As part of an ongoing collaboration with the Archdiocese of Toronto’s Office of Formation for Discipleship, the University of Dayton in Ohio has released a number of new courses in conjunction with its Virtual Learning Community for Faith Formation (VLCFF) program. 

Now open for registration are 41 distinct and unique programs for faith formation, all of which are designed to increase and enhance students' development in their Catholic faith. Each five-week course will run from July 15 to Aug. 18, with applications closing July 10.  

Courses available for registration include Bible basics, introduction to pastoral care, introduction to liturgy, New and Old Testament studies, praying with children, theological reflection and Church history. 

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While these courses are typically only available through enrolling in the private Roman Catholic post-secondary institution’s VLCFF catechist formation program, their partnership with the Archdiocese of Toronto has allowed for individual five-week programs to be taken by any member of the archdiocese online. 

“Those interested in one of the summer courses that are being offered in the next session can either go directly to Dayton and register online through them, but they can also register at a cheaper price through the Archdiocese,” explained Leslie Miller, a facilitator of the formation program with the Office of Formation for Discipleship.

Thanks to the decade-long partnership with the VLCFF, Toronto Catholics are eligible for a discounted cost of $50 (U.S.) per course.

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Although there are over 40 courses to choose from in English, Spanish and Arabic, Miller emphasized that taking one or two is most often the best choice due to timing and course length. 

“The recommendation is to only take one at a time, but I know that there are people who have taken two and have been able to manage that,” he said. “It depends on your time budgeting as each course usually takes about an hour a day for five weeks as well as on the nature of the course being taken and its content.” 

Each course is designed to be highly open and accessible for participants, with no prior theological training required — a purposeful approach that makes the opportunity to grow in Catholic education approachable and accessible. 

“The newest batch of courses is for everyone, whether you are in a ministry within your parish and you want to deepen your background or if you are looking for something in your own personal growth. It is all about reinforcing, deepening and expanding your knowledge of the faith,” Miller said. “One of the great powers of this program is the adult discussions as one of the basic tenets of adult catechesis is people learning by communicating through discussion. That is something well-tailored to these courses.”

With the latest summer slot having now arrived, Miller hopes to increase awareness of its collaboration with Dayton University as it continues to provide more opportunities for catechesis formation in the future. 

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“We have been getting quite a few people now who have been through this program in the last 10 years and so we want to nurture their ongoing faith. One of the things we've been doing is consistently advertising these single courses through Dayton, but we want to go further than that and continue to look at other opportunities to nurture catechists,” he said. 

To see the full list of courses and to register, see https://vlcff.udayton.edu/calendar/#cycle_5_2024_English. Registration for Spanish courses can be found at https://vlcff.udayton.edu/calendar/?lang=es#cycle_5_2024_Spanish.