Kurt Lucas, The Good News for the Catholic
Diocese of Kalamazoo
August
2003
http://www.dioceseofkalamazoo.org/Diocesan_Offices/TGN/tgn.htm
“I found the STEP classes from Notre Dame to be well prepared
and highly informative. The class I took gave me a lot of background
and will be useful in all that I do in the parish. The nice part
is that I could work on it at home after my normal workday.”
--Deacon
Bernie Mileski
“I
was initially unsure about the Internet format, but found myself
engaged in both the video lectures (which I reinforced by also
printing off the text) and the class "discussions" via
the message board and chat room . . . The discussions added the
element of personal and parish experience. It was a great overview
that provided many opportunities for follow up reading and reflection.”
--Lisa
Irwin, ECI Office
Over
the past year, a few people in the Diocese of Kalamazoo have taken
advantage of the excellent online catechesis available via the
STEP program offered by the Institute for Church Life at the University
of Notre Dame. STEP stands for “Satellite Theological Education
Program” and provides classes and training using the Internet
for those who want a deeper understanding of their Catholic faith
but, for whatever reason, are unable to access a traditional classroom
setting.
The
class costs are very affordable and STEP offers three different
levels of learning opportunities. Limited enrollment classes are
offered once a year to a total of 30 people nationwide and probably
require at least 10 hours of reading and writing each week for
the 5-week class session. Open enrollment classes are offered
multiple times each year to a larger total number of students
and require much less time each week for the 5-week class session.
Finally, STEP also offers a number of lectures on CD-ROM which
can be viewed without any additional time commitment.
If
you have any questions about STEP, please contact Kurt Lucas in
the Office of Evangelization, Catechesis, and Initiation at (269)
349-8714 ext. 234 or check out the program's Web site at: http://step.nd.edu.
