PROVIDENCE — Catechists looking to hone their teaching skills and Catholics interested in deepening their knowledge of the faith will find many opportunities to do both at the 46th annual Faith Formation Convocation, scheduled for March 16 at Bryant University in Smithfield.
The day will include Mass celebrated by Providence Auxiliary Bishop Robert C. Evans and presentations by well-known Catholic speakers such as Father Francis J. Hoffman, executive director of Relevant Radio, and Dr. Marcellino D’Ambrosio, a Providence native and popular Catholic writer who founded the Crossroads Initiative, an apostolate that encourages Catholic renewal and evangelization.
The Faith Formation Convocation is being held in conjunction with the annual Catholic Men’s Conference, organized by the Men of St. Joseph International apostolate, which will have its own speaking program.
“It’s really a day where we can have the Diocese of Providence gathered together at the Eucharistic table, the source and summit of our faith,” said Lisa M. Gulino, director of the Diocese of Providence’s Office of Religious Education, which is organizing the Faith Formation Convocation.
“It’s a day where all can be enriched, whether you’re a catechist, a young adult or someone older wanting to learn more about the faith,” Gulino said.
The convocation — with about 30 workshops in total — is designed to encourage catechists to teach with conviction and confidence.
There will be several methodology workshops where instructors will seek to provide catechists with concrete, fun and creative ideas they can take with them and apply in their classrooms.
As the convocation coincides with the Year of Faith and the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council, the event will also have a “Vatican II track” where speakers will discuss the historic 1962 gathering of church leaders in Rome and the Blessed Virgin Mary, and delve into the council’s Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation (Dei Verbum) and Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (Sacrosanctum Concilium).
D’Ambrosio will speak on Vatican II’s teachings on Marian piety, and will also address catechists who teach confirmation. There will be a multimedia presentation on the Passion of Christ by Spirit Alive, a program that has been used as a confirmation retreat over the last few years throughout the diocese.
Father Hoffman — popularly known as Father Rocky — will serve as the convocation’s keynote speaker. He will talk about how Catholics can be effective agents of the New Evangelization by discussing three principles of evangelization and the importance of personal witness by enthusiastic participation in learning and living the Catholic faith.
Father Hoffman will also speak at the men’s conference, said Father Francis Santilli, pastor at St. Philip Parish and diocesan chaplain of the Men of St. Joseph International. The pastor said the men’s conference will be geared to fellowship and building up men to being solid witnesses to the faith in their workplaces and families.
“There is a whole sense of not being alone, that we’re all part of the Church and looking to model Jesus in our lives,” said Father Santilli, who will also speak on the Year of Faith.
The day will begin with Mass at 8:30 a.m. followed by Father Hoffman’s keynote address at 9:45 a.m. Exhibits will be open until 2 p.m., an hour before the convocation’s last workshop session is scheduled to finish.
Those interested in registering for the convocation can do so online through the Office of Religious Education's web site, www.discovercatholicfaith.org. Men interested in attending the men's conference can do so through the Men of St. Joseph International's Web site, http://mosji.org/conference.html.
