Dear Pastoral Assistants of Faith Formation,

Archbishop Etienne continues to invite us to participate in the implementation of the archdiocesan pastoral plan. He reminds us that "we are a church that listens" and pays attention to the needs of the most vulnerable. If you have not yet heard about this plan, here is the link to the tool kit so that you can start promoting it in your programs:

 
In this month in which we will celebrate Thanksgiving, the Office of Faith Formation would like to thank you for your dedication, service, and ministry in preparing our Catholic families in the knowledge and experience of their faith. There is no way to express how grateful we are because, in every parish, every catechist, volunteer, and family who participates is a symbol of people's desire to have a personal encounter with Jesus Christ.
 
We are blessed in the archdiocese to have so many witnesses to the Gospel. Thank you, thank you very much for accepting this call to be catechists.

Carlos Carrillo
Director of Faith Formation
FAITH FORMATION NEWS
Synod of Synodality 
Pope Francis invites all the baptized around the world to journey together in a global listening process called, “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission.” This global consultation process will provide guidance for the Church to discern “the signs of the times and interpret them in the light of the Gospel” (GS,4).
Learn more about the upcoming resources available mid-November!
National Vocation Awareness Week - November 7-13, 2021
Together, we can foster a culture of vocations in the Archdiocese of Seattle! Visit the Seattle Vocations website to learn more about how to support vocations in the archdiocese and beyond.
Vocations: The Priesthood Online Discussion - November 13, 2021 2:00pm-3:00pm. Men in the Archdiocese of Seattle age 13-40 are invited to join Fr. Justin Ryan online for a discussion about the priesthood, steps for discernment, seminary life, and more! 
National Pastoral Guidebook for the Global Celebration of Young People: for the Annual Celebration of Youth and Young Adults in the United States of America on the Solemnity of Christ the King - A Resource for Catholic Leaders Pope Francis, calling for a renewal of the celebration of youth in the local churches, announced that beginning in 2021 he would “transfer the diocesan celebration of WYD from Palm Sunday to Christ the King Sunday. The center of the celebration remains the Mystery of Jesus Christ the Redeemer of Man, as Saint John Paul II, the initiator and patron of WYD, always emphasized.” The next Global Celebration of Young People takes place on Sunday, November 21, 2021.
Due to the increase in cases due to the Delta variation, the following guidelines have been established for Faith Formation and Sacramental Preparation programs.


For more information visit the Archdiocese COVID webpage
Confirmation Scheduling for 2022 and Confirmation Retreats
Scheduling is now open for Confirmation in 2022. We have scheduled the following days for Confirmation Retreats:
January 29, 2022 (Middle School at Camp Don Bosco)
March 5, 2022 (Middle School at Camp Hamilton)
March 26, 2022 (High School at Camp Hamilton)
April 23, 2022 (Middle School at Camp Hamilton)

Look for a registration form coming soon!
We will be creating a Confirmation Retreat team in the upcoming months and more details will be shared. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the retreats will be one day only. If you want to be part of this team of volunteers for any of these retreats, and helping in creating models for parish retreats, please send an email to: formation@seattlearch.org
PAFF Support Meetings -
Please join us for our October PAFF support meeting. Please note the dates and join other PAFFs and the Faith Formation staff for networking and collaboration opportunities!
Meeting Dates & Zoom Link
Meeting time: 12:00 noon
November 9
December 14
January 11
February 8
March 8
April 12
May 10
June 12
SIX TASKS ~ ESSENTIAL CONCEPTS ~ LITURGICAL CALENDAR
All Saints - November 1
Martin de Porres - November 3
Charles Borromeo - November 4
Francis Xavier Cabrini - November 13
A Saint in Seattle: Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini - In Your Midst- St. James Cathedral
Elizabeth of Hungary - November 17
Cecilia - November 22
Solemnity of Christ the King - November 21
Beginning on November 12-20, the nine days preceding the Solemnity, let us offer our prayers to Christ the King for the freedom of the Church.
Thanksgiving - November 25
Visit the Domestic Church page on our resource website for some fun, family Thanksgiving ideas!
First Sunday of Advent - November 29
Advent begins November 28th. Be sure to check out the Advent and Adviento page for updated materials!
ONLINE RESOURCES PAGE UPDATES
Be sure to check the Liturgical calendar pages in both English and Spanish. These pages will contain who and what the Church celebrates specifically in the month of November.
New pages in Spanish:


Pages that have been recently updated with new resources:

Domestic Church (seasonal activities)
Faith Formation During COVID (updated as needed)
Liturgical Calendar (every month!)
Please note: If you receive this newsletter before the beginning of the next month, content on the webpage will not update until the 1st of each month.
FAITH FORMATION IDEAS
Essential Religious Education Concepts
We would like to once again begin to share with you and provide resources for the essential concepts that are covered in religion education curriculum for both parish and schools. For the months of October and November we feature Task 2 - Liturgical Education.
Please feel free to use these resources linked below in your lesson planning and use our Faith Formation resource page - each essential concept has a dedicated page of resources for you to share.
TASK 2 -LITURGICAL EDUCATION - Students recognize the presence of Christ and enter into communion with him through active, full and conscious participation in the Liturgical celebrations and Sacraments of the Church.
LITURGICAL RESOURCES
RELIGIOUS CURRICULUM PUBLISHER NEWS
Webinar: Responding to Suicide-A Pastoral Handbook for Catholic Leaders
November 4, 2021, 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Award-winning author Deacon Ed Shoener will help us walk through the three concerns that prevent the grieving from bringing their concerns to their parish and what can be done by pastoral ministers to address them. Deacon Shoener will share the story of his daughter, Katie, and respond to some preset questions, then the floor will be open to address questions from the participants. Register here. Learn more about the book from Ave Maria Press here.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Mass of Remembrance - November 8, 2021. 7:00 pm Join Archbishop Etienne for a special Requiem Mass to remember, mourn and pray for all who have died during Covid-19. Watch livestream @ArchdioceseofSeattle on Vimeo and Archdiocese of Seattle Facebook page

Our Lady of Guadalupe Mass - December 4, 2021-11:00 at St. James Cathedral

Simbang Gabi - December 11, 2021 at St. James Cathedral
ARCHDIOCESE OF SEATTLE
Office of Faith Formation