The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops changed the name of one of the best-known acronyms in the church, reorienting the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) into the new Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA).
Faith Formation
Spirit moving: A dozen St. Augustine School students prepare to enter faith
Across the faith spectrum, leaders worry about the faithful remaining home once the coronavirus pandemic ceases. That is not a problem at St. Augustine, where 12 students in the parish school are in the process of entering the Catholic Church.
Study: Teens’ religious practice less than that of their parents
A Pew Research Center study released in September shows that teens’ religious practice is less than that of their parents. The lessened observance cuts across all denominational lines.
Catechesis is about a relationship, not just information, Vatican says
Teaching the faith is a work of evangelization meant to lead people to a deeper relationship with Jesus and not just impart information, said the updated “Directory for Catechesis.”
Carol Augustine, leader in religious education and evangelization, dies at 74
“Carol’s work was grounded in relationships,” Puls said. “It was all about relationships.”
Baltimore Archdiocese educators encouraged to make ‘spiritual truths evident’
More than 1,300 Catholic school teachers and administrators assembled Aug. 29 at the Church of the Nativity with Archdiocese of Baltimore leaders to open the new academic year with a call to leadership.
Pastorate planning focuses on mission priorities
Over the past 18 months, nine pilot pastorates and eight Phase IA pastorates have taken Archbishop Lori’s pastoral letter and Pope Francis’ words in “Evangelii Gaudium” (“The Joy of the Gospel”) to heart, considering what it means to be a pastorate that is “suitably channeled for the evangelization of today’s world rather than for her self-preservation” and rethinking the “goals, structures, style and methods of evangelization in their respective communities.”
Faith formation class focuses on children with special needs
“I just feel like they deserve to have sacraments and a relationship with Jesus like everyone else,” said Michele Poligardo, the CCASTA administrator for religious education. “These students with special needs are encountering Jesus through their teens (mentors) and through the acceptance and love they find in this program, and that’s what religious education should be – a way for our students to encounter a loving, forgiving God.”
Mercy High School alumna lives her Catholic faith by teaching others
One of the most important lessons of Christianity that Becky Egan Hogg tries to convey to her religion students at Mercy High School in Baltimore is God’s unconditional love.
#IAmCatholic: Archdiocesan movement helps people share faith experiences
The Archdiocese of Baltimore has launched a new website to help people share their experience of the Catholic faith.
Baltimore Archdiocese liturgical ministers gather for day of formation
A Ministry Enrichment Gathering, sponsored by the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Office of Divine Worship and facilitated by Liturgy Training Publications of Chicago, attracted participants from approximately 26 parishes March 30.
More than 600 throughout Archdiocese of Baltimore seek entrance into the Catholic Church
In Annapolis, Baltimore and Emmitsburg, 611 people seeking full communion with the Catholic Church gathered for the Rite of Election and the Call to Continuing Conversion March 10.