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Fall gathering informs,
inspires catechetical leaders
EARLY - The Office of Catechesis and Intergenerational Ministry for the Diocese of Sioux City held a fall gathering Aug. 17 for catechetical leaders. According to Linda Anderson, diocesan director of catechesis, about 40 DREs and youth ministers attended the gathering. Anderson and Dr. Stephan Davis, director of intergenerational ministry for the diocese, met with new DREs and youth ministers for orientation from 9 to 10 a.m. During that time, the other catechetical leaders had the opportunity to socialize and network with one another as well as look at displays. Father Tim Fitzgerald, pastor at Royal/Everly and member of the religious education advisory board, led the opening prayer as the general session got underway after the orientation. "He focused on the senses. It was really well received," said Anderson. Davis provided the catechetical leaders with theological resources. He encouraged them to use a good Bible translation and stressed the value in using the Catechism of the Catholic Church when seeking answers to a variety of questions. "This is a way to empower them so they do not have to totally rely on what other people say. When they have this positive source in their hands, they can do their own work," he said. Davis told them that the Catechism is the best source of information on what Catholics believe and why. The guest speaker for the day was Father Gary Snyder, pastor at St. Joseph Parish in Sioux City. He presented a motivational talk stressing the importance of their ministries and acknowledged the struggles that sometimes comes with the job. Kay Morrissey, director of the Office of Faith Formation, offered an overview of the structure of the office, told the catechetical leaders of ways the diocesan office could offer help to them and informed them of plans for parish visitations. The afternoon session was geared toward greater participation. After lunch they broke into small groups for discussion. As a group, they were asked to name three key areas of concern where they could see need for change or assistance. "If they had any suggestions as to how the diocese could best assist them, they were put those down," explained Anderson. They came back together in the large group for discussion. Cindy Agnes facilitated this portion of the program, grouping the concerns in logical categories. Concerns ranged from low or no pay for their work to difficulty in finding catechists. This exercise noted Davis, allowed them to determine a hierarchy of needs and values. And while the diocesan offices may not be able to address all of their concerns, he said one thing they plan to do is develop a Web page that will contain assorted useful information for the catechetical leaders. The site will be a central communications hub for resources, helpful tips, registration forms for diocesan programs, calendar of events and more. The value in sharing information and building communication was evident. Rose Tobin, DRE at Sacred Heart Church in Boone, said, "It helped open the lines of communication amongst the DREs and youth ministers of the diocese. It encouraged more dialogue and support from each other." Sharing their concerns and identifying possible solutions, she explained, made them realize that they were not alone in their work. This year especially with the changes in personnel at the diocesan offices, Tobin said it was a good way to start the year so they knew where to go to meet their needs throughout the year. Jan Crowe, DRE at Sts. Peter and Paul in West Bend and St. Mary's in Mallard, said, "I thought it was very valuable for us to share our ideas and get different perspectives; some of us come from very small parishes and some are from larger ones." Through sharing ideas, she added, it allowed them to learn by others experiences. Crowe mentioned that the prayer services were well done. Susan Durbala, a first-year DRE at St. Mary's in Spirit Lake, found the gathering a great chance to meet diocesan staff members and have the opportunity to review the DRE handbook and then ask questions. "And you pick up things just by visiting with others," she said. "This is a good way to get fall started in a positive way." She not only left the gathering with several avenues for resources, but also had exchanged e-mail addresses and phone numbers with other catechetical leaders. Like Crowe, Durbala was impressed by the prayer services. Cindy Rupp from Marcus planned the closing prayer. They also signed a commitment to ministry card. |
