Introducing
Catholic
Foundation
Stones
Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by humans
yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and like living
stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house.
(1 Peter 2:4-5)
For no one can lay any foundation other than the one
that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ.
(1 Corinthians 3:11)
You are built upon the foundation of the apostles and
prophets with Christ Jesus himself as the keystone.
(Ephesians 2:20)
In your
experience what
are some of the
challenges in
seeking to hand
on Catholic faith
in our schools
today?
“There has never been a time in the history of the Church
when it has not been important to hand on the basic truths
of the Catholic faith. It can often seem, however, that in our
day the need for foundational formation in Catholic belief is
more pressing than ever.
Many Catholics have been blessed to have received a
thorough grounding in Catholic teaching, but that is not the
case for everyone in the Church. There are also a variety of
people who, while not Catholic, would like to know what it is
that stands at the heart of Catholicism.
For some, an interest in the Catholic faith will be important
because of family relationships or connections through
work, especially if they work in a Catholic school. For others,
there may be a level of personal interest or spiritual soulsearching which prompts the desire to know more about
what Catholics believe.”
Bishop Arthur Roche in his foreword to Catholic Foundation Stones
How did Catholic Foundation Stones
come about?
• Request by headteachers in the Diocese of Leeds who
recognised the need for a resource to form staff in the
Catholic Faith
• Having surveyed many of the very good existing
resources, none seemed to do what was needed
• Working through a text produced by Fr John Wilson and
Fr Andrew Allman, the headteachers’ working party
endorsed Catholic Foundation Stones as something
that would meet the needs they had identified
• Catholic Foundation Stones was trialled in a number of
schools and then offered to all schools in the Diocese
of Leeds
• Following positive feedback, it was published by St
Paul’s Publications.
What is Catholic Foundation Stones?
• Catholic Foundation Stones is a very basic introduction
to the Catholic faith. It is simple and straightforward and
can be used with all kinds of different groups and
individuals. For example:
• People who are interested in learning something about
the Catholic faith
• People who are interested in becoming Catholics
• Catholics who wish to deepen their knowledge of the faith
• Catholics who are returning to the practice of their faith
• Staff in Catholic schools, both Catholic and non-Catholic,
who would benefit from learning more about the faith that
underpins where they work (this was a key reason why
the resource was originally written)
Catholic Foundation Stones may also be useful, in
whole or in part, in many other aspects of parish and
school catechesis and faith formation. For example
• preparation of parents who present a child for baptism
• parents of children receiving First Holy Communion
• training readers, special ministers of the Eucharist, and
those who lead Children’s Liturgy of the Word
• It could also serve as preliminary catechist training and
offer an introductory grounding for those considering
further faith formation.
Catholic Foundation Stones
is structured around the four
pillars of the Catechism of
the Catholic Church:
• the FAITH WE PROFESS (the
Creed – the proclamation of
what we believe);
• the FAITH WE CELEBRATE
(the Sacraments);
• the FAITH WE LIVE (the 10
Commandments
and
the
moral life);
• the FAITH WE PRAY (prayer
and the spiritual life).
• There are many resources available to help
people understand more about the Catholic faith.
• We identified the need for a springboard to
introduce people to the basics of Catholicism,
some simple and accessible foundation stones.
Catholic Foundation Stones is therefore just a
small beginning, a snapshot. There is much more
to discover and to take further.
• It is important, especially at the beginning of the
course, to see each of the sessions in the context
of the course as a whole and to see the whole
course as part of something bigger.
• Not every aspect and detail of the Catholic faith
will be covered in Catholic Foundation Stones.
What is offered here is merely an appetiser from
an immense and luxurious banquet!
What have people said about Catholic
Foundation Stones?
“I highly recommend this resource for use in Catholic parishes and
schools. For anyone who wants to deepen their understanding of
the Catholic faith, Catholic Foundation Stones is a very accessible
and inviting place to begin.” (Bishop Roche, Bishop of Leeds)
“Just a short mail to say how brilliant the 'Catholic Foundation Stones'
document is. As a staff we have worked through the units during the last
year and will complete them next week.” (A headteacher)
"‘Catholic Foundation Stones’ is an excellent way to explore the
basics of our faith. It's a great resource and I know I will be
referring back to it.” (A catechist)
“We have been using Catholic Foundation Stones as the basis of our
programme this year and have found it to have been the best
programme we have ever used. I speak as one who has been doing
RCIA for over 20 years now and in that time have tried everything that’s
going.” (A Deacon)
How to Use this Course
Organising the Programme
• The 12 sessions have been designed so they can be offered
once a week for 12 weeks or spaced at greater intervals as
suits particular circumstances.
• In a school setting, the course may be offered over one
academic year, two separate sessions per half-term. Each
session is intended to last for a maximum of 1 to 1 ½ hours.
• It is recommended that the course be supplemented with a
visit to a local Catholic Church.
• The sessions are structured simply and are flexible. A group,
or number of small groups, can work through them together
with a co-ordinator guiding the session. Access to a copies
of Sacred Scripture is needed and also the Compendium
of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Page 10 - An index of the different Old and New
Testament books of the Bible is normally given at the
front. This will help in locating the passages. Biblical
texts are normally referenced according to the name
of the book of the Bible, the chapter number (which is
not the same as the page number) and the number
for the verse or verses. So, John 3:16 refers to the
Gospel of St John, chapter 3, verse 16.
Page 10 - The Compendium of the Catechism of the
Catholic Church is arranged in a question and answer
format. References are normally given by numbers which
refer to a particular question or questions. These are not
the same as the page numbers and there will usually be
more than one question on a page. The paragraph numbers
down the side of the pages in the Compendium enable
cross reference with the full Catechism of the Catholic
Church. References to the Compendium are given at the
end of each session to help with follow up.
Individual Sessions
• The co-ordinator will need to have read through the
relevant pages for each session and the relevant parts of
the Bible, the Compendium and the other follow up
resources.
• The co-ordinator will have prepared the room in advance
with refreshments offered at the beginning or end of the
session.
• The co-ordinator begins by welcoming everyone,
introducing the session and invites everyone to pray the
Opening Prayer. It is important to emphasise that this is
an opportunity to learn about the beliefs of the Catholic
Church.
• It is not a debate or an exercise in coercion. The
purpose is to read and hear, reflect and share.
• The co-ordinator will invite people to read and think about
their answers to the initial questions. There is space for
any notes to be recorded. These can be shared either in
small groups or with the group as a whole.
• It is important that the opportunities for sharing and
discussion at the beginning and during each session are
kept within reasonable time limits so as not to
compromise the time needed for the communication of
the content contained in the Read & Reflect sections.
• The Read & Reflect parts can be read aloud, by the coordinator or participants, either in the large group or in
small groups. The sharing can be with the large group or
in small groups and then opened up to everyone. Again,
there is space to record any notes.
• Each session concludes with Praying Together with
the Saints. This is a prayer-time using a prayer written
by someone in the history of the Church who has been
beatified (declared ‘blessed’ and on the way towards
sainthood) or canonised (formally declared a ‘saint’).
•
Then there follows the Our Father and Closing Prayer.
• The co-ordinator will then point out the Follow Up
possibilities for each session – using the Compendium
of the Catechism of the Catholic Church
Questions
• Questions may be raised during the sessions which no
one in the group is able to answer. These should be
noted and followed up, perhaps by the co-ordinator or
the individual concerned. The Compendium and the full
Catechism of the Catholic Church will help with this.
• Alternatively, it might be possible during the course to
invite a knowledgeable guest to come and take part in a
question and answer session, having forwarded to him
or her a copy of the questions which have been raised.
• Participants should be reassured that there is no such
thing as a stupid question.