National Gathering on Christian Initiation Hero Image

Join us for the 2022 National Gathering on Christian Initiation™ on July 13–14 at the Loyola University Chicago Lakeshore Campus, located in the Rogers Park neighborhood.

The National Gathering on Christian Initiation™ invites parish leaders, initiation ministers, and regional or diocesan trainers to come together to explore the theoretical and practical aspects of initiation ministry. Through interactive sessions, meetings, and prayer opportunities, participants will understand more deeply that the vision of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is the vision of the parish as a community of disciples.

The National Gathering on Christian Initiation™ will have two tracks. Parish Leaders and Initiation Ministers will deepen and enrich their work as they gain practical skills, discuss common challenges, and share best practices. Within the Parish Leaders and Initiation Ministers track, one may choose English or Spanish language breakout sessions. Pre-conference distance-learning sessions will be available for new ministers and those interested in exploring the basics of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. Regional or Diocesan Trainers will explore and discuss practical strategies for implementing effective training and formation in their local communities.

The Theme for 2022 is Evaluating and Revitalizing the RCIA in Your Parish

The theme for the 2022 National Gathering on Christian Initiation is Evaluating and Revitalizing the RCIA in your Parish. A thorough assessment of our parish’s catechumenal ministry is beneficial for the life and vibrancy of the faith community. The NGCI team members will use the RCIA ritual text and the 2020 Directory for Catechesis to guide participants through an honest evaluation process. While we will celebrate the good work that is being done in the parish community, we will also ask the hard questions and raise the bar as we strive to fully implement the Church’s vision. Finally, participants will have the opportunity to develop a strategic plan that includes a more fruitful collaboration with clergy and full inclusion of the baptized faithful in the initiation process.

Goals of the Gathering

  • Offer participants new insights for evaluating their initiation ministry efforts.
  • Equip participants to revitalize ministry in their community.
  • Prepare participants to share a renewed vision and strategic plan with leaders in their parish.

Registration Booklet

Learn more about the 2022 National Gathering on Christian Initiation™ in our Registration Booklet.

Registration

Registration for the 2022 National Gathering on Christian Initiation™ is now closed. If you have any questions, please contact us at 800-933-1800.

All cancellations and requests for refunds must be submitted in writing (letter, fax, or e-mail) by Friday, June 10, 2022 for a full refund or by Monday, June 27, 2022 for a 75% refund. Cancellation requests after Monday, June 27, 2022 will not receive a refund.

Health and Safety Protocols

All attendees of the 2022 National Gathering on Christian Initiation™ must be vaccinated against COVID-19 and will be asked to provide proof of vaccination. Other health and safety protocols, such as the wearing of masks and social distancing, will be announced in June 2022. These protocols will be based on the most current guidance from the CDC, the State of Illinois, the City of Chicago, and the Archdiocese of Chicago. Attendees failing to adhere to these protocols will not be permitted to participate in the event.

Schedule

 

July 12, 2022
3:00 PM - 5:00 PMOptional RCIA Coordinators Forum
(Limited Registrations)
Catholic Social Teaching and the Catechumenate
7:00 PM - 9:00 PMOpening Reception
Optional. Tickets are $30. Includes an open bar and desserts.
July 13, 2022
8:00 AM - 8:50 AMRegistration
9:00 AM - 9:30 AMWelcome, Introductions, and Opening Prayer
9:30 AM - 9:45 AMGeneral Session
Revitalizing the RCIA can Renew the Life of Your Parish
9:45 AM - 10:15 AMGeneral Session
Permission to Dream: The Catechumenal Impact on Parish Life
10:15 AM - 10:30 AMBreak
10:30 AM - 12:15 PMGeneral Session
The Principals for Evaluation ARE Opportunities for Revitalization
12:15 PM - 1:30 PMLunch Included in registration
1:30 PM - 3:30 PMBreakout Session #1
Learning from Experience: Insights from Our Stories
3:30 PM - 4:00 PMCoffee Break
4:00 PM - 5:15 PMBreakout Session #2
Clergy and Laity as Co-laborers in Revitalization
5:30 PM - 6:00 PMRitual Celebration
6:00 PMEnd of Day
Dinner and evening on your own
July 14, 2022
8:00 AM - 8:30 AMMorning Prayer and Announcements
8:30 AM - 8:45 AMGeneral Session
Moving from Intention to Action
8:45 AM - 10:00 AMStrategic Action #1
Drafting the Blueprints for Catechumenal Renewal
10:00 AM - 10:30 AMCoffee Break
10:30 AM - 11:45 AMStrategic Action #2
Laying a Foundation for Parish Engagement
11:45 AM - 12:45 PMLunch Included in registration
12:45 PM - 2:00 PMStrategic Action #3
Constructing a Renewed Approach for Ministry
2:00 PM - 2:30 PMGeneral Session
Returning with a Plan: Preparing for Fruitful Conversations
2:30 PM - 3:00 PMClosing
August 2022
Date/Time TBDPost-Gathering Virtual Follow-Up

 



The 2022 NGCI Team

Each year, a different team of presenters work 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.

 

Rose Hernandez

Rose Hernandez

Rose Hernandez is the director for the Office of Formation and Evangelization in the Diocese of Fresno. She has over twenty years of ministry experience as a master catechist, pastoral associate, member of the Archdiocesan Liturgical Commission, and as a workshop presenter and retreat director in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. She served the North American Forum on the Catechumenate and is currently associated with TeamRCIA. Rose earned both her bachelor of arts in psychology and ancient Greek and master of arts in pastoral ministry from Loyola Marymount University. Her ministerial passions are liturgy and initiation sacraments.

Complete this sentence: When thinking about this ministry, it’s important to dream big because . . .

“. . . if we don’t dream, we will remain in the same place forever. Dreaming big helps us to vision what could be; maybe not tomorrow or even next year but gives us something to look forward to and keeps us from being stagnant.”

Why are you excited about NGCI? What are you looking forward to?

“I am excited to share and to listen to everyone who gathers at NGCI! We are all coming to learn together; none of us are “experts”; we are all ministers serving God’s People. When we come together and share, we can learn so much from each other. I think, though, I am most excited about meeting people who share a love and enthusiasm for initiation ministry!”

Monique Jacobs

Monique Jacobs

Monique Jacobs is the director of faith formation in the Diocese of Reno and accompanies seekers as a spiritual director. She has worked in a professional ministry setting for over forty years, serving as a religious sister and in leadership at local and diocesan levels. Monique completed her graduate degree in religious education from Fordham University, NYC. She contributes regularly to the Faith Forum series in the Reno Gazette Journal, has partnered with the Five Loaves for video catechesis and Our Sunday Visitor for family formation curriculum, and currently hosts a weekly Finding God video series, spotlighting the Spirit in daily life. Her joy in ministry is to serve as a mentor and companion to others to highlight their gifts and help build up the body of Christ.

How can Christian initiation ministry (or the vision of the Rite) revitalize a parish?

“Walking together on this mysterious and joyful journey of faith offers us multiple opportunities to experience the many faces of the Divine. . . . Christian Initiation ministry is a vibrant partner for a deepening relationship with the God we already love, whose love shapes whom we are becoming.”

Why are you excited about NGCI? What are you looking forward to?

“Putting our hearts and dreams together in a vibrant bouquet which we then can offer back to our faith communities, takes my breath away. What will God reveal? What will be the new invitation that is laid before us? I can’t wait!”

Victor Klimoski

Victor Klimoski

Victor Klimoski is an organizational development consultant and facilitates writing retreats and workshops. He served as director of lifelong learning for Saint John’s School of Theology for fifteen years and was academic dean for seventeen years at the University of St. Thomas’s School of Divinity. He holds a PHD in adult learning and development from the University of Minnesota as well as an MA in theology from Saint John’s, Collegeville. He has written extensively on theological teaching and learning, based on his consultation with nearly fifty seminaries across the country, and has published six books of poetry, with a seventh to be released in January 2022.

Why is it important for a parish to enter a process of evaluation and planning?

“At its core, evaluation is about learning from our efforts to achieve important outcomes. Done well, evaluation enables us to identify what works best, what engages people in the process, and what next steps are available. That sort of data makes planning specific, focused, and keyed to real needs and possibilities.”

Why should people come to NGCI?

“Work on this level of significance demands a great deal of those who commit to it. Gathering to share experience and wisdom is a profound way of being renewed for the journey ahead and ensuring that important insights do not get lost—or taken for granted! Each person coming contributes to what we know about the process, the various ways of sustaining it under differing circumstances, and intensifying its role as central to the renewal of the Church for mission in the world.”

Michael Ruzicki

Michael Ruzicki

Michael Ruzicki is the training and events manager at Liturgy Training Publications and the director of sacred music and liturgy for St. Mary of the Lake and Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Chicago. 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.

How can parish leaders use the vision of the RCIA to make a profound impact on a community?

“Many of us have heard, in these or similar words, that ‘the baptismal catechumenate should inspire all faith formation efforts in the parish.’ Yes! But, can we honestly say that we have taken this seriously? Now is the time we let this model shape all of parish life.”

Why should people come to NGCI?

“For this year’s Gathering, I am envisioning an Upper Room Pentecost moment. Together, a group of disciples will come together—mindful that a mission was placed before them, unsure of the path they must travel, but certain that there will be big challenges ahead of them. There, we will have tough conversations, support each other in our ministry, and pastorally and professionally challenge each other to see things in a different way. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we will be shaken—shaken and set on fire to go forth and make disciples of all nations.”

Wendy Barton Silhavy

Wendy Barton Silhavy

Wendy Barton Silhavy is the senior coordinator for liturgy and music in the Office for Divine Worship, Archdiocese of Chicago. She received her BM in Church music from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, and her MA in liturgical music from St. John’s University, Collegeville. She brings twenty-five years of experience in parish, seminary, and diocesan liturgy to her work with the archdiocese. Her interests in liturgy include the relationship between liturgy and catechesis and the impact of liturgy on our everyday lives.



Why is it important to evaluate your initiation ministry?

“It’s a natural temptation to rely on old information as the years go by. Taking time to evaluate allows us to reset our expectations and way of doing things. . . . If we stand still in our ministry, the world will change around us and we will not have the same impact, even with approaches that have been successful in the past.”

Why are you excited about NGCI? What are you looking forward to?

“I love the opportunity to gather with colleagues in a relaxed and supportive environment to learn, share, and be inspired. Most of the year is so busy, it’s hard to find time to reflect on ministry. This gathering gives people time to reflect on personal experience and resonate with the experience of others.”