Building the Foundation
The best place to start building a foundation is in how we engage families. Love them! Meet them where they are. Maybe a family doesn't come to Mass every Sunday... maybe another family doesn't always make choices that align with our faith... maybe another family has the experience of divorce and remarriage, without the blessing of annulment... there are so many ways we make these families feel "less Catholic." The first way to build a solid foundation is to put an end to all of the ways we shame parents.
Affirm them! Simply by showing up in our parishes, whether for community, the faith formation program, or sacraments - they are already being counter cultural! Most of their peers are not engaged in any kind of institutional religion. The fact that they are here means they are seeking more. They want something greater for themselves and their children. In that way, they have already answered yes to Christ's invitation to follow him. Yes, they can grow deeper in love with him, yes they can make a greater commitment to following him, but first we must love them where they are, as Christ calls us to.
Families are already living the faith at home in so many ways. We can come alongside and give expression to those daily interactions. Families are becoming more like Christ all the time as they sacrifice and forgive one another, as they pray for and heal each other. Help them to know this is the road to sainthood, in the little things they do each day.
When we affirm families, love them, walk with them where they are, and give them opportunities to encounter Christ in our midst - that is how we answer our call. This is the first step to building a foundation for a family friendly approach to faith formation.
Affirm them! Simply by showing up in our parishes, whether for community, the faith formation program, or sacraments - they are already being counter cultural! Most of their peers are not engaged in any kind of institutional religion. The fact that they are here means they are seeking more. They want something greater for themselves and their children. In that way, they have already answered yes to Christ's invitation to follow him. Yes, they can grow deeper in love with him, yes they can make a greater commitment to following him, but first we must love them where they are, as Christ calls us to.
Families are already living the faith at home in so many ways. We can come alongside and give expression to those daily interactions. Families are becoming more like Christ all the time as they sacrifice and forgive one another, as they pray for and heal each other. Help them to know this is the road to sainthood, in the little things they do each day.
When we affirm families, love them, walk with them where they are, and give them opportunities to encounter Christ in our midst - that is how we answer our call. This is the first step to building a foundation for a family friendly approach to faith formation.
Easy Entries (on-ramps)
Besides loving them, affirming them, knowing the way we speak to them and about them matters, there are some simple practical starting points. A parish does not need to up end everything they do to build a family friendly approach.
Sacraments:
Community:
Digital Enhancements:
Sacraments:
- Marriage preparation - this is an important place to begin using loving, affirming, welcoming language that invites the couple into greater relationship with the community, and with God who joins them together.
- Baptism preparation - again this is an opportunity to build trust, to begin a relationship with a family that you can accompany through the early years of child rearing.
- First sacraments - this is a way to invite a family into faith formation, at a time they are very open to being a part of their child's entry into the faith.
Community:
- Social opportunities - events that are social in nature but give families an opportunity to meet one another and create a sense of belonging (the parish picnic, festival, fish fry, etc.)
- Adding a Life of the Parish component to a faith formation program - in this faith formation component families choose among the many activities and events in a parish to participate in and learn about the faith. These could be learning experiences, retreats, devotional activities of the parish (rosary, adoration, stations of the cross, and more). Families then are allowed to choose an experience according to the ages of their children, their own spirituality, their schedules, etc. encouraging some ownership and autonomy in their faith formation development. Encouraging reflection of these experiences is also a way to build storytelling within the community. (This is explained further in Engage Every Family: A Parish Guide to Integrated Faith Formation).
Digital Enhancements:
- Hybrid faith formation - opportunities to gather online, for children, parents, or families. Offering families who may not be able to gather (for any reason) a chance to still participate in learning programs.
- Digital playlists - curating a kind of "best hits" of ways families can learn and live the faith together. These can expand learning that is happening in formal faith formation programs, or can enhance a families expression of the faith on a regular basis. Think of sharing a playlist for Advent or Lent and making that a part of the faith formation plan. These might culminate in an Advent or Lent celebration at the parish.