Vision of Lifelong Faith Formation
Models for Parish Programming
Diocese of Buffalo
Vision of Lifelong Faith Formation
. . . encourage a living, explicit and fruitful
profession of faith
. . . put people not only in touch, but also in
communion and intimacy, with Jesus
Christ (GDC)
The object of catechesis is communion with
Jesus Christ. Catechesis leads people to
enter the mystery of Christ, to encounter
him, and to discover themselves and the
meaning of their lives in him. (NDC)
Vision of Lifelong Faith Formation
Faith is a gift destined to grow in the
hearts of believers. Adhering to Jesus
Christ, in fact, sets in motion a process
of continuing conversion, which lasts
for the whole of life.
(GDC)
Vision of Lifelong Faith Formation
. . . the main task of handing on the
faith is the whole community’s task,
carried out as members of the
community gather together to sustain
each other, go out and witness to, and
even work to transform (when
appropriate) the world in the name of
Jesus, the Christ.
(Terrence Tilley, “Communication in Handing on the Faith”)
Part 1
Vision of Lifelong Faith Formation
 How can we provide faith formation
across the whole lifespan?
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Age groups (young children—older adults)
Families
Intergenerational
At the parish
At home
Vision of Lifelong Faith Formation
Integrated & Comprehensive
 Formation through participation in the life of
the faith community
 Education in Scripture and the Catholic
tradition
 Apprenticeship in the Christian life
 Intimate connection with the liturgy and rituals
of the Church
 Development of a life of prayer
 Engagement in actions of justice and service
(General Directory for Catechesis 90)
Vision of Lifelong Faith Formation
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Engaging Learning Experiences
Experiential
Image-rich
Multi-sensory
Interactive and Participatory
Appropriate for All Learning Styles
Applicable to Real Life
Project-Centered
Vision of Lifelong Faith Formation
Connected Faith Formation
Church Life & Faith Practices
Faith Formation
Home/Family
Vision of Lifelong Faith Formation
Connected Faith Formation
 Prepare people for participation in
church life—worship, prayer, service,
liturgical year, leadership—through faith
formation programming.
 Engage people in church events and
incorporate a learning-reflection
component.
Vision of Lifelong Faith Formation
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Diversity of Learning Formats
Independent learning
Small group learning
Large group learning
Study action projects / service
Spiritual development
Online presence
Approaches & Models
1. Life-Span Faith Formation
a) thematic faith formation for all ages
b) milestones faith formation
c) events-centered intergenerational faith
formation
d) faith formation in Christian practices
2. Family and Intergenerational Models
3. Age Group Program Models
4. Internet & Communication Media
Lifelong: Thematic
 Align Faith Themes across All
Age Groups
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Four Pillars of Catechism
1. Creed
3. Morality
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2. Sacraments
4. Prayer
Lectionary Cycle of Readings
Children’s Textbook Themes
Lifelong: Thematic
• Weekly age-appropriate, learning materials
on the Lectionary readings
• Ages: 3-5, 6-8, 9-11, 12-14, 15-18, Adult
• Weekly Worship Material: prayers, sermon
ideas
• Weekly Service Materials: faith in action
projects
Lifelong: Thematic
Theme eg.: We Believe (Creed) Month: October
Learning Group
Learning Model
Family
3-hour family-centered
program
Children
4-session unit (weekly)
Middle School
4-week mini-course
Teens
2 youth meetings
Young Adults & Adults
4-week faith sharing
Adults
presentation
Lifelong: Milestones
1. Birth / Baptism
Becoming a Parent/ Grandparent
2. Anniversary of Baptism
3. Welcoming Young Children to Worship
4. Entering “Sunday School”
5. Starting School
6. Kids and Money
7. Blessing of the Backpacks
8. First Communion
9. Receiving a first Bible
Lifelong: Milestones
10. Confirmation
11. Graduation (HS, College)
12. A New Home / Apartment
13. Career / First Job
14. Engagement
15. Wedding
16. Retirement or AARP Card
17. Transitions
18. Death / Funeral
Lifelong: Milestones
 Family Components
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Faith Conversations
Devotions and Prayer
Service
Rituals and Traditions
Family Meal
Lifelong: Whole Parish
All Ages Intergenerational Approach
Adults
Whole
Families
Young
Adults
Older Adults
Lifelong: Whole Parish
Characteristics
 Involvement of all ages in faith
formation together
 Curriculum centered in the life of the
church: events-centered
 Preparation of all generations for
participation in Catholic community
life, especially Sunday Mass
Lifelong: Whole Parish
 Intergenerational learning: all of the
generations learning together
 Formation of the whole family, and
especially parents, to create a
pattern of family faith sharing and a
Catholic way of life at home
Lifelong: Whole Parish
 Core Curriculum for the whole
community with intergenerational
learning for all ages
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Church Year & Scripture
Creed
Sacraments
Morality
Justice
Prayer
Children
Other
Parish
Learning
Youth
Core
Lifelong
Curriculum
for Parish
Community
Sacrament
Prep
Young
Adults
Adults
Lifelong: Whole Parish
Advent
Jesus the Messiah
Christmas – Epiphany Divinity of Jesus
Lent
Journey with Jesus
Good Friday
Death of Jesus
Easter Season
Resurrection
Pentecost
Mission of the Christian
Sunday Readings
Ministry of Jesus
Sunday Readings
Identity of Christ
Lifelong: Whole Parish
Baptism
Celebrations of Baptism, Baptism of the
Lord, Easter Season
Confirmation
Eucharist
Celebration of Confirmation, Pentecost
Reconciliation
Anointing of the
Sick
Marriage
Lent, Reconciliation Services
Orders
Vocations Day
Sunday, First Eucharist, Holy Thursday,
Corpus Christi
Celebration of Sacrament, February
Lectionary Readings (Cycle B)
World Marriage Day, Holy Family Sunday
Lifelong: Whole Parish
Connecting Faith, Worship, and Life
Based upon the Gospel and the call of Pope Benedict
XVI and his predecessors for a new evangelization
and stronger catechetical effort, St. Elizabeth of
Hungary Parish uses a liturgy-centered, lifelong,
and intergenerational approach to Catholic faith
formation.
The goal is to help and support everyone who wishes
to become a better disciple by integrating faith,
worship, and life in light of the Gospel. Since this is
an ongoing, lifelong task, we invite EVERYONE in
the parish to participate. All are welcome!
Lifelong: Whole Parish
Connecting Faith, Worship, and Life
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September: Mass for the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time
October: Mass for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
November: Mass for the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
December: Mass for the 2nd Sunday of Advent
January: Mass for the Baptism of the Lord
February: Mass for the 1st Sunday of Lent
March: Mass for Palm Sunday
April: Mass for the 4th Sunday of Easter
May: Mass for Holy Trinity Sunday
Family Faith Formation
“. . . in every Christian family the different aspects
and functions of the life of the entire Church may be
reflected: mission; catechesis; witness; prayer etc.
Indeed in the same way as the Church, the family ‘is
a place in which the Gospel is transmitted and from
which it extends.’ The family as a locus of catechesis
has a unique privilege: transmitting the Gospel by
rooting it in the context of profound human values.
…It is, indeed, a Christian education more
witnessed to than taught, more occasional than
systematic, more ongoing and daily than
structured into periods.”
(General Directory for Catechesis, 1997)
Family Faith Formation
For the good of families and the whole
Christian community, the church must
provide opportunities to equip homes as
centers of faith formation at every stage
of life, and this needs to be a primary
goal for congregational ministry.
Congregations need to make family
faith formation one focus of everything
they do as a church community.
Family Faith Formation
• The evidence clearly shows that
the single most important social
influence on the religious and
spiritual lives of children and
adolescents is their parents.
Family Faith Formation
• “We’ll get what we are.” Most parents
most likely will end up getting
religiously of their children what they
themselves are.
• The best way to get most youth
involved in and serious about their
faith communities is to get their
parents more involved in and serious
about their faith communities.
(Christian Smith, Soul Searching)
Family Faith Formation
Caring
Conversations
Family
Meal
Our Goal
Service
Family
Faith
Practice
Rituals and
Traditions
Devotions
and
Prayer
Family Faith Formation
1. Utilize church ministries and
programming to teach, model, and
demonstrate family faith practices, and
then provide the resources for families
to live the practice at home, e.g.,
Sunday Worship.
Family Faith Formation
2. Involve the whole family in
congregational life, programs, and
leadership roles.
 Redesign programs to incorporate
family learning.
 Involve the whole family in worship
and leadership roles.
Family Faith Formation
3. Offer family learning programs:
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monthly large group family sessions
family workshops on family faith practices,
church year seasons, and/or family topics
family cluster or small group learning
programs
family-centered lectionary-based program
family-centered vacation Bible school
family retreats and camps
family Bible study
family-centered sacramental preparation
Family Faith Formation
4. Develop family faith formation around
lifecycle milestones.
 Life cycle specific faith formation around
life span milestones at home and in the
congregation, utilizing daily, seasonal,
and yearly practices and traditions.
 The life span approach creates a
partnership between home and parish.
Family Faith Formation
5. Offer family service programs &
projects.
6. Provide at-home resources for the
family faith practices.
7. Use the Internet to resource and
connect families.
Family Faith Formation
Family Faith Formation
8. Provide parent education, resources,
support, and encouragement.
 Classes, workshops, retreats, and/or support
groups to nurture parental faith; to teach
parenting skills, ways to share faith at home,
etc.
 Parent-child/teen programming
 Parent information and resources: print,
audio, video, and/or web-based.
 Parallel parent program to the children and
adolescent program.
Intergenerational Faith Formation
Elements of Intergenerational Learning
1. an all-ages learning experience for the
whole assembly
2. age-appropriate in-depth learning
experiences for families with children,
adolescents, young adults, and adults
3. an all-ages contributive learning
experience in which each generation
teaches the other generations
4. reflection on the learning experience
and interactive group sharing
Intergenerational Faith Formation
Meal and Community Building (30 minutes)
Part 1. Gathering and Prayer (10-15)
Part 2. All Ages Learning Experience (20-30)
Part 3. In-Depth Learning Experience (75-90)
 Option 1. Whole Group
 Option 2. Age Group
 Option 3. Activity Center
Part 4. Sharing Learning Experiences and
Home Application (15-20)
Part 5. Closing Prayer (5-10)
Intergenerational Faith Formation
1. Offer intergenerational learning
programs:
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monthly learning programs
weekly or bi-weekly small groups
intergenerational summer camp programs
intergenerational vacation Bible school
intergenerational Bible study
intergenerational retreats
Intergenerational workshops
Intergenerational Faith Formation
2. Develop a faith formation curriculum for the
whole community using intergenerational
faith formation as the primary learning
model.
3. Extend a topic or theme being featured in
the faith formation program for children or
adolescents, to the whole community
through intergenerational learning.
4. Replace a topic in the children or
adolescent program with intergenerational
learning on the same theme.
Intergenerational Faith Formation
5. Add intergenerational learning to
sacramental preparation and celebrations.
6. Conduct intergenerational faith formation
before major church year feasts and
seasons, as well as church events.
7. Add intergenerational learning to a vacation
Bible school or summer program.
8. Conduct intergenerational learning around
justice issues, events, and action projects.
9. Sponsor an intergenerational retreat for the
whole community.
Age Group Learning Models
Models of learning for age groups:
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Independent learning
Small group learning
Large group learning
Study action projects
Spiritual development
Online presence
Independent Learning
1. Independent Learning
• podcasts and audio learning
• video podcasts and video-based
learning
• online courses & online learning
centers
• parish web site
Small Group Learning
2. Small Group Learning
• discipleship or faith sharing groups
• Bible study groups
• topical study groups
• practice-focused groups
• special interest groups
• ministry groups
Large Group Learning
3. Large Group Learning
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multi-session courses
speaker series
one-session program
round table discussions
parent parallel learning
field trips
workshops
film festivals
Study-Action
4. Study-Action Projects: combine
study, action, and reflection
• Justice and service projects: local,
national, global
• Age groups
• Families
• Multi-generational
• Church ministry/leadership groups
Study-Action
 Engage People in a Variety of
Study-Action Projects
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Local, national, global projects
• Age groups
• Families
• Multi-generational
Process
• Study  Action  Reflection
• Action  Reflection  Study
Study-Action
 Add an Action Project to a Learning
Program: for Participants, Families or
for the Whole Church
Program
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Action
Option for Poor
Creation/Environment
Dignity of Human Life
Rights and Responsibilities
Peace
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Reflection
Spiritual Development
1. Offer retreat experiences for age
groups, families, & intergenerational
2. Infuse spiritual practices into all
program: classes, youth programs,
adult programs, meetings, leadership
groups
Spiritual Development
3. Teach spiritual practices and
disciplines (variety of prayer forms and
techniques)
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silence and silent prayer
centering prayer
meditative prayer
praying with poetry, art, or music
reading and meditating on Bible
stories
prayers of praise, confession, petition,
intercession, and thanksgiving
Spiritual Development
 When youth leaders practice the presence
of God within their ministries, lives are
changed (adult and youth).
 When youth ministries pray and attend to
God, there is greater patience, generosity,
kindness, self-discipline, hope, joy, and
love, as well as other fruits of the Spirit.
 With regular exposure to spiritual exercises
youth began to notice their youth programs
felt more centered on God and the spiritual
life, and less focused on social and
recreational activities.
Spiritual Development
 In evaluating the young people’s experience
of silence, solitude, and contemplative
prayer, a majority of students within the
project expressed a desire for continual
growth in prayer and spiritual practice.
 Young people remarked about the lack of
open time and space in their lives and were
surprised by the “holy leisure” they
encountered in the project’s contemplative
retreats and in their youth groups.
Spiritual Development
 Other young people felt affirmed by the
diversity of prayer within the Christian
tradition and found the different forms of
prayer encouraging to their own spiritual
growth.
 There was a widespread desire among
youth in our participating churches to
integrate spiritual practices into daily life,
such as using workout times as times for
prayer and meditation, journaling, and
setting aside time in the early morning or
before bed to practice silent prayer.
Internet & Communication
1. online learning courses and activities
2. online small groups, courses, and reading
groups
3. faith formation resources for individuals
and families
4. social networking
5. daily Bible study / prayer-of-the-day
6. audio and video podcasts of sermons and
guest speakers, and links to other sources
(iTunes)
7. e-newsletter
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The Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton
The American Catholic Experience
Biblical Literary Forms
The Gospel of John: The Book Of Glory
Jesus Christ: Yesterday and Today
Liturgy: A Guide for the Perplexed
The Papacy
The Letters of St. Paul
Catholic Prayer: The Lord’s Prayer, the Hail Mary,
and the Doxology
• The Creed: We Believe
• Core Course: An Introduction to Theology
Sacred Space
www.SacredSpace.ie
We invite you to make a 'Sacred Space' in your
day, and spend ten minutes, praying here and
now, as you sit at your computer, with the help
of on-screen guidance and scripture chosen
specially every day
Online Magazine
Conclusion
For more information about any of the
models described in the power point,
please contact:
Mary Beth Coates, director
Department of Lifelong Faith Formation
Diocese of Buffalo
mcoates@buffalodiocese.org
716-847-5505
Acknowledgement: Adventures Project, January 2007; author: John Roberto, Lifelong Faith Associates.
Family