VLCFF Faith Formation and Catechetical Certification Opportunities
April 9, 2025

Beginning the Week of April 28, 2025

Two five-week courses are being offered through the University of Dayton’s Virtual Learning Community for Faith Formation (VLCFF). These courses are hybrid models and are composed of both weekly live two-hour Zoom lectures/discussions as well as a rich variety of online course materials and discussion experiences. The courses are being underwritten by the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston’s Office of Evangelization & Catechesis, who pays 100% of the tuition and the cost of any books associated with the courses.

The course instructor is Dr. Rodica Stoicoiu. For further information or to register, please contact Rodica at rodicastoicoiuphd@gmail.com with your name, address, email, and phone number.

The Diocese offers Catechetical Certification and recognizes VLCFF courses for various levels of certification. Certain courses are especially designed for volunteer catechists, Catholic school religion teachers, members of OCIA teams and all those who would be enriched by formal training in this field. For further information regarding the VLCFF certification program please contact Dr. Stoicoiu or Ms. Shirley Carter at scarter@dwc.org. There are 6 required courses for level one certification including the Images of Jesus class below. Both classes are open to ALL adults interested in deepening their faith and growing in their understanding of the theology and Tradition of the Church.

Images of Jesus
Begins the week of April 28
(5-week session – class meets on Wednesdays at 7pm)

Spend time this Easter Season developing a deeper understanding of Jesus by encountering him through the Gospels (we will be using modern scriptural methods of reading the Gospel texts), theology, history and the liturgy. We will be exploring answers to the question that Jesus asked his followers “who do you say I am?” and by the end of the course students will be able to form a personal answer to this question. This course is open to everyone, some background in reading scripture will be helpful. Images of Jesus is part of the Certificate in Catechesis and will be a foundational course for catechists, members of OCIA teams, and all those interested in deepening their faith. The class will meet on Wednesday evenings on Zoom at 7 pm beginning on April 30th.

To register or for further information please contact Dr. Rodica Stoicoiu at rodicastoicoiuphd@gmail.com

Poverty in the U.S. and Around the World
Begins week of April 28
(5-week session – class meets on Mondays at 7pm)

Jesus’ ministry was to the poor. The Beatitudes call out for us to thirst for justice, to seek God in the stranger, the hungry, the marginalized, and the suffering. During this Easter Season take some time to more deeply understand this fundamental call of our faith: to respond to the needs of others with steadfast love and transforming action. In this course we will explore our Judeo-Christian response to poverty as rooted in Scripture and the Catholic Social Tradition and ask essential questions such as the following. In a world of poverty and economic injustice how are we to respond? What faith-based strategies for both domestic and global poverty are possible? We will study these questions and more, with an emphasis upon the connections that work, living wage and immigration have to poverty today. This course is part of the Certificate in Social Justice series and is open to all (some background in the social justice teachings of the Church will be helpful). The class will meet Monday evenings at 7 pm and Thursday afternoons at 4 pm. All sections begin the week of April 28th.

To register or for further information please contact Dr. Rodica Stoicoiu at rodicastoicoiuphd@gmail.com