Faith Formation Leader Fall Retreat
2023-09-21 10:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | St. Timothy Parish, Norwood, 650 Nichols Street, Norwood, 02062
Take time away to be with Jesus!
Faith formation leaders who accompany individual people of all ages in their journeys of faith are invited to this Fall retreat. We hope you come away from this time of prayer, reflection, and conversation nourished, refreshed, and with a renewed passion for mission.
See below to learn more about the theme for the retreat and our wonderful speaker!
Catholic Devotions and Everyday Life
The grace of God animates us in our life of faith. Without grace, we cannot accomplish the good work God has begun in us. We need grace like we need air, and without it, maintaining a healthy spiritual life can be difficult. Allison Gingras shares the many ways the Catholic faith and her devotions impart grace along with the essential role of cooperating with it—all in the context of our everyday, ordinary activities of life. Uncover how God provides all we need in the Grace Trifecta of prayer, sacrament, and scripture.
Allison Gingras (www.ReconciledToYou.com ) — is a blogger, author, podcaster, and social media evangelizer. Her writing includes Encountering Signs of Faith (AMP), and the Stay Connected Journals for Women (OSV), with contributions to various books and websites. Allison is a Digital Media Specialist for Family Rosary, Catholic Mom, and the Fall River Diocese.

Morning of Reflection for Catechists
2023-09-16 09:00 - 12:00 | Pastoral Center, 66 Brooks Drive, Braintree, MA, 02184, United States
We invite all faith formation leaders and catechists to a morning of reflection. Consider coming as a parish group and join other catechists from around the archdiocese for Mass, breakfast, a talk by Susan Abbott, and fellowship.
Return to your parish affirmed in your important ministry, strengthened through prayer, and encouraged by brothers and sisters in Christ. We are hosting the morning of reflection on Saturday, 9/16, in hopes that the next day you’ll celebrate Catechetical Sunday, 9/17, at your parish!
Susan Abbott is one of two Directors of the Our Lady of Good Voyage Shrine in the Seaport area of Boston. She was the Director of the Office of Religious Education of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston for many years, serving in that office in several capacities since 1999 and before that working in parish-based religious education starting in 1981. She has served on the boards of the National Conference of Catechetical Leadership and the National Association of Catechetical Media Professionals, and was a member of the New England Conference of Diocesan Directors of Religious Education. She is a prior recipient of the Sister Marian O’Connor Award for Excellence in Catechetical Leadership. Susan is also a former chairperson of the board of directors of Massachusetts Citizens for Life. Susan was born and has lived in Boston her entire life, except for one year when she and her husband lived in Germany while he was a Fulbright Fellow. A widow since 2002, she has four children, three daughters and one son, of whom she says their beauty, brilliance, and goodness defy description.

Virtual Rosary for Couples Experiencing Infertility, Difficult Pregnancies, and Miscarriage
2023-07-27 19:00 - 20:00 | Virtual Zoom Meeting
Through the powerful intercession of Mary, our Mother, we join together to lift up couples who experience infertility, difficult pregnancies, and/or miscarriage. Fr. Matt Williams will lead us in prayer and reflection upon each mystery. Come and meditate on the Joyful Mysteries of the most Holy Rosary with us as we lift up our brothers and sisters in Christ!
“Abandon yourself in the hands of Mary. She will take care of you.”
– St. Padre Pio
The Zoom link will be emailed prior to the event.

End of the Year Faith Formation Leader Gathering
2023-06-12 11:00 - 14:00 | St. Julia Weston, 374 Boston Post Road, Weston, MA, 02493, United States
Please join us for our end of the year gathering on Monday, June 12, 11am- 2pm at St. Julia Parish in Weston. Deacon Nathan Gunn will speak and there will be a time of prayer in addition to the talk, lunch, and social time. Deacon Nathan has a new book coming out soon called Lead Like Mary and we will be giving it out to those who attend.Deacon Nathan Gunn has served on Young Life staff for over 20 years. He currently supervises the development of Young Life-Catholic Relations for the Northeast. He serves as a Deacon in the Diocese of Syracuse and is a graduate of the Masters of Biblical Theology Program at St. John Paul the Great Catholic University. He lives in Syracuse with his wife and 2 teenage sons.
Check out Deacon Nathan’s recent interview with Cardinal Dolan. “Lead Like Mary”: Deacon Nathan Gunn book interview with Cardinal Dolan – YouTube

Many Gifts, One Spirit: Discerning Your Charisms for Missionary Discipleship
2023-06-03 09:00 - 12:00 | St Anthony Church Hall – Cambridge, 400 Cardinal Medeiros Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02141, United States
Did you know that one way the Holy Spirit builds up the Body of Christ is through charisms, or special graces that equip us to live out our discipleship and mission? What a gift! Join us for a prayerful workshop during which we’ll learn more about individual charisms and the importance of discerning and exercising our charisms to fully live out our discipleship, become the people we were made out of love to be, and bear fruit for His mission!
The cost for this workshop is $15. Light breakfast and coffee will be provided.

Marriage Prep Workshop - May
2023-05-19 - 2023-05-20 | St Anthony Church Hall – Cambridge, 400 Cardinal Medeiros Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02141, United States
Transformed in Love is the marriage preparation workshop of the Archdiocese of Boston for engaged couples and those seeking a convalidation after civil marriage. This workshop is in person.
DATE/TIME:
Friday, May 19 from 6:30-9:45pm
Saturday, May 20 from 9:00am-4:00pm
REGISTRATION: 1 ticket per couple. The $195 cost includes registration, meals, couple workbooks, resources, Mass, confession, and certificate of completion. A follow-up email with more details will arrive 10 days prior to the workshop.
Payment is by credit card. Financial assistance is available by contacting Liz Cotrupi.

In the Arms of the Shepherd: A Morning of Reflection
2023-04-22 08:30 - 12:30 | St Anthony Church Hall – Cambridge, 400 Cardinal Medeiros Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02141, United States
Rescheduled from March 4 to April 22 due to inclement weather. The Family Life team invites all those impacted by divorce or separation to attend “In the Arms of the Shepherd: A Morning of Reflection” at the Pastoral Center, Braintree. If you have already registered for the original date, but did not update your reply, kindly email Emily_Elliott@rcab.org. You do not need to re-register!
Come and refresh your spirit; discover the peace and healing that only Jesus provides. The half-day retreat features a presentation by Mother Olga, founder of the Daughters of Mary of Nazareth, a lay witness talk by Irina Robinson of the Fall River Diocese, music, Eucharistic Adoration, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Holy Mass, and small group sharing. Light refreshments will be provided in the morning. Check-in begins at 8:30am and the program concludes following the 11:40am Mass. The cost of the retreat is $10.00. Anyone unable to pay is most welcome to attend; please email Emily_Elliott@rcab.org regarding payment concerns, or for more information.

Emmaus Ministry Info Event - Virtual
2023-02-28 19:30 - 20:45 | Zoom
Emmaus Ministry for Grieving Parents (EMFGP) serves the spiritual needs of parents whose children of any age have died by any cause, no matter how long ago. They offer this service primarily through retreats and virtual gatherings. This informational event is for anyone who would like to learn more about EMFGP and their retreats – especially parish leaders and volunteers who are interested in bringing the retreats to their parishes or communities. We will focus on getting to know EMFGP, learning how the retreats work and what is involved in running them, and taking time for Q&A. Please register at this link.

Play Like a Champion Today Training
2023-02-15 18:00 - 21:00 | Virtual Zoom Meeting
Play Like A Champion Today is an educational series from the University of Notre Dame that provides leadership in an effort to promote an inclusive and developmentally-oriented youth sports culture. It does this by educating ethically responsible youth sports leaders. This researched-based, non-profit initiative is unique in its focus on fostering moral and spiritual development through sports.
This required training is for all area coordinators, athletic directors, and head and assistant coaches in both the Catholic school and parish leagues. It is our fervent hope to educate all leaders in the ministry of coaching to help teach our youth to be athletes for Christ.
This is three-hour training will be held virtually. There is a $35 registration fee. After registering, training manuals will be mailed to your home and a Zoom link will be emailed. Upon completion of the training, you will be sent your official PLAC badge and lanyard to wear when coaching.
Thank you for your service to our youth and the Church in the Archdiocese of Boston! May God bless you all!
NOTE: The “pay by check” option is for schools or parishes who are paying for a group of coaches. If your parish or school is paying for your training, please choose the “pay by check” option. Then, in the customer note field, please write “school check” or “parish check”. Please have the school or parish mail a check with a note that includes all the names of the coaches they will pay for to the following address:
RCAB Family Life Ministry
c/o Kathryn Griffin
66 Brooks Dr.
Briantree, MA. 02184

Emmaus Ministry Info Event - Salem
2023-02-13 10:00 - 11:30 | Mary Queen of Apostles Parish Salem – St. James Church, 160 Federal Street, Salem, MA, 01970, United States
Emmaus Ministry for Grieving Parents (EMFGP) serves the spiritual needs of parents whose children of any age have died by any cause, no matter how long ago. They offer this service primarily through retreats and virtual gatherings. This informational event is for anyone who would like to learn more about EMFGP and their retreats – especially parish leaders and volunteers who are interested in bringing the retreats to their parishes or communities. We will focus on getting to know EMFGP, learning how the retreats work and what is involved in running them, and taking time for Q&A. The location for this event is yet to be determined.
We will be in the hall underneath St. James Church. There is parking behind the church.

Couple's Date Night
2023-02-11 19:00 - 21:00 | St Anthony Church Hall – Cambridge, 400 Cardinal Medeiros Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02141, United States
National Marriage Week is February 7-14. Whether you are married or engaged, celebrate with a fun and resourceful date night as we learn the tools for managing daily stress and resolving conflict with Clinical Psychologist, Dr. Greg Kolodziejczak. Join us Saturday, February 11 from 7:00-9:00PM at the Pastoral Center in Braintree. We will transform the room into an Italian bistro and serve you dinner, libations, and a few surprises! Cost is $30 per couple.
Please purchase 1 ticket per couple.

Emmaus Ministry Info Event - Arlington
2023-02-09 13:00 - 14:30 | St. Agnes Arlington, 51 Medford Street, Arlington, MA, 02474
Emmaus Ministry for Grieving Parents (EMFGP) serves the spiritual needs of parents whose children of any age have died by any cause, no matter how long ago. They offer this service primarily through retreats and virtual gatherings. This informational event is for anyone who would like to learn more about EMFGP and their retreats – especially parish leaders and volunteers who are interested in bringing the retreats to their parishes or communities. We will focus on getting to know EMFGP, learning how the retreats work and what is involved in running them, and taking time for Q&A.
We will be in the lower hall – Hope Hall – at St. Agnes. The entrance is on the Chestnut Street side of the church. This entrance is across the street from the Keefe Funeral Home. You may park on the street next to the church or in the public lot behind the church.

New Faith Formation Leader Day 22-23
2023-02-08 09:30 - 14:30 | St Anthony Church Hall – Cambridge, 400 Cardinal Medeiros Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02141, United States
We invite all new (to the Archdiocese of Boston in the last 1-2 years) parish catechetical leaders (including but not limited to children’s faith formation, youth ministry, and adult faith formation) to spend a day in conversation with our team. We will pray together and discuss archdiocesan offices, initiatives, resources, and best practices relevant to parish work. There will also be time for networking with other leaders.
For more information please contact contact Patrick Krisak at pkrisak@rcab.org or 617-276-7636 or Rosemary Maffei at rmaffei@rcab.org or 617-746-5760.

Faith Formation Leader Lesson Swap
2023-02-02 09:30 - 11:00 | Zoom
Why recreate the wheel when you can benefit from the wisdom and experience of your peers?
Please plan on joining us for a virtual lesson swap! Like a cookie swap, you can bring your favorite lesson plan and come away with lessons from other faith formation leaders.
The meeting will take place from 9:30am-11:00am and will be divided into 3 sections: we’ll spend 30 minutes on each of these 3 different age groups: K-8, Middle School, High School.
If you’d like to participate, consider sharing a lesson plan that has borne fruit, been a “homerun”/outside of the box, is not curriculum based, and contains content that is in line with our beautiful Church teaching.
The sample template is offered as a guide on the type of information to include in the lesson plan. Please submit your lesson plan to rmaffei@rcab.org by 1/27/23. At the meeting, please plan to spend about 5 minutes explaining the background/context of your lesson plan to the others in attendance.
While we are excited to learn from one another and have some fun at the lesson swap, the specific lesson plans shared are not necessarily endorsed/approved by RCAB.
We are hopeful that this lesson swap offers you a fun way to share with other leaders, learn from one another, and save some much-needed time so that you can truly focus on creating programs rooted in providing encounters with Christ and building relationships to help each person grow closer to Him in and through His Church.
Register here!

Write the Vision: A Prophetic Call to Thrive
2022-12-17 09:00 - 12:30 | St Anthony Church Hall – Cambridge, 400 Cardinal Medeiros Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02141, United States
A day of reflection to prepare for Congress XIII of the National Black Catholic Congress at the Archdiocese of Boston Pastoral Center.
The day will include opportunity for prayer, reflection, and discussion about issues of importance to the Black Catholic community.
Sponsored by St. Katharine Drexel Parish, Boston and Black Catholic Ministries of the Archdiocese of Boston.

Advent Rosary with Faith Formation Leaders
2022-12-13 09:30 - 10:00, 2022-12-06 09:30 - 10:00, 2022-12-01 09:30 - 2022-12-22 10:00 | Zoom
Join faith formation leaders throughout the Archdiocese of Boston this Advent as we gather on Zoom at 9:40am each Tuesday to pray for our parishes, catechists and families involved in faith formation. Members of the Secretariat for Evangelization and Discipleship will lead us in praying the rosary each week. We invite you to join us in praying with and for each other this Advent.

Annual Wedding Anniversary Mass
2022-11-06 14:00 - 15:30 | Cathedral of the Holy Cross, 1400 Washington Street, Boston, MA, 02118, United States
Please note that as of October 19th, registration is now closed for this event. All “unregistered” anniversary couples are still welcome to attend, renew their vows, receive a blessing, participate in anniversary group photos with the Cardinal and, of course, bring family and friends. While we can no longer include your names in the keepsake program, we are happy to mail out an invitation to the Mass. Please email Emily_Elliott@rcab.org with your names and address to have an invitation sent to you!
ADA seating and parking will be available near the Cathedral. All others can park at nearby parking venues; please see the information below.
For more information, please view our frequently asked questions document below, or email Emily Elliott at Emily_Elliott@rcab.org.
Ann. Mass Parking
Anniversary Mass Frequently Asked Questions

TINE: Certificate in Catholic Theology
2022-11-05 08:30 - 15:30 | St Anthony Church Hall – Cambridge, 400 Cardinal Medeiros Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02141, United States
Get the essential Catholic theological framework that provides you with the underpinnings of our faith so you can be a better catechist, Catholic school teacher, parish volunteer, parent–or simply as a disciple.
The course will give you the toolbox you need to understand your faith more fully and will provide you with a vocabulary to explain, perhaps defend, what it is that you believe.
Come learn and grow in your journey of discipleship and discover the beauty of the Church’s intellectual tradition.
Schedule
Dates for 2022-2023:

November 5
December 3
January 7
February 11
March 11
April 15
May 13
June 10

Sessions are in-person at the Archdiocese of Boston Pastoral Center in Braintree.
All sessions are from 8:30am to 3:30pm.
Contact us about financial aid

Fall 2022 Faith Formation Leader Meeting – South
2022-10-27 12:00 - 14:00 | Our Lady of the Angels at St. Mary Hanover, 392 Hanover St, Hanover, MA, 02339, United States
We invite faith formation leaders who accompany adults and children in their journey of discipleship to join other leaders for gatherings of prayer, support, sharing, networking, and learning. We hope you can attend!
We will offer these opportunities for faith formation leaders to gather around the archdiocese 3-4 times a year. Please register for the date or location that best fits your schedule. While everyone is always welcome, there is no need to plan to attend more than one of the meetings each season.

Fall 2022 Faith Formation Leader Meeting – West
2022-10-26 12:00 - 14:00 | Ascension Parish at Our Lady of Fatima Sudbury, 160 Concord Road, Sudbury, MA, 01776, United States

Fall 2022 Faith Formation Leader Meeting - North
2022-10-25 12:00 - 14:00 | St. Theresa North Reading, 63 Winter St, North Reading, MA, 01864

NFP/Infertility Workshop
2022-07-26 19:30 - 21:00 | Zoom
NFP and Infertility: Finding Fruitfulness in the Desert
Join us for a complimentary virtual workshop featuring Cassandra Taylor, Ann Koshute, M.T.S., and Caroline Gindhart, CRNP, of Springs in the Desert. In this webinar, Springs in the Desert, a Catholic infertility ministry that accompanies those carrying this cross, will discuss the experience of infertility and acknowledge the unique grief and isolation it brings. They will offer encouragement and strategies to help couples strengthen their identities in Christ and discover God’s unique plan for fruitfulness within their marriages.
Please RSVP and we will email you the Zoom link a few days before.

Many Gifts, One Spirit: Discerning Your Charisms for Missionary Discipleship
2022-06-02 18:00 - 21:00 | St Anthony Church Hall – Cambridge, 400 Cardinal Medeiros Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02141, United States
Did you know that one way the Holy Spirit builds up the Body of Christ is through charisms, or special graces that equip us to live out our discipleship and mission? What a gift! Join us for a prayerful workshop during which we’ll learn more about individual charisms and the importance of discerning and exercising our charisms to fully live out our discipleship, become the people we were made out of love to be, and bear fruit for His mission!
The cost for this workshop is $15. Light snacks and drinks will be provided. Feel free to bring your own food as well.

Forming Leaders for Mission 4/30/22
2022-04-30 09:00 - 16:00 | St. Mary of the Nativity Parish Scituate, 1 Kent Street, Scituate, MA, 02066, United States
This workshop is designed to support you in discerning and developing your particular call to lead within your family, neighborhood, workplace, and parish life. This workshop is free to attend if you are a member of the Archdiocese of Boston. If you are outside the Archdiocese, the cost is $25. Lunch included.
