Guided by the Holy Spirit
to Live Our Faith More Fully

Community, support, classes and workshops
in the main areas of Catholic Theology and Scripture
to help each of us respond to Christ’s call
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19)


The Center for Evangelization and Catechesis is just the sort of effort of renewal that is needed at the grass-roots level!
-- Dr. Christopher Blum, Augustine Institute


GREAT NEWS!  New short-form classes are now available!

Learn More

Announcements

A special THANK YOU to everyone who responded to our Fall 2022 survey!

In response, CEC now offers two of our popular classes in short-form format! Check out our offerings below

The full catalog of CEC courses is presented below, grouped into three categories: Sacred Scripture, Catechesis, and Faith and Culture. Each semester, CEC offers a subset of these courses with some offered in-person and others on-line

Courses offered Spring 2023 are:


  • NEW Short-Form Offering: Spiritual Combat (fee $10 to cover expenses / students free)

    (3 SESSIONS - Instructor: Thomas Ryan) Based on both student feedback and ongoing discussions with exorcists, this class has been signficantly updated and revised since it was first offered during Summer 2021.

    OVERVIEW: After decades of focusing on this world, we need to open our eyes to the reality of the spiritual realm; and doing so, we need to have a plan for stepping up to the war that is already breaking around us on all sides. We can no longer bury our heads in the sand.
    We need to be grounded with a solid understanding of the spiritual realm; but equally important, we need training to prepare ourselves and an engagement strategy so we can battle alongside St Michael and the heavenly hosts to reclaim the heritage won for us through Christ's passion, death, and resurrection.

    Offered in-person on three consecutive Tue evenings (6:30-8:30) starting April 18th at St Peter Catholic Church Parish Ministry

    REGISTER

  • NEW Short-Form Offering: Reclaiming Joy (fee $20 to cover expenses / students free)

    (3 SESSIONS - Instructor: Thomas Ryan)

    OVERVIEW: This is a new class that directly confronts the dark cloud that seems to be hanging over us; the fear and the anger, the despair and oppression
    The question is...what can we do about it?
    For starters, we must recognize that for these problems to so pervasive, the root causes must be foundational and deeply embedded in society. We must discover those roots.
    Then, we need a tangible, practical and proven strategy that enables us to shift the playing field so we can restore the light of Christ in ourselves, our families, and our communities.
    We need to reclaim JOY!

    Offered in-person in a weekend retreat format (Fri evening/Sat morning/Sat afternoon) at Sts Peter and Paul Catholic Church, New Braunfels, TX
    Dates to be announced

    REGISTER

Sacred Scripture



  • The Book of Genesis:
     (8 weeks) an exploration of the first book of the Bible; covering creation, Noah, and the patriarchs (Abraham, Issac, and Jacob)

  • Gospel of Matthew:
     (8 weeks) a journey through the teaching Gospel that served as the first Catechism for the Church

  • Gospel of Mark:
     (8 weeks) an urgent message around spiritual combat and cruciformity of discipleship

  • Gospel of Luke:
     (8 weeks) starting with details of our Lord's nativity, Luke's Gospel is focused on joy

  • Gospel of John:
     (8 weeks) a deep spiritual discovery of the sacred, expecially the Eucharist told within the framwork of marriage

  • The Synoptic Gospels:
     (6 weeks) a survey of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke highlighting the concordance and uniqueness of each Gospel

  • Revelation:
     (8 weeks) explore wonderful imagery and deep theological meaning of this most misunderstood book in all of Scripture

  • Salvation History:
     (6 weeks) A survey of Salvation History from Creation through King Solomon focusing on God's love story with all of humanity. Along the way, you will meet some of the most intriguing people who ever lived (Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David, and more)

  • The Biblical Theology of the Passion of the Christ:
     (5 weeks) this special course is offered to coincide with Lent

Catechesis



CEC's Catechetical Courses have passed diocesan review!
Students who successfully complete all four Catechetical Courses will receive special recognition in a personalized letter issued by the Diocese of Colorado Springs

Congratulations to our Catechetical instructors for their hard work in bringing together an outstanding Catechetical Formation progam



  • Foundations of our Faith:
     (12 weeks) CCC Part I - Introduction to the Catechism; Faith and Reason; the Deposit of Faith; Teachings, Doctrine, and Dogma; Precepts of our Faith; the Trinity; Creation and the Fall; the Incarnation; the Paschal Mystery; the Holy Spirit; the Church; Four Last Things; Mariology

  • Liturgy and the Sacraments:
     (12 weeks) CCC Part II - Grace and sanctification; Liturgy as prayer and sacrifice; Foundations of right worship; Sacraments of Initiation; Sacraments of Healing; Sacraments of Service; the Nature, Matter, Form, Ecclesial Grace, Personal Grace, Scriptural Basis, Present Mystery, and Future Eschatology of each Sacrament

  • Living the Good Life:
     (12 weeks) CCC Part III - Happiness; a Fulfilling Life; Man's Nature; Ethics and Morals; the Good, the True, and the Beautiful; Rationalization and Concupiscence; Conscience; Free Will; Virtue, Vice, and Self-Control; the Morality of Human Acts; Dignity, Freedom, and Choice; Natural Law, Mosaic Law, and Divine Law; the Wrong of Rights

  • Life of Prayer:
     (10 weeks) CCC Part 4 - Prayer as God's Gift; Prayer as Our Response to God; Prayer as Covenant; Prayer as Communion; the Three Ages of the Interior Life; Developing a Life of Prayer

Faith and Culture



  • Drawing Family and Friends Back to the Church:
     (5 weeks) 6.5 people leave the Catholic Church for every one who joins, and 50% of young people who were raised Catholic no longer practice the faith. We are hemorrhaging young people. The passive wait-and-see approach is no longer an option. We need a different strategy; a game plan to bring them home

  • The Roots of the Reformation:
     (6 weeks) Beyond a vague awareness that places Martin Luther as the leader of the Protestant Reformation and maybe some awarenss that Luther nailed a document to the door of the Wittenburg Castle Church, most Catholics have little knowledge of the historical, philosophical, cultural, and theological currents that gave rise to and shaped this tragid period - or how these same currents in our modern world have shaped Protestantism in ways that Luther himself likely would condemn

  • The Virtues:
     (8 weeks) Until modern times, virtue as the essential foundation for civil society was never questioned. Until modern times, the indivisible link between virtue and the moral life was taken for granted. But today we are encouraged to abandon our sense of shame (an essential part of Temperance). We have become soft and largely unwilling to endure hardship or sacrifice as Fortitude has waned. And we have such a distorted understanding of Charity that much of what passes for charity today spiritually harms those we seek to help. We must increase our understanding of the virtues and develop the virtues within us to transform our lives so we can serve as beacon to transform our society.

  • The Catholic Solution:
     (6 weeks) Each of us is called to live our faith, to align ourselves with Christ, and so to gain eternal life. In living our faith, we bear witness to what it means to love, honor, and obey our heavenly Father. Unfortunately in many ways, we have distorted and corrupted the ideals of freedom and equality, and have built our society on the false framework of rights. Today, what passes for truth bears only a faint resemblence to the glory of God's full truth. We must correct our foundation to bear witness, as Catholics, to the glory, majesty, and love of Our Father.

  • Spiritual Combat:
     (6 weeks AND short format of 3 sessions) Persecution of the Church is increasing. The events of the past two years must be recognized for what they are...manifestations of the demonic. This should not surprise us. We live admist a culture of death, a culture of narcissism, a culture where you can be threatened, attacked, lose your job, or be destroyed financially for living your faith. We need to increase our awareness to see what is happening around and to us; and learn to engage in spiritual combat within ourselves, within our Church, and within our communities

Center for Evangelization and Catechesis

Welcome to the CEC, promoting Catholic adult faith formation across the Diocese of Colorado Springs. We hope you will journey with us as we work together to live our faith more fully and serve more effectively in the various ways God calls us to serve.

Courses

CEC courses are highly interactive, designed to engage you in your faith. CEC programs are not video-based nor do we leverage distance-education models. Rather, we believe that live instruction and person-to-person interaction holds a privileged place of blessings for evangelization and catechesis.

All courses focus on deepening our understanding of God acting in and influencing every facet of our lives from our participation in Mass and the Sacraments to our prayer life and how we go about our daily activities.

All instruction will be in strict fidelity to magisterial teachings and our Bishop’s diocesan plan.

Instructors

CEC instructors are fully qualified including several clergy and lay individuals with advanced degrees from the Augustine Institute or other accredited institution.

CEC employs a team-facilitation strategy. At this time, CEC has two teams:

  • DC4EC Journey Team: a group of clergy and qualified lay individuals committed to walking with program participants in the exploration of their faith and how they are being called to grow as active Catholics
  • DC4EC Scripture Team: a group of Augustine Institute graduates called to share what they've been given with others

Community

More than just live classroom interaction, CEC seeks to build a community of people on fire for their faith, working with others to fulfill the call of Vatican II for a New Evangelization. When possible, classes are scheduled to enable people participating in different programs to interact during common break-times. CEC also hosts evening events, dinners, and workshops encouraging all our fellow journeyers to get to know each other beyond the classroom.

Endorsements

The Center for Evangelization and Catechesis is just the sort of effort of renewal that is needed at the grass-roots level throughout the country: practically minded, warm-hearted, and energized by a great deal of charity. Long may its work prosper!
-- Dr. Christopher Blum, Augustine Institute


Keep the Fire Going came at the right tim in my life. I was able to meet new people and share our faith journey through the Scriptures, group discussions, and powerful talks.
-- Debbie Rocco


The Christian Prayer class was wonderful! I learned so much and am so glad that I took the course. My instructor, Margit McCarthy, brought so much energy and excitement to the subject and was so committed to her students' learning. I will definitely be taking more courses.
-- Margaret A Kinney

Our Mission

CEC’s goal is to help adult Catholics in the Diocese of Colorado Springs to

  • - deepen their faith
  • - defend their faith
  • - expand their awareness of God acting in and through every facet of our lives

toward our ultimate mission of building a strong Catholic community willing to face the increasing secularization of our society by answering the Church's call to the New Evangelization.

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