A new catechetical need.
For too long, catechesis has failed to recognize the unique faithlessness and ubiquitous secularism of our age. Nebulous, "values-based" faith formation programs often assume a doctrinal foundation that no longer exists or, worse, ignore this doctrine altogether. This inconsistent, incomplete approach does little to equip our teachers, administrators, and lay catechists with the knowledge they need to proclaim the joy of the Gospel in its full, Catholic expression--to say nothing of the wisdom they need to live their Faith!
Meeting the challenge.
Against this crisis of catechesis, the Evermode Institute works to "Raise the Eucharist high over the miseries and errors of this world" (Pope St. John Paul II). The Evermode Institute is a not-for-profit organization based at St. Michael's Abbey in California. With offices in California and at the Corpus Christi Priory in Springfield, IL, the Evermode Institute offers an online catechetical program that is unflinching in its commitment to the Church and charitable in its approach. Where applicable, online learning can be supplemented with virtual "office hours" and in-person retreats and days of recollection.
About the Program
Course Overview.
The Evermode Institute offers a five year, video-based curriculum that includes 10-12 courses on important catechetical topics. These courses include approximately 4 hours of instruction each semester (representing 40-48 hours of total instruction) that can be easily integrated into a teacher or volunteer catechist's schedule. The full curriculum covers the following:
The Purpose of Life: Basic philosophy, undoing erroneous intellectual custom
Christian Belief: Divine Revelation, Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition
Christian Belief: The Creed
Living the Christian Faith: Norms of Morality
Living the Christian Faith: Commandments of God
Living the Christian Faith: Beatitudes, Precepts of the Church, Virtues, Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit, Christian Perfection
Sources of the Christian Life: Divine Grace
Sources of the Christian Life: The Sacraments
Sources of the Christian Life: Prayer
Sources of the Christian Life: The Sacred Liturgy
Methodology: Approaches for lay Catechists and Catholic School teachers
Apologetics: Confronting the questions of the day
About the
Norbertines.
Reclaiming Catholic Culture.
For over 900 years, Norbertines have served the Church as preachers and teachers of the Gospel. The work of the Institute is grounded in this tradition and flows from the strength and evangelical momentum of St. Michael's Abbey. Hidden in the desert mountains of Southern California, St. Michael's Abbey is monastic life in its traditional sense. More than a house for religious, it is a center of Catholic culture: a place of scholarship, craftsmanship, art, music, hospitality, and prayer.
An Expanding Apostolate.
As the Norbertine presence in Springfield grows, the Corpus Christi Priory will develop into a center for on-site training and formation for Catholic school teachers and administrators, lay catechists, local priests and deacons. In time, this magnificent space may also host those discerning the priesthood for pre-seminary (propaedeutic) formation.
Charity and Clarity.
A growing order, The Norbertines are experts in teaching the fullness of the Catholic Faith with conviction, clarity, and charity. The Norbertine's commitment to sharing the Faith finds expression in much of their public ministry, including the Evermode Institute, and in the Abbot's Circle, a first-of-its-kind digital monastery that invites visitors to experience and participate in the beauty of abbey life.
