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Faith Formation Commission

ADULT FAITH FORMATION
PASTORAL PLAN FOR THE DIOCESE OF KANSAS CITY ~ ST. JOSEPH

"There is no doubt that spiritual formation ought to occupy a privileged place in a person's life. Everyone is called to grow continuously in intimate union with Jesus Christ, in conformity to the Father's will, in devotion to others in charity and justice."
                                 -- Christifidelis Laici, 60



I.  Introduction

a. In late 1999, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a pastoral statement on adult faith formation, Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us (OHWB): "A Pastoral Plan for Adult Faith Formation in the United States." This document promotes the joy and wonder of God's plan and our response as mature people of faith to promote God's plan.

b. The Catholic Bishops contend that the "fields [are] ripe for the harvest (John 4:35) and strongly encourage parishes and dioceses to join in the strategy to promote both evangelism and ongoing lifelong formation among adults. The Bishops call adults to an intentional, educational, and spiritual formation designed to equip us for the task of building God's kingdom on earth.

c. In recent years, the Catholic Bishops penned other documents of interest and encouragement that are related to faith and understanding.

d. OHWB calls us to that same important work and issues a clarion call to parishes to implement a plan of action for adult faith formation. This plan should lay the groundwork of prayer, study, and pastoral work designed to enhance both the presence and the witness of God's people.

II. Vision

a. The vision of Adult Faith Formation for the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph consists of parishes in which the faithful, under pastoral leadership, are formed by the Word of God, the sacraments and communal life, to share the Gospel in their homes, neighborhoods, places of work, and centers of culture.

b. Adult Faith Formation nurtures the faithful to become leaders in the Church, people of compassion, working to establish a just society. It forms men and women willing to stand together:

• for the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death.
  
• to promote marriage and the family.
  
• to develop the understanding of the faithful in overcoming the widespread ignorance of and indifference to the dignity of persons, and cultural gifts of different people.
  
• and to stand up for other Catholic moral and social teachings.

c. The huge frontier of lay witness is before us, and the faithful need catechetical and spiritual formation if they are to live their Catholicism beyond the pew on Sunday morning. Without this full engagement of the lay vocation for the transformation of the world, the work of the New Evangelization will not be realized. The foundation for this apostolic work must be an adult faith formation which supports growth in holiness, virtue, knowledge of the Faith, and a strong sense of the sacramental and communal nature of the Church.

III. History

a. The Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph has been, blessed by the work of the Holy Spirit. Throughout the history of our diocese, the work of our pastors, lay leaders and our faithful in advancing Adult Faith Formation merits our recognition and appreciation.

b. Quoting the General Directory on Catechesis, OHWB, states that the parish is: "without doubt, the most important locus in which the Christian community is formed and expressed." Acknowledging this, we enlisted the voluntary cooperation of all parishes throughout the diocese. Many parishes responded to a questionnaire by mail, email, or by participating in listening sessions conducted across the diocese.

c. The wealth of information shared by so many was heartening. The efforts of our parishes to lead believers to a deeper knowledge of Christ and His Church cover a broad spectrum. Adult Faith Formation efforts are undertaken within parishes in urban, suburban and rural settings throughout the diocese that covers thousands of square miles. These efforts arise naturally out of both the hunger of the faithful and the deep desire of pastors and lay leaders to nourish those they serve. Some observations regarding adult faith formation from our Listening Sessions and Surveys included ideas that adult faith formation:

      · is a highly structured and intentional effort based on Pastoral Plans.

      · is less structured in efforts designed at meeting needs as they arise in some    parishes.

      · includes the whole of parish life as catechesis.

      · utilizes the present gifts within the community in offering/providing programs.

      · incorporates both age specific and intergenerational approaches.

      · confirms the continuing success of RCIA programs.

      · affirms the importance of homilies and liturgies in this process.

      · takes place at some level in all our parishes but many parishes would like to be able to do more.

      · finds its most common expressions through Bible study, prayer groups, Small Christian Communities and Lenten series.

      · is realized through the catechetical moments of the parish’s liturgical life, retreats, social action and concerns.

      · acknowledges the parish bulletin and hospitality events as occasions for catechetical evangelization.

IV. Challenges

a. OHWB affirms that Adult Faith Formation is the chief form of catechesis in the parish. Effective Adult Faith Formation will require an enormous degree of cooperation on the part of the diocese and its parishes to continue in both our efforts and mandates to build up the Body of Christ. Even in parishes where coordinated resources and energies have been invested there are limitations and challenges.

b. Small parishes, whether rural or urban, are often impeded in their faith formation efforts by a lack of personnel and financial resources.

c. Lack of trained catechists challenges effective faith formation.

d. Some Catholics are "lukewarm" in their faith, "indifferent to the Church's guidance" (OHWB 35), or fail to recognize the need for ongoing and lifelong formation. These challenges require:

d. Some parishes readily recognize the need for Adult Faith Formation but do not always foster it outside the classroom, yet "every aspect and event in parish life can be intentionally fashioned as an occasion for adult faith formation" (OHWB 112).

e. Some parishes laudably seek to offer Adult Faith Formation opportunities that respond to particular life situations and legitimate needs of parishioners for growth in faith. Yet they often feel their efforts are "hit and miss" and acknowledge that they lack a pastoral plan for Adult Faith Formation.

f. Similarly, some parishes do not have a "strong, complete, and systematic" (OHWB 4) approach to Adult Faith Formation which integrates these formation efforts in a cohesive approach that can make faith "living, explicit and fruitful" (OHWB 49).

g. Some parishes seek a comprehensive vision of Adult Faith Formation but acknowledge the need for a parish faith formation team to "implement the parish vision and plan" (OHWB 142).

h. Even in parishes with generous resources, a clearly identified pastoral plan based on the Church's catechetical mission, a well-developed leadership team, and the pastor's support, there is often a limited audience for faith formation initiatives. Many "on the fringe" of parish life seem to be untouched by the Gospel message. Such a situation calls for renewed and diligent attention to people's real needs and daily concerns, and increasingly diverse and innovative approaches to faith formation.

i. Some parishes, particularly those which are in the same deanery or geographically proximate, have found it helpful, and even imperative, to plan together and share resources. This underscores the need of parishes to collaborate more effectively, to work together in Christ so that faith formation efforts may be fruitful. It also underscores the importance of diocesan responsibilities of "advocacy, consultation, networking, communicating, resourcing, research and training" (OHWB 165).

j. We are reminded that neither salvation nor truly effective catechesis is "the fruit of our innate gifts, our adult competence, or our achievements God's favor is always a gift and grace" (OHWB 63). The goals of catechesis are conversion and discipleship to Christ, holiness of life and service of God and neighbor (see OHWB 47). As the prologue to the Catechism of the Catholic Church notes, "The whole concern of doctrine and its teaching must be directed to the love that never end" so that anyone can see that all the works of perfect Christian virtue spring from love and have no other objective than to arrive at love" (CCC 25).

V. Goals Expressed by Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us

a. The parish will form an adult faith formation team led by an adult faith formation leader. It may be necessary for small rural parishes to form a team jointly with neighboring parishes.

b. The adult faith formation team should have the opportunity to study and implement the OHWB document.  This training may be facilitated by the Faith Formation Commission or by trained parish staffs.

c. Parish adult faith formation teams should inventory current activities in the area of adult faith formation as part of the development of their plan. The participation of parishioners in apostolates and small faith groups outside the parish may also provide useful information.

d. The team may also wish to inquire into what is working well in other parishes and what resources are available within the diocese (e.g., the diocesan Media Library). The team may want to explore collaborating with nearby parishes to provide some interparochial adult faith formation.

e. After conducting an inventory, the team will determine which of the Six Dimensions of Faith Formation highlighted in OHWB are currently being addressed by existing parish programs.

f. The team will set goals to maintain and improve what has been successful and to develop programs and activities in new areas representing growth in all six dimensions.

VI. Incorporating the Six Dimensions of Faith Formation

a. The Six Dimensions are listed below with references to where they can be found:

b. OHWB suggests that "[t]he ongoing development of a living, explicit, and fruitful Christian faith in adulthood requires growth in all six dimensions (OHWB 90)." Because of the diversity of interests and needs among adult learners a "comprehensive, multi-faceted, and coordinated approach to adult faith formation is necessary (OHWB 98)."

c. Formation in the six dimensions can take a great variety of forms. OHWB suggests that five approaches can be adapted in some way to any Catholic community. Formation may occur through active participation in the liturgy, family- or home-centered activities, including reading and study, opportunities provided through small faith communities, large group activities, and individual activities such as meditating on Scripture and personal prayer. Below are some examples taken from our parishes.

1) Knowledge of the Faith

      · Examples of this type of program in the diocese include various classes on doctrine, the spiritual life conducted at a parish level. A number of parishes in the diocese regularly offer Bible studies, retreats, discussion groups, and small faith communities.

      · Many parishes also offer adult classes taught by pastors, parish staff, or trained volunteers.

      · Some parishes are using audio and video Bible or other studies that may require only a facilitator to lead.

      · For those parishes hosting courses through the Bishop Helmsing Institute, there is access to a wide variety of courses on Sacred Scripture and doctrine, history, prayer and the Christian life. These courses are available in both English and Spanish in order to promote catechist training and/or enrichment of the lives of adult parishioners.

2) Liturgical Life

      · Many parishes prayerfully celebrate the rites and sacraments of the RCIA process and other beautiful rites such as: infant baptisms, marriage rite/renewals, dedications, youth confirmation, etc.

      · All aspects of the Sunday worship of the Church can serve this purpose.  The homily, the physical environment, liturgical music, hospitality, liturgical ministries, and congregational participation.

      · Some parishes indicated that that they benefited from the diocesan ministry formation days by the Office of Worship.

3) Moral Formation

      · The moral life often touches on important issues in our society. The programs coordinated by the Respect Life and Human Rights offices are examples of moral formation.

      · Other training including initiatives for natural family planning, and work with groups such as Birthright form important opportunities to develop adult faith.

      · Many parishes participate in social outreach initiatives such as mission trips, support of food pantries and other types of charitable works.

      · The Family Life Office offers a component for marriage preparation using the program "God's Plan for a Joy-Filled Marriage."

4) Prayer

      · Many traditional devotional gatherings foster adult faith formation.  Recently one parish hosted an evening of devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel on her feast day.  The event included an outdoor procession, the recitation of the rosary and an opportunity to receive the brown scapular.

      · Many parishes have encouraged devotion to the Blessed Sacrament by scheduling times when parishioners can visit, and by hosting special events encouraging Eucharistic adoration. 

      · Several parishes hosted diocesan-wide events involving outdoor Eucharistic processions and outdoor rosaries culminating in the Global Living Rosary event at Kauffman Stadium.

      · One parish hosts a Holy Hour, which is organized each week by different groups in the parish. Some parishes offer 40 hours devotions or first Friday devotions.

      · Several parishes host liturgically themed retreats offering a variety of traditional and silent prayer opportunities during Lent or Advent.

      · Most parishes have prayer groups that meet regularly.

5) Communal Life

      · Communal life in the parish is fostered through a variety of social and spiritual activities, both in large and small faith communities. 

      · Some examples are monthly gatherings for fellowship and faith formation, Bible studies or prayer groups, and celebrations for parish feast days.

      · Communal opportunities can also occur in connection with specialized ministries like Meals on Wheels, Habitat for Humanity, and funeral luncheons.  

      · Cultural religious events such as the Christmas posadas, quinceaneras, St. Joseph tables, and other patronal feast days foster renewal of community life.

6) Missionary Spirit

      · The missionary spirit should be present in all activities of the Church.  One aspect of this is the various works of mercy and service to the community.  Another aspect involves activities which seek to explicitly share the Gospel message with those who have not heard or accepted it.

      · Many churches reported having active RCIA teams that encourage and welcome inquirers into the Catholic Faith as well as inviting their own parishioners to participate.

      · Missionary spirit is also engendered by Cursillos, parish missions, and retreats.

      · Programs for contacting and inviting inactive Catholics demonstrate missionary spirit.

VII. The Goals of Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us Enhance Parish LIfe

a. Relationship with Jesus Christ is the heart, center, and focus of the life of the Church as well as the life of each believer. In order for this relationship to grow ever deeper, each believer must come to know Christ and find Him in all aspects of life. Adult Faith Formation affords the opportunity for each believer to come to recognize Christ's presence and action in the world. From this recognition should spring the impulse to respond to the gracious presence of Christ with signs of love and acts of service.

b. Because Christ is so explicitly present in the Church, Adult Faith Formation can lead to a more fervent participation in communal worship, rite, and sacrament. This will lead to a stronger desire in the believer to be more Christ-like. The graces overflowing from the love of Christ allow the believer to support the mission of the Church. This benefits all those in need and enhances parish programs.

VIII. Action Steps:  Diocesan Level

a. In order to facilitate this plan, the diocesan Faith Formation Commission will schedule dates for training Adult Faith Formation Leaders and Adult Faith Formation Team Members on the document, Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us: A Pastoral Plan for Adult Faith Formation in the United States. Prior to beginning the training the diocese can assist parishes in introducing the subject to their parishioners and recruiting team members by being invited to make a presentation at the parish. The subsequent training will involve a nine-hour block of instruction prescribed in the Leader's Guide to Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us and can be brought to individual parishes over a 5-6 week period. There are no costs associated with the training other than purchase of the Leader's Guides.

b. Parishes participating in the first rounds of training will receive a small library of videos, audios and books selected to provide a resource for the adult formation effort. A permanent library of these resources will also be available from the Bishop Helmsing Institute (BHI) library, which is open to all parishes.

c. The Bishop Helmsing Institute may send a team or representative to a parish or deanery to provide some aspects of adult faith formation upon request.

IX. Action Steps:  Parish Level

a. OHWB calls for leadership from the pastor and other pastoral leaders and the appointed Adult Faith Formation Leader (this could be the parish director of religious education) or another person, staff or volunteer, who focuses on adult faith formation). The Pastor's presence and active support along with that of the parish staff is critical to success (OHWB, 127). Whoever is chosen should be "well-versed and comfortable with catechetical documents, especially the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the General Directory for Catechesis" (OHWB, 135) and the National Directory for Catechesis.

b. The Adult Faith Formation Team (which will assist the Adult Faith Formation Leader in planning and assessing programs for the parish) and the chosen catechists who will be offering the programs in the parish (in some cases they might be facilitators until trained catechists are recruited and formed) should also exercise a measure of leadership and be in ongoing formation themselves (OHWB, 148).

c. The first steps parishes should take is to begin a process of personal recruiting and selection of the Adult Faith Formation Leader and Team (of three to ten members depending upon the size of the parish) assuming this has not yet been accomplished. Parishes with trained teams from Generations of Faith might already have the nucleus of an Adult Faith Formation Team. The value of a team approach has been shown by the success of programs like RCIA, youth ministry and pro-life activities.

d. According to OHWB the team should "include qualified representatives of all the major parish demographic and cultural groups. It should also be representative in diversity in age, ability, racial, social and economic conditions in the parish. This representative team will recognize the varied learning needs and gifts and talents of each group and address the varied learning needs and interests of the multi-cultural and generational community more effectively." It should coordinate its efforts with existing ministries to weave them all into a cohesive approach.

e. The Parish Adult Faith Formation Team should be formally recognized in the parish leadership structure (OHWB 144).

f. Even if only a portion of a parish team has been recruited, they can be trained by the Commission at the parish and will be given the responsibility to train additional volunteers selected for the parish team at the parish thereafter.

g. Once a parish has formed a complete team and been trained, the team should conduct a parish study under the pastor's direction to determine the needs of the parish. The goal is to "develop a vision and plan for adult faith formation" in accord with paragraphs 145-146, OHWB.

h. The Parish is called upon to give adult faith formation "a priority in the allocation of financial resources" (OHWB 132).

X. Parish Planning

a. The National Directory for Catechesis (NDC) states that the parish catechetical plan "should reflect the priority of adult catechesis, take into account the needs of everyone in the parish and provide special accommodation for cultural, racial and ethnic groups, persons with disabilities, the neglected, and those unable to represent their own rights and interests" (NDC, p. 255).

b. When a vision has been established for the parish, the team, with the approval of the pastor, should plan a diverse range of quality programs for the parish that include the six dimensions of faith formation: (1) knowledge of the faith; (2) liturgical life; (3) moral formation; (4) prayer; (5) communal life; (6) missionary spirit (see para. 90-96, OHWB). Perhaps the key is to "design adult faith formation opportunities to serve the needs of the entire faith community" (OHWB 80).

c. The approach should be multi-faceted and comprehensive, in which the parish seeks to provide a variety of learning activities and resources to meet the diverse needs of parishioners (OHWB 98). These may include the use of all forms of media as well as more traditional classroom presentations, depending upon the audience, the subject matter and what is deemed the most effective means of delivering catechesis.

d. The integrity of the content should always be a consideration as noted in Pope John Paul II's Catechesi Tradendae (CT), "In order that the sacrificial offering of his or her faith should be perfect, the person who becomes a disciple of Christ, has a right to receive, "the word of faith," not in mutilated, falsified or diminished form but whole and entire, in all its rigor and vigor. Unfaithfulness on some point to the integrity of the message means a dangerous weakening of catechesis and putting at risk the results that Christ and the ecclesial community have a right to expect from it" (CT 30).

e. The Adult Faith Formation Leader and Team, in concert with the pastor, should map out a schedule of catechetical activities for the parish and encourage adults to participate being careful not to schedule events that conflict with the calendars of local public and parochial schools or other events in the parish for youth. The parish should discuss their new focus with parishioners and seek their support for what is, in effect, a new evangelization, from which the whole parish will benefit.

f. The three major goals of faith formation for adults are: (1) Invite and Enable Ongoing Conversion to Jesus in Holiness of Life; (2) Promote and Support Active Membership in the Christian Community; (3) Call and Prepare Adults to Act as Disciples in Mission to the World (OHWB, 68-72). These can only be achieved if adult faith formation is an ongoing and well planned activity which receives the best of pastoral resources and energies. The goal as expressed in Catechesi Tradendae, "has the twofold objective of maturing the initial faith and of educating the true disciple of Christ by means of a deeper and more systematic knowledge of the person and the message of our Lord Jesus Christ" (CT 19).

g. As noted in Catechesi Tradendae, "even adults are not safe from temptations to doubt or to abandon their faith, especially as a result of their unbelieving surroundings. This means that "catechesis must often concern itself not only with nourishing and teaching the faith, but also with arousing it unceasingly with the help of grace, with opening the heart, with converting, and with preparing total adherence to Jesus Christ on the part of those who are still on the threshold of faith. This concern will in part decide the tone, the language and the method of catechesis" (CT 19).

h. In order to maximize the opportunities for joint efforts between parishes and within deaneries, parishes are encouraged to "share resources and avoid the duplication of catechetical services, especially so that the catechetical needs of poor or otherwise disadvantaged groups can be met" (NDC, p. 256).

i. Parishes should design their own measures of assessing the success of their programs and constantly reflect upon ways they can better serve the parish with their formation opportunities.

XI. Catechist Training

a. The Bishop Helmsing Institute (BHI) has a three-year program for the training of catechists. Parishes may enroll parishioners in this training program, which includes a comprehensive curriculum on Scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, spiritual life, tools and methods of evangelization and catechesis, Called and Gifted assessment and training, social doctrine of the Church, etc. This includes online classes for those who cannot make the scheduled classes at one of the available locations.

b. Parishes are encouraged to conduct ongoing catechist development with the assistance of BHI or through their own programs.

XI. Resources

a. The diocese has prepared a small library of catechetical materials including recently published videos, audios and books. These will be made available to parishes participating in the initial training for Faith Formation Teams (see appendix a). The resources will give Adult Faith Formation Teams additional up-to-date sources for catechesis of the parish including video classes, audio programs, Bible studies, reference books, etc. These will also be available through the Bishop Helmsing Lending Library.

b. The Diocesan Faith Formation Commission is dedicated to assisting parishes which have not made the transition to a primary focus upon adult faith formation. Members of the Commission (see appendix b) will, in addition to providing training, endeavor to serve as a sounding board and think tank to keep pace of issues and trends (OHWB, 166) in faith formation.

c. The Office of Evangelization and Catechesis, the Bishop Helmsing Institute, the Family Life

Office and other diocesan offices are also prepared to assist parishes in whatever manner is most helpful.

XII. Sources Cited

a. Pope John Paul II, Catechesi Tradendae, Apostolic Exhortation, 1979.

b. Congregation for the Clergy, United States Catholic Conference, General Directory for Catechesis, 1998.

c. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us: A Pastoral Plan for Adult Faith Formation in the United States, Washington D.C., 1999.

d. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Leader's Guide to Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us, Washington D.C., 2000.

e. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, National Directory for Catechesis, Washington D.C., 2005.

Appendix A

Claude Sasso, Ph.D., Chair Vice Chancellor, Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph

Bridgett Brown, Campus Minister Northwest Missouri State University

Reverend Steve Cook, Pastor St. Peter's Parish

Dan Peters, Ph.D.,  Superintendent of Schools, Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph

Tony Douglas, Administrative Assistant, St. Andrew the Apostle Parish

Angela Garcia, Pastoral Associate, St. Gabriel's Parish

Deacon Ken Greene, Director, Family Life, Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph

Vonda Ovaitt, Holy Trinity/Twelve Apostles Parishes

Joann Roa, Hispanic Ministry, Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph

Scott McKellar, Director, Bishop Helmsing Institute

Christine Sanders, Adult Faith Formation/Director of Youth Ministry, St. Ann Parish

Tom Skorupa, Pastoral Associate, St. Therese Parish, North

Appendix B

Adult Education Parish Packages