Professional Development Webinar Recordings

In anticipation of Thomas Merton's 100th birthday celebration, author and Merton expert, Jonathan Montaldo, will provide parish ministers with a unique perspective on contemplative prayer and demonstrate how we can integrate it into our lives or the lives of the people we serve. Thomas Merton taught his novices a way of praying that would allow them to enter the school of wisdom provided by their most personal experiences. He taught a perspective for contemplative prayer through which his students could meditate upon a divine providence at work in all their significant relationships with persons, books, art, and everything they loved. In this webinar Montaldo will examine three key texts from Merton's journals that feature the monk's understanding of the value of his relationships with others as guidance for creating his own destiny to love and seek God. This teaching will instigate a new way of meditation as a practice for ourselves and for those we guide in spiritual formation.

Also on Vimeo.In this webinar, Msgr. Stephen Rossetti will talk about the challenges of ministering as a priest today in this increasingly secular culture. He will talk about the specific demands this secular culture makes upon the priests and how to stand up and prosper under the stresses and pressures the culture imposes.His new book, Letters to My Brothers, is a series of personal letters to his brother priests, a kind of personal conversation between him and his brothers on the state of the priesthood with all its joys and problems.Join Msgr. Rossetti, leading expert on the state of the priesthood in the United States and the CEO of Saint Luke Institute, in this presentation and discussion about what it means to be a priest today. This webinar and his book are both realistic yet upbeat and inspiring reflections on what it means to be a priest today.This presentation is co-sponsored by SLIconnect (www.sliconnect.org), the education resource of Saint Luke Institute.

This webinar explores the national certification process for lay ecclesial ministers. Christopher Anderson of the National Association of Lay Ministers (NALM) and Dr. J. Michael McMahon of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians (NPM) explain the background to the new lay ecclesial minister certification process. The presentation includes an overview of the whole process and a review of the steps to certification that applicants should follow.Full Webinar Description: The national certification of lay ecclesial ministers is a new and exciting development in the ongoing professionalization of lay ministry. Join us to learn about the national certification process for lay ecclesial ministers exercising a variety of ministry specializations. The presentation will include an overview of the whole process and a review of the steps to certification.Presenters: Dr. J. Michael McMahon, President, National Association of Pastoral Musicians (NPM) and Christopher Anderson, Executive Director, National Association for Lay Ministry.

At the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC), more than 20,000 teens from all over the United States will gather together in Indianapolis, Indiana, for a four day celebration that includes dynamic speakers, powerful workshops, worship music, and a number of interactive activities. To help the parish and diocesan leaders prepare themselves and their teens for this landmark event, Ave Maria Press is partnering with the National Federation of Catholic Youth Ministers (NFCYM) and the National Association of Catholic Youth Ministry Leaders (NACYML) to gather a panel of experts to help everyone in attendance get the most out of their experience before, during, and after NCYC. This panel will include: Bob McCarty Executive Director National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry (NFCYM)Kevin Feyen Director of Adolescent Faith Formation Archdiocese of Dubuque Cindee Case Director of the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry Diocese of YoungstownKim McMillan Director of Youth Ministry St. Benedict Parish, Chicago, IllinoisJackie Francois Angel Keynote Speaker and Emcee National Catholic Youth Conference Join them as they share some of the best ways to prepare for the event, how to have a great experience while there, and what to do once you get home. Whether you are attending NCYC this year, hope to attend in the future, or you are gathering groups of teens for another Catholic youth conference this year, join us for and discover new ways to inspire the adolescents in your parish. Special Partners

How to Get Through the New Testament in an HourThe New Testament is a lot to understand! Twenty-seven books, eight different authors (at least), four different biographies of Jesus—how do we make sense of it all?Join Dr. John Bergsma, professor of Theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville, for a short "guided tour" through the New Testament.Dr. Bergsma focuses on four main authors—Matthew, Luke, Paul, and John—who together give us almost 90 percent of the New Testament. If we can just understand these four, we will get the "big idea" of the New Testament.Dr. Bergsma's approach can be adapted for a variety of teaching situations: RCIA, religious education, adult faith formation, and parish small group meetings.