Religious Education Centre
Ukrainian Catholic Religious Education Centre was established in 1977 in order to train catechists and provide them with the adequate support and resources. Ever since then the Religious Education Centre has been committed to spreading the teaching of our Church. The staff at the Centre works on developing, promoting and supporting catechetical formation programs for children and adults, as well as organizing information sessions and workshops for catechists primarily on various liturgical topics. The reason that such high emphasis is being placed on the liturgical tradition of our Church is due to the liturgical nature of our faith - our Christian experience is based on the feasts and fasts celebrated by our Church.
The official children's catechetical program for the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Winnipeg is 'God with Us' series; "God With Us Publication" link.
While most of our parishioners, children and youth in particular, are exposed mainly to the Divine Liturgy, it is important to note that our Church offers a variety of liturgical services. These public prayer-gatherings are designed to strengthen one's faith, deepen one's understanding of the incorporeal mystery, and focus one's attention on the rhythm of life in general. To name merely two more popular services, any given day should begin with Matins - a morning service imbued with references to the rising of the sun and prayers 'that this whole day may be perfect, holy, peaceful, and without sin.' Similarly, at the conclusion of our busy days we should pause and notice the twilight. Here, at the onset of the darkness where all kinds of danger may lurk, we should always remember that Christ is our 'tranquil light, of the holy glory' - an ancient hymn sung at Vespers. Indeed, as we complete this evening prayer to the Lord, we are assured that Christ is our beginning and our end. He protects us and lifts up the heavy burden of worry that all of us carry.
It is due to this vital connection between the liturgies and one's religious education and faith that our Centre strives to offer as much instruction on theological significance of these services as possible.
Heartfelt gratitude should be extended to our community for its support, for while the Religious Education Centre strives to serve its needs, it is primarily due to your prayers and support that its existence is possible.
- the Center provides resources and in-services to our parishes in the city and rural areas;
- our staff meets with coordinators and catechists to provide continuity in support and spiritual development as it relates to their catechetical ministry;
- we recommend and provide resources that are requested by individuals, parishes, catholic schools, parish organizations and those involved in various forms of ministry;
- the Center maintains membership in the Western Canadian Conference of Religious Educators (WCCRE) through the Archeparchial National Catechetical Commission - organization whose aim is to monitor and consolidate religious education in Western Canadian provinces and organize major catechetical conferences for Catholic educators, WCCRE link;
- the Center works on establishing a close working relationship with other Eastern Catholic catechetical centres and organizations, National Catechetical Commision;
- the Center delivers practical sessions for catechists dealing with liturgical services and the theology thereof;
- the Center provides resources for summer catechetical programs and Catholic Summer Camps;
- the Center maintains the library by ordering new resources and programs as they appear on the market and replaces worn out or lost resources;
- the Story of Blessed Bishop and Martyr Nykyta Budka a learning guide for young students. "Our First Bishop" - a new resource for parish catechists and Catholic school educators. Now is available here.
- the Centre joins with Catechetical Centres from the Archdiocese of St. Boniface and the Archdiocese of Winnipeg to form the Tri-diocesan Committee in developing programs for faith development. One such program, called Emmaus, was a series of monthly sessions that ran for six years at St. Paul's College. The current activity of the Tri-Diocesan Committee involves promoting the goals of the Vatican II document "Nostra Aetate" and other Church documents, on the history and relationship between Christians and Jews and encouraging the study of Scripture within the Jewish context. The Committee promotes attendance at the Bat Kol Summer Institute in Jerusalem where the study of Torah is incorporated into the Christian self-understanding in a manner that respects the integrity of both tradition. The Committee sponsors sessions with the help of Christian and Jewish scholars in order to foster understanding and appreciation of our Judeo Christian heritage.
233 Scotia Street
Winnipeg, MB
R2V 1V7 Canada
tel: (204) 338-7801 (ext.5)
fax: (204) 339-4006
e-mail: religioused@archeparchy.ca
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