The Archdiocese of New York’s Office of Youth Faith Formation held a kickoff presentation Wednesday, Oct. 14, at St. Anastasia Church in the Orange County village of Harriman.
It was the last of eight such sessions conducted throughout the archdiocese in recent weeks, an annual tradition for archdiocesan Youth Faith Formation administrators to go over programs and resources, and to demonstrate their support of their parish-level counterparts in religious education and youth ministry programs. A key message was that “Jesus and the Holy Spirit are the chief catechists.”
Programs and resources
“There is so much to learn, and the more you learn, the more you love it…We’re here to support you,” Robin Klueber, director of archdiocesan Youth Faith Formation, said during the presentation, alluding to programs and resources related to Youth Faith Formation, including the New York Catholic Bible School, Caring for God’s Creation, and Gospel for Life, an archdiocesan respect life program that goes beyond matters of the unborn or assisted suicide.
“Caring for every single life, every single life. It’s so precious,” Klueber said, citing troubling occurrences such as bullying, and the importance of caring for children with special needs. She and other speakers also spoke of the significance of keeping open the lines of communication, largely so that parish Youth Faith Formation leaders are aware of all resources available to them, such as the FORMED program.
Among the resources, they said, is the ArchNYLAB section of the website of the archdiocese, a one-stop online resource with an abundance of information helpful to Youth Faith Formation staffers. More than 20 Youth Faith Formation leaders attended the late-morning Harriman gathering, all from parishes in the Orange/Rockland region. “We have to keep our parish programs strong…That’s our future,” Klueber said.
“It’s a wonderful, wonderful learning platform,” Klueber told the attendees of ArchNYLAB. Also offering words of support was Tadhg Malone, associate director of archdiocesan Youth Faith Formation, who noted that LAB stands for Learning, Accompanying, Believing.
The presentation included information on the benefits of Family Faith Formation, an initiative of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops that entails multi-generation formation, as well as information on Evangelizing Catechesis, also a USCCB initiative, aimed at “building disciples” among youth. Also discussed was the importance of updated Safe Environment procedures.
Grateful catechists
Liliana Vargas was among the session attendees; she is director of religious education at St. John the Evangelist in Goshen. “They’re bringing us important information…such as the ArchNYLAB, to make sure that everybody is on track and that we’re all continuing to grow in our faith through the courses that they provide,” Vargas told The Good Newsroom during the lunch social that followed the presentation.
Sr. Shinty Antony, director of religious education at Infant Saviour in Pine Bush, said, “Today’s presentation was really great; everything was clear. And the lessons on videos will help us more…Catechism is about evangelizing children, teaching them to be more prayerful.”
Fr. Bladi J. Socualaya, pastor of St. Anastasia, offered the opening blessing, citing the importance of the Lord’s guidance and the intercession of Mother Mary, and saying in part, “May St. Carlo Acutis, a young witness of holiness in our time, inspire our youth and all who serve them to place Christ at the center of their lives.”