Dcn. Bob Rice of the Steubenville Diocese presents to Parish Catechetical Leaders at the annual diocesan conference held Aug. 18-19 at St. Joseph in Rice Lake. (Submitted photo)
Jenny Snarski
The Parish Catechetical Leader Conference is an annual event in late August organized by the Diocese of Superior’s Office of Evangelization and Missionary Discipleship.
The conference schedule is balanced between prayer, sacraments, practical formation and networking time. For 2025, the conference was increased from an evening plus full day to two full days, highlighting the value of the content and collaborative atmosphere.
Featured presenter Dcn. Bob Rice traveled from the Diocese of Steubenville, Ohio, to reflect on the Eucharist as center of all ministry and to carry that work out with the heart of God.
A husband, father of seven and permanent deacon, Dcn. Rice holds a doctorate in theology and is a professor of Catechetics at Franciscan University of Steubenville. He is also an author, podcaster and musician.
Thirty people attended, including diocesan staff and parish leadership personnel from River Falls, Rhinelander, Somerset, Osceola, Eagle River, Merrill, Ladysmith, Ashland, Gilman, Rice Lake, Hurley, Cameron, New Richmond, Hayward, Spooner, Bayfield and Webster.
Christopher Hurtubise, director of the Office of Evangelization and Missionary Discipleship, called the presenter a “leading expert in catechetics,” defining “catechesis” as “the art and science of passing on the faith.”
“We have discussed the phases of evangelization at length in all sorts of settings in recent years,” he said. “Dcn. Bob picked up and led our catechetical leaders into an even deeper and richer understanding of these phases as it pertains to their areas of ministry.”
Hurtubise said he greatly appreciated that the presentations “were filled with references to the sacred Scriptures and the teachings of the holy fathers, but even more importantly they were all centered on the person of Jesus Christ. One piercing question he asked us to reflect on was, ‘Am I doing work for the House of the Lord? Or am I doing work for the Lord of the house?’”
He also suggested that in moments of trial – as when the disciples were caught in the storm at sea and Jesus was asleep in the stern of the boat – we ask: “Is my focal point the storm or the Lord?”
He added, “Our formation offices have never grown tired of saying that ‘All good ministry is relational ministry.’ As an evangelist or a catechist, Dcn. Bob (said) we have to earn the right to be heard, and that happens through authentic relationship.” The deacon challenged, “Then, you need to say something worth saying.”
Tessa Schuermann leads faith formation for pre-kindergarten through eighth grades at St. Bridget Parish in River Falls. She loved the conference and appreciated “the way Dcn. Bob Rice took us deep into the Gospels to show us how Jesus loved and ministered to others for us to imitate. It helped clarify the mission and clear away the non-essentials that creep in throughout the year.”
The youth ministry coordinator at Nativity of Our Lord Parish in Rhinelander, Erika Warning-Meyer is new to her role. She shared that the opportunity to “pause, reflect and spend time in prayer” was a highlight for her. “It is so easy to get caught up in tasks and the to-do list, that you can miss why you were called to this work. After the conference,” she said,” I feel like I have a renewed spirit and am ready to start my year of faith formation.”
Schuermann added, “I also loved learning more about the framework of “Win, Build, Send,” and I look forward to evaluating all we do within our faith formation program through that lens. I came away from the PCL conference feeling really proud and excited to be part of the Diocese of Superior!”
