|
Home / News & Publications / Michigan Catholic News / 2009 / Adult faith formation: It's all encompassing
Adult faith formation: It's all encompassing
by Sr. Janet Schaeffler special to The Michigan Catholic
Published July 24, 2009
Editor's note: This is the first in a series and will continue in the monthly Faith Formation column.
Happy 10th anniversary to each and every one of us - aged 18 and 118!
2009 is the anniversary of a document about us, for us. The year 2009 marks the one-decade anniversary of "Our Hearts Were Burning within Us: A Pastoral Plan for Adult Faith Formation in the United States."
This document from the U.S. bishops builds on documents from the universal Church from the past 40 years and boldly reaffirms, "Adult faith formation, by which people consciously grow in the life of Christ through experience, reflection, prayer and study, must be 'the central task in (this) catechetical enterprise,' becoming 'the axis around which revolves the catechesis of childhood an adolescence as well as that of old age'" (No. 5).
In this significant anniversary, an interesting exploration is to ask: Just what is adult faith formation?
Even though the usual definition that comes to mind when one hears adult faith formation is: "intentional learning experiences that deepen, expand, and make explicit the learning in faith that is, hopefully, already part of the life of the believing community," adult faith formation goes well beyond that!
Adult Faith Formation is much more than programs, much more than intentionally planned learning experiences.
Even the intentionally planned learning experiences can (should) happen in a myriad of ways; but it's also obvious there are other ways that faith grows and deepens within the parish setting.
To name just a few:
- celebrating weekly liturgy;
- participating in the Giving Tree and other parish outreach activities, especially if there is an opportunity to reflect with others, upon its completion, on how they effected the "givers";
- joining with others to sign a petition for a justice issue;
- celebrating the sacramental life of our Church;
- helping build a house with Habitat for Humanity;
- prayer groups; and
- spiritual direction available at the parish.
For 20 centuries the Church has lived the mission of Jesus, by helping each person to participate and contribute, to be a faithful, prayerful, serving and learning member of the Body of Christ through koinonia (community), leiturgia (prayer and worship), didache (teaching), kerygma (proclamation), and diakonia (outreach). All of these ways are formational! Each of these ways teaches, helps a person grow in faith. Truly, each is adult faith formation.
Adult faith formation is much more than programs: "The Parish is the Curriculum."
Each of the previous ways is unquestionably formational. Everything forms the curriculum, the "course of study," for our faith growth.
"Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us" boldly reminds us: "The Parish is the Curriculum ... the success of such efforts (intentional programs) rests very much on the quality of the liturgies, the extent of shared decision making, the priorities in the parish budget, the degree of commitment to social justice ..." (No. 118).
The Gospel message is always being communicated (or contradicted) in everything parishes do. Budget decisions, the way a secretary answers the phone and responds to people, the prayerful atmosphere of all gatherings, the living of the social justice teachings of the Church, the full, conscious and active participation of all in liturgy, the emphasis placed on following Scripture, etc. - all communicate and form the faith of everyone in the parish.
These actions/practices, and many others, form an unspoken, but consistent and ongoing, adult faith formation "program" in our parishes.
Do our parish pastoral councils annually ask themselves: In everything that we are living, doing, and the ways that we are functioning as a parish, what are we teaching people - about God, faith and life, prayer, being Church, justice and peace, living and bringing about the reign of God?
Adult faith formation is not just about planning six-week programs; it is about the way a parish lives moment by moment.
Adult faith formation is much more than programs; it's about being a learning community.
In "Toward an Adult Church," Jane Regan writes: "... being a community that fosters adult faith is not primarily specific programs, but ... lifelong learning. ... What needs to be formed is a parish that is a learning community."
In her chapter, "The Aim of Catechesis" in the book "Horizons and Hopes: The Future of Religious Education," Jane names four of the many significant implications she sees flowing from this:
- Adult faith formation within the parish as a learning community is an integral part of parish life at all levels.
- Structures are created within the parish which provide space for genuine conversation among adults.
- The wisdom of all members of the parish community is consistently recognized and affirmed.
- The overarching goal of adult faith formation is to foster a sense of mission rather than simply to enhance membership.
Adult faith formation is much more than programs; it is permanent catechesis.
The General Catechetical Directory introduced the phrase "permanent catechesis" (No. 51). Because the goal of formation is not just knowledge, but to nurture a relationship with Jesus as His disciples (cf No. 53), it has a great variety of forms:
- systematic and occasional
- individual and communal
- organized and spontaneous (No. 51).
In its visionary way, the General Catechetical Directory (No. 71) gives some examples of the "great variety of forms" of permanent catechesis.
In reading through the listing, it is obvious - and exciting - that all parish activities have the potential to be formative events in the lives of people.
Formal programs, workshops and talks are only one opportunity.
As we plan, then, for "permanent catechesis" for adult faith formation, our main question does not have to be: how many more programs, workshops, talks, etc. do we have to add in this year; but: Let's look at our existing parish activities, services, and programs.
- How are they fostering growth in faith, in discipleship for the adults already participating?
- Does everyone feel welcome?
- How can we invite others in? Are our existing activities, services and programs hospitable to all ages? All cultures?
Sr. Janet Schaeffler, OP, is the archdiocesan associate director for adult faith formation for the Office for Faith Formation/Catechetics.
All Faith Formation Articles | All Michigan Catholic Articles
Adult Faith Formation Series:
|
