with one heart update: a new approach to faith formation
It’s a new day when it comes to faith formation at Mother of God Church.
“Traditionally, we’ve thought of faith formation as sacramental preparation for grade school and middle school children,” says Bridget Munday, a priority leader on the With One Heart Implementation Team. “That’s an important part of it, but faith formation is a lifelong process for everyone.”
Bridget and other members of the faith formation priority team have been meeting monthly with the focus of achieving goals in line with the parish’s relationship with Jesus Christ. According to the parish mission statement, we “aspire to be instruments of the peace of Jesus Christ” by “worshipping God with joy and reverence.” The goals for faith formation that were created by the With One Heart Envisioning Team in 2023 are:
Says Bridget, “There is not a time of life when one is fully formed in their faith and can ‘kick back and relax.’ St. Andre Bissette said, ‘It is with the smallest of brushes that the artist paints the most exquisitely beautiful pictures.’ We can’t learn to use those brushes if we don’t continually work on our faith.”
“Traditionally, we’ve thought of faith formation as sacramental preparation for grade school and middle school children,” says Bridget Munday, a priority leader on the With One Heart Implementation Team. “That’s an important part of it, but faith formation is a lifelong process for everyone.”
Bridget and other members of the faith formation priority team have been meeting monthly with the focus of achieving goals in line with the parish’s relationship with Jesus Christ. According to the parish mission statement, we “aspire to be instruments of the peace of Jesus Christ” by “worshipping God with joy and reverence.” The goals for faith formation that were created by the With One Heart Envisioning Team in 2023 are:
- 75% of people attending Mother of God parish will be engaged in at least one faith formation opportunity annually by March 2026 (the next time the Disciple Maker Index survey will be conducted at Mother of God).
- 90% of people attending Mother of God will indicate that they are growing in their relationship with Jesus by March 2026.
Says Bridget, “There is not a time of life when one is fully formed in their faith and can ‘kick back and relax.’ St. Andre Bissette said, ‘It is with the smallest of brushes that the artist paints the most exquisitely beautiful pictures.’ We can’t learn to use those brushes if we don’t continually work on our faith.”
We Need Your Input
The faith formation priority team has researched and brainstormed several new opportunities for the parish to engage with their faith and deepen their relationship with Jesus Christ.
“We’re considering an Advent family event where people of all ages can work together to create Advent wreaths, learn the prayers to accompany lighting the candles, and discover more about the season of Advent,” says Bridget. “We’re working on bible studies, continuing education classes for adults, small group creation, book studies, and potentially, a vacation bible school for both adults and children that would run concurrently.”
The faith formation priority team, which includes Marilyn Schleyer, Betty Trenkamp, Melanie Trenkamp, Agnes (Ann) Oberjohn, Chelsea Cahill and Bridget Munday, is so excited to create an environment that foster faith among all members of our parish community—the newest and the most well-versed Catholics and everyone in between.
“We’re considering an Advent family event where people of all ages can work together to create Advent wreaths, learn the prayers to accompany lighting the candles, and discover more about the season of Advent,” says Bridget. “We’re working on bible studies, continuing education classes for adults, small group creation, book studies, and potentially, a vacation bible school for both adults and children that would run concurrently.”
The faith formation priority team, which includes Marilyn Schleyer, Betty Trenkamp, Melanie Trenkamp, Agnes (Ann) Oberjohn, Chelsea Cahill and Bridget Munday, is so excited to create an environment that foster faith among all members of our parish community—the newest and the most well-versed Catholics and everyone in between.
Over the next few weeks, you’ll have an opportunity to fill out a brief survey put together by the faith formation and engagement priority teams. The survey will evaluate the parish’s needs, expectations and desires for community-building and faith-building. Please take the time to fill it out. The teams will use your responses to plan future events and programs.