Supporting Welcoming & Belonging in Parish Life during the Pandemic:
Resources for Parishes for 2020-2021 from the Office of Faith Formation

We are excited to announce a slate of 6 new, free opportunities that will support parishes’ faith formation efforts over the next 12 months. These are all custom designed for our clergy and lay ministers in the Diocese of Erie.

Why are we launching these 6 new initiatives in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic? Because:

• We believe that the human touch of ministry is critical, even though norms around in-person gatherings have changed. And we believe it’s possible; we just have to learn how to do it differently.
• We believe that our people are our great asset and valuable treasure. By investing in our people in these short-term challenges, we are investing in our long-term future as a diocese and as the Church.
• We believe that the faithful encounter Jesus through the sacraments and the Church community. Building community and extending welcoming & belonging are more important than ever in our Church. And we know they’re still possible, even as parish life looks different.

The Holy Spirit has been with us all, gently calling to us throughout the entire pandemic season. Our Faith Formation team has engaged in prayer and intentional listening to pastors and lay ministers, asking to hear the Spirit’s voice about what our call is in the pandemic. We're now excited to move from discernment to active engagement, as we serve you with clarity and commitment in this unique moment. Pastors, other clergy, and parish ministers are encouraged to explore these 6 initiatives and choose which ones are right for their parish.

QUICK LINKS to content below

1. Digital Ministry Workshops (August-September, 2020)
2. Formation Cohort for New Faith Formation Ministers (September-October, 2020)
3. Lifelong Faith Formation Self-Assessment for Parishes (December, 2020)
4. Best Practices for Lifelong Faith Formation (January, 2021)
5. Spiritual Gifts Inventory & Training Opportunity (January, 2021)
6. Resources for Pastors and Parish Staff (Spring, 2021)


Click here for a comparative overview of all 6 initiatives, available for downloading and printing

1. Digital Ministry: Workshop Series on Using Online Tools for Faith Formation (RSVP below by August 24)

In addition to the content we teach, we don’t want to lose the human touch of ministry and the power of building a community of faith. These things can feel daunting when we don’t know how long we will be living in the restrictions of a pandemic.

Many religious education, adult formation, small groups, youth ministries, and other faith formation programs have transitioned to Zoom, Google Meet, or other video conference programs.

Equip yourselves for now and into the future: How do we extend welcome and build community and belonging over digital media? This workshop series will teach catechists, faith formation leaders, small group facilitators, youth ministers, and other parish ministers the basics of technological platforms and how to use them to create meaningful experiences.

RSVP here for all workshops. All RSVPs are due by Monday, August 24.
We will respond via email with Zoom links for all workshops you wish to attend.

Register for the intro session(s) that are the best fit for you, then for the application workshop(s) that relate to your ministry:

• 101 Intro Session: Who is the audience?
If you’ve never hosted a Zoom or Google Meet event; you’re interested in trying a new, digital facilitation method in your ministry; you have no or limited experience in video production; you did not attend the Faith Formation regional meetings on social media in March, 2020
2 options: August 25, 10-11:30 am & August 25, 7-8:30 pm

• 201 Intro Session: Who is the audience?
If you’ve hosted an event on Zoom, Google Meet, Facebook, or Instagram but that’s not a regular part of your ministry; if you have limited experience in video production; if you’re aware that you know the basics of online tools but are looking to understand more advanced options. ALSO: If you attended 101 and are ready to keep learning!
2 options: August 26, 10-11:30 am & August 26, 7-8:30 pm

Application Workshops: Strategies designed for the diverse needs of your people
Choose the workshop(s) that are designed for the people to whom you minister. You’ll learn specific strategies about how to leverage the technology to create a meaningful experience online, which will continue to evangelize and build the faithful’s affinity to our Church.

• If you minister to children who are 6-12, join Mary Hickin's workshop on Tuesday, September 1, 10-11 am
• If you minister to youth who are 13-18, join Jillian Zaczyk's workshop on Wednesday, September 2, 10-11 am
• If you minister to young adults ages 19-35, join Jillian Zaczyk's workshop on Thursday, September 3, 2-3 pm
• If you lead adult formation, RCIA, and/or lead small Christian communities or other adult small groups, join Jessie Hubert's workshop on Thursday, September 3, 7-8 pm

Recordings of these workshops will also be made available on our website in early September, though we strongly encourage you to attend them live so you can engage with the presenters and other participants.

Click here to RSVP for one or more of the above workshops by Monday, August 24. We will email you Zoom links for all workshops you wish to attend.

2. Ministry & Leadership Development: A Cohort for New Ministers (Begins September, 2020)

We are excited to offer this new, 6-week virtual learning course for faith formation ministers hired within the past year in the Diocese of Erie.

Ministers will grow in human formation and in skills around planning for needs-based ministry, program assessment, child protection, and more.

The 5 hour/week commitment will include weekly Zoom classes, 1:1 mentorship, and assignments that will lead to their Spring 2021 semesters being fully planned.

The Faith Formation office will be reaching out to recently-hired leaders of faith formation/religious education and young adult/youth ministers for priority placement in this limited-size group.

If you are interested in applying, please email Jessie Hubert at jhubert@eriercd.org by August 17; we may be able to take you based on availability.

3. Lifelong Faith Formation Parish Self-Assessment Tool (Released in December 2020)

This Advent, assess and celebrate the ministries at your parish that help form the faith of all members of your parish family.

This evaluation tool is designed to help parishes evaluate what they currently do and where their gaps are. Parishes that go through this process will be able to say if people at every stage of life in their parish have opportunities to encounter and deepen their relationship with Jesus.

This printable tool is free, and can be used by the pastor, with staff, or with the pastoral council or other leadership team. Training on how to prayerfully discern and implement the data is available upon request before, during, or after the process from the Faith Formation team.

This November we’ll be sharing the resource with pastors, uploading it to the website, and sharing a video tutorial on how to use the tool.

Contact Jillian Zaczyk at jzaczyk@eriercd.org to be put on a mailing list for more information closer to the launch.

4. Best Practices for Lifelong Faith Formation (Released in January 2021)

Use the Best Practices tool this new year to help you respond to parish needs, fill gaps in ministry, and strengthen your existing outreach.

This set of best practices functions as a stand-alone tool, but parishes will find it most effective as a complement to the self-assessment for lifelong faith formation released in December.

As requested, the best practices listed will be curated and concise, informed by research from across the country and experience in our own diocese. They will include strategies for best practices in faith formation that focus on a specific stage of life as well as those with a whole-parish focus.

The best practices tool will be released to our mailing list and posted on our website in January, 2021. Parishes seeking support in implementing best practices may reach out to the Faith Formation Office directors for assistance tailoring to their community.

If you’d like to sign up to receive sneak peek emails this December, email Kate Wilson at kwilson@eriercd.org

5. Spiritual Gifts Inventory + Training (October 2021)

A person feels a sense of belonging and investment at their parish when their gifts have been valued and utilized. Learn how this Catholic Spiritual Gifts Inventory can help you strengthen your parish’s lifelong faith formation efforts. In this training series, you will learn how to implement the tool, manage the data, and apply it for: 1. Engaging new parishioners, 2. Engaging Confirmation students in parish life, and 3. Engaging adults through and beyond the RCIA process. Participants in the inventory will learn more about their spiritual gifts, and in the trainings, parish leadership will learn how to leverage the data to transform parishioners’ understanding of parish belonging and service.

Pastors and designated assistants who participate will receive free materials, training on how to track and implement the data, as well as the opportunity to be included in a grant application for materials to launch a Spiritual Gifts Inventory initiative at your own parish.

The Diocese of Cleveland has developed a Spiritual Gifts Inventory that can be used by individuals and parishes to help discern one's gifts.  They have offered us the use of their hard work and efforts.  Watch this intro by Miguel Chavez, Director for the Office of Missionary Discipleship.
Diocese of Cleveland Spiritual Gifts Intro
Then browse the website they just created to offer the culmination of more than a year of work on this project: Called by the Spirit

For more information on using a Spiritual Gifts Inventory for teens ages 13-18, visit our webpage: Spiritual Gifts Inventory for Teens

If you'd like to learn more about this opportunity and/or participate in a Spiritual Gifts workshop and how these gifts can be utlilized in your parish, contact Mary Hickin at mhickin@eriercd.org

6. Resources for Parish Staff (Released in Spring 2021)

Pastors: Build deeper relationships with your parish staff and develop a culture of discipleship in your parish office. This slate of resources may include self-facilitated staff retreat ideas, externally facilitated retreats, and resources that will help your staff function like a team and view their jobs as ministry.

If you’re interested in being on an early release mailing list when these resources are prepared, email Jessie Hubert at jhubert@eriercd.org.