Catechetical Learning Communities
Catechetical Learning Communities
School of Parish Leadership and Evangelization Lilly Grant and in Collaboration with The Archdiocese of Chicago Offices of Lifelong Formation and Catholic Schools
What is a Learning Community?
Catechetical Learning Communities are small groups of people who listen, share, and discuss their involvement as leaders or participants in programs and processes to nurture and engage faith. The School of Parish Leadership and Evangelization, in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Chicago Offices of Lifelong Formation and Catholic Schools, wants to engage the community to learn how we might be able to create and sustain more effective catechetical ministries for children and adults in our schools and parishes and how to train a new generation of leaders who are able to meet the ministry demands of the next generation.
Why Should I Join a Learning Community?
Are you passionate about your faith and sharing that with others? Are you involved as a volunteer or employee at a Catholic parish or school with responsibilities for helping others to encounter Christ? Are you concerned about handing on the faith to your family and friends, but uncertain how to go about it? Or are you concerned about the declining number of people in our society who identify as Catholic?
If you are a priest, full time parish/school employee, volunteer, or a concerned parent or parishioner, we invite you to join our process of learning and reflecting on the state of catechetical ministries today and ways we can be more effective at helping others grow in faith.
If any of these apply to you, you might be interested in joining one of our Learning Communities. Meetings will be held at a location convenient to the members of each Learning Community. By joining a community, you will have the opportunity to collaborate with members of neighboring parishes in renewing catechetical formation programs within the Archdiocese of Chicago.
What Do I Need to Do?
Show up with an open mind and a willingness to think big.
The Learning Community process will begin with a retreat on the beautiful campus of the University of Saint Mary of the Lake. You will have the opportunity to get to know others in your area who share your passion and concerns and learn more about what we already know about the challenges of handing on the faith. The retreat will take place the first weekend in November, 2025 and is a completely free opportunity.
Following the retreat, each learning community will meet four to six times beginning in January, 2026 at a venue within the community’s vicariate to discuss various aspects of catechesis, the challenges of handing on the faith, and the skills needed for leading our catechetical programs in the future.
During the meetings, our researchers will help to confidentially gather your discussions and ideas as we all discern how to move forward as a community.
At the end of the process, our findings will be used by catechetical leaders in the Archdiocese and at the School of Parish Leadership to develop and update programs to train the next generation of leadership for the Archdiocese.
Apply to Be Part of a Learning Community
Contact Peggy Bradley at pbradley@usml.edu is you are interested in joining a Learning Community.
Have questions? Please send them to CatLeadRenewal@usml.edu, or contact our Grant Director, Dr. Harold “Bud” Horell at (847) 837-4541