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STEP, University of Notre Dame NewsletterMay 2010
University of Notre Dame

Bishop Rhoades Responds to Statement and Principles on Life

Bishop Rhoades
by Julie Hail Flory

Saying he is "encouraged by the steps being taken by the University of Notre Dame," Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend offered his support for the University's recently adopted institutional statement on life and principles for charitable giving.

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Unfolding the Mystery of Christ: Exploring Liturgical Time
June 14- 16, 2010
NDCL conference
at Notre Dame

"The Church is conscious that it must celebrate the saving work of the divine Bridegroom by devoutly recalling it on certain days throughout the course of the year. Every week, on the day which the Church has called the Lord's Day, it keeps the memory of the Lord's resurrection, which it also celebrates once a year, together with his blessed passion, in the most solemn festival of Easter.

Within the cycle of a year, moreover, the Church unfolds the whole mystery of Christ, from his incarnation and birth until his ascension, the day of Pentecost and the expectation of blessed hope and of the Lord's return.

Recalling thus the mysteries of redemption, the Church opens to the faithful the riches of the Lord's powers and merits, so that these are in some way made present in every age in order that the faithful may lay hold on them and be filled with saving grace."

- Sacrosanctum Concilium 102

The Notre Dame Center for Liturgy's conference in June 2010 will explore the ways in which Catholics are invited to enter into Christ's life more deeply every year through the liturgical celebrations of the Church calendar.


2010 Laetare Medal RecipientLaetare medal

Dana Gioia to receive Notre Dame's Laetare Medal.  He will be awarded the medal, the oldest and most prestigious honor given to American Catholics, during Notre Dame's 165th University Commencement Ceremony on May 16, 2010.

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Course Participants

Helpful Tips to Get Started in
Greg tech
Courses

Greg Doyle, Associate Director of STEP, offers tips that address common problems STEP students may experience with a course. 

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Want to Partner with STEP?

STEP has many partner diocese who use STEP as part of their formation programs in lay ministry, diaconate and catechist certification.  STEP offers quality theological education to compliment local diocesan formation.


Contact Tom Cummings  to learn more about how your diocese could benefit from partnership with STEP.
  STEP can be reached via e-mail at stepnd@nd.edu or at 1-866-425-7837. 
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Upcoming Courses 6/7- 7/23/2010

We Are His Witnesses: Our Spirit-Filled Mission as the Church
The RCIA: Can We Get the Rite Right?
Women and Catholicism in the U.S.
Youth Ministry 101
Biblical Literary Forms
Emerging Models of Catechesis: A Study of Faith Formation Models
Mary as Mother: A Symbol of Life and Hope for Christians
Core Course: Introduction to the Catholic Faith


What's New at STEP?

New STEPND Blog
 
 STEP Logo


In March, the STEP Blog went live.  We see this endeavor as an extension of what we are doing in the courses-- providing quality adult faith formation.  We hope to reach a broader audience and invite new faces into courses as well as keep those who take courses engaged in thoughtful dialog about their faith.   The use of Facebook and Youtube are additional venues for outreach.  


We hope you will check out the blog and join in the conversation.

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STEP Receives a 2009 Constant Contact All-Star Award

Constant  Contact Award

 

Constant Contact recognizes STEP for commitment to best practices in email marketing

 

Notre Dame, IN - STEP, announces that it has received a 2009 All-Star Award from Constant Contact®, Inc., a leading provider of email marketing, event marketing, and online survey tools for small organizations.  STEP was selected for meeting Constant Contact's best-practice standards for the use of Email Marketing throughout 2009.

STEP received a 2009 Constant Contact All-Star Award for demonstrating best practices in the effective use of Constant Contact Email Marketing in the following areas.

  • Frequency of campaigns
  • Open rates
  • Bounce rates
  • Click through rates

"Our customers work hard to build strong relationships with their customers through email marketing and some, such as STEP, truly excel in this effort," said Gail Goodman, CEO, Constant Contact. "We created our All-Star Awards to highlight those customers who are passionately committed to following our best practices as they work to improve their customer communications. We're proud of the role we play in helping STEP be successful and we look forward to continuing to assist the company with its marketing efforts."

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STEP Upcoming Events


June Course Session
          June 7- July 16, 2010

STEP Exhibiting at NADD (Spokane)
         April 14-16, 2010

STEP Exhibiting at NALM
          June 2-5, 2010

The Churchpeople in pew

The United States Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB) Unveils Variety of  New Web Sites

The "For Your Marriage" Web site, an outreach of the USCCB, is a major activity under the U.S. Bishops' priority goal to strengthen Marriage.  If you have not looked at the site or have not looked at it recently, check it out.  The site has just undergone a renovation. 

New features include:
  • Daily inspirational quotes about marriage drawn from Church documents.
  • A blog by Portland, Oregon, couple Josh and Stacey Noem. The Noems, who are campus ministers at the University of Portland, discuss balancing home and work and handing on the Catholic faith to their three small children. The widely-read "Sarah's Blog" will continue as Sarah and her husband prepare for the birth of their first child.
  • The Marital Virtue of the Month reflects on a particular virtue that is necessary for a holy and happy marriage.
Josh Noem is a STEP Facilitator, and many of you may have met him in a course or two. He is currently facilitating the Doctrine of Salvation course.  You can read more about Josh (and other STEP Facilitators) at  Meet the STEP Facilitators. 

You can link to the Bishops web site here-- For Your Marriage.

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Resources For Vocations

The USCCB has just unveiled (live April 25th) a new web site offering new resources for support of another vocation-- the priesthood.  


You can link to it here-- Vocations.

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Resources for Living Your Faith


Our Catholic Faith in Action web site presents the wonderful social teaching of the Church in a creative, web-friendly, and youth-friendly way.   Check it out.

STEP's Impact Across the Country
step diocese map

Since 1999, STEP has made a difference in the lives of adult Catholics from around the world and nearly every diocese in the United States. We invite you to become a part of our vibrant learning community.  STEP is actively serving 187 of the 195 dioceses in the United States.  We are reaching out to the additional eight diocese in hopes of filling in the map.