Webinars / Videos

WEBINARS

Diocese of Orlando

In the Fall of 2012, Sister Kieran was invited by the Diocese of Orlando, Florida, to prepare the catechists of the diocese to implement the Learning about L.I.F.E.  Program.  To give the pastors and catechetical leaders, as well as the parish catechists, the background they would need to understand the program, she prepared a series of webinars that were published on the diocesan website.  The diocese then scheduled two complete training days, during which Sister Kieran came to Orlando to guide the catechists in the process of presenting the materials.  She also spoke to a gathering of pastors, explaining to them the importance of their support in the implementation of the program, and presented a demonstration session in one of the local parishes for the youth group with their parents.

Other dioceses who are preparing to implement the L.I.F.E. Program may find these webinars helpful.  The webinars would also be a good introduction for anyone who is considering bringing the program into their diocese or area.

The Orlando Webinars include:

1. Intro:  A general introduction to the L.I.F.E. Program (15 minutes). 

2. Webinar 1:  Theology of the Body and Chastity Eduaction  (25 minutes)  Sister Kieran gives a brief introduction to the teachings of Pope John Paul II concerning pesonhoold, love, and sexuality, and shows how both his content and his catechetical methodology can be guides for teaching children and teens about relationships and chastity.

3. Webinar 2:  The Two Mandates:  Safe Environment and Chastity Education (25 minutes)  Sister Kieran shows the relationship between two documents issued by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: the 2002 Charter for the Protection of Children, which requires that all children be given instruction on how to prevent sex abuse, and the 2008 Catechetical Formation in Chaste Living which requires that all children be given chastity education frorm kindergarten through grade 12.
4. Webinar 3:  Learning about L.I.F.E. and L.I.F.E. Plus (45 minutes)  Sister Kieran gives a detailed explanation of the L.I.F.E. Program, its purpose, principles, and processes and provides an overview of each of the age-level sessions.

Ave Maria Press -- vimeo

In 2011 Sister Kieran was invited by Ave Maria Press to present a webinar introducing high school religion teachers and youth ministers to the US Bishops document on chastity education.  The introduction to the vimeo reads: 

"Everyone agrees that our young people need education in chastity, but few seem to know how to go about imparting that essential information to them. In Catechetical Formation for Chaste Living (USCCB, 2008), the US Bishops define chastity as the virtue that “directs our sexuality toward authentic love and away from using persons as objects for sexual pleasure” and offer a framework that will help young people to develop that virtue. In this webinar, Sister Kieran Sawyer will offer an approach to sexuality education that she believes corresponds to the core content of the Chaste Living document. Based on the acronym LIFE (love, infatuation, friendship, and exploitation), her approach has been used successfully with teens for many decades." 

Click here to follow the vimeo.

Teens and Chastity: Implementing the USCCB's New Document, "Catechetical Formation in Chaste Living"

St. Anthony Parish, Pewaukee, WI -- video

During the 09-10 program year, Sister Kieran presented two sessions for the parents involved in the family religious education program at St. Anthony on the Lake Parish, in Pewaukee, WI, the parish where co-author Kathie Amidei has served for many years.  The sessions were meant to prepare the parents for the L.I.F.E. Program in which they would participate with their children in coming weeks.  The parent sessions were video-taped by Mary T.Phelan, a parish member who is also a professional videographer.

Click here to view the video.

St. Anthony on the Lake,. DVD  Parent session.