Lori Dahlhoff, a member of the archdiocesan Parish Services Team, has accepted a position as executive director for the Department of Religious Education at the National Catholic Educational Association.
Dahlhoff, who has served as director of catechesis, parish faith formation, RCIA and adult formation for the archdiocese for 10 years, will leave the archdiocese in mid-August to relocate to Arlington, Va. She begins her new job Sept. 1.
As part of the Parish Services Team, Dahlhoff helped lead the archdiocesan strategic planning process, which, she said, ushered in “a vision of lifelong faith formation.”
“I could hear the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking through so many different people across the archdiocese, especially in the passion and concern expressed about the future of parish life and the ability to continue living out the mission of Christ in this area,” she told The Catholic Spirit in an email.
She also is proud of the relationships the archdiocese has formed with partner organizations like the Association of Coordinators and Religious Educators, the RCIA Network, Murray Institute and the North American Forum on the Catechumenate, which, she said, have resulted in better support, education and training for paid and volunteer catechetical leaders and religion teachers in the archdiocese.
During her time at the archdiocese, Dahlhoff earned a certificate in dispute resolution from Hamline University law school in St. Paul, and she also is pursuing a doctorate in education at Hamline. She is a member of Our Lady of Guadalupe parish in St. Paul.
Dahlhoff said it has been a “privilege” to serve the archdiocese. “I pray I will continue to serve the people of the diocese as I move into this national role in advancing excellence in catechesis and increasing the effectiveness of religious education.”
