Advanced Ministry Studies

CATECHETICAL - MINISTRY YEAR

The Catechumenal Model for Faith Formation and Ministering with Persons with Disabilities 

The Catechumenal Model for Faith Formation Course Summary

This class will present the Catechumenate as a source of Inspiration for Catechesis and the restoration of the catechumenate fostered by the Second Vatican Council. Exploring how the catechumenate, as a training period, can be an inspiration for the whole Christian life.  The course will be presented in the light of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the current Rite of Christian Initiation, and the Directory for Catechesis 2020.

Class Objectives: The participant will be able to: 

• To embrace the catechumenate process as the model and inspiration for all catechesis.
• To understand how the four stages of the baptismal catechumenate mirror the Father’s divine pedagogy. 
• To include the Church’s rites, symbols, biblical and liturgical signs in catechesis.
• To recognize that conversion is a life-long process and is accompanied at every stage by an appropriate catechesis.
• To provide mystagogical reflection experiences in the community 

Ministering with Persons with Disabilities 

This class will present the Catechumenate as a source of Inspiration for Catechesis and the restoration of the catechumenate fostered by the Second Vatican Council. Exploring how the catechumenate, as a training period, can be an inspiration for the whole Christian life.  The course will be presented in the light of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the current Rite of Christian Initiation, and the Directory for Catechesis 2020.

Class Objectives: The participant will be able to: 

• To recognize, defend and fully include persons with disabilities in spiritual, social, educational, and civic life. Grounded in Scripture and Catholic social teaching
• To recognize the Human dignity and right to life and to value every person as human being with inviolable rights. 
• To accept disable persons over pity: Disabled persons need sincere love and full acceptance. 
• To see that persons with disabilities contribute spiritually and practically to the Church. 

Course Code: AMS Cat 208

Date: Saturday, March 21, 2026  

Time: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm (Lunch time included)  

Format: In Person: San Fernando Pastoral Region - 15101 San Fernando Mission Blvd, Mission Hills, CA 91345

Professors: Dr. Paul Ford, PhD, and TBA 

Dr. Paul Ford is a former Professor of Systematic Theology and Liturgy (St. John’s Seminary, Camarillo). He studied for the priesthood for the then-diocese of Monterey–Fresno, 1961–1973, but was never ordained. He was a Benedictine monk at St. Andrew’s Abbey, Valyermo, from 1973–1978. Dr. Ford was the first Roman Catholic in the doctoral program at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. His primary areas of competence are ecclesiology and mariology, sacramental theology, and music and liturgy; his secondary areas are spirituality, eschatology, and chant. He is an internationally recognized authority on the life and writings of C. S. Lewis; his award-winning book, Companion to Narnia (HarperCollins), is now in its fifth edition. He was the editor of Words to Live By (HarperSanFrancisco, 2007) and Yours Jack: Spiritual Direction from C.S. Lewis (HarperOne, 2009). He was honored as a distinguished alumnus of Saint John’s Seminary for 2013. Dr. Ford’s music publications are the books and CDs associated with his By Flowing Waters: Chant for the Liturgy (Collegeville: The Liturgical Press). His latest publications are the books and CDs associated with Psallite: Sacred Songs for Liturgy and Life and a bilingual Companion to the Roman Missal (2010). He is the convening member of the Collegeville Composers Group and a contributor to the Pray Tell blog.