Catechetical Leadership for Renewal
Shaping the Next Generation of Catechetical Leaders
School of Parish Leadership and Evangelization Lilly Grant in Collaboration with The Archdiocese of Chicago Offices of Lifelong Formation and Catholic Schools
Cardinal Cupich has asked the whole Archdiocese to engage in spiritual renewal to invigorate the faith of the entire community
Sharing Christ
As people of faith, we are called to share the energy and life that comes from encountering Christ with others as missionary disciples. We need to find ever new ways to share this good news that comes in the form of God’s mercy.
Renewal Initiative
The Catechetical Leadership for Renewal Initiative is a collaborative effort between the University of Saint Mary of the Lake and the Archdiocese of Chicago to shape the next generation of catechetical leaders in the Archdiocese of Chicago and beyond.
Are you a priest, deacon, parish lifelong formation team leader or member, Catholic school educator, parishioner who has led or participated in faith formation activities for children, youth, or adults, or a parent or parishioner concerned about faith formation? If so, we invite you to participate in this initiative.
This renewal process has been made possible by funding from the Lilly Endowment, Inc Thriving Congregations initiative. The process will unfold in three phases:
- We will begin with information gathering and dialogue through a survey and discussions about catechetical renewal in Learning Communities.
- Based on the information gathered, the School of Parish Leadership and Evangelization in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Chicago Offices of Lifelong Formation and Catholic Schools will develop proposals for renewing existing faith formation programs and consider possibilities for creating new programs.
- These proposals will be developed into pilot programs offered in English and Spanish.
A Faith Formation Survey
The School of Parish Leadership and the Archdiocese of Chicago, Offices of Lifelong Formation and Catholic Schools, want to initiate a conversation about ongoing renewal in handing on the faith. To provide a foundation for this conversation, we will gather information about past, present, and possible future faith formation / formación en la fe through a survey.
Community Conversation
We are forming Catechetical Learning Communities in each vicariate of the Archdiocese to discuss what we learn from the survey. We invite people from all over Chicagoland who care about how we are handing on the faith to apply to join one of the Learning Communities.
Learning Communities in each vicariate of the Archdiocese. All the Learning Communities will gather for a weekend retreat the first weekend in November, 2025 on the beautiful campus of the University of Saint Mary of the Lake – home to Mundelein Seminary, one of the best-known Catholic seminaries in the country. Each Learning Community will then continue to meet four to six times for a two-hour session in the months following the retreat so the members can continue to learn from one another and share their insights with faculty from the University and leaders from the Archdiocese. Learning Community Meetings will be held at a location convenient for the members.
This initiative is guided by the vision of catechesis presented in The Directory for Catechesis, which states:
“Catechesis is an ecclesial act, arising from the mandate of the Lord (cf. Mt. 28:19-20) and aimed, as its very nature indicates, at making the proclamation of his passion, death, and resurrection continually resound in the heart of every person so that his life may be transformed” (no. 55). The Directory also teaches that catechesis should “guard faithfully the deposit of faith” (no. 44) while at the same time striving to make present “a new vision of life, of humanity, of justice, of social existence, of the whole cosmos which emerges from the faith and which makes its signs concretely present” in particular social contexts (no. 60).
How can you help?
- Consider being a member of one of our Catechetical Learning Communities
- Let others at your parish know about this exciting development
- Consider making a gift to support the work of this initiative and of the School of Parish Leadership and Evangelization
- Pray for us
Questions and to get involved contact:
Harold “Bud” Horell
Margaret and Chester Paluch Chair of Theology
University of Saint Mary of the Lake
School of Parish Leadership and Evangelization
Office: (847) 837-4541
Email: CatLeadRenewal@USML.edu