Formation for Sacraments First Reconciliation, Confirmation before 1st Eucharist, & First Eucharist We have some resources to help you do that! |
| The laity derive their right and duty to work in the apostolate directly from Christ himself...lay people should work in close union with their pastors. Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity #3, 10 from Vatican II in Plain English |
| The presence in the Church [of men and women religious] has been essential in the building up of the Reign of God. Decree on the Renewal of Religious Life #1 from Vatican II in Plain English |
| Dear Member of the Parish Staff, You truly do have one of the most important but difficult jobs in the church today! You have a long job description loaded with important duties, and at the same time, the folks in your parish mainly expect you to do all the work! It's darn tough to get all your work done and at the same time implement a program for renewal. Whether you're paid (probably under-paid!) or volunteer (really under-paid!) you are a key leader. We know that no matter how well we do in the process of preparing the children for the Sacraments, if their parents are not involved, then the children may go to Confession for the first AND last time on the same day! We must coach parents to help their own kids grow up Catholic. We simply can't do it for them. Period. With that in mind, we offer you a rich resource, inexpensive and easy to use, and one that everyone will love: your catechists and teachers, your parents, your pastor, the children and YOU! Click on the box to the right and you'll be taken to a full explanation of this exciting new approach. It's based on coaching parents, even reluctant ones, to form their own children. Growing up Catholic begins at baptism! We know that almost every active adult Catholic today came from a home where the faith was shared. And yes, even from some of those wonderful homes, young adults grow up away from the Church. But in the end, we know the odds are still with having strong Catholic parents. So take a look at this powerful new resource. We're here to help you however we can and we support Growing Up Catholic in every corner of the Church. Call or write us and let's get started! Good wishes for your ministry, Bill Huebsch and the Pastoral Planning Crew |
| Grad Courses for You or Your Staff There are grad courses being offered in two excellent Catholic Universities which provide complete background and practical solutions for anyone working in this emerging ministry today! Contact Diane Blair at Loyola University New Orleans. Or Brian Schmisek at the University of Dallas. Click above to send them a note of inquiry. Ask for the course called "Models of Catechesis" taught by Bill Huebsch. |
| Grad Courses There is also a fully graduate degree program in another excellent Catholic College: Boston College. This program is operated under the watchful eye of Drs Tom Groome and Jane Regan. For more information, click here. Clicking here will take you to the Boston College web site. Be sure to keep this web site's address in your favorite things in order to return here easily! |
| Resources offered on this site |
| Share your parish story! If you have been working with whole community or lifelong catechesis or faith formation and you have a story to tell, we want to hear it! Go to this page and send us your story! Give us the link to your parish web site at the same time, please. And thanks! |
| Pastoral Planning A step-by-step guide: Dreams & Visions: Pastoral Planning for Lifelong Faith Formation by Bill Huebsch A new book which includes a chapter outlining those all-important Planning Team Meetings. Sold in bundles to save you 20% New Book! Welcome the People! Ways to Gather & Nourish Adult Catholics by Jim Smith A parish team workshop-in-a-book. Helps you create the team you want for lifelong formation. Sold in bundles to save you 20%. New book! Good News Parish Leadership Trust-Building Guidelines, Tools, Ideas by Michael Papesh This rich resource helps you form your parish team with the very same pastoral theology in which we all believe. Sold in bundles to save you 20% Training How to teach your parish about lifelong formation including excellent PowerPoint presentations to download and use, complete with presentation notes. A series of FREE articles Reproduce these to put in your bulletin or to use for team & committee training. They're all in plain English! Into the Fields: Catechist & Ministry Formation Create a "religious community" with formation, prayer, & study right in the midst of your parish. This is the engine of lifelong faith formation, the foundation in your parish. Implementation How to start and sustain faith sharing throughout the parish using the Question of the Week With free prayer sheets and suggestions for training and use. A guide for using Growing Faith A powerful resource for doing adult faith formation in the parish. It's the Catechism in plain English! También es disponible en español. Communal Prayer for Parish Councils & other groups to accompany faith sharing. You can download and use these in 5 minutes! Rooted in the Second Vatican Council. Outlines for adult or intergenerational Faith Gatherings linked to your children's textbook series. Outlines for adult Bible Studies which are in plain English! Download each session and get all you need in one item. Complete plans for Parish Based Retreats in several practical scheduling formats. |