New title from Colin MacIver “Guides” catechists towards a dynamic Confirmation experience.
Each year, thousands of parish volunteers find themselves newly invited to teach in Confirmation preparation programs. Ascension’s latest resource, The Catechist’s Field Guide to Confirmation, is designed to help these busy leaders make the most of their short time mentoring Confirmation candidates.
“The Catechist’s Field Guide to Confirmation is an effective and engaging answer to the catechist’s call for a resource to help them form teens in the Catholic faith,” explains author Colin MacIver. “This Guide will empower Confirmation teams far and wide to prepare their Candidates for a life-changing encounter with Jesus.”
The Field Guide works seamlessly with any Confirmation curriculum on the market. It serves as an “orientation for new volunteers,” and can provide fresh ideas to veteran formation leaders, according to MacIver.
Confirmation teams can read sections or excerpts as part of their ongoing training, and with so many parishes looking for “flexible” options for faith formation, the The Field Guide offers flexibility for catechists both in the variety of options for teaching found in its pages and also because of its dual print and eBook formats. Among other practical elements of the book is a section entitled “When Confirmation Goes Digital,” which speaks to distance learning situations.
“The 2020 pandemic taught all of us in Catholic education to pivot, especially in the area of distance learning,” said Ascension’s Founder and President, Matthew Pinto. “This resource was created with that reality in mind and echoes the flexible-options approach we’re employing across the board for Fall 2020. All of our new resources and many of our older classics are being adapted so that decision makers will be able to switch nimbly between regular classrooms and digital platforms.”
“Today’s young Catholic is technically sophisticated, exposed to an extraordinary amount of information about a wide array of topics, but also skeptical,” explains Pinto. “Our catechists need to be fast on their feet to keep up with these young moderns. They can certainly do it, but it takes good preparation and effective resources. We believe we’ve richly added to a catechist’s formation and preparedness with the new Guide.”
MacIver agrees and also added, “Whether classes are meeting in person or online, The Catechist’s Field Guide to Confirmation will help your volunteers start the year with a clear vision and practical game plan for making Confirmation preparation both a holy encounter and also a fun experience for each member of the class.”
View and order The Catechist’s Field Guide to Confirmation online today!
About Colin MacIver
Colin MacIver is a Catholic author and evangelist with a passion for helping teenagers encounter Jesus Christ through His sacraments. Colin has previously created or contributed to Ascension’s programs on Confirmation, Baptism, the Seven Sacraments, and the Theology of the Body for Middle Schoolers. For two years he hosted Ascension’s podcast The Tightrope: Reflections for Busy Catholics. In addition to his work for Ascension, Colin is the Chair of the Theology Department for St. Scholastica Academy in Covington, Louisiana, as well as the Director of Confirmation Preparation for St. Anselm Parish in Madisonville, Louisiana.
About Ascension
Ascension is a multimedia network and the world leader in the creation and distribution of Catholic faith formation programs and digital content. Over the past 20 years, Ascension has helped nurture the faith of over 10 million people in over 8,000 parishes through more than 50 unique faith formation programs and the Ascension Presents media and YouTube platforms.
For author interviews with Colin MacIver or other media inquiries, please contact Ascension at (484) 876-1400 or newsroom@ascensionpress.com.