Dear Pastoral Assistants of Faith Formation and Catechists,

Joyful blessings to all of you as we begin the month of October! My name is Kimberly Abadir – I am the new Director of Lifelong Formation, and I look forward to greeting you each month with this newsletter. If I have not yet had the chance to meet you, I’d like to introduce myself. I have worked at the Chancery for over 14 years, serving in the Chancellor’s Office, Archives & Records, and the Archbishops Office, and for the past three years, I have served as the Director of Youth Ministry Services. In this role, it has been a joy to support our dedicated youth ministers from around the Archdiocese, offering resources, trainings and workshops, and most recently a Certificate in Youth and Young Adult Ministry, a 100-hour certificate program offered through Christifideles. I am also a student within the Christifideles program, working toward a Master’s in Theological Studies, which I’ll complete this coming May.

In addition to supporting youth ministers and those who work with teens, Youth Ministry Services also provides events for high school and middle school students, including Confirmation retreats, annual youth conferences, and wider Church events like the National Eucharistic Congress and the Teen Jubilee. Opportunities for youth to gather as Church and encounter the Lord in larger settings is very impactful, and young people can walk away inspired and ready to commit to a life of discipleship and following Christ. We truly hope for meaningful “aha” moments and conversion experiences with each event we provide, but our efforts are short-sighted if these wind up being stand-alone events. What happens before and after retreats and conferences is where the ongoing formation and accompaniment takes place. Within a larger framework, youth ministry itself can be understood in this same way. Young people may enjoy impactful youth groups and parish programs for teenagers, but if there is no clear path of accompaniment as they transition to their next phase of life, efforts at forming lifelong disciples may fall short. This is the case with each ministry program and life stage – each piece is a key component of a whole. The Lifelong Formation department shares your vision of forming lifelong disciples and offering seamless accompaniment throughout every stage of life. We are here to serve and support you, both with the ministries that you do as well as connecting your work to those around you, as we minister together with the common goal of forming lifelong missionary disciples.

Wishing you blessings and joy in ministry,

Kimberly

FAITH FORMATION NEWS

Confirmation Retreat Dates

If you would like to bring your youth to one of the upcoming Confirmation retreats provided by Youth Ministry Services, please take a moment to fill out the form below to help us in retreat planning and logistics. These retreats are one-day events ending with Mass, by 5:00 or 6:00 PM based on retreat and Mass start times. Click on the button below to learn more and submit your response.

October 18, 2025 at St. Olaf, Poulsbo

March 7, 2026 at St. Frances Cabrini, Lakewood 

April 18, 2026 at at Mary, Queen of Peace, Sammamish

May 2, 2026 at St. Nicholas, Gig Harbor

Lifelong Formation Support Meetings

Starting in the fall, our support meetings will now occur quarterly! Please see below for specific dates and Zoom information for each meeting. We look forward to meeting with you online starting in September!

MARRIAGE & FAMILY LIFE

LITURGICAL CALENDAR

Be sure to check the Liturgical Calendar pages in both English and Spanish. These pages will contain who and what the Church celebrates each month.

Please note: If you receive this newsletter before the beginning of the next month, content on the webpage will update on the 1st of each month.

Therese of Lisieux - October 1

Who Is St. Therese? St. Therese had a simple yet powerful message that still resonates in the hearts of millions today.

Holy Guardian Angels -October 2

St Francis of Assisi - October 4

St. Francis of Assisi - Celebrate God's Creation. We are all called to bless and care for God’s creation.

Francis and the Leper: A Children’s Lesson for St. Francis Day a short lesson that can be modified for children between the ages of 2-10

Carlo Acutis - October 12

Carlo Acutis: A Life Story to Inspire Young Disciples This article shares a biography of Blessed Carlo and offers lessons and an activity for Catholic kids.

St. Carlo Acutis - Discover his living faith and love for the Eucharist

Pope St. John Paul II - October 22

How much do you know about Saint John Paul II? Here are 10 essential facts about his life.

How to Draw Pope St. John Paul II A video, the narrator shares facts about his life.

John of Capistrano - October 23

St. John Capistrano, the Soldier Saint John was a Franciscan friar and priest, but not of the good-natured variety of Franciscans that holds the popular imagination.

Saint John of Capistrano, Priest - Reflection and Prayer

For more feast days & observances not included here, visit the Liturgical Calendar resource page.

FAITH FORMATION IDEAS

World Mission Sunday

UPCOMING EVENTS

Catholic Youth Convention - November 15, 2025 at Saint Martin's University, Lacey

Annual Lifelong Formation Lenten Retreat - March 16-17, 2026 at Archbishop Brunett Retreat Center, Federal Way

Middle School Encounter - March 21, 2026 at Kennedy Catholic High School, Burien

Annual PAFF Conference - June 10, 2026 at Archbishop Brunett Retreat Center, Federal Way

To sign up for the Faith Formation newsletter, click on this link:

https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/LCTmY8s/FFnews

ARCHDIOCESE OF SEATTLE

Lifelong Formation