Adult Faith Formation
"The catechesis of adults' is the principle form of catechesis, because it is addressed to persons who have the greatest responsibility and the capacity to live the Christian message in its fully developed form." Pope John Paul II, Catechesis in Our Times
According to participants from an Adult Appreciative Inquiry held at the Center For Congregations commemorating the Tenth Anniversary of "Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us," A Strategic Plan For Adult Faith Formation in the United States:- Christ Renews His Parish
- Small Church Communities
- The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)
- Lenten Reflection Series
In "Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us," this pastoral plan for adult faith formation, the Bishops of the United States set forth these major goals:
- Invite and Enable Ongoing Conversion to Jesus in Holiness of Life
- Promote and Support Active Membership in the Christian Community
- Call and Prepare Adult to Act as Disciples in Mission to the World
The national plan is a clear call to help all ages of adults on their life-long journey of understanding their Catholic faith, proclaiming their faith, and living their faith. The development of adult faith formation must be intentional, organized and systematic.
The major tasks for adult faith formation are:
To promote formation and development of life in the Risen Christ through the sacraments, prayer life of the Church, works of charity and justice, retreats, and spiritual direction. To promote evangelization as the means of bringing the Good News to all states of humanity To educate toward the development of an informed moral conscience To clarify religious and moral questions To clarify the relationship between the Church and the world, especially in light of the Church's social doctrine To develop the rational foundations of the faith and demonstrate the compatibility of faith and reason To encourage adults to assume their baptismal responsibility for the Church's mission and to be able to give Christian witness in society To develop creative ways to interest and encourage adults to take advantage of the various programs of enrichment and spiritual development being offered.
- National Directory for Catechesis
For more information:
Best Practices in Adult Faith Formation: A National Study has gone into a second printing. Authored by David Riley and Jack McBride, the book helps catechetical leaders understand some of the approaches and strategies that contribute to successful adult faith formation. To order, call the NCCL office at 202-884-9753.
Echoes of Faith Plus. NCCL’s highly acclaimed video-based catechist formation program is being updated, with new features included on the DVD format. A new learning module on adult faith formation methodology launched the series updating process in last fall and is available from RCL, which produces the series for NCCL. To order please call RCL directly at 1-800-527-5030.
