July 22, 2018 - "A Pastoral Plan for Adult Faith Formation"

In 1999, the Catholic Bishops of the United States issued Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us:  A Pastoral Plan for Adult Faith Formation in the United States.  In that document the Bishops note that the Catholic faith is like a symphony in which the unity of faith finds expressions in richly diverse formulations and manifestations.  They state that the ongoing development of a living, explicit, and fruitful Christian faith in adulthood requires growth in six dimensions:  knowledge of the faith, liturgical life, moral formation, prayer, belonging to community, and missionary spirit.  This week I am beginning a series in which we shall explore these six dimensions.  Today I want to look at knowledge of the faith and liturgical life.
 
Knowledge of the Faith is treated in detail in paragraph 91 of this pastoral plan.  Reference is made there to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 29-1065 and the General Directory for Catechesis, nos. 84-85, 87.  Here are the elements that would be found in a well-developed Adult Faith Formation Plan in a parish that wanted to give a thorough presentation of knowledge of the faith:
· Recognize communion with Jesus Christ as the definitive aim of all catechesis (religious instruction).
· Explore the Scriptures so that adults may be hearers and doers of the word
· Become familiar with the great teachings of Christianity (its creeds and its doctrines) and their place in the hierarchy of truths—for example, “the mystery of God and the Trinity, Christ, the Church, the sacraments, human life and ethical principles, eschatological realities, and other contemporary themes in religion and morality.
· Study the Church’s teachings on the dignity of the human person in its social doctrine, including its respect-life teaching.
· Learn the richness of the Church’s tradition, explore the theological and cultural heritage in which faith is expressed and gain perspective on contemporary events and trends through an understanding of church history.
· Develop the philosophical and theological foundations of the faith and appreciate expressions of Christian thought and culture.
· Learn the meaning and practical relevance of current church teachings as presented by the pope, diocesan bishop, Vatican congregations, and the National Conference of Catholic Bishops [now the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops].

Liturgical Life is treated in paragraph 92 of this pastoral plan. Reference is made there to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, nos. 1066-1690 and the General Directory for Catechesis, nos. 84-85, 87.  Here are the elements that a parish would include in its adult faith formation plan for a thorough treatment of liturgical life:
 
· Understand, live, and bear witness to the paschal mystery, celebrated and communicated through the sacramental life of the Church.
· Learn and embrace in one’s life church doctrine on the Eucharist and the other sacraments.
· Acquire the spirituality, skills, and habits of full, conscious, and active participation in the liturgy, especially the Eucharistic liturgy.
· Value the dignity of the baptismal priesthood and of the ordained priesthood and their respective roles in liturgical celebration and Christian mission.
· Appreciate and appropriately participate in the Church’s daily prayer, the Liturgy of the Hours, and learn to pray the psalms, “an essential and permanent element of the prayer of the Church.”
 
Until next week,
Fr. John