Archdiocesan Webinars

The Archdiocese of Boston has produced a new webinar series to address topical issues during the coronavirus pandemic.  Please see below for past webinar topics, video and audio recordings, and FAQs. Information about additional upcoming webinars will also be posted here as it becomes available.

For additional information regarding Archdiocesan communications and guidelines during the coronavirus pandemic please visit https://rcabrisk.org/. 

Upcoming Webinars

Check back for new upcoming webinars. 

Past Webinars

August 25 - Divine Worship Webinar: The St. Michael Hymnal, Fifth Edition

  • Tom Lyman, Coordinator of Divine Worship for the Archdiocese of Boston hosts Linda Schafer and Fr. Michael O’Connor, OP, the editors of the St. Michael Hymnal to learn about their newest edition. The ten years since the promulgation of the new Roman Missal have seen a flowering of new compositions, particularly in both the Ordinaries and the Propers of the Mass. And so it seems that now is a perfect time to present the new edition of the St. Michael Hymnal, which includes many of these new and beautiful compositions, plus a rich collection of hymnody, from the patrimony of the Church’s past to more recent compositions. Thanks to other laborers in the vineyard, more and more of the Catholic faithful are understanding the role of music in the liturgy, and are asking for music that serves the liturgy. We are happy to be a part of that grass-roots movement to restore the nobility and splendor of the Church’s music. 
  • Watch the recording here.

July 28 - Divine Worship Webinar: Source and Summit: Elevate the Liturgy in Your Parish

  • Tom Lyman, Coordinator of Divine Worship for the Archdiocese of Boston, welcomes Adam Bartlett and Eric Robinson of Source and Summit to speak about their work to bring accessible, congregation-friendly English chant to parish liturgy. Adam will offer some brief catechesis on this simple but beautiful art, and will offer a demo on Source and Summit’s powerful digital platform for liturgy preparation. Learn how you can produce high quality congregational worship aids in minutes, or choir materials, not to mention the new Source and Summit Missal, a high quality and affordable annual pew resource, in addition to hardbound hymnals and missals. 
  • Watch the recording here.

July 14 - The Ignatius Pew Missal: Help Your Congregation Sing the Mass, Not Sing at Mass

  • Tom Lyman, Coordinator of Divine Worship for the Archdiocese of Boston, welcomes Paul Senz of Ignatius Press to speak about their Ignatius Pew Missal, a collaborative work with the Augustine Institute. Register to learn more about this excellent and cost-effective resource to help your parishioners come to know a strong core-repertoire of Catholic hymns. Includes all Sunday readings, available in English and Spanish. 
  • Watch the recording here.

June 8 - The Domestic Church Project: Holiness Starts At Home

  • Join Nancy Bandzuch of Catholic Sprouts and The Domestic Church Project as she briefly discusses the new Domestic Church Project platform for parishes.  Parents aren’t passing the faith on to their children because they often don’t feel that they know how.  At the same time, the pandemic sent much of the activity of faith formation back to the home.  Parents need training, formation, and support.  This is where the Domestic Church Project comes in.  It is a six-week at-home experience for the whole family that will teach them how to establish and cultivate the life of their Domestic Church.  It equips parents to assume their role as the primary educators of their children in the faith.  Learn more at https://www.domesticchurchproject.com/dcp-group-use.  A recording of a recent similar webinar is available for you to preview at this link.  Find time to meet with Nancy personally at this link.
  • Watch the recording here.

June 3 - Mission Pathways: Software to Support Your Mission

  • Mission Pathways provides a comprehensive event and group management software tool with one goal – to help you accompany parishioners and guests to grow in faith as they participate, volunteer and lead at your parish. It doesn’t replace your existing ParishSOFT software, it complements it.  Learn more at https://www.mission-pathways.com/.
  • The presentation is approximately 60 minutes with up to 30 minutes for Q & A.

May 26 - Archdiocese of Boston COVID Protocol Guidance Webinar

  • Join us for a review of new guidance from the Archdiocese of Boston in light of the new state COVID protocols which go into effect on May 29.  There will be time for Q&A.  More information forthcoming.  
  • Download guidelines here.

May 26 - Faith Journals from Boomwriter

  • Join us for an introduction to Faith Journals demo and Q&A for Archdiocese of Boston parishes. Faith Journals engage children in a daily and joyful relationship with God. These journals are an online tool for religious educators to accompany children in their spiritual journey through consistent reading, reflection, and writing on the Word of God. Educators set up groups of any size, use Bible verses or content of their choosing to create and share customized writing activities to encourage children to talk with God. They can monitor children's writing and provide personalized guidance and feedback. Digital or printed copies of completed faith journals are available to families. 
  • The demo led by Loli Lopez-Montenegro and Ken Haynes from Boomwriter. 

April 12 - How To Welcome Your Parishioners Back to Mass

  • Nothing is more critical to the future of your parish than getting people back to Mass as soon as possible.  Join Fr. Paul Soper and Nic Prenger, CEO of Prenger Solutions Group, as they share creative ideas and walk through a month-by-month plan you can use to engage your parishioners and invite families back to the pews.  This fun, practical presentation will include ideas to bring people back on campus, engage parishioners of all ages and commemorate the pandemic in a way that builds community and moves your parish forward.  It will change the way you think about your communications and outreach in 2021.

March 16 - TINE Talks – The Church After the Pandemic – A Conversation with Dan Cellucci

  • Join Dan Cellucci, CEO of Catholic Leadership Institute, for a conversation with the Archdiocese of Boston’s Cabinet Secretary for Evangelization and Discipleship, Fr. Paul Soper. They will be discussing the question on everyone’s minds – what if they don’t come back? What do our parishes need to consider and do to prepare for those who will – and also those who may not – return to more active engagement in Mass and parish life when they feel safe to do so? They will discuss trends they are seeing across the archdiocese and the nation and take time to answer questions from participants.  For an introduction to this topic, watch Dan Cellucci’s presentation for the OSV Institute, “What If They Don’t Come Back?”
  • View recording here.

March 10 - Faith Begins at Home: Ministry Beyond the Pandemic

  • With Mike Drahos and Michael Lavigne
  • We will discuss what we learned from ministry in 2020, share our top ideas for faith formation in 2021, chat together about how to further develop these fruits in the lives of our parishes.
  • Watch recording here.

February 10 - Grateful Disciples Webinar

January 14 - Pandemic Offertory Webinar

November 18, Planned Giving Webinar for Parishioners

October 28, Faith Formation: How's It Going? 

  • With Patrick Krisak and Melissa Kalpakgian
  • Patrick and Melissa will discuss what they are hearing from parish leaders about the start of parish faith formation programming this fall and ask for contributions and questions from attendees on this topic.

October 21, Planned Giving Webinar for Pastors, Business Managers, and Council Members

October 14, Adult Faith Formation

Tom discussed the current guidance for adult faith formation/small group/RCIA in-person gatherings, recommendations when taking a virtual approach, and curriculua that work well on-line.

September 16, Virtual Learning Tech

On Wednesday, September 16th from 1pm - 2pm, Michael Lavigne, Patrick Krisak, and Mike Habeeb will discuss best practices, tips & tricks for using Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, GoToMeeting, GoToWebinar, and similar tools.  They will discuss using video, slides, polls, Q&A, breakout rooms, and other features of these tools.  They will briefly discuss Google for Education, Google for Nonprofits, Google Classroom, Canvas, and the many other on-line learning tools in which they are not experts but for which teachers in your parishes are likely a valuable resource.

  • Watch the recording here.

August 19, Project Nazareth: Implementation Ideas 

On Wednesday, August 19, 2020 at 1:00pm we will host a webinar that will provide ideas on how to implement Project Nazareth in a parish setting. Topics to be covered: Program structure, Volunteers, Parents, Parish support, etc.

July 29, Project Nazareth: Curriculum Content Map Introduction and Review

This webinar will revisit the Archdiocese of Boston’s new Project Nazareth PreK-5 faith formation curriculum, with a particular emphasis on reviewing the content map for the first few months of the curriculum.  We will also discuss the two different series of Project Nazareth: Good News, which is focused on the proclamation of the kerygma, and Project Nazareth: Sacred Mysteries, which is focused on following the weekly lectionary cycle.  We will also preview the content of the Parent Guide, Prayer Guide, and Parish Guide.

July 22 - Faith Formation: Planning for the Fall

This webinar addressed the concerns of faith formation leaders as they plan for the fall in the context of updated archdiocesan and state guidelines.

June 8 – Digital Parish Faith Formation: Planning for the Fall

This webinar will address the concerns of faith formation leaders exploring ways to continue formation in the fall in this time of uncertainty around public gatherings, with a particular emphasis upon at home and online models and resources available through the Secretariat for Evangelization and Discipleship and many other organizations.

June 3 - Parish Fundraising in the Time of Pandemic - and Beyond

This is the first in a series of webinars planned to assist and support parishes in engaging donors and promoting and increasing offertory giving.

June 1 – More Than ‘Welcome Back’ – Moving Forward in Mission

This webinar we will explore how our parishes can continue to move forward in mission once the resumption of public masses begins by employing the lessons we have learned and embracing the opportunities ahead.

May 19 - Governor Baker’s Report and What It Means for US:  Preparation for Going Forward

Tuesday, May 19, 2020 at 1PM, with panelists MC Sullivan, Chief Healthcare Ethicist, and Joe McEnness, Director of Risk Management. This webinar is an opportunity to discuss the application of newly-released MA state guidelines to our parishes. 

May 11 – Parish Best Practices in Virtual Evangelization Part Two

Featuring Tom Lyman, Rosemary Maffei, Father Robert Deehan, Jeanne Cregan, Father Marc Bishop, Scott Morin, and Karlene Duffy 

May 4 – Parish Best Practices in Virtual Evangelization

This webinar highlighted parishes in Salem, Quincy, and Brookline to discuss the ways in which they continue to engage parishioners at this time.  If you’d like to learn more about online gatherings for adult formation, community-building, liturgy, as well as opportunities for outreach to the parish community then please watch this webinar to learn more!

April 27 – Pandemic Response and Parish Considerations Now and in the Future

This webinar addressed the challenge the present situation poses to the long-term viability and financial stability of our parishes.  Pastors, staff, and councils considering these questions should consider this webinar, the accompanying FAQs, and the Secretariat for Evangelization and Discipleship staff resources for them in planning for the future of their mission and their finances, up to and including considering parish mergers.

April 20 – Pastor and Parish Leader Webinar

This webinar explored questions around what ministry and activities are and are not possible at this time and in the near future given the current health concerns.  It also addressed the federal announcement of a phased reopening plan and what that might look like for parishes in the Archdiocese of Boston.