Faith Formation

The purpose of our Faith Formation is to support parents in their roles as the primary catechists, or faith educators, of their children. Our program combines weekly class sessions with social events and service projects, to share our faith and love of God with our children (preschool through 5th grade), and also to enhance the spirit of community throughout our parish family.

Adults are invited to attend Bible Study on Sunday mornings. Tom Manning facilitates this class which focuses on the readings for that Sunday.

Resurrection Parish now uses the term Faith Formation to describe what we have in the past called Religious Education or PREP (parish religious education program). Faith Formation is an inclusive term and refers to a holistic approach to learning and living our Catholic faith. Faith Formation is for all baptized Catholics, not just children and youth. Growing in faith and knowledge of Catholic teaching does not stop when we are confirmed, but continues throughout our lives. With our heads, we learn the facts about Jesus and his life. With our hearts, we learn to know Jesus as a person and to embrace his message of love in our own lives. In other words, we seek to KNOW Jesus, not just to KNOW ABOUT Jesus. This path of growing in faith and intimate relationship with Jesus is best described as a formation process. Therefore, here at Resurrection Parish, we use the term Faith Formation for all parishioners – children, youth and adults.

CHILDREN’S FAITH FORMATION
The main text for our children’s Faith Formation – grades pre-K through 5 - comes from Pflaum Publishing Company. This publisher produces a weekly program called Pflaum Gospel Weeklies, which is a lectionary-based form of catechesis. According to the publisher, lectionary-based catechesis integrates the catechesis of young people with the ongoing life of our parish community at Sunday Eucharist. Its content is based on the Sunday Gospels. When Faith Formation follows the Sunday liturgy, children learn within the rhythms and seasons of the liturgical year.

The Pflaum Gospel Weeklies are comprehensive in the sense that the program provides instruction in doctrine, sacraments, moral living, and prayer – the four pillars of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The program seeks to apply what the children learn in class on Sundays, and encourages them to live our gospel values.
Each grade level has a designation:
SEEDS: preschool
PROMISE: grades K-1
GOOD NEWS: grades 2-3
VENTURE: grades 4-6

To learn more about Pflaum Gospel Weeklies, please go to our Pflaum Family Page: www.pflaum.com/families3
User name: resurrection parish
Password: Tualatin

You will find home activities for families, and also the lesson plan used in Faith Formation classes every Sunday.  Please, review the information if your child cannot attend class one Sunday. You will also be able to pick up missing texts or materials in the parish office after an absence.

WHAT IS CATECHESIS?
The word “catechesis” comes from the Greek word “katakein,” which means to “echo” or to “sound through.” The following words derive from the same root word: catechesis, catechism, catechist, and catechumen.
Here are a few definitions:
CATECHESIS is the process of transmitting the gospel.
CATECHIST is a person who facilitates the process of faith formation, first by echoing the word of God in his or her own life and second by helping others to do the same.
CATECHISM is a written summary of the church’s understanding of God’s word revealed through Scripture and Tradition. In a sense, a catechism is a WHAT of our beliefs as Catholics.
CATECHUMEN is an adult (or child of catechetical age) who is preparing for baptism.

Source:
Joe Paprocki. The Catechist’s Toolbox. Chicago: Loyola Press, 2007. Pages 2-3.

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