Centre for Religious Education and Catechesis - SPU

Our CREC director and lead researcher, Dr. Carol Kuzmochka gave a panel presentation, this week, with colleagues, Dr. Michaël Séguin and Dr. Bianca Briciu at the "Prairies Symposium on the Common Good" at St. Thomas Moore College in Saskatoon. It was a wonderful opportunity to present some of the CREC's research about bridging the faith-life gap and to dialogue and network with leaders in Catholic Institutions from many areas of the country.

An Adult Faith Formation Opportunity in the Ottawa area:

Walking the Path of Adult Faith – Galilee Centre Situated next to an old growth forest overlooking the Ottawa River, Galilee Centre is a welcoming holistic spiritual life centre that is an oasis of peace, care and comfort.

https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:VA6C2:e67b106f-fa63-4525-b13e-b6254cc5684f

Adobe Acrobat - School Launch Poster (7).pdf Click or tap to view this file.

This link will take you to the recording from February 9, 2024:
Generative Conversations for All Who Accompany Adult Faith: Adult Faith Formation for a Synodal Church

CREC - Where Faith and Life Meet Event Website for "Where Faith and Life Meet : Generative Conversation for all Who Accompany Adult Faith ".

Leaders in Adult Faith Education/Accompanyment from coast to coast to coast in Canada engaged in a rich and fruitful interactive session on February 9, 2024. They included diocesan and parish directors and leaders, chaplains and leaders in adult faith for Catholic School Boards, professors, researchers and authors, parish priests, deacons and members of religious communitites, pastoral care leaders, small group leaders, spiritual directors/accompaniers, as well a consultor to Pope Francis and undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops, Sr. Nathalie Becquart who joined us from Rome.

An interview-style conversation about what we're learning about effective practice in adult faith education with Dr. Carol Kuzmochka, Dr. Cindy Cameron, Dr. Anne Walsh and Fr. Daryold Winkler opened the way for excellent reflections and insights.

An interactive panel presentation with Sr. Nathalie Becquart, Dr. Catherine Clifford, Dr. Murray Watson and Ms. Christine Way-Skinner offered diverse and key insights about practice needed to support a Synodal Church and opened to meaningful interaction in break-out room discussions and in plenary.

Thanks to all who joined us for being such an excellent and engaged Community of Practice. We are growing, all of the time, in our knowledge and practice of integral adult faith formation that holds the complex balance between process and content and -- truly -- meets people where they are.

Stay tuned for more to come over the upcoming months...

Please join us for some rich exploration and discussion for all who accompany adult faith!

Our phase IV focus research group for the CREC Action Research project was hard at work at Saint Paul University, this past week with lead researcher, Professor Carol Kuzmochka and Co-researcher, Professor Lorraine Ste-Marie.

Phase IV of our Action Research Project in Adult Faith Education/Accompaniment is well underway with a wonderful focus group of leaders in the field from across the country!
From top to bottom, l-r:
Top: Dr. Anne Walsh, Dr. Carol Kuzmochka, Mr. Joe Bezzina, Dr. Lorraine Ste-Marie;
Middle: Dr. Christine Taylor, Ms. Charlene Peters, Ms. Martina McLean, Ms. Koreen Hrizai
Bottom: Doctoral Candidate Christine Way-Skinner, Fr. Susai Jesu, OMI
We look forward to engaging -- with all in the community of practice in Canada -- in this important phase of research into effective practices in adult faith education, and to share our findings to deepen our wisdom for this important work, which is always essential and -- in our current context -- essential for a Synodal Church.

Hope you will join us!

Hope you can join us!

Save the Date 2023 CREC Virtual Symposium Join us in an interactive session to explore expanding perspectives and practices in adult faith education/accompaniment that Meet People Where They Are and Empower Mature Christian Disciples.

A wonderful opportunity:
https://www.facebook.com/621930940/posts/10160369369310941/?mibextid=Nif5oz

Heart-felt thanks to all who participated in our Resource Launch on December 5! You can access a copy at the link to follow:

uottawa-my.sharepoint.com

An excellent read!
https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/women-church-synod-francis-catholic

For all who accompany Adult Faith across Canada: Scroll down at the link to follow to find: a detailed schedule of our Dec 5 Resource Launch -- findings from Phase III -- and Interactive Webinar; a link to register if you haven't already done so. Looking forward to seeing you on ZOOM on Monday!

CREC - Where Faith and Life Meet Event Website for "Where Faith and Life Meet: A Resource Launch and Interactive Webinar for All Who Accompany Adult Faith".

We're eager to share with you -- on December 5 -- our Resource with findings from Phase III of our Action Research Project...

We're looking forward to a launching our phase III resource "Bridging the Faith-Life Gap
in Adult Faith Education/Accompaniment: Expanding Perspectives on Practice that Meets People Where They Are and Empowers Mature Christian Disciples"
and to an excellent interactive webinar with interested/engaged people who accompany adult faith. Please register if you'd like to join us on December 5...

CREC - Where Faith and Life Meet Event Website for "Where Faith and Life Meet: A Resource Launch and Interactive Webinar for All Who Accompany Adult Faith".

For all who accompany Adult Faith - hope you can join us!

For all who accompany adult faith, hope you can join us on December 5th!

CREC - Where Faith and Life Meet Event Website for "Where Faith and Life Meet: A Resource Launch and Interactive Webinar for All Who Accompany Adult Faith".

Dr. Carol Kuzmochka is looking forward to teaching this course once again this Fall! There is still space and time to register if any leaders out there may be interested. Contact [email protected] for further information.

Our semi-structured interviews with practitioners from across the country in adult faith education/accompaniment are expanding and deepening our findings about effective adult faith education/accommpaniment that meets people where they are and helps them grow as mature Christian believer/disciples. Our work continues... Eager to share our findings with everyone in a new resource in the Fall 2022!

https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/wonderful-complexity?utm_content=buffer75e54&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

A Wonderful Complexity | Commonweal Magazine Opening instituted ministries to women begins a new reckoning with an ecclesiology that has for a long time divided the Church too simply into clergy and laity.

Our research-based Resources for Adult Faith Education/Accompaniment are available at these links. We are building on these findings in our current Phase III of Awareness Based Action Research. We are always eager for your feedback...
https://ustpaul.ca/upload-files/CREC/CREC_Five_Promising_Practices_and_Other_Practical_Wisdom_March_2020.pdf
https://ustpaul.ca/upload-files/CREC/CREC_Where_Faith_and_Life_Meet_While_Were_Two_Metres_Apart_June212021.pdf

ustpaul.ca

Videos from our Symposium for all who Accompany Adult Faith "Where Faith Meets Life" are now available on our Youtube channel.
EAGER FOR YOUR FEEDBACK!...

Centre for Religious Education and Catechesis - Resources Centre for Religious Education and Catechesis - Resources

Phase III of our research project is underway with an excellent focus group joining our lead researcher and co-researcher. We continue to search for effective process-based practice in adult faith education/accompaniment that bridges the faith-life gap (maintains the profound coherence between faith and life). And, we are attentively listening for wisdom from the voices of Indigenous People's and Newcomers to Canada about what makes effective adult faith education practice/accompaniment that contributes to inclusion and reconciliation.

from top left to bottom right:
Murray Watson, Adult Faith Formation Animator, Simcoe Muskoka Catholic-District School Board, Barrie, On.
Carol Kuzmochka, Co-director, CREC and lead researcher
Charlene Peters, chair ACA and director, Diocese of Charlottetown (also a member of Focus Group for Phase I);
Anne Walsh, chair ACCAF and program director, Redemptorists and Adult Faith Education Archdiocese of Saint John’s, Nfld
Alessandra Santopadre, Program director, office of culture and ritual (devoted to newcomers) Archdiocese of Montreal
Koreen Hrizai, chair, WCCRE and Coordinator, Office of Catechesis Archdiocese of Saint Boniface
Daryold Corbiere Winkler, pastor, Archdiocese of Ottawa, co-chair Archdiocesan Committee for Indigenous/Non-indigenous relations and Anishinaabe, Cree from Manitoulin Island
Lorraine Ste-Marie, Co-director, CREC and Co-researcher
Marilena Berardinelli, Director of Faith Formation, Saint Basil Parish, Toronto

So grateful to the many practitioners in adult faith education/accompaniment from all across Canada who participated -- during July and August -- in our semi-structured focus group interviews about what the pandemic is teaching us about our practice. We are currently analyzing and compiling the data and look forward to sharing it with all of you for whom it may be helpful. Sharing our wisdom is the way forward in these unprecedented times....

We would love to hear about your observations and experiences of what the pandemic is teaching you about effective adult faith education/accompaniment.

Using online platforms to continue our research during the pandemic. A productive and meaningful intensive online Session with our Research Team at the end of June. So grateful for a great team and to be able to continue our work!

During July and August, following up with interviews with practitioners from across the country about learnings about effective adult faith education/accompaniment in this time of pandemic. What do people need and how can we meet them where they are in this extraordinary time?

Might you have some insights you'd like to share from your observations and experiences?

POSTPONEMENT...

We made the difficult decision to postpone, "Where Faith and Life Meet: a Symposium for Adult Faith."

We will definitely be rescheduling when the time is right. Already looking forward to the time when - once again - we can gather together.

Keeping faith and hope alive in this difficult time. Stay safe, everyone, and let's take care of each other.