Families Learning Together - Parish Family Catechesis - Part 2

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Last week I shared with you the new strategy for making disciples, particularly amongst younger men and women. This week, I want to continue offering some background on why I came to this conclusion of changing to Parish Family Catechesis.

When I was in high school I had to take Spanish. In fact, I took several years of Spanish, but to this day, I have no idea what I learned other than how to conjugate two verbs in the present tense. As you can imagine, speaking in the present tense doesn’t get you very far. My classes certainly did not prepare me to speak with the Mexican immigrants I would encounter at a job, nor did it help me to communicate with newly arrived seminarians from Spanish speaking countries, nor did it seem to help when I suddenly found myself in Cochabamba, Bolivia without internet access!
 
To properly learn a language, you must be immersed in an environment where it is spoken, spend endless hours listening to others speak it, and eventually try using words. Think about it: Where did we all learn how to speak English? In the home, around our family and peers, listening to others, and trying our best to string sentences together at a young age. We don’t remember exactly how we did; it happened naturally.

The community model that I am proposing will imitate the natural ways in which we learn a language. We will treat the Faith as a language, not as something to be analyzed and studied like a dead specimen in a lab.
We will invite the Holy Spirit to enlighten us, learn to listen and absorb the words and teachings we hear, and practice speaking to one another.

Now that you understand the reason for the change, would you please consider two things? Talk it up! Spread the word about it to your family and friends. I never seem to have the best luck promoting things through mail or the pulpit. I need you to invite people personally. We know that personal invitations make all the difference in the world. And please be positive. Nothing smothers a new idea faster than negativity and doubt. Secondly, come to the sessions yourselves. Maybe you can help someone learn something and you may be surprised what you learn yourself.

A preview of what to expect the first session on Sunday, September 17th:

• Potluck Meal
• Trivia Game
• Introduction and Overview
• Talk on Does God Exist? Work through St. Thomas Aquinas’ Five Proofs for God’s Existence using philosophical arguments.
• Video on projector
• Small group discussions
• Closing comments and prayers

Between monthly sessions, families and individuals will have access to specific content (podcasts, YouTube videos, articles, etc.) to deepen their exposure to Catholic beliefs and practices.

Please join us in bringing together our parish community in lifelong faith formation.

Yours in Christ,
Father Brian Slezak