Category: Uncategorized

Thursday, August 13 | 10:00am-4:00pm | 
Notre Dame Retreat House (Canandaigua)

A day of prayerful reflection, friends, and fun for high school youth (entering grades 9-12) sponsored by the Office of Evangelization & Catechesis. The retreat theme will be the “Four Ls of Life” mentioned often by Bishop Bonnici. To learn more about the “Four Ls of Life”, click here. The day will include engaging talks on the theme, discussion, team-building, and more. Mass and lunch will also be a part of the day. The cost to attend the retreat is $40 per person and the registration deadline is July 31. For more information and to register, please visit https://dor.regfox.com/summer-2026-high-school-retreat.

Part One: August 26-21, 2026
Part Two: August 15-20, 2027

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) is a Montessori-based method of spiritual formation for children ages 3-12. It is a reflective-based program of religious formation that helps a child to further develop his/her relationship with God in a developmentally appropriate way. It is rooted in Sacred Scripture, the Liturgy, and the educational philosophy of Maria Montessori. The Catechesis began in 1954 in Rome, Italy. Sofia Cavalletti, a Scripture scholar, and Gianna Gobbi, a Montessorian, collaborated and began to work with children. Over the next 60 years, they developed materials and curriculum that spoke to the child’s religious potential and offered an opportunity for prayer, meditation, and religious development.
The Catechesis is an ongoing work that strives to reveal the religious potential of the child and respond to the spiritual needs and qualities of the child. It seeks to help children grow and mature in their faith and their relationship with Christ. The Catechesis is offered in over 37 countries throughout the world. 

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Formation is being offered in the Diocese of Rochester. To learn more and to register for the formation, click the links below or contact Winston Achar at or 585-288-5000 x121.

• Website: https://www.peaceofchristparish.org/
• Registration Link: https://www.osvhub.com/peaceofchristparish/forms/cgs-level-1-training
• Required Textbooks Link: https://www.cgsusa.org/product-category/good-shepherd-publications/level-i-formation-course-recommended-reading/

Sunday, September 20

Catechetical Sunday, which is celebrated on the third Sunday in September each year, was established as a way for the Catholic Church to recognize and celebrate the gift that catechists bring to a parish community. It also provides us an opportunity to reflect on the role that each person plays, by virtue of baptism, in handing on the faith and being a witness to the Gospel. On Catechetical Sunday, parishes are encouraged to recognize the importance of catechesis and faith formation in building up the Church and in the life of the parish. Many parishes will call forward all those who work in faith formation, including religious education teachers, youth ministry coordinators, Bible study group leaders, OCIA coordinators, and others, to receive a blessing. The theme for 2026 is “The Spirit of the Lord us upon me…to bring good news to the poor” (Lk 4:18; cf. Is 61:1).

The Office of Evangelization & Catechesis in the Diocese of Rochester joins Catholics around the world in celebrating a Franciscan Jubilee year, observed from Jan. 10, 2026, through Jan. 10, 2027, marking the 800th anniversary of the passing of St. Francis of Assisi, a Catholic friar who founded the religious order of the Franciscans. Pope Leo XIV proclaimed the special Jubilee year inviting the faithful to reflect on the life and enduring legacy of St. Francis whose profound commitment to the gospel, love for the poor and reverence for all of creation continues to inspire Christians eight centuries later. Learn more about St. Francis each month in our newsletters.