Workshops & Training
Other Topics
Listed below are some topics and synopses from Sister Kieran's past presentations. You will notice an overlapping in the contents, as each presentation was prepared according to the specific wishes of the hosting group.
SCRIPTURE IS THE HEART OF CATECHESIS
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. Never forget these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them when you are at home and when you are away. Teach them to your children.” In this beautiful passage from Deuteronomy, we learn what God considers to be the heart of catechesis. How do we introduce our children to the Bible as a book through which God speaks to the hearts of his people? Sister Kieran Sawyer presents a variety of activities that can be used by catechists and their students to discover the scriptures as a source of prayer and guidance. PLEASE BRING A BIBLE TO THIS SESSION.
EDUCATION FOR LOVE – part I: The Great Commandments
The human person is created for love. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. You shall love your neighbor as you love yourself. How do we, as parents and catechists, teach our children to live these Great Commandments?
EDUCATION FOR LOVE – part 2: Sexuality Education
The church teaches that parents are the primary educators of their children, especially in matters of sexuality and chastity, and that such formation must always be provided in the broadest context of education for love. How do we, as catechists and parish leaders, help our parents to provide this kind of positive, loving education for our children and adolescents?
THE GREAT COMMANDMENTS
Perhaps the most important task of parents and catechists is to teach children to live the Great Commandments – love God with your whole being and love your neighbor as you love yourself. In this session Sister Kieran takes a new look at these ancient commandments, and presents some creative ways of bringing them to life in the minds and hearts of today’s young people.
MENTORING YOUTH: IT TAKES A VILLAGE...
The concept is ageless: it takes a whole village to raise a child. This recently popularized proverb is especially true in the context of faith: it takes an entire community of caring, faith-filled adults to help children grow as mature Christians and committed Catholics. Sister Kieran Sawyer believes that the parish can and should be that "village." Her workshop will explore a variety of ways to involve a whole parish in the on-going task of mentoring the faith development of its younger members, especially its teens.
FACILITATING PARENT-TEEN COMMUNICATION
“He talked to us! Our son never talks, but tonight he talked to us.” This feedback from a parent-teen evening is evidence of the need to help parents and teens to communicate with one another about the important issues which are impacting the lives of our young people. In this session, Sister Kieran Sawyer presents some of the methods she has used over the years to make these essential parent-teen dialogues happen.
ENCOUNTERING CHRIST IN OUR STUDENTS (for teachers)
The theology of incarnation found in the New Testament presents us with two related mysteries: a) Jesus is present in me and acts through me; and b) Jesus himself is present in the “other” I encounter in my life. This session attempts to increase our awareness of both: I as teacher represent the person of Christ to my students; and Christ counts as done for him “whatsoever I do” to each of my students.
Sister Kieran will prepare a talk to fit your theme or conference. To schedule a presentation, contact her at sawyerk@tymeout.org.