The Church calls parents to be the primary religious educators of their children. This course will assist parents to attend to the values and lifestyle of the home, to provide religious rituals and opportunities for shared prayer, to practice outreach to those in need, and to capitalize on the everyday “teachable moments” for sharing faith with children. In addition to short readings most of which are available on the website, four brief video segments help stimulate conversation. The videos feature Boston College professor Thomas H Groome. In two of the segments he is in conversation with Melinda Brown Donovan and Paula Raposo, who are experienced facilitators, parish ministers, and parents.  This four-week course will begin on March 1 and run until  March 26, 2010 (Site opens February 22 and closes March 31.) This course includes:
•    readings and handouts for the first three weeks
•    weekly introductions to each new topic
•    4 downloadable videos on family, faith, and best family practices
•    weekly questions for reflection and discussion
•    a page of further resources about topics discussed in this course
•    a "town meeting" forum where you can meet other participants and socialize.
•    Those who actively participate receive an acknowledgement of completion of course.

All C21 Online courses include these features:
•    Participants have access 24 hours/7 days a week to the course's password protected web site.
•    Each participant belongs to a small community for conversation and faith sharing guided by a facilitator.
•    Site is open to participants at least one week before and one week after the course.
•    An orientation in how to navigate the web site is always available.
•    Technical assistance is easy to contact and prompt in returning a message.

Topics
Week 1: What Do Families Want to Hand On?
•    "Nine Things That Make Us Catholic" by Thomas Groome
•    The home and family as a setting for handing on the faith
Week 2: What Kind of Faith-Sharing Can Happen in a Family?
•    Stages of faith development and characteristics of healthy families
Week 3: Best Practices in the Home: Witness and Word
•    Speaking about God and faith in the family setting
•    Values reflected in the family and by the family in the community
Week 4: Best Practices in the Home: Welfare (Well-Being) and Worship
•    More on family in the community
•    Family prayer and rituals
•    Parents' personal prayer life

Additional Materials Needed
For this course, participants will want to purchase the following book from their favorite local or online bookstore:
Kathy Hendricks, A Parent's Guide to Prayer. Twenty-Third Publications, 2004. ISBN: 158953482

Time Commitment
A participant can expect to spend an average of 2-3 hours each week. This commitment includes both the assigned reading and interaction online.

Fee:
The cost of the course is £30/€35 made payable to the Office of Pastoral Renewal and Family Ministry, Archdiocese of Armagh.  To register for the course This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and provide us with your name, a contact number and the email address you would like to use during the course.