Adult Faith Formation

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“Go Therefore and Make Disciples of all Nations”

Growth in knowledge and practice of the faith is an essential part of Catholic life, but we should take better advantage of the fullness of our faith tradition. The National Directory for Catechesis (NDC), provided by the Church, provides us with a guiding document:

The Six Tasks of Catechesis:

  1. Knowledge of the Faith
  2. Liturgy and Sacraments
  3. Moral Life
  4. Prayer
  5. Community Life
  6. Missionary Spirit

The knowledge and practice of these areas of faith provide for full maturity as a Catholic. As tasks, they constitute the work of faith formation in a parish and are presented as the responsibility of every diocese and parish.

(Taken from the “Report on the State of Faith Formation”, Fr. Erik Pohlmeier, Director of Faith Formation for the Diocese of Little Rock.)

Fundamental tasks of catechesis:

  1. Promoting knowledge of the faith: when one has truly established intimacy with Christ, he or she will desire to know Him ever more deeply. By deepening knowledge of the faith, faith formation nourishes not only the life of faith but equips it to explain itself to the world.
  2. Liturgical education: promotes more full, active, and conscious participation in the liturgical worship and the sacramental life of the Church. Christ is always present in His Church, especially in "liturgical celebrations." Communion with Jesus Christ leads to the celebration of his salvific presence in the sacraments, especially in the Eucharist.
  3. Moral formation: integrates moral formation into a Christian way of life. Conversion to Jesus Christ implies walking in His footsteps.
  4. Teaching to pray: teaches Christians how to pray with Christ, in Christ, and in communion with the Church. To learn to pray with Jesus is to pray with the same sentiments with which He turned to the Father: adoration, praise, thanksgiving, filial confidence, supplication, and awe for His glory.
  5. Educating for Community Life: initiates the Christian into the life of the local church community and fosters active participation in the mission of the Church. 
  6. Missionary initiation: promotes a missionary spirit that prepares Christians to witness to Christ in society.

All these tasks are necessary for the full growth of the Christian life. These tasks are interdependent, one naturally leading to the other and back again. Each task is both a gift of the Spirit and a demand of the Christian life.

(Taken from the National Directory for Catechesis, NDC; General Directory for Catechesis, GDC)

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