|
Formation and Family Life Updates
March 2026
|
+JMJ+
I hope each of you is having a blessed Lent!😊. In case you haven’t found some good Lent reading yet, let me point you to the Lenten meditations Bishop Erik Varden (of Trondheim, Norway) gave to Pope Leo and the Roman Curia for Lent. Find them all here.
One of Bishop Varden’s meditations was on “truth.” He spoke of people’s earnest search for truth and our need to speak authentically from our Tradition. At the end, he noted an “existential” aspect of truth, too, which is communicated by how we live. Bishop Varden said:
Was not the universal call to holiness, the call, that is, to embody truth, the strongest note struck by the Second Vatican Council? It resounded splendidly like a gong throughout its deliberations. The Christian claim to truth becomes compelling when its splendour is made personally evident with sacrificial love in sanctity, cleansed of temptations to temporise.
Know that we are grateful for the witness each of you gives to that truth, and know that we are praying for you during this season!
Doug Ulaszek and the Office of Formation and Family Life
|
|
Back to the Well: Rediscovering Our Call to Serve
August 20-22, 2026 | Mary Mother of the Church Center
|
Keynote Speaker: Timothy O'Malley
Mass with Archbishop Grob
Registration opens in April!
|
March 12, 2026 | 9:00am-2:30pm
Cost: $25
Registration Closes March 9th
|
In collaboration with Marquette University, the Lay Initiative is excited to host an Lenten Day of Reflection for pastors and their lay pastoral staff. We are honored to
welcome Fr. Michael Simone, SJ, pastor of the Church of the Gesu as our spiritual
guide for the day.
The cost of the event is $25.00 per person which includes continental breakfast,
lunch, and parking validation.
Even if your pastor is unable to join us, we welcome individual members of
lay pastoral staffs to attend and share in this time of prayer, learning, and
renewal.
|
Saturday, March 7, 2026 | 8:30am-3:00pm
Blessed Sacrament Parish, Madison
|
The day will begin with Mass at 8:30am with registration between 9:00-9:30AM. The day will finish with closing prayer at 3pm. The day will also include:
- Mass with Bishop Donald Hying
- Keynote speaker: Dr. Geoffrey Ludvik: archeologist, historian, teacher, and expert on the Biblical and historical realities of Jesus.
Material swap: Please bring any materials you'd like to donate/swap.
Please bring a suggested donation of $30 for the event.
|
|
The ordinary minister of Confirmation is a bishop. A priest also confirms validly if he has this faculty by virtue of the law itself or by delegation from the bishop (c.882). The law itself grants the faculty to confirm to a pastor or associate pastor who baptizes an adult or receives a person baptized in another Christian religion into full communion in the Catholic Church.
In situations where a person was baptized and raised Catholic (i.e., at least received First Eucharist), but for some reason was never confirmed, or was baptized Catholic but raised in no religion, priests do not have the faculty by law to confirm. However, they may apply for delegation in each instance to act as a minister of confirmation. To receive this delegation to confirm an originally baptized Catholic in either of these situations, the priest involved with the person’s instruction should send a letter requesting delegation to the Chancery Office. The following information should be included:
- The full name of the person(s) to be confirmed with the date and place of baptism
- A summary of the circumstances surrounding the case and that the appropriate sacramental preparation has been completed; and
- The priest to be delegated along with the date and church where the Confirmation will occur.
The Chancery Office will send a rescript of delegation to the priest. Instructions
regarding the recording of the Confirmation will also be included. Please note the reminder that delegation will not be granted to celebrate Confirmation of baptized and catechized Catholics at the Easter Vigil.
|
March 24th, 2026 | 1pm-2:30pm On Zoom
This Month's Topic: Planning for Holy Week & Mystagogy
Join us each month to explore a different aspect of OCIA, discuss with colleagues about best practices, and pray with other OCIA leaders around the Archdiocese! All sessions are recorded and sent to all registered participants afterwards.
|
Save the Dates: Adult Confirmation and Initiation Summit
Adult Confirmation | Sunday, May 24th, 3:30pm | Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist
Initiation Summit | Thursday, June 11th | MMCPC
Registration for the two initiation events will come out in our April newsletter, just after Easter!
|
Saturday March 21st, 2026 | 8am-12pm
Cost: $150/facilitator*
Registration Closes March 11th!
|
Do you need facilitators trained for pre-marital inventory work with your engaged couples? We will be offering in-person training for the Prepare-Enrich inventory for new facilitators.
*Facilitators can be individuals or a couple. The price is the same for either.
Note: while Prepare-Enrich can be done in many languages (including Spanish), this facilitator training will be done in English. If you know someone who would be interested in getting trained as a Spanish-speaking trainer, please contact Beth so we can offer training in Spanish as well!
|
Our offices sponsor many events for you to receive deeper training and support to help you and your parishioners encounter Christ and be formed in ways your parish might not be able to do alone. Learn more about them below, and help us share the word to your parishioners (or come yourself!):
|
Events & News from the Archdiocese
More Events & News from our Friends
- Men of Christ: Building Men of Virtue | March 14th, 2026 at Miller High Life Theatre.
- Catholic Infertility Conference | April 10th-11th, 2026 at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe
- Franciscan at Home Webinars
- Tuesday, Mar 10 at 2:00pm CST – Being Local and Being Effective: Forming Children for Life in a Montessori Pathway — Tom and Noëlle Crowe, Hilltop Children’s House. Register Here!
- Tuesday, Mar 17 at 2:00pm CST – The Thresholds of Conversion as Benchmarks for Missionary Discipleship – Dr. Stella Marie Jeffrey of the Catechetical Institute, Franciscan University of Steubenville, OH. Register Here!
- Tuesday, Mar 24 at 2:00pm CST – In Spanish: Cómo cultivar un corazón de servicio en los líderes de hoy (How to Cultivate a Heart of Service in Today’s Leaders) – Madre Margarita Ruiz, Comunidad Discípulas de Jesús, DJ, México. Register Here!
- Thursday, Mar 26 at 4:00pm CST – Reaching Adolescents Effectively in Catholic Schools and at Home: A New Approach from Old Wisdom — Dr. Gerard O’Shea, Educating in Christ author, and Dr. Joseph White, Our Sunday Visitor Publishing. Register Here!
- Tuesday, Mar 31 at 2:00pm CST – Part One: Placing the Kerygma at the Center of Catechetical Efforts in Parish Life – Dr. William Keimig, Dr. Mark Ginter, Dr. Stella Marie Jeffrey of the Catechetical Institute, Franciscan University of Steubenville, OH. Register Here!
|
|
|
|
|