Discover Your Path to Service, Leadership, and Faith Formation

The Diocesan Lay Ministry Program (MFP) is a path for those who desire to be recognized leaders in faith formation in the Diocese of St. Augustine. Now entering its 35th year, the MFP has formed several hundred of the faithful for service to the mission of Jesus Christ.

As we begin our initial recruitment for suitable candidates for the Class of 2029, we invite pastors and current leaders to help us look for these individuals and to invite them to at last learn about the benefits of commissioned lay ministry. if we are planning for the current and future mission of the Church, we need capable and formed people to lead the way.

The MFP Office is hosting 6 information sessions across the diocese for people to learn more about the program, its benefits, its requirements, and to begin a period of discernment for this upcoming year that begins in August.

Sessions will be held:

December 9 Catholic Center 6:30 pm-8:00 pm

January 20 Holy Spirit Parish 6:30 pm-8:00 pm

Sunday, February 8 at Holy Faith, Gainesville 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm (following 11:15 am Mass)

February 17 at San Sebastian parish, St. Augustine 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

March 3 at Mary Queen of Heaven Parish 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

March 24 at Sacred Heart, Fleming Island 6:30 pm- 8:00 pm

A RSVP is very helpful, but not absolutely necessary. Please share.

Email Ann at Lay Ministry Email

Adult Confirmation

Bishop Pohlmeier will confer the Sacrament of Confirmation on adult Catholics on two occasions in 2026:

Saturday, January 17 at the 5:00 pm Mass at Holy Faith Parish, Gainesville (due by December 8)

Sunday, May 24 at a 2:00 pm Mass in the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine.

Parishes need to submit the completed registration forms with baptismal verification 6 weeks prior to each celebration.

These celebrations are for those Catholics, over the age of 18 who have been baptized and received First Holy Communion. If married, they must be in a sacramental marriage to be confirmed.



Registration Form 

Book Orders~ The Order of Anointing of the Sick

The OCF is taking orders for The Order of the Anointing of the Sick and Their Pastoral Care, which will ship after January 1, 2026.  I only order through Liturgical Press and Liturgical Training Publications as I receive a substantial discount from both. The other companies provide a much smaller discount and it is easier just for parishes to order from them. To order, please follow the Jotform:



Order Jotform

Orders will be taken until December 8.

We do have extra lector workbooks for Year A. I also just ordered some more Ordos.

Feast of St. Nicholas~ December 6

What is the St. Nicholas Center?

The St. Nicholas Center is a virtual center, a website, where people can learn about St. Nicholas; it provides resources for families, churches, and schools. It also has a world-class professional exhibit and has offered display and activity kits appropriate for churches and schools.

Vision

To educate people of faith, and the wider public, about the true St. Nicholas, and why he is important in today's world

Mission

• To tell the story of St. Nicholas
• To encourage families, churches, and schools to observe St. Nicholas Day
• To provide resources for education and celebration

Why is St. Nicholas Important?

St. Nicholas, lover of the poor and patron saint St. Nicholas, lover of the poor and patron saint of children, is a model of how Christians are meant to live. As priest and bishop, Nicholas put Jesus Christ at the center of his life and ministry. His concern for children and others in need or danger expressed a love for God which points toward Jesus, the source of true caring and compassion. Embracing St. Nicholas customs can help recover the true center of Christmas—the birth of Jesus.

Link to the St. Nicholas Center

Advent Resources

For Children and Families

Catholic Icing Advent and Christmas Crafts , worksheets, prayers

Celebrating Advent as a Family For Your Marriage Resources

Diocese of Erie Jesse Tree Resources Jesse tree symbols in two sizes with prayers

Loyola Press Advent Resources a lot of materials for classroom and home

McGrath Institute 3 D Nativity Free downloadable to create your own, coloring kit

Sadlier Advent Resources Advent calendar, prayers, St. Nicholas Activity, all bilingual

General

Advent Conspiracy ~ An ecumenical set of resources

Busted Halo Advent Resources ~ Advent calendar, Advent in Two Minutes, 10 meaningful things to do this Advent (geared toward a young adult population)

Catholic Apostolate Center A variety of resources, Youtubes, etc

Catholic Climate Covenant For the first time, the folks at Catholic Climate are providing Advent Resources, some they have created and others from other organizations.

Hallow complete guide to Advent 2025

Ignatian Spirituality Reflections, prayers, online retreat

Maryknoll Advent Resources 2025 This year's theme is: No Room at the Inn: Advent, Migration and Radical Welcome. They are hosting several online events, many of which are bilingual. They are also providing weekly discussion guides.

Pray More Retreats ~ Advent from the folks we give us Pray More Novenas...Advent Retreat online begins December 1

Praying the O Antiphons McGrath Institute Resource

The Returning ~ a musical reflection Janet Sullivan Whitaker

USCCB Advent Resources 2025

Advent Retreat from the NCPD

Mon, 12/15/2025 - 1:00pm EST to 4:00pm

Time Given, Received, and Redeemed:

Reflections on God's Presence in Disability

Please join us for this free retreat. All are welcome.

 Register for this retreat

Fr. Dan Hess

Fr. Dan Hess is a priest of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati where he is currently the Director of the Propaedeutic Stage at Mount St. Mary's Seminary & School of Theology. Fr. Hess has engaged theology and issues of disability or impairment in both seminary studies and graduate work in Rome, and he was a presenter at the NCPD National Conference in 2025. The presence and example of his younger sister Angela, a woman with Down Syndrome, inspired his initial entry into this field. Prior to his priestly formation, Fr. Hess earned a Juris Doctor from Notre Dame Law School and attended the Franciscan University of Steubenville. He is the oldest of six children and is a native of Dayton, Ohio.

Office of Christian Formation is participating in IGive Catholic on Tuesday, December 2

Like many of the ministries of the diocese, the OCF is participating in IGive Catholic. Our goal this year is $3,000 to be used to defray the costs of our Persons with Disabilities Conference to be held in April. This bilingual conference is a joint project with the NCPD, the National Catholic Partnership on Disability. There will be 4 distinctive areas covered at this conference: inclusion, adapting classrooms, autism, and mental/physical delays.

The office has already received a grant from the Lilly Foundation to fund the Spanish Track for this conference.

Any monies raised above our goal will be used for materials for those attending the conference as well as for our resource center.

Lots of good things to give to...I hope you will consider this one which will benefit so many.

Advanced Giving begins on Monday, November 17 and will continue until December 1. Giving Tuesday is December 2.

DOSAformation Giving page

The celebration of the 90th anniversary of NCCL was a great acknowledgment of the role that this organization has had in the formation of the faithful for almost a century. The gathering looked at its own history, but also focused on how to envision the future.

The general sessions were livestreamed and are now available at NCCL Catholic 90 Handouts from all sessions will be available,

While I should not have favorites, being on the board and committee, I found the opening and closing dialogues to be the most enriching. The seminars on Digital Approaches in Faith Formation and Trends and Effective Practices in Young Adult Faith Formation were packed with ideas that I will share over the coming weeks in this spot.

Join over 200 Parish Catechetical Leaders in the Certificate Program by Registering for one of the January 2026 Cohorts

DOSA piloted this program in 2024-2025 with 8 of our catechetical leaders completing it. Are you next?

NCCL is offering two new cohorts beginning in January 2026: Cohort 8 on Saturdays and Cohort 9 on Wednesdays - monthly sessions from 10 am to 1 pm ET.

The Certificate program includes five courses and a retreat over 12 months with online live teaching sessions, application meetings, and online learning.

Course 1. Principles and Practices of Catechesis 

Course 2. Designing Catechesis for Families and Age Groups 

Course 3. Leadership Practices for Catechetical Ministry 

Course 4. Leadership Skills for Catechetical Ministry 

Course 5. Designing Educational Programs for All Ages

Retreat: The Spiritual Life of the Catechetical Leader

The tuition for 2026 is $600 for the entire program (books are additional). You can save $50 when you register by December 5 with Coupon Code: SAVE50CERT.

For Parish Catechetical Leaders who want to participate and cannot afford the tuition, please contact John Roberto for scholarship information at jroberto@ncclcatholic.org.

NCCL Certificate Program

January 12, 2026 6:30- 8:30 pm

St. Catherine of Siena

1649 Kingsley Blvd

Orange Park

Family Life Center

 It Starts at Home: Empowering Parents with Confidence and Tools

Teachers and Catechists traditionally have had an exclusive focus on child faith formation. But we know engaging parents in a child’s faith is critical. Consider why parents are so important and how we can support and contribute, in practical ways, to equip parents to pass on the Catholic faith in their family.



This will be open to all: those who teach, but also parents looking for some practical tips on creating the domestic church.

Jotform to register

Dr. Kathie Amidei serves as Pastoral Associate at St. Anthony on the Lake Parish in Wisconsin. She was formerly the Associate Director for Catechesis and Child Ministry for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. She has served in a number of parishes as a teacher and a director of religious education. She holds a BS in Education, a MA in Theology and a Doctorate in Education and Leadership. Kathie is a national speaker and writer for Our Sunday Visitor Curriculum Division. She is the co-author of, The Journey: A Guide for Persons, Partners and Parents, and Learning Together: Forming Faith in Families.

Her passion is to help families engage in their journey of faith in meaningful and practical ways and to infuse parish catechetical ministry with effective and relevant approaches and programing.

January 13, 2026

Catechetical Leader Gathering

Hurley Conference Room

Catholic Center

Dr. Kathie Amidei

Sponsored by Our Sunday Visitor

10:00 am - 2:30 pm

Moving the Needle on Family Faith Formation

Every Catechetical Church document is clear about the importance of the role of families in cultivating faith. Research is mounting about the urgency of parent involvement to effectively pass on faith from generation to generation. Yet, it remains a challenging paradigm shift in our parishes to integrate family involvement and move toward a partnership between parents and parish. This session will offer several approaches parishes can consider that integrate intergenerational family formation into traditional models of religious education. It will offer practical ways to encourage family faith practices and enhance communication with parents, through ideas that resonate with families to nurture faith.

Jotform to register

OCIA Conference

The details for this conference are now available. With a generous donation from the Catholic Foundation and budgeted training monies, we are able to address the additional workshops you requested last year.

We are also teaming with Initiation Ministry Partners out of the Archdiocese of Atlanta.

Our host site will be:

Sacred Heart Parish, the Family Life Center

5752 Blanding Blvd.

There will be 4 workshops. Each one is $10 and you can register for one, two, three, or all four. The price for all 4 is $35 which includes lunch on Saturday.

Friday, January 30, 2026 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Forming an OCIA Teams, skills for Group Facilitation, and Engaging the Entire Parish (Erin McGeever~ English only)

Saturday, January 31 9:00 am - 10:45 am

Year-Round Catechumenate/One Year Catechumenate

(Darleine Arca Hernandez and Lorraine Miller ~Spanish and English)

Saturday, January 31, 2026 11:00 am - 12:30 pm

The Rites of the OCIA (Fr. Tom Willis ~ English only)

Saturday, January 31, 2026 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm

OCIA with Children

(Darleine Arca Hernandez and Lorraine Miller ~Spanish and English)

Jotform to register if you are bringing your whole team, contact Erin for a deal.

Handy OCIA Documents

Diocesan OCIA Handbook

Baptism Validity document

Norms for Conditional Baptism

Baptism Affidavit (English)

Baptism affidavit (Spanish)

"Leo from Chicago" - The Documentary

The Augustinian Province of St. Thomas of Villanova is pleased to share a new documentary created by Vatican Media about the roots of Robert Francis Prevost in his native United States. Partially filmed at the Province of St. Thomas of Villanova and Villanova University, it follows an itinerary that begins with Pope Leo's childhood in Dolton, through the memories of his brothers Louis and John, and continues among schools and universities, communities, and parishes. It features the voices of confreres, teachers, classmates, and longtime friends.

Youtube  52 minute (very interesting look into his life and into the Augustinian charism)



The documentary is a production of the Vatican Dicastery for Communication, in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Chicago and the Apostolate El Sembrador Nueva Evangelización (ESNE), broadcast on the official channels of Vatican Radio – Vatican News. 

Our Diocesan Eucharistic Encounter event will be held March 6 and 7, 2026 in two locations. On Friday night, we will be at Queen of Peace in Gainesville. On Saturday, we will be at St. Joseph Parish in Jacksonville. This Eucharistic Encounter will have at its heart an evangelization focus, particularly in how it the Eucharist draws us closer to Christ.

Our keynote speaker for both days will be Julianne Stanz. She will be joined by our other main speakers, Fr. Stephen Gadberry and Dr. Gerardo Salazar.

Circle of Grace Lessons

The date for the completion of the Circle of Grace Religion/Safe Environment lessons is December 15. Proof of completion: the evaluation sheets or a note to the respective office (Education, OCF, or Youth) giving dates and number of participants is due by that date.

If an extension is needed for a short period of time, please contact the respective office.

"Last year, we shared with you a free faith-sharing session, Loss and Transition: Coping With Grief During the Holidays, with you. Our goal was to support individuals and communities in dealing with the difficult topic of grief during the holiday season. This year, we share it again in the hope that you will find it a meaningful way to offer comfort and connection to those facing loss, especially during a season often marked by togetherness and joy.

We hope that this free resource will help you gather the people in your community who are grieving this holiday season and offer them comfort and support."

Renew International



Download the English session

Descargue la sesion

Basic Certification (Level I)

Catechetical/ Legal December 14th Erin McGeever

Times: 1 - 3pm

 Queen of Peace Academy Library 

Jotform for Q of P

Our Lady Star of the Sea Registration OPEN!

January 10-11

January 24-25

Jotform to register for Our Lady, Star of the Sea

Next Summer:

Catholic School Special~ St. Paul, Jacksonville Beach, June 8-11, 2026

Standard certification is achieved either through courses through the McGrath Institute (STEP) or through the University of Dayton (VLCFF).

Standard Certification Options

STEP through the McGrath Institute

STEP Camino Courses Comprehensive list for the year

VLCFF through the University of Dayton

VLCFF Calendar

Building Community around Your Parish Name-Sake Saint

Tue, Dec 2, 2025 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM EST

In this practical webinar, Woodeene Koenig-Bricker—author of Praying with the Saints— will share simple, accessible ways to intentionally integrate your parish’s saint into the lived experience of your parishioners—from learning how and why the saint was chosen, to identifying key themes from their life that can become organizing principles for parish identity and mission.

And if your parish is not named for a saint, you still have a saintly guide. Every Catholic parish has a saint’s relic embedded in the altar. We’ll explore how to uncover who that saint is and how their life can become a starting point for building deeper devotion and connection in your community.

This session will also include ideas for:

• incorporating your saint’s story into parish formation, especially during Advent, Lent, and sacramental preparation

• using your saint as a unifying anchor across ministries and generations

• strengthening parish pride and Catholic identity by telling the story of your saint well

Your parish’s saint is not just a name on a sign. They are a gift, a model, and a source of grace for your community. Discover how to bring their witness to life—and how it can renew and energize your parish today.

Go to this webinar

From our Friends in the Diocese of Savannah...

We are happy to announce that registration is now open for the Catholic Women's Conference on January 24, 2026 in Savannah! This is the same conference that was "snowed out" last year!

We are excited to welcome our speakers, Danielle Bean and Mary Bielski, to lead us in "Celebrating the Feminine Genius"!

And we are happy to report that the conference will be held here at St. James again.

Early bird registration is open through Dec. 1!

Link to more information: speaker bios, location, schedule, and link to register easily.