The Archdiocese of Atlanta and the North American Forum on the Catechumenate are co-sponsoring a Beginnings Plus Institute for all people who work in the Christian initiation ministry at the parish level. The institute will be offered Oct. 10-13 at Holy Trinity Church in Peachtree City.

RCIA teams from around the diocese and beyond will gather for this institute, which is designed to help parish teams, both experienced and new, deepen their understanding of the conversion journey and experience the stages and rituals of the Rite of Christian Initiation. While most of the institute will be offered in English, there will be a dialogue group in Spanish each afternoon.

The North American Forum, established in 1981, and located in Washington, D.C., is an international network of pastoral ministers, liturgists, catechists, and theologians who share ideas and offer support for initiation and reconciliation ministries. This support is offered primarily through institutes sponsored by dioceses in the United States and Canada.

Institute leaders for the Beginnings Plus Institute include Kathy Kuczka, the liturgy and music director at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Alpharetta and a former writer/producer for CNN, who serves as the liturgist on the Atlanta Forum on the Catechumenate. Also on the team is Linda Licata, who has over 20 years of experience in initiation ministry at the parish and diocesan level and who chairs the Commission on the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults in the Diocese of Charlotte, N.C., and coordinates adult initiation in her parish. Licata is a member of a small Christian community. Donna Mostiller serves as the coordinator for Christian initiation at St. Martin de Porres Parish in Buffalo, N.Y., and as a member of the Buffalo Diocesan Catechumenate Board. She is also the human resources manager for the YWCA of Western New York. Father Tim Piasecki is pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish in Rockford, Ill. He has served in Montero, Peru, and is an instructor in liturgy for ministry formation and a presenter on topics of liturgy and Christian initiation in Spanish and English.

The schedule for the Institute, as well as registration information, can be found on the Forum’s Web site, which is www.naforum.org. Local coordinator Kathy Kelly-Huey may be contacted at (770) 487-0175, ext. 407, or Kathy_Kelly-Huey@holytrinityptc.org or Barbara Stevens may be contacted at (770) 253-1888, ext. 206, or bstevens@stmarymagdalenecc.com. There are early bird and team discounts, as well as a limited number of scholarships available.