About FFLE

Course Offerings

All courses are made available online to be completed according to your schedule. Classes are five (5) weeks consisting of two hours of reading and writing per week for a total of 10 course hours.

Cost

All 2020-2021 courses are being underwritten by the Office for Mission and Ministry. There is no cost per course.

Ongoing Professional Learning

Is there a particular course that you are interested in? You do not need to be enrolled in the certificate program to enjoy one of the FFLE courses. All courses can be taken on an individual basis.

Purpose and Structure of FFLE

The Faith Formation for Lasallian Educators (FFLE) program is designed to meet the growing need to provide Lasallian teachers with education about the fundamentals of Catholic belief, teaching, and culture, as well as other world religions.

Providing professional certification for Catholic school teachers and administrators, FFLE is an online curriculum grounded in four major components of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: creed, sacraments, morality and prayer.

Conveniently offered throughout the year, FFLE allows educators to participate anytime, anywhere, and provides the opportunity for teachers to advance their knowledge of Catholic faith and practice.

Courses are conducted as adult education and formation and are not intended to be master’s level theology courses. All present instructors are properly vetted, have attained a Master’s Degree in theology, and are recognized educators in their field of study. Experience has shown that their courses are engaging and they use the online platform to communicate quite effectively with their fellow educators.

Certification requires completing five courses within the first five years of hire, and two elective courses within the next three years. Courses can be taken in any sequence, but it is suggested that REL 100 Understanding Catholic Christianity is taken as the first course.

Each class involves approximately ten hours of study over the course of five weeks—including weekly reading, a virtual lecture and an online class discussion. All grades are Pass/Fail. Upon successful completion of the required courses a Certification of Completion will be issued by the District of Eastern North America.

Instructors

Deacon Gregory Albanese

Greg is a Deacon in the Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island. He received his MA in Religious Studies for Providence College, RI, and is a graduate of the Lasallian Leadership Institute. Currently, he serves as chair of the Religion Department at La Salle Academy in Providence. Deacon Greg is a well-known retreat and conference presenter.

Maryann Donohue-Lynch, Program Director

Maryann received her MA in Theology from Saint John’s University, Queens, NY. She is a graduate of the Lasallian Leadership Institute, the Buttimer Institute for Lasallian Studies and the Lasallian International CIL Program of Studies in areas of vocation and spirituality. Maryann has presented at numerous Lasallian formation programs and taught as an adjust professor for Providence College SCE until 2010. Maryann currently serves as the Associate Executive Director for the Office for Mission and Ministry, District of Eastern North America and is the director of the FFLE program.

Rev. John Ludwig

Father John is a priest in the Diocese of Des Moines, Iowa. He received his degrees in Sacred Theology from the Catholic University in Louvain, Belgium. Father John has been an adjunct professor for religious studies online learning for Providence College SCE for the last 15 years.

Gerald Schnell

Gerry received his MA in Theology form Providence College. He has served as an adjunct professor for religious studies online learning at Providence College SCE and St. Leo’s University from 2000 to present. He was a faculty member of the religion department at La Salle Academy, Providence, Rhode Island from 1981-2011.

Ed Sirois, Program Coordinator

Ed received his MA in Religious Studies from Catholic University, Louvain, Belgium. He served as chair of the religion department of La Salle Academy, Providence, RI, from 1996 to 2016. Ed serves as an adjunct professor for religious studies online learning for Providence College SCE. Additionally, Ed has conducted numerous webinars in various areas of religious studies for the District of Eastern North America (DENA). Ed serves as the coordinator for the Religious Studies for Lasallian Educator online formation program.

Sarah Thomas Tracy

Sarah received her MA in Pastoral Ministry from Boston College. She has a Certification of Arts and Practice in Spiritual Direction and has completed post-graduate work at the Andover Newton Theological School in Massachusetts. Sarah was a member of the religious department at The Prout School in Wakefield, RI from 2005-2012. She serves as an adjunct professor for religious studies online learning for Providence College SCE since 2010.

Rev. John E. Unsworth

Father Jack is a priest in the Diocese of Providence. He received his MA in Religious Studies from the Catholic University at Louvain, Belgium. He has served as an adjunct professor for religious studies online learning for Providence College SCE since 2003.

Further Your Learning

The FFLE program should be viewed as one leg of a tripod, the others being participation in learning experiences provided by your ministry (days of recollection, retreats, liturgies, etc.) and by DENA and RELAN (formation programs).

For more information, contact
Program Director Maryann Donohue-Lynch at donohuelynch@fscdena.org
and Program Coordinator Ed Sirois esirois@lasalle-academy.org