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This year's parent ministry manual is out! Parishes can use this small group manual, or cycle through unused sessions from previous years.

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God is always at work in our lives—often in the quiet, ordinary moments that we might overlook.
Each time we recognize His hand in our day-to-day experiences, we catch a glimpse of His glory shining through.

Recently, a Faith Formation team member shared a beautiful story that reminded us of this truth:

“I am entering my fourth year of volunteering as a mentor for the Edge program which is a Faith Formation program for middle school age children.  Not only is it very gratifying to mentor these children; it has been a great review/renewal of my faith.  As each week’s lesson is presented, I find that I am relearning aspects of my faith that I had forgotten or not known.  I really look forward to these classes.”

— Jerilyn Schultz, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, Erie

Do you have a “glory story”or a photo that captures God’s presence in your life or in the life of the people you serve? We’d love to hear it!
Call Faye on 814-824-1210 or send your story or image to Sr. Bianca at bfeuerstein@eriercd.org, and we may feature it in our next edition of News & Notes.

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Faith Formation Leaders: Dispositions for Relational Ministry

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Click the link to watch the video of Katie Gray of Life Teen talk about ten tips to help your Edge and Purpose programs run well!

https://youtu.be/1I8QBYOYAcQ

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Click the link to join our Faith Formation team and a few leaders to discuss ways to start and maintain small groups for teens in your parish. https://youtu.be/ioVP0sdJms4

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“If you love Jesus and at least like middle schoolers…”

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“If you love Jesus and at least like middle schoolers…”

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All Saints is a very blessed parish, and the Holy Spirit is on the move here!  One recent example is Becky, a new Core Team member for Edge.

Becky had been listening to Jeff Cavins and felt called to share her faith, though she wasn’t sure how. Around the same time, I was concerned about having enough adults to lead Edge sessions. I made a Mass announcement: “If you love Jesus and at least like middle schoolers…”

That day, my husband suggested we sit in a different spot—we happened to sit two rows in front of Becky. Hearing the announcement, she thought of her middle school grandkids and felt a spark. She approached me after Mass, nervous but excited, and joined us just in time for our Catechist retreat.

She instantly clicked with the team. Their planning sessions are full of joy, and their work with the kids is amazing. I truly believe the Holy Spirit led Becky to our team and this new path of discipleship.

Maria Burkley

Faith Formation Leader

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Training Folder for Small Groups April 2024

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Training Folder for Small Groups April 2024

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Looking for an extra copy of something from training? Lost your paper folder? Want to share the wealth? Either way, this PDF is your one-stop shop for the training resources offered at the April 2024 training.

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1_Small Group Training resources April 2024DOC051024

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When it rains God washes all the beautiful things he gave us

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Katie Gray of Life Teen gives an introduction to the Edge program. Some tips and hints for making it work and how it should be run in your parish. Q&A included. Click this link to get to the video: (https://youtu.be/ymsDvFlPOzY)

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Purpose Training Folder Handouts April 2024

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Purpose Training Folder Handouts April 2024

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Looking for a worksheet? Lost your paper folder? Whatever the occasion, we have you covered! All of the Purpose training handouts used April 2024 are included in this PDF.

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This is the minimum required Purpose lessons for Confirmation year. You are welcome to do more or all of them if you like!

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A leader wrote this about Purpose:

I had a mom say "I don't know what you did, but my daughter is volunteering for everything now (referring to her wanting to read for Confirmation Mass, help at Holy Thursday Mass, etc)...she started the year saying she didn't want to even be confirmed and now she wants to do everything."   YAY PURPOSE!  The girl already wants to help with Faith Formation, VBS and be a part of small group.

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Small Groups Training 1A: Good Beginnings

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Small Groups Training 1A: Good Beginnings

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Click the link to watch the video on YouTube!

(https://youtu.be/IzF1nxco6D4)

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Small Groups Training 1B: Good Beginnings

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Small Groups Training 1B: Good Beginnings

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Click the link to watch the video on YouTube!

(https://youtu.be/Vm5x4qG1MA8)

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Small Groups Training 2: Child Protection

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Small Groups Training 2: Child Protection

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Click the link to watch the video on YouTube!

(https://youtu.be/bj3hgJfFMYU)

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Click the link to see the video!

(https://youtu.be/wJs72vrS3WQ)

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The Spring Semester Parent ministry sessions are available for download. These five sessions provide for the remainder of the academic year. Please share your feedback with the Faith Formation team!

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Katie Gray of Life Teen leads us through some of the Edge resources and calendaring for a semester. (https://youtu.be/h-7CdvWDOZU)

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Share your glory stories here!

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Here is a great worksheet to help you schedule your small groups for the semester or year.

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This is the same worksheet as the PDF file above, but is in Word and is editable for your use in planning.

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Google Calendar - Diocesan and Local Offerings

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Google Calendar - Diocesan and Local Offerings

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Click this calendar for all local events shared with a Faith Formation team member and for Diocesan sponsored Faith Formation events.

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Google Calendar - Sign in to Access & Edit Your Schedule

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Access Google Calendar with a Google account (for personal use) or Google Workspace account (for business use).

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Who must attend faith formation classes in preparation for Confirmation?

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Who must attend faith formation classes in preparation for Confirmation?

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All teens need 3 years of preparation before the sacrament of Confirmation. Two of those years may be through Catholic school or parish faith formation. The final year is focused specifically on sacramental preparation, and all students need to take part in the parish faith formation.

Policy 631

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Making the invitation to begin small groups

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Making the invitation to begin small groups

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An overview of the ways to make a successful invitation

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Join Katie Gray from Life Teen for tips on volunteer recruitment

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Join Katie Gray from Life Teen for tips on volunteer recruitment

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Volunteer recruitment from experienced Life Teen ministers

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Faith Formation Office at The Diocese of Erie

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Get an idea of what Edge is and a foundation in relational ministry. This video is perfect for new volunteers or for experienced volunteers who are looking for a refresher and inspiration. (https://youtu.be/NqSkTYEgLVA)

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Avoid common pitfalls: How to do an amazing Proclaim and Small Group

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Avoid common pitfalls: How to do an amazing Proclaim and Small Group

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If you're working hard, but something seems to be "off", chances are that revisiting the Proclaim and/or the small group portion of an Edge night will help. Katie explains how to knock both out of the park.

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Faith Formation Office at The Diocese of Erie

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How to do a good proclaim and good small group leadership

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Get to know the resources that are available to you through Life Teen, as well as where they are on the website. This video is perfect for new core team volunteers and for core team volunteers who are looking for a particular resource that is proving tricky to find. Katie explains new features of the Life Teen website as well as the most commonly used resources.

(https://youtu.be/q1r_E9_Q96Y)

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Brainstorming potential volunteers is difficult work! Use this worksheet from Everett Fritz at Andrew Ministries to guide your work.

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It's live! The Fall Semester Parent Ministry sessions are available for download. The four sessions included provide for monthly sessions from September through December. The Spring semester manual (January through May) will be available late this Fall.

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Walk through Purpose and the Life Teen website with Katie Gray and Kristin Ables.

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Faith Formation Office at The Diocese of Erie

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Expanding on invitation through existing leaders

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Expanding on invitation through existing leaders

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Expanding on invitation through an event

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Expanding on invitation through an event

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Effective invitations to potential volunteers

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Effective invitations to potential volunteers

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Some tips and info to keep your students and the people in your home safe when meeting there.