As the new catechetical year approaches, catechists are focusing their attention on how to best engage their students in faith formation. In the United States alone, roughly 150,000 catechists are new to the job each year! With that in mind, I will once again be hosting a series of free Webinars through Loyola Press called “Getting Started as a Catechist.”
This year, I’m offering a new twist: I will be hosting four webinars in the series, each focused on teaching a different age group. The following is the breakdown of the sessions and dates, which all air from 7 pm to 8 pm CST (find out what time this is for you).
- August 17 (teaching primary age children: grades 1–3)
- August 24 (teaching intermediate age children: grades 4–6)
- August 30 (teaching junior high and high school)
- September 6 (teaching adult faith formation)
In these webinars, we will look at the basic skills of being a catechist, how to plan effective lessons, ways to lead compelling prayer, tips on how to organize a variety of activities, and how to maintain order and discipline in the learning environment, in addition to other topics, all tailored to the specific age group you are preparing to teach.
These webinars are free and give catechists, and those interested in becoming catechists, the opportunity to learn more about this wonderful vocation from the comfort of your own computer.
To register, click here, or on one of the dates above. You need only register for the one webinar that addresses the age group you’ll be teaching. If you cannot participate live, recordings of the webinars will be available here on my blog within a week or so of the live event.
If you have any questions about these webinars, please contact Carrie Freyer at freyer@loyolapress.com.
The Webinar’s on the Roman Missal are really good! Thanks! Keep them coming.
I am trying to order 32 copies of the Kindergarten 2009 edition of the School Religion Book and I didn’t find it on the order form I just submitted.
HELP!
Hi S. Rose Marie and thanks for the kind words about the webinars! I suggest you check the LP web site http://www.loyolapress.com or call customer service at 800-621-1008. Let me know if you still have any problems.
I have a Masters Degree in Adult Formation. I’d appreciate any information you could send me related to Adult Formation.
Hi Maggie. I’ll be doing a webinar on adult formation on Sept. 6. If you can’t participate live, there’ll be a recording available within a week or so of the live event.
Will there also be a recording for the primary grade 1-3 at a later date? I will be out of town on August 17th w/o computer access.
Thank you
Absolutely!
Hello Joe,
I, too, am a new catechist and need all of the help I can get before 9/11 (my first class!!). I am unable to attend 8/17 live and I realize that I can access it later that week so I didn’t know if you still need me to sign up or what’s entailed to have access to the recording. Thanks a ton.
Lisa
Hi, Dr. Lisa. You don’t have to sign up to access the recording. It will be posted within a week or so of the live event. In the meantime, you may want to pick up a copy of my book The Catechist’s Toolbox which I’m sure you’ll find very helpful. Just go to http://www.loyolapress.com and type it into the Search. Good luck!
Too bad they do not have one for Early childhood grades. I teach that.
Hi Sarah, I hear you. I’m hoping that a lot of what we do with the Primary Grades Webinar will be easily adaptable for early childhood, an area that I have little to no experience in except for raising my own kids! 🙂
Our diocese requires us to earn a Catechist certificate. Will these Webinars qualify for that?
Hi Michelle. You will need to ask someone from your diocesan catechetical office if they are qualifying the webinars for credit toward your certificate. If so, Loyola Press will be happy to get you a certificate of completion…contact Carrie Freyer at freyer@loyolapress.com.
Any adult suggestion in re-presenting the faith and praying with the men and women I visit and/or write as a volunteer prison chaplain. I am a layman and a former teacher and school administrator at the seconday level. Thanks for the invite. Jack Kennevan, Cincinnati, Ohio
Thanks, Jack. I’ll soon be inviting people to send in their insights and wisdom about adult formation in anticipation of the Sept. 6 webinar at which time we’ll explore in depth strategies for effective adult catechesis.
Joe,
We are having a Catechist inservice in January and was wondering how we could use one of your webinars for that.
Hi Linda. If you have an Internet Connection in your gathering place, you can link to the recording of the Webinar and play it through an LCD projector onto a big screen. If you don’t have an Internet Connection, look into buying or borrowing an air card: http://www.sierrawireless.com/en/productsandservices/AirCard/USBModems.aspx
I hope this is helpful for you.
Looking forward to tonight’s webinar about teaching Grades 1-3. I’m a 5th year volunteer catechist, and I’ve only scratched the surface of all there is to learn. Our 8-person team of 3rd grade catechists is virtually all-new this year, so I plan to share all the goodness that I learn tonight. Thanks!
Great, Kelli! You’ll be the seasoned veteran for the newbies!
Hi,
I am homeschooling my son in the third grade Christ is Life and got the home learner guide and the student workbook. How do I get the access code for the BLMs?
Thanks!
Ca, please contact Carrie Freyer at freyer@loyolapress.com and she can help you out or call Customer Service at Loyola Press 800-621-1008.
Dear Joe – it’s been a long time since I’ve been as frustrated as I am right now. I tried to sign up for your webinar on Grades 1 and 3 – which is on right now, I believe – I did that earlier in the day., When I tried to access the program, I was told I need a password….which I did not get, nor is there any way to contact anybody – so the webinar is going on with me……and I am not happy. Jean Lewandowski
Jean, sorry you had problems logging on. Be sure to catch the recording when it’s available in about a week and you’ll have access to what you missed tonight.
Joe, I don’t understand what I did wrong but I could not get on the webinar site.
Geri
It’s hard to say what happened Geri. It was most likely some incompatability problem with your computer and the Webinar technology because I just finished emailing with a catechist in China who had no problem connecting and overall there were very few complaints from people who couldn’t connect. See what happens when and if you try again in the future. If the problem persists, you may consider logging on from another computer if you have access to one. I appreciate your patience and understanding.
I’ve just registered for the September 6th, 2011 Webinar session..however, I won’t be able to personally attend.
Hi Gloria…that’s the one for adult catechesis. If you can’t participate live, there will be a recording posted on my blog within a week or so of the live event. Stay tuned.
I was registered to attend the Aug. 17 webinar and was able to connect but I could not get the audio. I noticed that others were having the same trouble and tried the suggested remedies to no avail. Any further suggestions on how to correct the “no audio” problem I had. As a DRE, I’ve registered for the other 3 webinars & encouraged our catechists to attend the one pertaining to the level he or she works with.
Hi Gail. Sorry to hear about your problem. In most cases like that, it seems to be an incompatability problem between your computer and the Webinar technology. Is there another computer you might be able to log on from? Did you try the phone connection feature? Hopefully your catechists will not have problems when they log on.
When will the August 17 webinar be made available.
Thanks-
M
Within a few days, Monique. Stay tuned to my blog.
I’ll be returning to Sydney, Australia early next year and will be involved in providing catechism classes to children in a public school. Will it be possible for me to request for a certificate of completion if I will be able to complete all the sessions?
Thank you.
Thelma, contact Carrie Freyer at freyer@loyolapress.com for more information about getting a certificate of completion for participating in my webinars. Best wishes as you transition to Sydney!
I was unable to participate in the Getting Started as a Catechist live on Aug 17. Will it be available on your archive?
Yes, within a few days…stay tuned.
I deeply grateful to Loyola press for the retreats and all the info that is given to us lay people. I am a catechist in my parish in Goa- India. This year I take the adult catechisis which includes the post -confirmation students. Thank you Loyola press once again!
Nirmala Jaine, thanks so much for the kind words! We’re happy we can serve your needs!
I need materials on god-parenting at Baptism. Thanks.
Kenneth, take a look at the following resources: http://www.loyolapress.com/welcomed-by-name-godchilds-baptism-booklet-25-pack.htm and http://www.loyolapress.com/infant-baptism-a-sourcebook-for-parishes.htm
Joe,
I’ve recently been asked to help with Parish School of Religion classes at St. Matthew Church and Karen Burford suggested your webinars. Will you be hosting more webinars in the coming months?
Hi Dawn and welcome to your new role in the PSR program at St. Matthew! I have one more webinar coming up Tuesday, Sept. 6 for catechists of adults. At present, I don’t have anymore planned however all of my webinars are archived on my blog…just click on the Webinars tab at the top of my home page.
Hi,
I just learned I will be teaching an intermediate age group this CCD year. I missed the online training. How can I hear it now that the date has passed? Thanks.
Susan
Hi Susan and welcome to the world of teaching intermediate age kids! You can find the Webinar on my home page by going to the top of the page and clicking on the Webinars tab. Then, look for the Getting Started as a Catechist Webinars, one of which is for catechists of intermediate age kids. Good luck!