Whether you're a parish leader, initiation minister, or work in a diocesan office, you are invited to the National Gathering on Christian Initiation™ Summer Virtual Workshops™ to explore the theoretical and practical aspects of initiation ministry. Through the interactive Adobe Connect platform, participants will break open the vision of the RCIA as it is adapted for use with children of catechetical age, as well as have opportunities to gather for prayer, a virtual happy hour, and optional free pre-sessions.

The NGCI Summer Virtual Workshops™ will be offered in both English and Spanish. Through pre-sessions, prayer, sessions, and breakouts, participants will gain practical skills, discuss common challenges, and share best practices with each other during this two-day virtual event.

What's New This Year

This year, we're 100% virtual! The English-language event will take place August 4^th and August 5^th, while the Spanish-language event will take place August 6^th and August 7^th.

Registration

We have reached capacity for the National Gathering on Christian Initiation™ Summer Virtual Workshops™ English-language event. If you would like to be added to the wait list, please call us at 800-933-1800 or by emailing orders@ltp.org. We will need your name, phone number, and email address.

The Theme for 2021 is Implementing the RCIA Adapted for Children

Goals of the Gathering

Participants will deepen their understanding of the Church's vision of the baptismal catechumenate as outlined in Part II.1 of the RCIA ritual text (RCIA adapted for children of catechetical age).
Participants will examine the roles of the parish community, the family, companions, and sponsors in order to discern best practices for forming and engaging each group throughout the initiation process.
Participants will explore various models of implementing an RCIA process adapted for children and will develop an initial implementation plan.
Participants will learn models for effective catechesis and formation of children in the initiation process.

Technology

While some sessions will take place on Zoom, most of our workshops will be held on the Adobe Connect virtual learning platform. So you and your computer will be ready for the event, special technology tests will take place in early August. For more information, click here and review this document.

Schedule

A detailed schedule and list of prerequisites for the National Gathering on Christian Initiation™ Summer Virtual Workshops™ can be found by clicking here.

For the English-language event, the main sessions will take place from 1:00PM - 4:00PM ET on August 4^th and 5^th. For the Spanish-language event, the main sessions will take place from 7:00PM - 10:00PM ET on August 6^th and from 11:00AM - 2:00PM ET on August 7^th.

Optional Pre-Session: July 21, 2021
1:00 - 2:30 PM	The Vision of the RCIA
August 4, 2021 (Times listed are in Eastern Time)
12:00 - 12:30 PM	Tech Test
12:30 - 1:00	Gathering
1:00 - 1:10	Welcome and Opening Prayer
1:10 - 2:40	Session 1 Five Models of Implementation Principles for the Catechumenate with Children
2:40 - 2:50	Break
2:50 - 3:45	Session 2 Principles for the Catechumenate with Children (continued)
3:45 - 4:00	Q&A and Closing Comments
6:30 - 7:00	Prayer and Reflection
7:00 - 8:00	Virtual Happy Hour

August 5, 2021 (Times listed are in Eastern Time)
12:00 - 12:45 PM	Optional Sessions Option A: Resources for Ministry Option B: Q&A with Presenters and Colleagues
12:45 - 1:00	Gathering
1:00 - 1:10	Prayer and Announcements
1:10 - 2:25	Session 3 The Practical Application of the Initiation Ministry Principles
2:25 - 2:35	Break
2:35 - 3:50	Session 4 Structuring a Parish Approach or "Program"
3:50 - 4:00	Q&A and Closing Comments

The 2021 NGCI Team

Each year, a different team of presenters works together with an LTP representative to plan the major presentations and breakout sessions of the event. Team members have been invited not only because of their understanding of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults and the Church’s mission of evangelization, but also because of their vast parish and diocesan experience.

Rita Burns Senseman

Rita Burns Senseman a catechist who specializes in the Christian initiation of young people. She currently serves as the pastoral associate and director of religious education at St. Benedict Parish in Terre Haute, Indiana. Prior to this position, she served as a team member for the North American Forum on the Catechumenate and as the associate director of the Office of Catechetics/Religious Education in the Archdiocese of Detroit. She holds a Master of Arts degree in theology from the University of Notre Dame. She is the coauthor of author of Guide for Celebrating Christian Initiation with Children (LTP 2017), and the coauthor of Guide to Adapting the RCIA for Children (LTP 2017) and Guía para adaptar el RICA para niños (LTP 2019), and several other books and resources.

Sr. Sandy DeMasi SSJ

Sr. Sandy DeMasi, SSJ, is a Sister of Saint Joseph of Chestnut Hill-Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She serves as pastoral associate for liturgy at Saint Rose of Lima, Short Hills, New Jersey, is a consultant/presenter for RCL Benziger Book Company, and a member of the North American Academy of Liturgy. Sr. Sandy served for thirteen years as the director of the Office of Divine Worship in the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey and over twenty years as a member of the board of directors of the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commisions. During this time, she served as a consultant for the ICEL subcommittee on the Christian Initiation of Older Children. Sister has a bachelor of science in education from Chestnut Hill College and a master of arts in liturgical studies from the University of Notre Dame. Her doctor of ministry degree is from the Catholic University of America, and her treatise was titled The Faith and Formation of Adults Who Bring Children for Baptism: A Plan of Liturgy and Catechesis.

Michael Ruzicki

Michael Ruzicki is the training and events manager at Liturgy Training Publications and the director of music ministry for St. John Berchmans Parish. Previously, he served as a parish pastoral associate and diocesan coordinator of adult and sacramental formation in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Michael is a former team member of the North American Forum on the Catechumenate. He is the author of Guide for Training Initiation Ministers: An Introduction to the RCIA (LTP, 2018). Michael studied at the Catholic University of America and the Washington Theological Union.