The Center for Evangelization and Catechesis at Aquinas College will host the “Come, Follow Me / Ven, sígueme” Catechetical Conference on the Domincan Campus June 10-11.
“Come, Follow Me” is a catechetical method that helps children contemplate and pray lessons from scripture and sacraments. The “Come, Follow Me” program, developed by members of the Notre Dame de Vie Institute in France, will be presented by Sister Hyacinthe Defos du Rau, OP, of the Dominican Sisters of St. Joseph of Lymington, England.
“We are thrilled to have Sister Hyacinthe back in the United States for the ‘Come, Follow Me/Ven, sígueme’ Catechetical Formation Conference,” said Sister Mary Johanna Mellody, OP, co-organizer of the Aquinas event and a formator of Hispanic catechists in the Diocese of Nashville. “The conference in June will be presented in Spanish and English. We hope many catechists from our Hispanic communities will attend.”
“The ‘Come, Follow Me’ program was first introduced to catechists in the United States by Sister Hyacinthe at the St. John Bosco Conference in 2015,” said Jason Gale, director of the Center for Evangelization and Catechesis. Since that time there has been growing American interest in the program.
“The Center for Evangelization and Catechesis at Aquinas College is proud to host this catechetical formation conference,” Gale said. The Center supports the work of catechists and leaders by providing workshops, retreats and directed study of the Catholic Faith.
The “Come, Follow Me” Conference will prepare catechists for using the methodology with children ages 7-11, but with principles that can be applied to children and youth of all ages. “Come, Follow Me” has received the imprimatur for catechetical use. The program has also received the stamp of approval of the French Episcopal Commission for Catechesis and the Catechumenate.
The conference was originally scheduled for March 2020, but had to be postponed due the pandemic. It now will be held 6-9 p.m. Friday, June 10, and 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, June 11, at the Aquinas Center on The Dominican Campus in Nashville.
The conference is being supported by a grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. Limited accommodations are available for out-of-town participants at Aquinas College’s Siena Hall, also on The Dominican Campus.
Registration is open on the Aquinas College website. For more information, call Jason Gale at 615-297-7545 x469 (for English) or Sister Mary Johanna Mellody, O.P. at 615-259-5486 x3172 (for Spanish) or visit https://www.aquinascollege.edu/calendar-event/come-follow-me-conference/.
