To help foster skills in communication and collaboration, the Diocese is offering a two-part workshop in June for those who serve in ministry.

Geared for persons in leadership positions including parish religious education programs, youth ministry, Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, marriage ministry and adult faith formation, the workshop on “Relationship Skills for Effective Ministry” is designed to help participants grow in their ministry and faith, said Laura Rivas, associate director of the diocesan Department of Evangelization and Family Life.

“Every one of us, by virtue of our Baptism, is on a lifelong journey of faith, and it is for this reason that adult faith formation has a purpose to support, nourish and challenge adults as they grow in relationship with God and with others,” Rivas said. “Since we are all continually being formed in our faith as we walk on our journeys of life, a renewed commitment to adult faith formation necessitates a need for this type of quality programming especially for all those involved in ministry.”

For the English-speaking community, the workshop will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. June 12 and June 26 in St. David the King Parish, 1 New Village Road, Princeton Junction. The June 12 topic will be on listening and will feature presenters Barbara Rookey, director of religious education in St. Isidore the Farmer Parish, New Egypt, and Rivas. The June 26 topic will focus on parish collaboration and feature presenter Nanci Bachman, pastoral associate in St. David the King Parish. Fee is $30 and includes breakfast and lunch plus materials.

For the Spanish-speaking community, the workshop will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. June 8 (on listening) and June 22 (on parish collaboration) in St. Anthony of Padua Parish, 251 Franklin St., Hightstown. Rivas will facilitate both sessions in Spanish. Fee is $20 and includes breakfast and lunch and materials.

Rivas gave brief encapsulations on what participants can expect to hear during the two sessions. In the listening session, Rivas said that they will learn strategies for building community, on becoming a better listener and on how to live a life of discipleship.

“Listening is a deep biblical response to all of life, and that is a process that involves entering into the world of the other person in his/her uniqueness so that both speaker and listener become more fully conscious of the presence of God in their lives,” she said.

In the parish collaboration workshop, Rivas said participants will learn more about the definition of collaboration and its relationship to cooperation.

To register online, visit dioceseoftrenton.org/events/relationship-skills-for-effective-ministry-2019. To register by mail, send payment to Diocese of Trenton, Department of Evangelization and Family Life, Attn: Lucia Barrita, 701 Lawrenceville Road, N.J. 08648. Deadline to register is June 7.

For more information, contact Rivas at 609-403-7132 or Barrita at 609-403-7154.