For many Catholics, memories of faith formation and religious education programs from their childhood might have involved spending a time each week at a parish hall or school alongside other young people, learning about their faith.
“Children were generally dropped off, attended a class for an hour and fifteen minutes or an hour and a half, and then went home,” said Father John Picinic, pastor of Christ Our Light Parish, Cherry Hill. He noted that while this approach has its benefits, it could be improved upon. “Although the children formed relationships within their classes, there was limited opportunity to build a wider community involving their parents and the parish as a whole.”
Recognizing the pivotal role that parents play in the education and development of their children – an understanding that is also enshrined in Church teaching – an increasing number of parish communities across the Diocese of Camden are embracing Family Evangelizing Catechesis. Known to some as family faith formation, the approach incorporates parents into the catechism of their children.
“Family faith formation allows parents to reclaim their essential role as the primary teachers of their children in the faith,” said Father Picinic, whose parish is transitioning more fully to this approach in the coming year.
Parents as ‘First Teachers’
Laurie Power serves as diocesan coordinator for Family Evangelizing Catechesis, a new role established by Bishop Joseph A. Williams. Among her responsibilities is the duty “to support pastors and parish catechetical leaders who seek to implement models of family catechesis in their parishes, the first goal of which is to convert, educate and aid parents in their God-given role as first teachers,” she said.
Power noted references to the role of parents in educating their children in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, as well as the final blessing in the Order of Baptism of Children – and the resulting responsibility of parishes to help support parents in this important role when it comes to their child’s faith.
“While parents are the first teachers of their children, it is nevertheless true that parents cannot give what they do not themselves have,” she said. “The experience of countless pastors and catechists over the years is that any effort aimed at the faith formation of children and youth which does not at the same time prioritize the conversion and ongoing faith formation of their parents will have limited fruits.”
Parishes – including her home parish of Christ the Redeemer, Atco – are increasingly embracing this model of formation that includes families in the process.
“Family Evangelizing Catechesis can take different forms in a parish, but it would include formation and accompaniment for both children and parents,” she said. “Families may attend a monthly session at the parish together that includes an opportunity to encounter Jesus through prayer with Scripture or Eucharistic Adoration; separate sessions for parents and children that present the truths of the faith and how we live them out; coaching for parents on how to keep the faith conversations and practices going at home; and an activity or discussion prompt that families complete together.”
Encouraging Results
Parish leaders and volunteers at Saint Vincent de Paul, Mays Landing, have been including parents in the faith formation of their children for the past two years. Programming has included in-person course meetings, with separate lessons for parents and children followed by joint sharing and prayer as a larger group, as well as providing families with boxes that include various lessons – with crafts and activities to go along with each. Participants have also been invited to parish-wide penance services during Advent and Lent, as well as other programs throughout the year.
In the year to come, Saint Vincent de Paul will be piloting a new program with parents, which will run for 11 weeks in the fall and will include a meal, teaching and sharing following Mass.
“The impact of this thus far is that it has helped us to get to know our families in faith formation much better,” said Father John March, the parish pastor. “We have received feedback that they are grateful to get to set aside time as a family at home to do these lessons together.”
Father March said that his team has also heard from parents that they have learned from the lessons as well.
“It has given us the opportunity to teach the families together how to pray in adoration and to show reverence to God,” he said. “We have also been encouraged to watch the parents and children enjoy being together as a family, learn to pray for and bless one another, and to enjoy the snacks and fellowship at the end of the night.”
The model of Family Evangelizing Catechesis has also brought about positive results in the community of Our Lady of Hope Parish, Blackwood. Parents and children participate in lessons together, and children receive a syllabus and textbook that they complete at home with parents.
“The impact of this approach is very positive,” said Trudy Cranston, coordinator of Family Faith, Confirmation and OCIA. “Each year the numbers increase because the families have an opportunity to go to Mass together and then come to the sessions immediately after Mass in the parish center.”
Fostering Spiritual Growth at Home
Brenda Quinn is a volunteer at her parish of Holy Angels, Woodbury, where she is the head of Adult Faith and Evangelization. She emphasized their efforts to ensure parents “are equipped with the knowledge to raise their children as intentional disciples.”
“It is our hope that providing parents with the education and experiences in encountering Jesus, they will become Intentional Disciples themselves, and provide an atmosphere at home to foster spiritual growth in all members,” said Quinn. “Our focus this year will be to help parents understand who God is, what it means to be human, and why the understanding and relationship between the two matter. We will also focus on understanding the Mass, learning ways to pray – which incorporate listening to God as well as speaking with Him, and the scriptural basis of the Kerygma.”
In his Cherry Hill parish, Father Picinic looks forward to seeing the results of family faith formation efforts, which will include monthly gatherings with families and additional meetings for sacramental preparation and community events.
“Our goal is not simply to teach religious information, but to help form active, intentional, and missionary disciples. We are all called to be apostles, and what better way to embrace that calling than as families and as a parish community,” he said. “We hope to help our families recognize that faith is not limited to a classroom or a single weekly lesson. It is a shared way of life – something we learn, celebrate, and live together.”
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