengthen a diocesan or parish steering committee
Develop annual or biannual strategic goals
Communicate ministry priorities clearly
Support parishes in growing local disability ministry
Move from good intentions to practical, sustainable action

This course is at your own pace and is $25.

Link to the course

The Heart of the Family Video Series

The McGrath Institute for Church Life announces the launch of The Heart of the Family, a seven-part video series created as part of the Holy Family Initiative for Family Catechesis to help families reclaim their identity as domestic churches, places where faith is lived, shared, and passed on at home.

Rooted in formation, community building, prayer, and action,The Heart of the Family meets families where they are in their journey and invites them into a deeper understanding of Christian parenting and family life.The program, available in English and Spanish, can be used by individual families, as well as by cohorts and in large parish or Catholic school gatherings. A leader's guide provides instructions to facilitate each session.

The video series grew out of years of pastoral experience and in-person family sessions offered in Spanish and English through evening gatherings. Members of the McGrath Institute team partnered with dioceses and parishes to develop new models of affiliation that respond to generational divisions between immigrant parents and first- and second-generation Hispanics born in the United States.

The series emphasizes inviting families to see their daily routines of mealtimes, bedtime rituals, sacrifices, and celebrations, not as obstacles, but as sacred moments of pilgrimage and grace.

Each session includes: