Companions in Conflict
https://www.avemariapress.com/webinars/parish/conflict/
When we are in times of tension with families, friends, and fellow church members, we can end up feeling isolated and alone. We feel as if we must be doing something wrong. No one else has these problems, do they? But a look at our Church’s history reveals that conflict is a part of every Christian’s life. We are not alone. We have companions on the journey and models of handling tension well. Come along with Ann Garrido to discover five saints who were no strangers to conflict and who may have clues to help us unknot our own tough relationships.
Choose Joy with St. Thérèse of Lisieux’s “The Little Way” as a Guide
https://www.avemariapress.com/webinars/parish/choose-joy/
How prepared are you to serve, even in difficulty and hardship? Using St. Thérèse of Lisieux’s “The Little Way” as a guide, Mary Lenaburg will share what she discovered when applying those lessons to her daily life while serving as a catechist, extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, sacristan, youth ministry volunteer, and one-time liturgy coordinator for her home parish. St. Thérèse of Lisieux gave us beautiful examples of how to love and serve with gratitude through the smallest of tasks. A personal relationship with the Lord and always striving for holiness allowed St. Thérèse to be a grateful servant. Lenaburg will share five practical steps to find joy and peace while serving the Body of Christ.
Humble Leaders, Lasting Impact
https://www.avemariapress.com/webinars/parish/stepanek-humilty/
There are many kinds of leaders, but humble leaders take a ministry from “good” to “great.” But humility isn’t always intuitive and can even seem counterproductive. How do we lead humbly without giving up our credibility? How do we celebrate wins without being prideful? This webinar examines the key to success and the necessity of humility as a characteristic of any leader and how we serve and strive for great things while remaining grounded and focused.
What It Means to Wait for the Lord: The Obedience of St. Joseph
https://www.avemariapress.com/webinars/parish/delorenzo-advent/
Advent is the season to wait for the Lord. It’s a time where we can practice the kind of waiting that should shape our lives. But waiting is difficult, especially in an age of smart phones and instant gratification. St. Joseph is a model for showing what it means to wait for the Lord. Through an illuminating and careful reading of scripture—specifically the opening chapter of Matthew’s Gospel—we will rediscover St. Joseph, who never utters a word but whose witness speaks volumes. This webinar by University of Notre Dame professor Leonard J. DeLorenzo promises to be personally enriching and pastorally relevant as he demonstrates a way of reading scripture that can be employed in parish programs, schools, and at home.
Marriage in a Hookup Culture Webinar
https://www.avemariapress.com/webinars/parish/omalley-offthehook/
Hookup culture is prevalent among many young adults in the world today. Hooking up involves the use of sex not as a way to foster communication but to avoid it. In this webinar, Dr. Timothy O’Malley will show how the Church’s theology of marriage can offer a healing medicine for those seeking love in a hookup culture. He will also share helpful tips for all those who work with young adults or prepare couples for the sacrament of marriage.
How to Make the Case for Catholicism
https://www.avemariapress.com/webinars/parish/vogt-catholic/
Brandon Vogt, author of Why I Am Catholic (and You Should Be, Too), did not grow up Catholic. He chose to enter the Catholic Church in college, precisely when so many of his friends were heading in the other direction. Learn what drew him to Catholicism and how you can make the same case to others, especially atheists, agnostics, and the “spiritual but not religious.”
In the webinar, Brandon will explain:
- How reason and history affirm the Catholic Church
- Why the Church’s goodness and beauty can serve as routes to God
- How to delicately propose the Catholic Faith to people, even when they’re set against it
Forming Followers, Not Fans: How to Help Young People Meet Jesus
https://www.avemariapress.com/webinars/parish/follow/
There are two essential questions young people ask during their faith formation:
- Who is Jesus?
- How can I get to know him for myself?
Short of giving them a two hour lecture, what can we do to engage young people in practical, inspirational, and innovative ways that help them discover the answers to those questions and in the process actually form a relationship with the Lord?
The answer is quite simple: teach them to pray, help them dive into Scripture, lead them to the Sacraments, and give them opportunities to be the hands and feet of Jesus. When we help them do these things (pray, read, receive, and serve), then Jesus becomes far more than a fairytale figure or concept in a textbook. He becomes someone with whom they can have a real, personal, and authentic relationship.
How to Get Through the New Testament in an Hour
https://www.avemariapress.com/webinars/parish/newtestamentbasics/
The New Testament is a lot to understand! Twenty-seven books, eight different authors (at least), four different biographies of Jesus—how do we make sense of it all?
Join Dr. John Bergsma, professor of Theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville, for a short “guided tour” through the New Testament.
Dr. Bergsma focuses on four main authors—Matthew, Luke, Paul, and John—who together give us almost 90 percent of the New Testament. If we can just understand these four, we will get the “big idea” of the New Testament.
Understanding and Sharing Pope Francis’s Encyclical, Laudato Si
https://www.avemariapress.com/webinars/parish/laudatosi/
In his encyclical, Laudato Si, Pope Francis invites “every person living on this planet” to an inclusive dialogue about our responsibility to care for all God’s creation.
In this webinar Ted Miles, Youth and Education Relationship Manager at Catholic Relief Services, highlights some of the core themes of the Holy Father’s recent encyclical in light of the environmental challenges faced by the world’s most vulnerable people. Explore the collection of resources offered by Catholic Relief Services and others that aid in fostering dialogue and faith-filled engagement with young people on this core issue of our time.
Pope Francis on Faith and Evangelization: Insights into Lumen Fidei and Evangelii Gaudium
https://www.avemariapress.com/webinars/parish/francis-webinar-dees/
Pope Francis on Faith and Evangelization: Insights into Lumen Fidei and Evangelii Gaudium
In the first year of his papacy, Pope Francis gave us two incredible documents to read, study, and apply to our daily lives. Lumen Fidei (The Light of Faith) offers an overview and reflection on the meaning of faith and how it is important in the life of the Church and in the lives of individual Christians. Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel) is a call to arms for the Christian faithful to step out of their comfort zones and become missionary disciples and spirit-filled evangelizers.
Jared Dees, author of The Lumen Fidei Study Guide and moderator of this Professional Development Webinar Series, will share some reflections for Catholic faith formation and evangelziation based on these two very important documents.
The webinar will be divided into two parts: First, Jared will summarize and elaborate on the key points of both documents in a short overview that could easily be shared or adapted for parish presentations of these documents
In the second part of the webinar, Jared will point out specific ways parish ministers can apply these documents to the way they carry out their work as pastors, DREs, catechists, teachers, faith formation leaders, retreat leaders, and parents.