Pastor's Pen - September 20, 2015

I am so pleased with the fact that St. Paul Parish and St. Bruno
Parish each have a very high quality Catholic Parish School that
serves the Catholic Education of children from K3 through 8th
grade. In addition both parishes have vibrant Faith Formation

 for K4 through 12th grade youth who attend public
schools. These tools are building blocks to the faith life that was
initiated with each child’s baptism into the Lord and the Church
family.


One major thing needs to be made a point of. Even though these great parish schools and valuable religious education programs exist, parents are still the chief and primary educators/catechists
of their children in the “ways of faith.” Parents and/or guardians need to take seriously their role of making their Catholic households a place where faith is passed on to the next generation.


What is it exactly that parents are instructing their children in? They are leading their children by word and example to “understand’ their faith and then to “go out” and witness it to and for others. They are walking their children through the doors of the God’s Word, the Sacraments and beyond. Having a relationship with Jesus Christ and the People of God is what came through Baptism. Now these children need to learn how to practice Christ’s love in the world.


Maybe you have guessed what is missing from this picture? Adults need to be fed and formed in a mature level of Catholic life so that they can not only be the faithformers of their own children, but live out their own faith life in the world around them; both while their children are under their care and after the children have grown and left home.


A Catholic Way of Life needs constant nurturing and cultivating through adult faith formation opportunities. Both St. Paul and St. Bruno Parishes have numerous, vibrant faith formation and
learning experiences provided by staff and other members of our parishes, noted in our bulletins and on our parish web sites.


The U.S. Bishops have identified three goals in adult faith formation: (1)developing a personal,  growing relationship with Jesus that fosters a strong spirituality, (2)learning and living concretely our faith as active members of the Church (community participants), and (3)sharing the message of Christ to renew and transform the world (a light for the world).


So the reality is that from “womb to tomb” we all need to be coming alive in Christ!
Fr. Ralph