By Dorothy K. LaMantia |Correspondent

Nearly 70 coordinators and directors of religious education from parishes throughout the Diocese of Trenton gathered at the seashore for two days of learning, reflection and prayer in support and celebration of their common ministry.

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Sponsored by the diocesan Ministry of Catechesis and Evangelization, the Convocation of Catechetical Leaders 2013 was held in San Alfonso Retreat House, Long Branch, Oct. 17-18, and included Mass, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Benediction, evening prayer

Highlights of the gathering included three lectures given by Father Douglas Milewski,  priest of the Archdiocese of Newark, and associate professor of theology and dean for undergraduate programs at Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology at Seton Hall University. In addition, awards and grant certificates for catechetical formation were presented on Friday.

The event, offered annually, “alternates the theme of each convocation between either a spiritual or practical focus,” said Father Douglas A. Freer, diocesan vicar of Catholic education. “This convocation was aimed at providing intellectual formation of our catechetical leaders. We wanted to make the history of prayer and liturgy more accessible to them and to equip them to pass it along to their students.”

The first presentation, entitled, “Relearning the Our Father with St. Gregory of Nyssa,” presented an illuminating, radical perspective of this familiar prayer by the fourth-century saint. Afternoon presentations focused on the history of the sacraments and the Mass and the Scriptural origins of the rituals and prayers within them. 

 “The key thing about the words ‘our Father’ is that God is not abstract, they are a statement of the reality of a relationship between us and God,” said Father Doug Milewski, who holds a doctorate in theology with a specialization in patristics, the study of the early Church fathers.

Noting that the Lord’s Prayer is part of every liturgy of the Church and comes immediately after the Consecration, he said, “The Church is trying to teach us that the actions of Christian people is consecration and transformation; we are the entry point of the Kingdom of God in this world.”

 “This was thought-provoking,” said MaryPat Scordato, DRE in St. Mary of the Lakes Parish, Medford, “personally and in teaching the prayer to children.”

Jessica Donohue, CRE in Sacred Heart Parish, Mount Holly, commented, “ It was a valuable lesson in the importance of truly understanding the meaning of the prayers and rituals of the Church so that we are engaged with the words and actions we repeat so often, not just saying and doing things by rote.”

Dottie Guerrasio, DRE in St. Mary of the Lake Parish, Lakewood, pointed out the challenges faced by catechetical leaders.  “How do we bring this to people?” “How do you make the ‘Our Father’ real to a child whose father is absent or abusive?”

An additional presentation was made by Dan Mulhall of RCL Benziger, who offered Family Life Training aimed at supporting families in teaching  children to live their faith in a challenging, often coarsening world.

The program, meant to be a partnership of catechists assisting parents in the formation of their children as Catholics, has been adopted by the diocese for use in Catholic schools and religious education programs.

It focuses on “character and chastity formation and relationship skills, including learning how to make friends, to behave appropriately … the importance of telling the truth…or making smart decisions,” said Mulhall.

 “The strongest point is that it encourages and requires the cooperation of parents in its implementation,” said John McGuire, DRE in St. Paul Parish, Princeton.  “It calls for the greater Church community to support parents in this work.”