Christian Formation 9 - 12

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Catholic faith formation is a form of evangelization. Because it is a form of evangelization, faith formation is a lifelong process.

At the heart of our program is the Liturgy. Formation is a lifelong process and that catechesis is the responsibility of the whole faith community. The whole community (parents and family, priests, and catechists) is called to pass on the faith through faith sharing with the children and witness of daily life, as well as to participate, as fully as possible in the Sunday Liturgy.

According to the new Directory for Catechesis, published in 2020, the fundamental tasks of catechesis are “inspired by the way in which Jesus formed his disciples: he got them to know the mysteries of the kingdom, taught them to pray, proposed to them gospel values, initiated them into the life of communion with him and among themselves, and into mission.” (79)  The fundamental task of catechesis is, therefore, to form Disciples of Christ and to send them forth in mission. The fundamental tasks of catechesis are:

 

1. Leading to knowledge of the faith – There is a distinct difference between learning about and learning from; a difference between ‘content’ and ‘experience’. We learn from our experience with the truths of the Christian faith, the knowledge of Sacred Scripture and Tradition, and knowledge of the Creed. (DC 80)

2. Initiating into the Celebration of the Mystery – Full, active, and conscious participation in the liturgy assists in understanding the importance of the liturgy and sacramental life, particularly the sacrament of the Eucharist.  We also convey the importance of the liturgical year and the Sunday obligation. (DC 81-82)

3. Forming for Life in Christ – We are called to a standard of holiness: “So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48). Catechesis must transmit to the disciples the attitudes of Christ himself.  The Sermon on the Mount is an indispensable point of reference for the moral formation which is most necessary today. (DC 83-85)

4. Teaching Prayer – Adoration, praise, thanksgiving, filial confidence, supplication, and awe for God’s glory are summed up and reflected in the Our Father. When catechesis is permeated by a climate of prayer, the assimilation of the entire Christian life reaches its summit. (DC 86-87)

5. Introduction to Community Life – Cultivating a spirituality of communion enables us to see beyond outer appearances and into hearts without judgment. Catechesis develops belonging to the Church, ecclesial communion, accepting the Magisterium. (DC 88-89).

"Education in the faith by the parents should begin in the child's earliest years. This already happens when the family members help one another to grow in faith by the witness of Christian life in keeping with the Gospel. Family catechesis precedes, accompanies, and enriches other forms of instruction in the faith. Parents have the mission of teaching their children to pray and to discover their vocation as children of God. The parish is the Eucharistic community and the heart of the liturgical life of Christian families; it is a privileged place for the catechesis of children and parents." (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2226)

The Vision of Faith Formation of St. Andrew's Parish recognizes "parents as the primary educators and first and foremost educators of their children of their children in all areas" (Sharing the Light of Faith) and we echo Pope St. John Paul II's plea "Christian Families, become what you are!" in his December 15, 1981, Apostolic Exhortation, Familiaris Consortio, regarding the role of the Christian family in the modern world. This statement was a response to a petition by the bishops of the world who were concerned for the welfare of Christian families struggling with the values of modern society. Familiaris Consortio proclaims the Christian vision of the family:

Each new generation of Christians enters the Catholic Church through the family. Within the sanctity of the family a child leans all about the family relationships that foreshadow the loving relationships within God's family. The child is born into the Church at baptism. Pope St. John Paul II states "The Christian Family, is the first community called to announce the gospel to the human person during growth and to bring him or her, through a progressive education and catechesis, to full human and Christian maturity." The Pope asks all families, no matter what their makeup, to focus on their dignity as a family. But he also reminds Christians that "being family" means more than having dignity, it means taking responsibility and realizing the mission of the Christian family.

Parents communicate values and attitudes by showing love for Christ and His Church and for each other&

1. By reverently receiving the Eucharist and living in its spirit
2. By fostering justice and love in all their relationships
3. By their active involvement in the parish
4. By their readiness to seek opportunities to serve others
5. By their practice of frequent and spontaneous prayer
6. By showing their children the richness and beauty of lived faith

Parents must remember that, since they belong to a community of faith, they have an obligation see to it that their children participate in the catechetical programs sponsored by the Church.

When children are baptized, the Church promises to help parents foster their faith. It keeps its promise by

• Its own witness as a worshipping community, believing, serving community
• Providing catechesis for adults, youth and children
• Providing parents with programs to help them in their role and parent-catechist
  (Sharing the Light of Faith, NCCD/USCCB)

"The Church is the sacrament of God's love in the same way the family is a community life and love. It educates and leads its members to their full human maturity and it serves the good of all along the way. In its own way it is a living image and historical representation of the mystery of the Church. The future of the world and of the Churh pass the way of the family.: (Pope St. John Paul II's "Homily", Nov. 30, '86) Our parish Vision of Faith Formation also acknowledges the responsibility of the local church and its ministers to support the parents in fulfilling the promises made at the time of the baptism when you committed to parenting your child in a special way, to teach your child religious values. By choosing baptism for your child, you have professed a belief in Jesus Christ and in the community of the Catholic Church. Pope St. John Paul II has stated that "It is not enough for parents to possess good will and "love itself." They need to 'know how' in order to function effectively as educators of their children. This they will acquire by reflecting on their own experiences, with other parents, with professional educators and with priests." Formation in Faith is a lifelong journey. We fulfill part of our responsibility to you as parents/guardians by offering Adult Faith Formation and Parent/Guardian Faith Formation processes in the parish.

Baptism of a child leads the parent to make one of their most definitive and free decisions to enter active church life and to affirm the value and the teaching of Jesus. Baptism of a child confirms the parents own conviction toward what they believe, value, live. The Church promises at baptism that it will be a part of the daily life of the child through its rituals, service and concern. The Church can and does create an atmosphere through a variety of experiences and ways in which faith is most likely to develop. We provide activities relevant to the children's needs to learn the faith story of the community, activities to acquaint the child with Christian heritage, models for life, concrete aspects of God's revelation, a retelling of faith stories and the stories of saints and other Christian heroes, opportunities for service and special liturgical celebration, a nurturing of personal growth development, faith filled models for living.

We take very seriously our responsibility to plan and carry out faith formation programs and processes that will augment the faith formation that the parent does each day through witness, heart to heart talks and teachable moments. As parents live their faith and create and authentically Christian life-style, they prepare the ground for the seeds of faith to grow during the years when children are imitating, personalizing and establishing their life of faith. While God gives his free gift of faith, parents help nurture and strengthen that gift. Our Faith Formation of Children and Youth as well as our Sacramental Preparation process is the primary way we acknowledge and accept our responsibility to assist the families in our parish to fulfill their role as the primary educators of their children in matters of faith and to support what our Holy Father states "the future of humanity passes by way of the family". We acknowledge and promote the Declaration on Christian Education which states that families are to be Disciple makers, baptizers, initiators and disciple makers (Vatican II, 3) through our various Faith Formation processes at St. Andrew's.

It is with this dedication in mind that we ask the families enrolled in Faith Formation of Children, Faith Formation of Youth and Sacramental Preparation to realize the importance of faithful attendance in our various formation processes so that we might assist you in fulfilling your four main tasks as outlined in Familiaris Consortio:

The family is to form an intimate community of persons.

The family is to serve life, both physically by bringing children into the world, and spiritually by handing on values and traditions as well as developing the potential of each member to serve life at every age.

The family is to participate in the development of society by becoming a community of social training and hospitality, as well as a community of political involvement and activity.

The family is to share in the life and mission of the Church by becoming a believing and evangelizing community, a community in dialogue with God, and a community at the service of humanity. (Familiaris Consortio, 21)

It is necessary for us to have guidelines with which to fulfill our obligation to our young people and their families, to the Vision of Faith Formation in our parish and the Diocesan guidelines for Sacramental Preparation. We have tried to create some flexibility within these guidelines and ask that you realize the necessity for the guidelines and accept them in the spirit of your responsibility as well as ours in helping to form your young person in faith.

There is an old poem that stresses that children learn what they live. More accurately, they learn what you live. If you work on you own relationships with Jesus Christ, if you see your religion as a life-long process of growth, your young person cannot help but learn Jesus Christ. If you practice your religion by participation in the Catholic Community they will come to appreciate the importance of Eucharist in your life and eventually in theirs. IF you take their religious education seriously, they will, too.