Jayne Mondoy had a hope for the diocese. As the director of religious education, she wanted to make learning about the Catholic faith easily accessible and convenient for educators and laypeople throughout the diocese.
Through a With Grateful Hearts grant and with more than six months of research and curriculum development, she was able to successfully develop an online learning center that creates locally produced online learning courses and videos for Catholic educators, catechists, faith formation leaders, and youth and young adult ministers.
“I am excited,” she said. “We are able to use a 21st century venue to teach and to work with people that is easy for all to fit into their schedules from all islands.”
Catechists in the diocese are required to complete a certification to teach at their parishes.
The online catechist certification allows them to use the unique hybrid-learning experience with content delivery via the “Echoes of Faith” video learning series. Mondoy and her staff can engage and assess the learners through a private Facebook forum that accompanies the certification.
Mondoy said she is also reviewing other online training programs that allow teachers to post messages, discuss classroom topics, share content and materials, and exchange ideas with their peers.
In 2012, about 60 participants completed online courses through the program.
“Participants come from across the diocese, contributing to the richness of the learning experience,” Mondoy said. “We expect to train about 100 people this year, a 30 percent increase over teaching only in-person classes. In addition, the online environment requires no air travel, thus saving the diocese close to $1,000 in annual inter-island airfare.”
With catechist certification now available online, the Office of Religious Education turned its sights to creating lesson templates, storyboards and production outlines for new, locally produced faith formation videos.
The first video focused on the rites and catechesis of the Sacrament of Baptism. Mondoy collaborated with video producer Bernadette Baraquio and Deacon Modesto Cordero, director of the Office of Worship, and expert catechists to develop a 15-minute video and facilitator guide that aligns with the catechetical norms promulgated by Bishop Larry Silva for the diocese.
“I can’t express how important it was to have the funding,” Mondoy said. “Without the generosity of With Grateful Hearts donors, we would not be able to produce a video of this quality.”
Mondoy said that in the video they are able to use stunning images of Hawaii when describing the symbols of Baptism: water, light, oil and white garment. Images from Kalaupapa and Kalawao were used in a segment on St. Marianne Cope and St. Damien de Veuster. They were also able to interview local families to describe their baptismal journey and to describe the importance of godparents.
“This has been a wonderful experience,” Mondoy said of creating the video. “We knew we wanted to capture the unique beauty of Hawaii that surrounds us and influences our teaching. This is visually very Hawaii.”
All parish baptism preparation teams will benefit from the videos.
“The initial response to the video has been overwhelmingly positive and points toward the video being used in the Rites for Christian Initiation (RCIA) process and as a refresher for all sacramental preparation teams,” Mondoy said.
Each parish has received a copy of the video “Baptism: One ‘Ohana” along with its facilitator guide. Additional copies of the video are available for purchase.
“I would like to invite everyone to view the baptism video,” Mondoy said. “It is not only for people preparing for the sacrament, it’s a wonderful way to revisit our own baptismal journey. All of the faithful need to be reminded and renewed in our own sacramental life.”
The second video project which is currently in production and expected to be completed by summer 2013 is on the sacrament of Eucharist.
