Growing Strong Catholic Families

This website was created by catechetical and evangelization staff from the Catholic dioceses of Jefferson City, MO (Jim Kemna, now retired); San Jose, CA (Wendy Scherbart, now retired); and St. Petersburg, FL (Diane Kledzik) to provide parish and school leaders with high quality resources to build strong Catholic families.  All three came together through their involvement with the Strong Catholic Families Strong Catholic Youth initiative, in May 2012. Denise Utter (previously from the Diocese of Joliet, IL), joined the team in 2014, sharing her passion for building strong Catholic families and increasing their social media presence. All four collaborators are members of the National Community of Catechetical Leadership, (NCCL) 
We use an image of growth to remind ourselves of our roots.  Our project started with a strong connection to the Strong Catholic Families Strong Catholic Youth Initiative. Read about this and other initiatives on our Leadership page - Initiatives. 

About the Project

The Strong Catholic Family Faith website has been created to assist parish and school leaders in finding the best and most relevant content and experiences for developing faith-filled Catholic families.  All of these resources have been selected and reviewed by the Project Team and drawn from trusted sources. The Project Team has taken care to ensure that the recommended resources reflect the following criteria: 
  1. The biblical content and activities reflect Catholic biblical scholarship.
  2. The theological content and activities reflect Catholic beliefs, traditions, and teachings as found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
  3. The content and activities reflect and support Catholic values. 
  4. The content and activities are developmentally appropriate to the stage of life.
  5. The content and activities are ethnically/culturally sensitive and inclusive. 
  6. The content and activities are inclusive of a variety of family structures.
  7. The website, content, and/or activities are easy to use for parish leaders, parents, family members, and/or the whole family. 
  8. The websites, content, and/or activities provide high quality experiences for families.

The Project Team  (Read about how we got started...article from NCCL's Catechetical Leader below.) 

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The Strong Catholic Family Faith Team received the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership's 2016 New Wineskins Award - Diocesan/Multi-Diocesan Level at the Annual Conference in Jacksonville May 25, 2016.  ​This award is designed to:
  • Highlight and celebrate extraordinary achievement occurring in dioceses (or multi-dioceses) in the ministries of evangelization and catechesis.
  • Share successful initiatives that may benefit other dioceses/parishes.
  • Encourage continued creative innovation in diocesan/parish catechetical and evangelization efforts.
  • Reflect the spirit of the “new evangelization” promulgated by Pope John Paul II and the General/National Directories for Catechesis.

AWARD CRITERIA: THE MINISTRY OF THE DIOCESE(S) INITIATIVE MUST EXHIBIT
  1. a strong catechetical and/or evangelization dimension;
  2. innovative qualities;
  3. a history or track record of at least three years;
  4. a demonstrated record of effectiveness;
  5. fidelity to Scripture and Church teaching.

Jim

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Jim Kemna was the Director of Religious Education for the Diocese of Jefferson City, Missouri until he retired at the end of June 2016.   Now  Jim is becoming an active grandparent.   He is babysitting for his one month old granddaughter Katie.   Check out Jim's facebook page for daily updates.   Before retirement Jim was responsible for assisting his bishop in promoting the vision of catechesis throughout the diocese.   Jim's duties included serving the parishes and schools of the diocese by providing training for catechists and Catholic school personnel, resourcing and training parish and school leaders, helping parishes develop effective adult faith formation programs and collaborating with other diocesan offices in serving parish needs.  Jim has a Masters Degree in theology from the University of Dayton and an Ed. Specialist Degree in Adult Education from the University of Missouri.  jimkemna@gmail.com

Diane

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Diane Kledzik is in her 25th year at the Diocese of St. Petersburg, currently serving as the Director for Marriage and Family Life.  Her prior ministry work consists of serving as the Diocesan Leader for Evangelization and Small Christian Communities for 20 years and in Youth Ministry on the parish and diocesan levels.  Diane has a Certificate in Youth Ministry and an Advanced Studies in Ministry Certificate from the Center for Ministry Development and holds a BA in Human Resources and a minor in Religious Studies from Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, FL, and an MA in Pastoral Ministry from St. Thomas University in Miami, FL.  She has served her parish as catechist on the Infant Baptism Team for over 20 years, was a member of the Youth Ministry Core Team and Evangelization Team, served two years as the PTO President at the Catholic elementary school that she and her sons attended, and was an inaugural member of the Parent and Family Advisory Council at the University of West Florida.  Diane is a Board Member of the North American Forum for Small Christian Communities (NAFSCC) and a member of the Education and Formation Commission of the National Association of Catholic Family Life Ministers (NACFLM).  dmk@dosp.org

Wendy

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Wendy Scherbart was the Director for Catechetical Ministry  in the Diocese of San Jose, CA  until she retired in June 2017. She was responsible for the formation of the leaders in catechetical ministry within the diocesan churches.  She has 34 years of experience as a catechetical leader at the diocesan and parish level.  She is a certified master catechist and holds an MA in catechetics and an MA in education administration from Santa Clara University.  wendelynscherbart@gmail.com 

Denise

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Denise Utter is a speaker, coach, and writer who was formerly a parish Director of Faith Formation and the Catechetical Associate for Family Faith Formation for the Diocese of Joliet. Her experience at both parish and diocesan levels shapes her work as a consultant for Vibrant Faith, Lifelong Faith Associates, and Families Living Faith, where she helps leaders reimagine faith formation in their own parishes and schools. Denise’s publications include articles for Catechetical Leader, Catechist Magazine, and Take Out: Our Faith on the Go! (OSV). She has written online curriculum for Our Sunday Visitor, Center for Ministry Development, and the Archdiocese of Chicago. Denise has a B.S. in Education and a Masters of Arts degree in Pastoral Studies from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and currently serves as the President of NCCL. Denise is married and has three adult children.
​deniseutter@familieslivingfaith.com