June 20, 2006
Dear Parishioner,
Thank you for showing interest in our parish Faith
Formation Program – Generations of Faith. This booklet will hopefully
answer all the questions you might have about this approach to religious
formation. Learning in this way is the direction given by our American
Bishops in their document “Our Hearts Were Burning”. In addition to that
mandate, this program is a perfect “fit” for our Parish Vision Statement
which is our hope for who we are becoming. I invite you to examine the
Vision Statement before you read this booklet and then again after you
have completed it. I believe you will see the many connections to all of
the points of our vision, and become as excited as we all are about
bringing this statement closer to reality.
Saint Robert Bellarmine Parish:
Building a Catholic
community of commitment,
passion and love
Celebrating our faith
through dynamic liturgy and a rich sacramental life
Welcoming all into the
warmth of our parish family
Sharing the gifts God
entrusted to us
Striving to learn,
live and share our faith.
Every member of this community is important and needed.
The growth and success of our parish and our Faith Formation program all
leading to the realization of our vision is dependent on you.
In Christ,
Fr. Rick Conway, Pastor
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Generations of Faith is an approach to faith formation
that embraces and implements a vision of lifelong faith formation for
all ages and generations, rooted in Church life. Through parish
intergenerational faith festivals, the celebration of Church events, and
home faith activities and rituals, we strive to nurture people's minds
and hearts in the wisdom of the Catholic faith and empower them to live
this faith in their daily lives.
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In the past 40 years,
the catechetical documents of the Church have set forth a vision of
lifelong faith formation that seeks to bring people into communion and
intimacy with Jesus Christ through the experience of the risen Lord in
the proclamation, celebration and life of the Christian community. It
is this vision that we seek to implement through Generations of Faith.
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There are currently
about 40 parishes in the Archdiocese of Boston and over 800 parishes
throughout the U.S. and Canada at various stages of implementation of
Generations of Faith. However, each parish is adapting the program
according to their particular resources and existing programs so it
might look somewhat different at another participating parish.
Nonetheless,
Generations of Faith seeks to implement an approach that is gaining
widespread support in parishes and dioceses throughout the nation: whole
community catechesis. Parishes may not be implementing Generations of
Faith, and yet be seeking to address the need for catechesis and
formation not only for children and youth, but for the entire parish.
We are not alone in this venture, but are at the forefront of a major
shift that is finally taking place in the catechetical ministry of the
Church.
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Participating households attend the parish
Faith Formation Festival. The
festivals are learning
experiences that prepare participants for a church event which provides
the content for the learning.
The festivals are
offered approximately once a month, 7-8 times a year, and each festival
is offered 4 times over a Friday-Monday period to accommodate all
participating households and offer greater flexibility.
Festivals begin with a
simple meal, followed by an all ages opening activity and prayer, a
break out session (sometimes by ages, sometimes intergenerational), and
conclude with a large group closing activity and prayer.
At each Festival
participating households receive a Home Kit. The material in the Home
Kit is designed to reinforce the lessons learned at the festival in
preparation for the event. In addition, the kits include activities
designed to empower families to share and practice their faith.
At the next festival,
participants have the opportunity to share some of what they did at home
and at the event with fellow parishioners.
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The Faith Festival is
an intergenerational learning session. In order for meaningful
interactions and learning to take place, the festivals are scheduled for
three hour time periods. The three hours will be broken up roughly as
follows (the schedule varies depending on the topic and activities
planned):
-
60 minutes for the
meal, opening activities and prayer—this is a wonderful time for
community building, to be introduced to the topic for the month in a
fun and engaging manner, and more.
-
90 minutes for an
in-depth exploration of the topic through age appropriate activities
and/or discussion.
-
30 minutes for the
closing activities and prayer—an opportunity for groups to share
some of what they’ve done and learned, to wrap up and end with a
ritual and prayer.
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On the weekends when
we have Faith Formation Festivals, these are offered on Friday
5:30-8:30pm, Sunday 12:30-3:30pm, Sunday 5-8pm, and Monday 5-8pm.
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The home kit is a tool
to help individuals and families develop a Catholic identity and a
Catholic way of life in the home. The home is the primary place where
faith is handed on to the next generation and where we live out our
faith. The home kit provides a variety of options to help individuals
and families integrate their faith into the pattern of their daily
life. Material one might expect to find in their home kit includes
traditional prayers, assignments, review of faith concepts, and Catholic
basics to know.
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Our faith has the
power to continue to bring meaning, strength and hope to us throughout
our lives; therefore, nurturing and growing in our faith is one of the
most important tasks we can devote our time to. We recognize that
everyone is very busy and that there will be times when the month will
come and go and the home kit will remain unopened. We also realize that
engaging in faith activities at home may be a new thing for some
families, that it will entail developing a new habit, and new habits
take time and conscious effort to adopt. To help participants use their
material, we will review what is included in the Home Kit, highlighting
what is the ‘one thing’ participants should complete and offering simple
ideas of when and how to use the material. We encourage you to be
patient and keep trying—your family’s faith is worth the effort!
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The Church event is
either a parish function or liturgical celebration for which the
festival prepares participants by focusing on what the function/liturgy
is about. For example, last year one of the events was Good Friday. At
the festival we explored the theme of the death of our Lord which we
then celebrated at the Good Friday liturgy.
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Missing a Festival or
event on account of illness or other family emergency is bound to
happen. However, we need to remember a few key principles. First,
participation in the parish faith formation program is only one of many
factors contributing to the overall process of faith formation. Regular
participation at Mass and parish life, devoting time at home to prayer
and service, reflecting on our life in light of our faith, and
celebrating family faith rituals, all contribute to our continued growth
in faith. Second, the curriculum is a spiral curriculum, meaning that
the topics of the missed Festival will recur in the near future and you
will have another opportunity to participate in a Festival focusing on
this general topic but probably with different activities.
If participants miss a
Festival they will be able to pick up a summary of what was covered with
activities and reading to do at home, which will enable them to be
prepared for the next Festival.
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Here are only some of
the benefits:
Today families are
pulled in many different directions. We seek to bring families
together, offer them an opportunity to share a common experience that
will empower them to share their faith together.
Today many families
and individuals are looking to feel part of a community of faith.
Generations of Faith brings the parish together, strengthening our sense
of community. This vibrant sense of community carries over into our
weekly liturgies and all parish events.
At baptism, parents
accept the responsibility to raise their children in the faith, yet many
parents feel inadequate to the task. Through Generations of Faith we
seek to empower parents to fulfill this responsibility both at the
festivals and at home.
Faith formation does
not end with Confirmation; adults need and want to continue deepening
their understanding and practice of their faith and Generations of Faith
honors and supports this lifelong journey.
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We will continue to
teach the basics and will continue to do so in a spiral manner through a
variety of medium designed to help participants explore the meaning of
the basics of what it means to be a Catholic in an age appropriate
manner. But we emphasize that, as always, if we are to learn the basics
and if they are to take root in our hearts and transform us into
faithful disciples of Our Lord, reinforcement and repetition at home of
the material covered at the festival—eg. vocabulary, faith concepts,
stories and questions, prayers, etc.—is essential and your home kit
tools will help you work on this.
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At their child’s
baptism, parents accept the responsibility of raising their children in
the Christian faith and our experience teaches us that parental
involvement in their child’s faith is irreplaceable in forming them as
disciples. We believe that through Generations of Faith we build on
this relationship by empowering parents in this important duty. In
addition, we believe that the witness of an entire community of faith
seeking to continue learning and growing in their faith, is a critical
element in every child’s faith development.
Nevertheless, we
realize there might be situations in which parents are unable to attend
with their children. In these situations, we ask that a responsible
adult who is involved in the child’s life (grandparent or other
relative, godparent or family friend) attend in the parent’s place.
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Since the last time
you participated in a religious education program in your youth, you
have grown as a person, have faced new and more challenging
responsibilities. Our Catholic faith offers great wisdom in navigating
the myriad issues adults face in their daily life: caring for older
parents, moral dilemmas at work, finding meaning in what often seem
mundane and unappreciated efforts, etc. Moreover, your capacity to
understand the nuances and depth of Church teachings you learned as a
child has increased. At Generations of Faith we seek to help adults
delve deeper into doctrinal matters and make connections between them
and their daily lives.
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Yes. A teenager can
register as the single participant of a household.
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Non-Catholic
spouses/parents are equally welcome to participate in Generations of
Faith if they are interested in being involved and supportive in this
manner. If, however, a non-Catholic spouse/parent is not interested in
participating, this does not prevent the rest of the family from doing
so.
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This is a great
program for single parents. To name but a few benefits: a meal with no
cooking or cleaning, all the children together in one place, the
opportunity for the parent to speak with other adults, no need to find a
baby-sitter, a simplified schedule that decreases the amount of ‘running
around,’ ready to use ideas of meaningful activities to do at home when
boredom strikes or the TV-watching quota has been reached.
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If, as the date for
the Faith Formation Festival approaches you find that you will be unable
to attend on the date you are scheduled, please contact the parish
office—preferably two weeks in advance—and, depending on space
availability, we will switch you to a date you can attend.
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The task of catechesis
is the responsibility of the entire parish community, and indeed, this
task necessitates the contribution of all the members. For this reason,
we expect all participants to volunteer in some manner in the course of
the year as part of their faith formation. The volunteer checklist
outlines a list of opportunities summarizing what’s involved and for
what ages these opportunities are appropriate. Service opportunities
also abound beyond the faith formation program through our parish
outreach committee.
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Preparation programs
for the celebration of the sacraments of Baptism, Reconciliation,
Eucharist, and Confirmation are integrated with our overall parish faith
formation program,
Generations of Faith.
Candidates for the
sacraments are required to participate in
Generations of Faith
(through which we address the requirement for basic
catechesis and formation into the Catholic Christian faith), at weekly
Sunday Mass, and in four sessions of immediate preparation for the
sacrament prior to its celebration.
The four sessions of
immediate preparation for the sacrament of Reconciliation take place in
the Fall and the sacrament is celebrated during Advent. The four
sessions of immediate preparation for the sacrament of Eucharist take
place during the Winter/Spring and first communion is celebrated during
the Easter season. These preparation sessions are held on Sunday
mornings. Families with children in the sacramental preparation program
for first Reconciliation and Eucharist participate in the 9:00 am Mass,
at which the children are called and sent forth to their sessions after
the communion rite (after the prayer after communion).
The four sessions of
immediate preparation for the sacrament of Confirmation take place in
the Winter/Spring and the sacrament is celebrated during the Easter
season. The preparation sessions are held on Tuesday evenings from
7:00-8:30 PM. Candidates for the sacrament of Confirmation are also
expected to participate in a retreat, the Lenten parish reconciliation
service, and an hour practice for the celebration.
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If you’re a
parishioner at one of our neighboring parishes, you may have
participated in the St. Robert’s Religious Education program in the
past, while continuing to worship at your own parish. However, the new
direction we’re taking with our program strongly emphasizes the existing
connection between formation and participation in parish life,
especially Sunday worship, as the cornerstone for a comprehensive
approach to faith formation. Therefore, if you are interested in
participating in the program we ask that you embrace not just the
structure of the program but its spirit and participate as full members
of our parish.
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Beginning in late
August we will have a series of registration dates. To register, you
must attend one of these sessions and register in person by completing
the registration and volunteer form.
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The cost is $65 per
person, $195 maximum per family.
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