Catholic Leaders Formation Network (CLFN)
A professional formation network for educators and leaders in Catholic schools and the broader Church, committed to renewing their mission of evangelisation.
A collaborative venture between
The Catholic Leaders Formation Network (CLFN) is a fruit of the partnership between Catholic Schools Youth Ministry International (CSYMI) and the Australian Catholic University’s La Salle Academy. The CLFN is managed by CSYMI.
The CLFN brings together Catholic leaders, educators and others for prayer, learning, formation and sharing with others in similar ministries and roles so that they can more effectively evangelise.
The CLFN is a response to a recognition at all levels of Church leadership that formation for Church leaders is critical to the Church’s mission into the future. Despite new forms of social media and communication, Church leaders rarely enjoy the spiritual nourishment and fellowship that can come from journeying with other Church leaders.
Aims
The CLFN aims to support Catholic leaders and educators and others in ministry to:
develop and sustain a personal living relationship with Jesus and a strong Catholic identity through ongoing formation, discipleship and participation in the life and mission of the Church.
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develop a vision and model for a ministry of evangelisation and a commitment to sharing the Gospel of Christ.
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discover and live out their vocation within the Catholic Church.
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build bonds of fellowship in mission through dialogue and collaboration, common formation experiences and prayer.
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to form, network, certify and resource Catholic educators, school and other Church leaders to be more effective evangelisers.
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The CLFN is now growing as an international network of over one thousand Catholic school and other Church leaders. The Spiritus Program has been conducted throughout Australia, East Africa, the United Kingdom and New Zealand. The 2023 Oceania Evangelisation Program gathered a thousand leaders together for two days, commencing on Ascension Sunday, in Canberra and in Hubs throughout the Pacific.
Membership Benefits
The CLFN offers its members:
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a selection of Spiritus Program resources
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additional prayer resources
an online networking, resource and program delivery platform at clfn.org
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invitations to register for the ACU Spiritus Program and the Oceania Evangelisation Program (Each with its own fees/registration costs)
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certification as a CSYMI Educator and/or as a Leader of Evangelisation (Conditions apply)
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the Forming Leaders Series Programs including Porta Fidei, Called and Essentials for Faith Leadership
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regular GROW CSYMI and GROW in FAITH Workshops
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Weekly News newsletter including Formed in Prayer
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regular formation-orientated seminars for Leaders of Evangelisation (Once each term)
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the capacity to run the Forming Leaders Series Programs Porta Fidei, Called and Essentials for Faith Leadership
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links to professional learning and formation resources for Catholic leaders.
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The completion of CLFN programs and participation in events such as GROW Workshops will be linked to Diocesan accreditation policies.
Formation and Professional Learning
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Spiritus
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Online short courses and videos
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GROW Workshops
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Networking
The Oceania Evangelisation Leaders Program
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Regular formation-orientated seminars for Leaders of Evangelisation
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The Forming Leaders Series Programs
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Certification and Accreditation
The CLFN offers certification for educators and leaders of evangelisation. For certification as a CSYMI Educator, applicants must have completed a Youth Ministry Equipping School (YMES) or an online training course and a retreat or formation experience within the past three years. Certified educators are expected to be active members of the CSYMI Network and CLFN. For certification as a Leader of Evangelisation, CLFN members must have completed the ACU Spiritus Program or an equivalent program with a focus on evangelisation and leadership development, as well as an online training course and a recent retreat or formation experience. Leaders of Evangelisation exercise leadership within their ministry contexts and regularly join together with other Leaders of Evangelisation for prayer, formation, support and encouragement.
Leadership and Licensing of CLFN Programs
Leaders of Evangelisation exercise leadership within their own communities and the CLFN as they ‘step up’ to lead and facilitate the formation of colleagues and other adults. They can run programs within The Forming Leaders Series (Porta Fidei, Called and Essentials for Faith Leadership). With additional training and support they can be licenced to lead Spiritus and Youth Ministry Equipping Schools.
Resources
Prayer Resources
Formed in Prayer provides weekly Sunday Gospel inspired prayer and reflection for staff prayer. The CLFN website and app provide access to a wealth of prayer resources as well as instructional videos on praying traditional forms of prayer such as Lectio Divina and The Ignatian Examen. Additional prayers authored by an increasing range of Catholic and other Christian leaders will be available for use in staff and leadership team meetings.
Links to Professional Learning and Formation Resources for Catholic Leaders
Links to ACU La Salle and other articles and multimedia resources on leadership will grow each year.
Access a Selection of SPIRITUS Program Resources
The Spiritus program is a unique faith formation program for education and other Church ministry leaders, equipping them for evangelisation in our contemporary context. Spiritus can be completed as a professional learning program or as units of study in ACU postgraduate courses. Selected Spiritus resources will soon be available for use by licensed school and diocesan leaders with their leadership teams and staff.
The ACU La Salle Academy Voices and Vision:
Catholic Schools in Conversation
As the subtitle suggests, the resource is aimed at facilitating dialogue between those who work in Catholic school communities, helping them to consider ways in which they can bring to life the values proposed in the Church documents. Rather than drawing heavily on the text of the documents, Voices and Visions uses quotes, poems and prayers from a range of authors whose writings are aligned with the themes and ideas in the documents and inspire the reader to interpret their meaning for their particular context.
The Voices and Vision pack contains twelve easy to use pamphlets, three on each of the four themes in the resource:
Life and Culture: our way of being together
Education and Formation: our approach to teaching and learning
People and Vocation: our expectations around participation
Communion and Mission: the heart of our unfolding purpose
The pamphlets are best used in group reflection and discussion where the group is led by a facilitator. To assist facilitators, La Salle has produced three videos that will help skill them in leading a group in the use of these pamphlets.
Pricing of CLFN for schools not implementing CSYMI
Individual Membership
$80 pp
Leadership Team
1-4 Members
$70 pp
Leadership Team
5+ Members
$60 pp
Diocesan
Per school/ parish
$300 per school
Unlimited persons per school