1. Ecclesiology & the Theology of the Laity St. Mary of the Angels An Emerging Community of the Secular Franciscan Order

2. Getting Organized:  Team approach (two or more); meet prior to session.  Read the materials thoroughly.  Some FUN chapters are bare-bone outlines, others are detailed with a “scholarly” tone.  Have someone take notes on thoughts, suggestions & ideas.

3. Getting Organized (cont.):  Share with one another what points stood out; what were the key learning points.  Determine how to best divide the materials into manageable sections. Some chapters can be examined within one learning session (either initial or ongoing formation sessions); others will take several sessions to review all the materials.

4. Develop an outline of what you want the session/s to cover:  ELEMENTS OF ECCLESIOLOGY WHAT IS THE CHURCH?  The historical understanding of “Church” From early Christianity through Vatican II.  The role of the Church. The Church is a people gathered in the unity of the Father, Son & Spirit. Mission: The proclamation of the Gospel Prayer

5. Develop an outline of what you want the session/s to cover (cont.): SALVATION The experience of God  What is our relationship with the Church? Evangelization  THEOLOGY OF THE LAITY What does it mean to be a layperson? What is our call to holiness?  Trinitarian Communion What is our responsibility to the Church as laity? What is our responsibility to each other?  ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

6. How can we share this information?  Simplify the materials Don’t “dumb-down”. Maybe everything isn’t “have-to-know”.  Define new or difficult concepts. If the materials tend to be too scholarly in nature, how can we communicate the same learning points in different ways?  In order to avoid “reading” the materials to the participants, it might be a better idea to distribute the material in advance (a month?); time to read and absorb the lesson…leaves more time for discussion.

7. How can we share this information (cont.)?  Organize the learning into manageable sections/lessons. A chapter takes as long as a chapter takes! For Ecclesiology, we determined it would be a three-session chapter:  1. What is the Church? (Elements of Ecclesiology) 2. What is our relationship with Church? (Salvation) 3. What is our role as lay/secular people? (Identity of the Lay Person)

8. How can we share this information (cont.)?  Note what other resources where helpful to you in understanding the materials: The Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity. First Letter of St. Francis to the Faithful. The New Testament Franciscan Journey Catholic Catechism Lumen Gentium

9. Day of Presentation  Know what works best for your Fraternity: Handouts? Flipcharts? PowerPoint? Have discussion questions ready for that day’s lesson.  NEVER read off your notes; use them only as guides/outlines for learning.

10. Day of Presentation (cont.):  What is very important is to help others understand why this information is relevant to them: How is this more than just an educational exercise? (It helps us to understand our place in the Church/world as an Order) How does this apply to me, my vocation and my faith journey TODAY? (There is a stronger focus on the lay person and our secular character)

11. Day of Presentation (cont.):  Small group discussions are where we can take the “learning” of the lesson and find a way it touches our personal lives and our SFO journey. Leave enough time for meaningful discussion and group sharing.  Don’t rush through the lesson. If you don’t finish due to good discussion/questions, just carry the rest of the materials over until the next meeting.

12. Day of Presentation (cont.):  At end of presentation (or first presentation), handout a list of additional resources for those who would like to further investigate the subject matter. This list initially comes from the Team; what documents they found helpful. The resource list should be a “living document” - - - add to the list as other recommendations/suggestions are made.