[FCC] Five Strategies for Living Out the Virtues
2 Days
Saturday | 15 & 22 February 2025
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
*Registration from 8:45 am, Sessions will start promptly at 9:00 am
St. Francis Xavier Major Seminary
618 Upper Bukit Timah Rd
Francis Xavier Seminary Building
Singapore 678214
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Catechesis, which seeks to ‘reveal in all clarity the joy and the demands of the way of Christ’ (CCC 1697), should include a ‘catechesis of the human virtues’ and a ‘catechesis of the Christian virtues of faith, hope and charity’ (CCC 1697). However, ‘mere desire, or an attraction to a certain value, is not enough to instil a virtue in the absence of those properly motivated acts’ (Pope Francis 2016, Amoris Laetitia 266). Moral education can only take place when there is the strengthening of the will and the repetition of specific actions which serve as the building blocks of moral conduct (cf. AL 266).
This workshop employs the strategies proposed by The Virtues Project™, which is a global and secular initiative offered to inspire the practice of virtues in everyday life. This programme is used to transform families, schools, businesses, and organisations in over 120 countries.
The 5 strategies to be covered are as follows:
Speak the Language of the Virtues
Recognize Teachable Moments
Set Clear Boundaries
Honour the Spirit
Offer the Art of Spiritual Companioning
The workshop now covers components to explore how the above strategies [i.e. catechetical method] may be applied in our catechetical sessions using the Disciple of Christ Education in Virtue materials [i.e. content], developed by the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist. Our OFC staff will also provide examples as to how virtues may be introduced throughout the year or when the opportunity arises.
COURSE PURPOSE
This course aims to empower catechists and parents to:
inspire and encourage others to practise and live out the virtues
replace shaming and negative language with positive and life-giving guidance
set clear boundaries that are simple, clear and measurable to create a climate of respect and peace
find ways to facilitate reflection and create beauty and awe
support and mentor candidates when they face moral dilemmas or need to resolve conflict
IMPORTANT NOTE
Five Strategies For Living Out The Virtues is one of three modules for Foundational Course in Catechesis (FCC), the recommended foundational requirements for all catechists, including Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS), home-based and special needs catechists.
The other two modules are:
Introduction to Catechetical Pedagogy & Catechetical Methods and
Learning to Listen and Facilitate
TRAINERS
Ms Tan Li-Cheng Nicola-Jeanne
Li-Cheng graduated with a honours degree in Psychology and began her career in the logistics industry. In 2004, after almost 14 years in the corporate world, she decided to venture into Early Childhood Education completing diplomas in Preschool Education and Montessori Studies. She embarked on her “second career” at Cherrybrook Kindergarten as a teacher and eventually served in the capacity of Principal. Realising the importance of the parents’ role in bringing up children of good character, she completed a Diploma in Family Education and was later certified as a Virtues Project facilitator.
Li-Cheng strongly believes that in order to practise the Five Strategies of the Virtues project, a parent/educator needs begin by doing his/her own inner work - recognising one’s own triggers and finding ways to overcome them. Since stepping back from full-time work in 2016, she has spent her time deepening her faith and exploring different approaches to healing and innerwork. Today, she continues this exploration and spends her time mentoring/coaching both individuals and couples, as well as running various workshops. She serves at St Mary of the Angels in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) and Couple Mentor Journey (CMJ) ministries.
Li-Cheng is passionate about the value of virtues education, especially in the formative years. She firmly believes that the virtues are gifts that are within each of us, and our goal is to strive to bring them out in our children, in the people we encounter and most of all in ourselves.
Ms Annabelle Tay
Annabelle has served in the Ministry of Education for more than 10 years. She has taught in both co-ed and girls schools, and has reviewed and formulated education policies at MOE HQ.
In 2012, Annabelle became involved in The Virtues Project after attending the Facilitators Workshop conducted by Mojgan Tosif. Since then, she has led in the implementation of the 5 Strategies at CHIJ Our Lady Queen of Peace and uses them daily in her life.
In addition, Annabelle also finds joyfulness and purposefulness in her role as a Master Facilitator from The Virtues Project International, assisting local and overseas schools to implement The Virtues Project in their curriculum. She believes that every subject offers an opportunity for educators to build character and awaken the virtues in our children.
In recent years, Annabelle also spends her time with the Catholic community and the Special Needs community to inspire families to practise the virtues in their everyday life; to raise children of compassion and integrity in a safe and caring environment. Annabelle is thankful for these opportunities to be of service and continues to pray for certitude to guide her in her journey forward.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
Catechetical Coordinators
Level Coordinators for Children and/or Youth
All Catechists and Assistant Catechists for Children and/or Youth
Facilitators and Volunteers working with Children and/or Youth
RCIA Coordinators, Core Team and Sponsors
REFERENCE MATERIAL
Disciple of Christ, Education in Virtue® by Lumen Ecclesiae Press
The Disciple of Christ, Education in Virtue® is a Christian curriculum structured on the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas regarding the virtues and gifts of the Holy Spirit. It aims to provide a consistent structure and systematic instruction for youth to learn about the virtues so that they can form the habits and dispositions necessary to live as disciples of Jesus Christ. This curriculum emphasizes Christian discipleship as indispensable toward human flourishing and the quest for joy. It has been developed in response to the call for a New Evangelization, firmly conveying the reality that happiness is found in a life of holiness.
In the school setting, the call to discipleship is extended not only to the students but also to their parents, the faculty, the staff, and the administration. It is the fruit of a personal encounter with Christ which affects one’s intellectual, spiritual, physical, and social life. “The disciple of Christ must not only keep the faith and live on it, but also profess it, confidently bear witness to it, and spread it” (CCC, 1816).
EIV - An Educator’s Guide to living a virtuous life | 2nd Edition
A deeper dive into living a virtuous life: the essential guide for parents and teachers.
Provides in-depth knowledge of the theological and moral virtues and the process of growing in virtue.
Equips every parent and teacher with easy access to understanding the fundamentals of life as a disciple of Christ.
Color-Coded for seamless use with the coordinating virtue cards and saint cards
164 full-color pages
EIV - Small / Large Virtue Cards
Show your children what living virtue “looks like” and “sounds like,” so that they can put it into practice.
An indispensable tool for teaching children what each virtue ‘looks like and sounds like’.
Useful in instruction and classroom management.
272 cards featuring colorful and applicable examples of how to live the virtues.
Back of the card includes a prayer, saint picture, brief biography and scripture passage.
EIV - Saint Cards Series 1 / 2
35 different, attractive and durable cards, one for each virtue.
Each collectible card shows a Saint who exemplifies the virtue on the card, and prayers for growing in the virtue and the corresponding gift of the Holy Spirit.
Encourage your child to collect all 35 cards.
Use as a reward for practicing a virtue or as an aid to remembering to work on a particular virtue.
Card Size: 2.75″x 4.25″
EIV - Saint Cards Series 3 / 4
35 different, attractive and durable cards, one for each virtue.
Each collectible card shows a Saint who exemplifies the virtue on the card, and prayers for growing in the virtue and the corresponding gift of the Holy Spirit.
Encourage your child to collect all 35 cards.
Use as a reward for practicing a virtue or as an aid to remembering to work on a particular virtue.
Card Size: 2.75″x 4.25″
CONTRIBUTION FEE
Fees: $30.00 (includes GST and 2 days' lunch and tea breaks)
Please note that the Lunch Contribution Fee is non-refundable in any circumstance.
Participants are required to register to assist us in the booking of appropriate rooms, the printing of materials, the arrangement of tea and snacks, etc. In the event of foreseeable no-shows, we encourage participants to inform the office in advance to help prevent wastage of resources. Participants may be charged for no-shows.