Goal Area #3 - Emphasizing Faith Formation

Goal - To establish systematic methods of lifelong Catholic faith formation that are broadly utilized within the parish.

Damian's Opinion - I have to admit that our last two meetings were somewhat difficult and frustrating at times. But once we reached our breakthrough at the end of the last meeting, it enabled me to read the surveys in a way I had not before. There were a number of comments I had discounted or ignored before, but now they really grabbed my attention. I see more what Steve saw.

There's no doubt people believe that Faith Formation is a major need. I believe that people's concept of what Faith Formation will differ greatly. Some want classes, while others want it all from the pulpit. The fact of the matter is that we have to use a lot of different methods to reach people, and do so in a way that engages them.

I believe that to effectively reach this goal, we must also address Goals #1 & #2. If people do not feel welcome, they will find difficulty in participating in Faith Formation efforts. If our parish and our Faith Formation efforts are poorly organized, participation will quickly diminish. That's not to say that one has to be addressed before the other. In fact, I can foresee that some Faith Formation efforts could make the parish more welcoming. I just believe that they need to be worked on together.

I should also note that I have decided to put issues related to Youth Ministry in this section. To me, all the responses regarding Youth seemed to lead to having good Faith Formation for Youth. Sure, they may want to have additional fun activities for the kids, but only because they believe that will help keep them involved with Faith Formation.

Potential Objectives Fitting this Goal Area
Once again, I noted the following specific suggestions from the surveys. I would suggest that these could be a starting place for discussion when developing objectives for this goal area.

Use USCCB Material for Faith Formation - This is more of a personal observation. We often struggle with how to develop Faith Formation programs on specific topics like Youth or Stewardship. We need to keep in mind that the USCCB has excellent resources for these efforts and should at least consult them.

Educate People on and Pray for Vocations - several people felt disappointed that no priests or deacons seem to be coming from our parish. I have observed my parents parish, which places vocations as a higher priority than our parish seems to. That parish (Topeka Christ the King) has hosted African priests for up to 2 years at a time. At every Mass, a prayer for vocations is recited by the parish, just after Communion. I'm certain I have witnessed at least one homily about vocations. Perhaps we need to add some or all of these to our parish.

Improve Baptism Class - at least one person felt the Baptism Class was lacking because it did not talk about the significance of different elements of the sacrament. Perhaps our leaders are not given enough training to do this properly.

Small Christian Communities - I understand that some SCCs exist. I get the feeling they were developed as part of a past program. I'm doubting that any new ones have been developed in years. Certainly some new people know nothing about them.

Educate about Mass during Mass - one person suggested using one Mass a month to educate people about different parts of the Mass - why we do things a certain way.

Youth Vegetable Garden - someone suggested having a youth vegetable garden, with the produce being donated to a charitable kitchen. This can be a faith formation opportunity, as well as a Social Ministry opportunity.

Faith Formation Beyond Confirmation - We have talked about this frequently enough. We need something that keeps our kids engaged in faith formation beyond Confirmation. The attitude that "now we are done" has often carried over into adulthood for many people.

Brochure Advertising Youth Programs / Opportunities - the bulletin does a better job of this than it used to. Still, it is suggested that we have a special brochure available to help people understand what programs are available for their youth. We may decide to extend this to all areas of faith formation.

Hire Full Time Youth Minister - no explanation needed.

Sunday Evening Mass - Masses are often too crowded now. A Sunday evening Mass would appeal to certain demographics, and would provide a fitting end to the weekend, in the opinion of at least survey respondent.

Policy About Liturgical Ministers - While convenient for some people, we should perhaps have a policy that a person is not to be a Lector and a Communion Minister. It gives a perception that a select few are allowed to do these tasks.

More Reconciliation Opportunities - Many people would like to have Reconciliation available more often. I can't tell if they want it for themselves or for others. I noted that it is always available by appointment, but perhaps people don't feel comfortable making that request to the priest.

Weeknight Mass - one person thought a regular weeknight Mass would be helpful, since not everyone can go to morning weekday Masses because of work schedules.

Eucharistic Minister Training - one person observed that Eucharistic Ministers may not be trained properly, especially with regard to Eucharist dropped on the floor.

Faithful Implementation of the GIRM - I believe there was significant reference to this issue in the survey.

Make Missals Available - If they are already available, people don't know about it. I think some believe that having them in the pews is a good Faith Formation tool. I do recall reading through them when I was William's age. I believe that William would pay more attention if he could follow along with the readings - he's so fascinated with reading right now. I think a lot of Youth would use them.