Parish lay ministers with shared passions meet in new ELM Leadership Formation program

By Shelley Wolf

Last June, 15 parish lay ministers were among the first to receive certificates for completing the new ELM Leadership Formation program, which is being offered by the Office of Education, Evangelization and Catechesis. The program aims to train parish lay leaders in the four pillars of formation – intellectual, pastoral, spiritual and human – offering a more well-rounded ministerial foundation.

In addition to taking online and in-person courses, each participant was paired with a ministerial mentor to provided advice and guidance throughout the process and hopefully beyond. Here are two mentees and their mentors, and their experience with the program.

Megan Zinn and Miriam Hidalgo: Captivating teenagers

 Megan Zinn, 33, a mother of four young children, is a coordinator of religious education and youth ministry at Divine Mercy Parish (St. Rita and St. Stephen churches) in Hamden, where she has been focused on trying to grow the youth ministry.

“The way the Church has been doing ministry has not been working (statistically speaking), so I hope we can think creatively and find some out of the box ideas to reinvigorate the young people in our parish,” Zinn says.

It was Zinn’s good fortune to be matched with Miriam Hidalgo as her mentor. Hidalgo, 35, has worked as a catechist and youth minister in parishes and is the former Archdiocese of Hartford’s director of Hispanic Catechesis and director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry. She is currently a stay-at-home mother who pitches in teaching confirmation classes at several parishes and runs occasional youth and young adult retreats.

Zinn says the best advice she has received from Hidalgo so far is, “‘Delegate!’ I need to work on building a team, and delegate tasks to others,” Zinn says, “so I have more time to focus on the big picture and accomplish some of the bigger goals I have.”

Zinn says she also learned a great deal about effective youth ministry just by watching Hidalgo in action. A year ago, Zinn invited Hidalgo to lead a confirmation retreat at Divine Mercy, where Hidalgo covered several topics through a creative mix of lectures, music, activities, games, and quiet prayer. “There was something for everyone,” Zinn says.

“She compared Saints to super heroes, and had the students create a superhero with a name, theme song, and back story, using the gifts of the Holy Spirit,” Zinn recalls. “The kids had a blast, and enjoyed having the opportunity to be creative. The day gave the students various opportunities to engage with the material and their faith.”

Hidalgo says she thinks just as highly of Zinn.

“Megan is very clever and I admire her humility and sense of humor,” Hidalgo says. “I especially admire her being able to be a wife, mother of three (now four), and manage full-time ministry. The growth I’ve seen in her is in her confidence and ability to complete tasks. Although she still seeks advice and is right in doing so (don’t we all need some advice now and then?), she now has the confidence and ability to determine what is best on her own and go for it.”

Cara Correll and Deborah Pelletier: Supporting young families

 Cara Correll, 38, is a part-time baptism, pre-kindergarten and kindergarten religious education coordinator at St. George in Guilford. She also schedules religious and social activities for young families.

Her mentor was Deborah Pelletier, 59, who teaches religious education with a specialty in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd for children age 3 through grades six at St. Patrick-St. Anthony Parish in Hartford.

“I feel like she sees things in me that I don’t always see,” Correll says of Pelletier, who she credits for encouraging her to take the plunge and sign on for the program.

Pelletier let Correll know that although she is the mother of three young children ages 7, 5 and 3, the Catholic Church wanted her involved in ministry and in the Leadership Formation program. “I can do this, and I am worth it, or at least that is what I took away from our most recent conversation,” Correll says. “I also believe she was the push I needed to make this all happen.”

Pelletier is quite modest about her input. “I simply held my mentee in prayer,” she says, “and remembered her when opportunities arose that I knew were relevant for her.”

For Correll, the program has been a journey that has led to community and self-discovery.

“I loved collaborating with others and sharing our ideas and experiences,” she says. “I made what I think will be lifelong friendships and community among parishes. I also really loved how ELM sparked my desire to continue my education beyond this experience.”

Correll plans to complete her bachelor’s degree and has set her sights on a master’s degree in theology. She also hopes to work with Pelletier next year to bring Catechesis of the Good Shepherd to St. George.

What’s her advice to future applicants to the Leadership Formation program? “Do it!” Correll says. “You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. I know some people were worried about the course load, and at times it can be a lot, but it’s totally worth it. If I can do it, so can you!”

How to apply

Applications are currently being accepted for the ELM Leadership Formation program. Applicants will be interviewed in October and November. The program will run from January 2020 through June 2021. It is being offered in English. It will also be offered for the first time in Spanish.

For more information or to apply, visit https://catholicedaohct.org/elm/elm-leadership-formation.