Religious Education product news for September:
The National Conference of Catholic Bishops has updated their Conformity Listing of Catechetical Texts and Series. Click here to view the latest version with the list of texts and series that have been found in conformity with the Catechism of the Catholic Church as of August 25, 2009.
In early June, Our Sunday Visitor announced its acquisition of Harcourt Religion Publishers. All Our Sunday Visitor and Harcourt Religion products are available from Communication Center.
Annual publications and calendars for 2009-2010:
Annual publications from Liturgy Training, Catholic Book and Pflaum including The Year of Grace 2010 calendars and lector resources for Liturgical Year C are now available.
Ave Maria Press’s high school text, Meeting Jesus in the Sacraments ©2010 has been approved by the Bishops’ Committee. They have also announced another new title for high school, Jesus Christ: God’s Revelation to the World. This text is appropriate for one-semester courses in Scripture or Christology and will be available in the spring of 2010.
Liguori Publicationshas a new resource for teachers of religion. Handbook for Today’s Catechist, written in the same style as the popular Handbook for Today’s Catholic, is now available.
Loyola Press has a revised edition of Handbook for Catholics which is now in stock.
The first two volumes in the Didache Semester Series from Midwest Theological Forum, The Sacraments: Source of Our Life in Christ and Our Moral Life in Christ have been approved by the Bishops’ Committee. The Sacraments: Source of Our Life in Christ is now in stock, with the companion student workbook coming soon. The other three volumes in the core curriculum, Faith and Revelation, Blessed Trinity and Our Moral Life will be ready later in the fall. These three will be temporary editions printed in black and white and bound with softcovers pending approval from the Bishops' Committee. When expected approval of these texts comes, likely in November, production will begin on permanent, full-color, hardcover versions. Once they are printed, these hardcover texts will be shipped as free replacements to schools that ordered these titles for first semester courses. The other four titles in the Semester Series are expected in the spring of 2010. The new Semester Series is published in accordance with the Bishops’ high school curriculum framework.
Midwest Theological Forum also has a revised edition of Our Moral Life in Christ, Complete Course available now. Revised teacher manual and workbooks will come later.
Pflaum Publishing Group has revised editions of their Confirmation programs for junior high and high school. Confirmation Gifted with the Spirit ©2009 for junior high teens, and Confirmation Receiving the Gift of the Spirit ©2009 for high school have been approved by the Bishops’ Committee and are now in stock.
RCL Benziger will have a revised edition of Family Life coming in late spring 2010. It will feature, among other things, a Child Protection theme at every grade level and a completely revised Program Director’s Manual. RCL Benziger’s popular preschool program Stories of God’s Love will have a kindergarten level available in early spring 2010. The new kindergarten materials will be suitable for use with any of RCL Benziger’s elementary programs.
The Saint Mary’s Press Catholic High School Curriculum will be unveiled spring of 2010. The Living in Christ Series is a completely new curriculum that will include church teaching outlined in the USCCB’s Curriculum Framework for the Development of Catechetical Materials for Young People of High School Age. Saint Mary’s Press has announced that the new curriculum will follow conformity protocol, will make use of contemporary educational practices, and will have new materials to meet the diverse needs of high school students. The first two courses for freshmen, Jesus Christ: God’s Love Made Visible, and The Bible: The Story of Our Salvation will be available February 2010.
Saint Mary’s also presents The Catholic Connections Handbook for Middle Schoolers. This handbook for younger adolescents in grades 6 through 8 is modeled on the Catholic Faith Handbook for Youth. In addition to the student handbook, the parish program includes a coordinator’s manual and six catechetical manuals, each with topical material to cover at least 10 sessions. The program works for 2- or 3-year parish religious education models for junior high. Coming in September, The Catholic Connections Handbook will also be supported for school classrooms with a teaching manual, a student workbook and test books for students in grades 6 and 7. These school resources will also have an eSource support website. The Catholic Connections Handbook is approved by the Bishops’ Committee.
Sadlier has a bilingual edition of the junior high program, Vivimos nuestra fe/We Live Our Faith, in the works. Volume 1 is expected later this fall with Volume 2 coming in 2010.
St. Jerome Press has a new, economical edition of the Bible in Spanish, Sagrada Biblia: Dios Habla Hoy Catolica now available.
2010 Catholic Vacation Bible School themes:
Liguori—SonQuest Rainforest: Follow Jesus on a Life-Changing Adventure
Our Sunday Visitor—Baobab Blast: God’s Great Get-Together
OSV/Harcourt—High Seas Expedition: Exploring the Mighty Love of God
OSV/Harcourt—Egypt: Joseph’s Journey from Prison to Palace
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