Parish-Family Partnership
The two sources of Faith Formation in Children are Parish and Family. Together, they form a PARTNERSHIP and have appropriate roles in the responsibility of forming children in the four major areas addressed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Creed, Sacraments, Christian Living, and Prayer.
Each of these topics must be addressed at every age level:
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Pre-School |
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Primary |
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Intermediate |
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Junior High |
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High School |
Creed
Family: Parents stimulate awareness, awe, and joy for life in the preschool child through loving relationships and experiencing life's precious moments together. Noticing the beauty of God's creation in nature with a preschooler can be particularly illuminating.
Parish/School: The parish community assist parents by providing preschool religious education classes where children can relate the everyday events of their lives to the Gospel. Adult education sessions on parenting, family living and the basic teachings of Catholic faith can also be offered.
Sacrament
Family: Parents teach young children the meaning of ritual and family. Participation in family rituals (such as bedtime rituals, family prayer, seasonal celebrations, etc.) by preschoolers forms the basis for their future understanding of worship.
Parish/School: A sense of belonging to the faith community is fostered by encouraging participation in the social and worship life of the parish. Since preschoolers learn through the senses, it is important that the parish provides liturgies and prayer experiences that make the best use of colors, sound and symbols which foster a sense of belonging. Thus, the child learns what it means to be part of a worshipping community before he/she is able to grasp the concept.
Christian Life
Family: Setting aside time to be with the preschoolers to share event of the day, to hug and to carefully listen are some ways parents nurture the faith of the child by being models of loving service and care. A sense of security and trust in the home are also of vital importance as a basis upon which faith builds. Parents also instill an age-appropriate sense of right and wrong, good and bad.
Parish/School: Parish service projects designed for family involvement help children to form a positive attitude toward Christian service. Support programs for Christian parenting are also appreciated.
Prayer
Family: Families pray simple prayers with children and establish patterns of prayer which are comfortable for them as a family. Spontaneous prayer, meal prayers, bedtime prayers and prayers at special family times are all excellent ways to introduce to the preschool child.
Parish/School: The most important way the parish community helps parents lead their children to worship is through liturgy. Offering Children's Liturgy of the Word for young children helps them understand liturgy and feel included. The parish also provides other opportunities for common prayer and popular devotion.
Creed
Family: Parents of primary grade children provide the most powerful influence on forming the faith of their children by living out their own faith with consistency and joy. Children experience God's loving presence in the everyday care and nurturing provided by parents. Families can also engage in primary age discussions of the Catholic faith.
Parish/School: The parish plays a vital catechetical role by relating the stories and beliefs of our tradition to children in a systematic way. Just as important are the parish programs designed to assist adults in their personal growth and education in faith.
Sacraments
Family: Parents educate and prepare the primary child for celebration of the sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist by connecting daily experiences to Gospel teachings and their own experience of the sacrament. Families celebrate Mass with the parish community and discuss participation and the meaning of symbols.
Parish/School: The parish provides catechetical resources, support and encouragement to parents which will enable them to fully prepare their children for first and subsequent celebrations of the sacraments of reconciliation and Eucharist. Parish sacramental celebrations are family-friendly and support parents in their role as primary educators of their children.
Christian Life
Family: Parents influence children through the witness of their lived faith expressed in integrity and service. Children are included in service projects when possible. Issues related to justice, peace, respect for life, and other moral issues are discussed routinely around the dinner table or elsewhere at a level understandable to the primary age child.
Parish/School: The parish community provides children with the opportunity to share their material goods with those less fortunate, especially at Thanksgiving and Christmas time. The parish community models itself after the Gospel values of peace, justice and stewardship and provides adult education programs on moral issues.
Prayer
Family: Families help children memorize traditional prayers such as the Our Father and Hail Mary through daily repetition. The family prays together regularly at mealtime, bedtime, special seasonal observances and to commemorate significant life events.
Parish/School: The parish regularly provides families with prayer resources that can be used easily in the home. Occasional parish family prayer services are held to celebrate, support and encourage families in their role of domestic church.
Creed
Family: The willingness of parents to grow in their understanding of faith issues models for their children the belief that growth in faith is a lifelong porcess. Parents seek opportunities to share their faith with other adults as well as with their children. Parents take the time necessary to answer informal faith questions as they arise or research unknown answers with the child, using Scripture or the Catechist of the Catholic Church when appropriate. Families actively participate in the life of the parish.
Parish/School: The parish community provides programs which support the faith and role of parents. Opportunities such as retreats, Scripture study and adult education sessions on aspects of the Catholic tradition are good examples. Catechists communicate to parents ways in which the systematic presentation of the faith can be reinforced at home through family discussion and activities.
Sacraments
Family: Parents bring their children to an understanding of sacraments by regular participation in sacramental celebrations followed by conversation about the experience. Participation in communal reconciliation services and other opportunities for reconciliation and weekly Sunday liturgy are particularly important for the intermediate child and their family.
Parish/School: The parish nurtures the grad school child's affinity for ritual by offering regular opportunities for active involvement and a sense of inclusion. Catechetical sessions teach children the meaning of symbolic action and how to worship with respect.
Christian Living
Family: Parents help their children learn to make right choices through dialogue about routine decisions. Respect and appreciation for ourselves and others is communicated when parents show respect and appreciation for their children. Participation in the responsibilities of family life teaches intermediate students the value of Christian service and a wholesome moral life.
Parish/School: Consistent messages from the parish regarding Christian stewardship (time, talent and treasure) supports and empowers families. Structured opportunities for families to participate in direct service to the poor, elderly, or infirmed are welcomed. Education in complex moral issues is provided for parents.
Prayer
Family: Parents speak to the importance of prayer in life when their children see them pray. The prayer life of children is enriched by praying at home and at regular parish celebrations of liturgy and sacraments.
Parish/School: Catechists broaden the experience of intermediate children by offering a variety of prayer forms, including traditional Catholic prayers, in the classroom. Large group prayer services help children learn the value of communal prayer (e.g., Way of the Cross, Eucharistic Adoration, Marian Devotions).
Creed
Family: Parents communicate their values to their children through participation in the life, mission and work of the parish community and their family. Frequent reference to Jesus and the Gospels and the Church helps keep them relevant in the life of the young adolescent.
Parish/School: In addition to catechetical sessions about our faith tradition, the parish provides opportunities for young people to discuss life and faith issues in a Catholic Christian context with a catechist and their peers.
Sacraments
Family: Parents set standards for family involvement in parish liturgical celebrations by regularly attending, speaking positively about them, dressing with care, arriving on time and participating fully. Family encouragement for young people to take on the responsibility of liturgical ministries is essential in their decision to do so.
Parish/School: The parish provides opportunities for young people to participate fully in liturgical ministries. Listening, understanding, patient teaching and responding pastorally to the sacramental needs of this age group helps them to feel a sense of belonging.
Christian Living
Family: Families who open their hearts to those in need, who put their faith into action, witness Christian service to the young adolescent child. Parents discuss moral decision-making and human sexuality with their children in light of the Catholic tradition.
Parish/School: The parish lives and teaches the Scriptural vision of life that encompasses justice, peace, equality, charity and stewardship. The parish calls families to conversion and offers catechetical, worship, community and service opportunities to support this call. Families are exposed to a variety of prayer styles at parish functions.
Prayer
Family: The family participates in a variety of prayer experiences at home and church or on retreat. Prayer is regarded as a natural expression of faith and is frequently experienced in the home. Young adolescent children are given responsibility for planning and implementing special family prayer services.
Parish/School: Students are trained to be prayer leaders and active participants through regular practice in classroom prayer. Parish leadership supports student prayer by attending services planned by the youth.
Creed
Family: Parents share the Catholic faith story with older adolescents when they turn to the resources of the Catholic faith to respond to moral dilemmas or other challenges of daily living. Values are also shared during family discussions about current events and movies or TV shows.
Parish/School: The parish community complements family catechesis by offering catechetical programming through which teens can come together with their peers and a catechist to discuss the implications of the Sunday readings for their faith lives.
Sacraments
Family: Families celebrate the liturgical year as well as special life events with rituals and prayers from the Catholic tradition. Patterns of celebrating are adjusted at this time to meet the unique needs of the older adolescent. Families discuss the meaning of the sacraments on a deeper level as the teen matures.
Parish/School: The parish invites all confirmed youth to participate fully in the liturgical ministries of the parish. Age-appropriate training is provided and efforts are made to provide mentoring when necessary. Families participate together in the liturgical life of the parish.
Christian Living
Family: Parents make time to listen to and talk with the teenage child. Efforts are made to do things together in order to maintain a healthy, open relationship. Families work at communication skills that are based on respect, appreciation and support for one another. Parents support the teenager's need for increased responsibility and freedom while sustaining a secure family structure.
Parish/School: This parish provides opportunities for families to organize to address common concerns such as communication skill, the parent/teen relationship, single parent families, responding to a community justice issues and others.
Prayer
Family: Families incorporate prayer into their daily living both individually and together. Families pray together in times of great stress or crisis, joy and celebration, and offer prayers of petition, adoration, thanksgiving, or contrition during mealtime or bedtime prayers. Additional responsibilities are given to the teen in regard to planning and implementing family prayer rituals.
Parish/School: The parish liturgical year celebrations are family focused and offer something for every member of the family, especially the teen. Teens are invited and welcomed to parish prayer events. Special recognition is made and a blessing given for all graduates at a regular Sunday liturgy in the Spring.