Friday, April 16, 2010

DAYTON DEANERY — The National Association of Parish Catechetical Directors (NPCD) has selected Mission Helper of the Sacred Heart Sister Angela Ann Zukowski, a religious studies professor and director of the University’s Institute for Pastoral Initiatives, to receive the 2010 Emmaus Award for Excellence in Catechesis.

 
The Emmaus Award is given each year to an individual who has exercised outstanding national leadership in the field of catechesis — religious instruction — and who has consistently contributed significantly to the mission of spreading the Gospel, through writing, publishing, teaching or research. The NPCD is a division of the National Catholic Educational Association.
 
Sister Angela Ann accepted the award April 6 at the association’s national convention in Minneapolis.  The NPCD committee said she has “advocated for adult faith formation and catechetical leadership with integrity and vitality.” They specifically noted her work with the University of Dayton’s Virtual Learning Community for Faith Formation and the Forum for Young Catechetical Leaders, both growing programs that promote catechesis.
 
The Virtual Learning Community for Faith Formation celebrated its 10th anniversary in February. The online program has 50 diocesan partners, has e-learners in 125 dioceses and goes into 34 foreign countries. The VLCFF extends adult religious education and faith formation training to anyone with access to the Internet.

Sister Angela Ann has served as the world president for the International Catholic Association for Radio and Television, known as UNDA. As a member of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications — the first woman with voting privileges on that Vatican council — she was a major pastoral contributor to the important Vatican document, Aetatis Novae. The document called for development of pastoral communications planning around the world.
 
She co-wrote the book The Gospel in Cyberspace, and she co-directs the Caribbean School for Catholic Communication.