FAITH FORMATION / RELIGIOUS EDUCATION/ YOUTH MINISTRY FOR YOUTH IN GRADE – LEVELS 9 THROUGH 12

FAITH FORMATION MISSION STATEMENT

We are committed to promoting the mission of Christ at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish through education and faith formation.

The essential tasks are:

Word – “Promoting knowledge of the faith”

Worship – “ Liturgical Education”

Service – “ Moral Formation”

Community – “ Initiation and Education in community life and mission.

PHILOSOPHY OF THE PROGRAM

Parents are the primary educators of their children for both temporal and spiritual knowledge. Children experience God through their caregivers who model for them the goodness and love of a Creator who became one of us; died for our sins and showed us the Way to the Kingdom: which is both here and yet to come.

Therefore, parents need to take an active role in handing on the Traditions of our Faith to their children. Through worshipping with a Faith Community (Sunday Mass), instruction and being a living example by putting faith into action everyday, children form a initiate relationship with Christ and Christianity becomes a way of life.

As the bishop of our diocese has recently written, “the emphasis on adult faith formation, sometimes called adult religious education, or lifelong catechesis, are probably obvious. First Catholic adults will experience their faith in richer, deeper, more satisfying ways if they are continually leaning more about it. Second, if Catholic adults are going to engage seriously in their duty to apply the faith to the challenges of life in the world, they must understand that faith in and adult way. Third, because the quality of faith formation offered to children and youth depends so heavily on the mature faith of adults—parents, parish catechists, Catholic school teachers and youth ministers—it is critically important that adults b adequately prepared to share their faith with the young.” (Bishop Richard Malone, Letter to Parish Catechetical Leaders, September 20, 2004)

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High School Youth Ministry Youth in grades 9-12 meet 11:30am to 1:00pm, two to three Sundays a month depending on the schedule. Our high school youth will be exploring our catholic faith in youth friendly sessions. This program also includes other youth ministry activities along with Diocesan events.

Jesus Christ is the first catechist. He was not only teacher but also friend to his disciples. He lived what he preached. He asked opportune questions and explained to his disciples what he taught the crowds. He introduced them to prayer. He sent them as missionaries and sent his Spirit with them. Indeed, this is the “teaching style of God,“ the model for all we do.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help High School Faith Formation and Youth Ministry is designed to give high school youth the opportunity to learn about their faith by the study of scripture and the traditions of the church as it affects their lives. (GDC 137)

Our Faith Formation / Youth Ministry has the following Catechetical Tasks:

Word– What We Believe

Worship – How We Celebrate

Service – What We Do for Others

Community – How We Live Together

Morality – How We Live our Lives

Prayer – How We Pray (The Our Father) GDC 85 – 86)

Each of these tasks are included in our program. This provides our youth ongoing personal development of faith and parish involvement called ministry. This nourishes their God given gifts to build up the local parish – The Body of Christ.

EVANGELIZATION

5 Elements of Youth Ministry

1. FOOD – We remember that Eucharist is the ultimate nourishment! We remember Jesus at the Last Supper when we gathered with his disciples. Many times when Jesus got together with his disciples and friends, it was around a time sharing a meal.

2. FUN – We can build a sense of joyful Catholic community to full the hole in youth’s soul and invite them to belong to a loving community. Our God invites community as Three Persons in One God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

3. FRIENDS – Church activities can be a safe place to find youth and adults of same moral values.

4. FAITH – Catechesis is the diocesan emphasis in all programs while still planning for 8 components: (Advocacy, community Life, Evangelization, Justice and Service, Leadership Development, Pastoral Care, and Prayer and Worship.)

5. FASCINATION All five must be flavored with a sense of ritual and sacraments.

“If we are to succeed, we must offer young people a spiritually challenging and world shaping vision that meets their hunger for the chance to participate in a worthy adventure.”

Pope John Paul II

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Faith Formation, (Religious Education) and Youth Ministry has 3 elements or parts.

1. The Parish Faith Formation Gatherings are scheduled for twice month after the 10:30am Sunday Mass. This gives our youth the opportunity to attend Mass. The sessions are guided by the youth under a framework of: Welcome, Introduction to Formation Session, Activity & Discussion and Sharing a Meal. We conclude our session with Proclamation of the Sunday Gospel which brings the Gospel – The Living Word to our lives today then Concluding Prayer.

2. Youth Ministry Activities – Usually scheduled for Sunday Events. These activities bring youth together for social or service activities.

3. Diocesan Events – These are activities that bring youth together from parishes in the Southern part of the state or statewide. All these events have separate packets to participate. Notices of Diocesan Events may be found in the bulletin and in the church narthex.

Registration is required for this program. See registration page for details.