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ContactsProgram Support:
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Under the current conditions, if your parish does not have in-person Baptism Preparation ministry, the following two programs are recommended to prepare parents for their children or baby baptism.
1. Belonging | Ascension PressThe Belonging online baptism preparation program allows your parishioners to sign up and take the course online, and share with you a copy of the certificate of completion issued by Ascension Press. Parishioners can enrol in the online Baptism Prep Certification Course themselves using their credit card. The cost is US$ 9.95.
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2. Reborn | Formed.orgIf your parish already has a subscription with FORMED.ORG, you may take advantage of this 6-episode program for your baptism preparation.
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Becoming Catholic
Diocesan Guidelines
Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops Resources
Other Resources
- Link to Diocesan page on Becoming Catholic that can be attached to parish’s website
Diocesan Guidelines
- Rite of Election
- RCIA: A Faith Process (2015)
- Reception of Baptized Christians into the Full Communion of the Catholic Church (2011)
- Common Canonical Questions for RCIA Ministers
Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops Resources
- The Order of the Sacraments of Initiation
- On Good Soil: Pastoral Planning for Evangelization and Catechesis with Adults
- Directory for Catechesis | Recorded Webinar Series | Resource Kit
- Criteria for Catechesis
- Best Practices and Resources for Evangelization & Catechesis with Adults
- Full Participation in the Liturgy Needs Mystagogical Reflection
- Liturgy & Sacraments
- Reflection Material for Catechists
- Evangelization Resource List
Other Resources
- RCIA Ministry Workshops
- Websites and Articles
The parish-based Sacraments Preparation Program supports families, catechists, Catholic schools and whole parish communities in preparing young disciples to appreciate the depth of God’s love and to participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. In this formation, children will explore several important aspects of responsibility, relationships, freedom, conscience, sin, forgiveness, and the truth, goodness and beauty which God wants to share with us.
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Preparing children to participate fully in the Holy Eucharist is a privilege and a very important apostolic ministry. This parish-based Sacraments Preparation program is intended as a support for families, catechists, Catholic schools, and whole parish communities as they collaboratively lead our children to a richer understanding of sacramentality and the place of Eucharist as the very “source and summit of Christian life” (Lumen Gentium, no. 11; cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1324).
Program Material
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Preparing for Confirmation is a formative journey of learning and practicing to be a disciple of Christ. Following such a path necessitates the accompaniment and witnesses of the whole community of faith to support candidates and parents in cultivating fruitful way of life in the Spirit.
The Diocese recommends 2 options for Confirmation preparation in 2021-2022.
The Diocese recommends 2 options for Confirmation preparation in 2021-2022.
Option 1
Parishes may choose to adapt all or parts of the parish-based Confirmation program which is accessible here. Suggested schedule and timeline
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Option 2
Parishes may use “CHOSEN: Your Journey Toward Confirmation” Online Course from Ascension Press as the main catechetical resource. Link to resources.
Suggested schedule and timeline
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Below are the two programs endorsed by the Diocese for marriage preparation:
1. Catholic Family Service

The virtual format via Zoom of the marriage preparation course by the Catholic Family Service has been a great success under current conditions. With this format, there is no longer a cap on the size of each weekend session. Couples have shared that they are more comfortable sharing with each other in the comfort of their own locations.
A promising tool is being added to this year's session beginning in September. We will be suggesting an assessment tool for couples in order to help facilitate greater self-understanding and find effective ways to work with the differences in personalities and preferences. It will be designed in a way that the results may be shared with the facilitators of the weekend sessions to further assist couples.
In partnership with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary, Catholic Family Service (CFS) offers a Marriage Preparation Weekend to couples preparing for the sacrament of marriage. The word sacrament is defined as “a sign of the sacred,” which means that couples are encouraged to model their marriage on Christ’s love. Over the course of a weekend, participants take a time-out from wedding planning to developing practical tools that will create a lifelong, happy marriage, including:
In preparation for the weekend we encourage couples to complete an online relationship check-up found here: https://www.catholiccouplecheckup.ca/get-started/ to help them start thinking about their relationship in new ways and set the stage for the enriching discussions throughout the weekend. This 45 minute assessment covers many of the topics discussed over the weekend and offers new ways to see your relationship. This assessment can be sent anonymously to the weekend facilitator so that we can tailor our content to areas of strength and growth across all the participating couples. More information about this tool and how to take part is provided to couples in a welcome email a 3-4 weeks in advance of the weekend.
A promising tool is being added to this year's session beginning in September. We will be suggesting an assessment tool for couples in order to help facilitate greater self-understanding and find effective ways to work with the differences in personalities and preferences. It will be designed in a way that the results may be shared with the facilitators of the weekend sessions to further assist couples.
In partnership with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary, Catholic Family Service (CFS) offers a Marriage Preparation Weekend to couples preparing for the sacrament of marriage. The word sacrament is defined as “a sign of the sacred,” which means that couples are encouraged to model their marriage on Christ’s love. Over the course of a weekend, participants take a time-out from wedding planning to developing practical tools that will create a lifelong, happy marriage, including:
- understanding marriage as a sacrament and spirituality in marriage;
- enhancing communication and managing conflict;
- identifying shared and non-shared values, and negotiating differences; and
- managing finances as a married couple.
In preparation for the weekend we encourage couples to complete an online relationship check-up found here: https://www.catholiccouplecheckup.ca/get-started/ to help them start thinking about their relationship in new ways and set the stage for the enriching discussions throughout the weekend. This 45 minute assessment covers many of the topics discussed over the weekend and offers new ways to see your relationship. This assessment can be sent anonymously to the weekend facilitator so that we can tailor our content to areas of strength and growth across all the participating couples. More information about this tool and how to take part is provided to couples in a welcome email a 3-4 weeks in advance of the weekend.
- To register for this program, couples need to register here.
2. For Better & For Ever
When couples prefer to work with a mentor couple, we still have the option of either an in-person mentoring or a virtual format mentoring via Zoom using the For Better & For Ever program.
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