Post-Symposium Goals
The Partnership’s goal is to bring together a specific and diverse cross-section of church leaders -- from bishops and publishers to practitioners, academics and parents -- to answer the common question "What can the Catholic Church do to effectively transform adolescent catechesis and evangelization within the current and emerging environments here in the United States?”
The Symposium will be limited to 100 invitees and will employ a series of presentations by national leaders, fish-bowl listening sessions featuring cohort groups, and mixed-group dialogues crafted into a process that will lead those gathered toward naming and claiming new perspectives regarding what needs to change to better form the faith of young people today. Dr. Michael Horan’s major synthesis paper will serve as the springboard for the group’s dialogue. Dr. Horan will also offer a keynote presentation during the start of the Symposium. Trained facilitators and recorders will be employed to both lead the small group dialogues as well as note the emerging thoughts, ideas and questions that arise from them.
Symposium Focus Question
What is needed to effectively transform adolescent catechesis in the Catholic Church given the current and emerging environments in the United States?
While the Symposium results cannot easily be quantified, its essential outcome is directed toward a shift in thinking about adolescent catechesis among national leaders, organizations and academicians which, in turn, will move us toward the systemic change that is required to transform current practices and methodologies.
Long-Term Goal
The Symposium seeks the creation of a long-term solution to the challenges facing adolescent catechesis today. In order to accomplish this, Symposium participants will be invited to listen to current issues impacting the faith formation of adolescents as presented through various perspectives including those brought by bishops, parish, school and diocesan leaders, academicians, national organizations and experts in sociology, adolescent neurology, psychology, education, theology, media. Participants will also be invited to provoke and challenge current thinking around what is working and what is not working and what we (the Church) can do to change the current reality.
Proposed Outcomes to Respond to the Goals...