Mikki Sciba

Mikki Sciba is the Catechetical Specialist for the St. Philip Institute of Catechesis and Evangelization in the Diocese of Tyler. She develops and implements creative methods for evangelizing and catechizing children, teens, adults, and families. Her efforts involve forming catechists, directing the Special Needs Ministry, and integrating the children’s catechesis into opportunities for continued formation of adults and families, especially as they prepare to celebrate the sacraments.

She authored The Way of the Holy Family Baptism formation program and enjoys exploring ways to help individuals and families grow in the grace received through the sacraments.

Mikki graduated from Benedictine College in 2005 with a B.A. in Religious Studies, Youth Ministry, and Philosophy. Prior to her work at the St. Philip Institute, Mikki taught high school theology for eleven years. Throughout those years she also served as a parish youth minister, an assistant DRE, department chair, campus minister, and CCD catechist. She has given presentations at diocesan youth events, catechetical conferences, and teacher in-services. She has a passion for teaching others how to teach the faith.

Mikki and her husband, Matthew, live in Tyler with their three children.

Tips on Helping Your Children Grow in Virtue

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, “To practice virtue, we form our consciences and, in doing so, we form good attitudes, habits, and dispositions. We guide our conduct according to reason and faith (1804).” Helping our children grow in virtue is an essential task of parents, but also a challenging endeavor. This presentation will provide parents with teaching about the theological and cardinal virtues along with practical tips and resources for helping children pursue a life a virtue and holiness.

Teaching Tips in the Religious Education Classroom

Establishing effective classroom management is paramount in creating a positive learning environment in which your students can encounter Christ and His Truth. During this presentation, we will explore a variety of components that are essential to improving the effectiveness of your teaching as well as addressing ministering to those individuals with special needs. Effective classroom management leads to effective learning.

Navigating the Faith and Life Series

The Faith and Life religious education series by Ignatius Press provides a rich and comprehensive teaching of the Catholic faith. During this presentation, we will take a thorough look at the Parish Catechist Manual to explore the curriculum components, methodology, and resources of this series. Catechists will become more comfortable and confident in using the wide range of information and tools of Faith and Life to more effectively teach their students and evangelize the families.

Baptism Program

The Way of the Holy Family is the formation program for the Sacrament of Baptism developed by the St. Philip Institute which seeks to create holy families by using the Holy Family as a model. During this presentation, we will review what the process looks like from the perspective of the parents and the formation leaders while exploring the materials and learning how to effectively use them in the parish.