As Catholics Christians we are a pilgrim people on a life-long journey of conversion in which we individually and as a community are formed more and more into the image and likeness of God. It is a journey that for many of us begins with our parents’ decision to have us baptized into the faith. The journey then continues on through our youth with the preparation for First Communion and later Confirmation.
Our formation in the faith, however, doesn’t end with our youth. There is an old joke that asks the question, “If Jesus played with the children and taught the adults, then why does the Church teach the children and play with the adults?” While there is some truth that in the past the Church has neglected the faith formation of adults, the reality is that the various stages of our adult lives offer us the wonderful opportunity to grow in our understanding of God’s plan for our lives.
Adult faith formation takes many forms. For those exploring the possibility of membership in the Church, we have the RCIA process (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults). For those seeking to get married, there is our Pre-Cana program. For those interested in discovering what our faith asks of us in the issues of Peace and Justice, there is the transformative Just FAITH Program. In addition, we have also recently created an Adult Faith Formation Board to develop and offer a series of programs and mini-courses designed to foster a deeper understanding of our call to be mature Catholic Christians.
For each of us, faith formation is a journey that lasts a lifetime; a journey in which we are guided along the way by many teachers and mentors. These men and women offer us their life experiences, share the insights gained on their journeys, and walk with us on our journey. Faith formation cannot happen without the gifts of these teachers and mentors, and here at St. Camillus there are many different ways of sharing those gifts.
Through involvement in the RCIA process, you can walk with a person as he or she begins the faith journey. If you enjoy working with youth, the Faith Formation Office offers an incredible opportunity to make our faith come alive for our young people. With God's grace, we are planting seeds that in the years to come will bear fruit. With almost 600 children in our three programs (English/Spanish/French), there is an incredible need. If your gifts tend more toward organization, perhaps you would like to be part of the exciting work of getting our Adult Faith Formation Board off the ground.
In the “vineyard” of faith formation, there is much work to be done. Won’t you be one of the workers?
Sacraments
Faith Formation for Children & Youth
Youth Ministry
Faith Formation for Adults
Faith Formation for Couples