Celebrations of Faith
Faith formation at St. Mary Parish is in the midst of a transformation. I have written about this for some months in the bulletin and spoken about it at numerous meetings. We are moving toward a curriculum that is centered on the formative events of the Catholic community and the participation of all ages and generations in the shared experiences of Church life. This approach is guided by insights about faith formation drawn from Church doctrines and documents, the General Directory for Catechesis, the Catechism of the Catholic Church and current research on effective learning. My team and I have developed the attached three year curriculum which will complement what goes on in the classes of K – 6 , Youth and Young Adult Ministry, adult and senior education programs and study groups. YOU MUST BE REGISTERED TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROGRAM, but there is no fee this year for the four events thanks to a gift from two benefactors. (We need to have meal counts, materials prepared, etc.) It has these important features…
- It is developed around the events in the life of the faith community: the Church Year; sacraments and liturgy, prayer, justice and service, community life, and proclamation of the Word.
- It seamlessly weaves home and parish in a comprehensive model of faith formation that places an emphasis on programs, activities, and resources for nurturing faith growth at home-as individuals and families. The Celebrations of Faith approach strengthens family life by empowering families to share, celebrate, and live the Catholic faith at home and in the world.
- It emphasizes experiential learning in community. Participation in the events of church life is learning. The General Directory for Catechesis supports this view of learning when it speaks about catechesis as a "school of faith, an initiation and apprenticeship in the entire Christian life." We learn by immersion into the life of the faith community. We learn by participating in the life of the faith community, especially by engaging in the practices of the faith community. We learn by studying, practicing, performing, and reflecting, but most importantly by doing the activity in the first place.
- It utilizes a catechetical process of preparing all ages and all generations for meaningful participation in church events through a variety of learning programs, engaging them in church events, and guiding them in reflecting and applying the significance and meaning of the events for their lives as Catholics.
- It provides alignment of learning through common events and themes that are experienced and explored by all ages and all generations in the church community. The Generations of Faith approach provides a support system for learning in the parish and at home by focusing on common events and themes that engage the whole parish community.
Faith formation centered on the life of the Church builds connections among the generations and reinforces a common identity as Catholics. It provides the foundation upon which to build an ongoing support system at home and in the parish for the development of a quality Catholic faith life.
Since this program is event centered, we chose our first event to be ALL SAINTS, and we will be using the church building itself as part of the catechesis. There will be two opportunities to get prepared, or to be taught, prior to celebrating the event. Each of these teaching times will have the following outline and will last approximately 2.5 hours, with childcare available:
1. A simple dinner for the entire family lasting approximately 30 minutes
2. A dramatic presentation in the church on saints of the Americas.
3. Break-out groups according to age groups e.g. children making saint costumes of their favorite saint
4. A short general sharing of what each group learned
5. A closing prayer.
Then on Saturday, October 30, 2004, we will have a special liturgy starting at 4:00 p.m. in the Church honoring all saints, with a procession of the little saints in their costumes, a Mass focused on All Saints, and a reception/party in the Parish Center following it.
Celebrations of Faith
ALL SAINTS
We are all called to be saints
Catechesis:
Wednesday, October 13 from 6 – 8:30 pm
Sunday, October 17 from 2-4:30 pm (Conducted in English & Spanish)