Oblation:  Liturgy and Evangelization 

The Notre Dame Center for Liturgy's on-line journal, "Oblation:  Liturgy and Evangelization," explores through both regular columns and occasional writings the role of liturgy in the evangelical mission of the Church.  By evangelization, we mean (quoting Evangelium Nuntiandi) "bringing the Goods News into all the strata of humanity, and through its influence transforming humanity from within and making it new" (no. 18).  Thus, this online publication addresses the general topic of liturgy and the wider life of the Church, focusing especially on liturgy, catechesis, and spirituality.  

STEP Student of the Year

Starting with the 2011-12 Academic Year, we will be honoring one exemplary course participant with a year full of benefits  (like free courses).

Many faithful, inquisitive and generally impressive people take STEP courses, many taking multiple courses each year, growing and learning more about their faith.  STEP would like to honor and reward them.   

In late May, we will seek nominations from course facilitators, and in July we will announce the winner as well as a few honorable mentions.  

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Chat Issues in February Courses    

We witnessed an unusually high incident of chat problems in this  most recent session, causing frustrations for many.

While STEP Problem Reports remain the best way to get individual help, we will post a trouble-shooting guide on the homepage and in courses before the April session. 

We hope participants use this sheet, especially when experiencing problems trying to get into a scheduled chat.   

Certificates of Catholic Theology

The STEP Certificates of Catholic Theology allow an individual student to pursue a more focused study of a particular theological discipline.  The program includes directed readings from the selected subject area, individual tutorial, and will require a final synthetic paper based upon an agreed upon thesis.

Learn more here 

• 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 
• Core Course: Introduction to the Catholic Faith 

Honoring Pope John Paul II

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has launched a new website to honor the legacy of the late Pope John Paul II. The site features a 17-minute "John Paul II Memorial Video," which recaptures touching moments and key messages during the late pope's visits to the United States. Other contents on the site include a biography and a timeline, as well as major writings, backgrounders, canonizations and beatifications, and more.   

www.usccb.org/popejohnpaulii/   

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Beatification of Pope John Paul II

May 1, 2011

The Holy Mass for the Beatification of the Servant of God John Paul II will take place at Saint Peter's Square, at 10:00, Sunday May 1, 2011.

 For more details  

Jill Dunkel is leaving after 10 years with STEP, since almost the very beginning. In 2000, Tom and Greg invited Jill to join the small STEP team because of her demonstrated skill, patience, attention to detail and her commitment to the Catholic faith.  At the time of Jill's hire, STEP conducted two pilot online courses for 30 students, recruiting students from partner dioceses and managed registration through the U.S. mail system.  Presently, STEP processes over 1500 enrollments annually through an online registration system and conducts courses through Notre Dame's Concourse course management system. 

Jill played an instrumental role in the development of all aspects of this growth.  Her creative contributions greatly enhanced STEP's ability to grow and thrive.

We will miss Jill a lot.  Her last day in the office was April 7th.  Before she left, we wanted to take an opportunity to talk with her and get her to reflect on her experience with the program before she leaves.

What's the biggest change you have seen/noticed since you started with STEP?

The biggest change for me is the scope of the STEP program and how many students take the courses now.  When I started, we had two courses with 30 students.  Now STEP processes over 1500 enrollments annually from nearly all U.S. dioceses and many international ones. We offer over 45 different courses in 80+ classes.

Has online learning changed since STEP began?

I think the technology has changed quite a bit over the years and continues to change.  At the beginning we were very concerned with making the courses and video accessible to people with dial-up, and many people were uncomfortable using computers.  While that is still true for some students, we are now trying to answer students' needs for more advanced technology, such as new and better ways to offer the course video lectures and Catholic Lecture Series.

Will you miss the students?

I will miss the students a great deal.  Even though I have never met most students in person, I feel a connection with them, especially with returning students.  Being able to help someone's online experience run more smoothly for them is a great feeling.  In my new venture as an academic counselor for undergraduates I will still be working with students, but in a different way.

Any words of wisdom to share?

I would say that everyone can be successful at online learning, regardless of their experience with computers or technology.  Once you get the hang of one course, it will become much easier to navigate the software in the future.  The STEP staff is here to help, so don't wait until you are frustrated to call!

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