Catholic Faith Formation Resources

The Advent Season begins on Sunday, December 3, 2023. The United States Bishops describe this season as follows: Beginning the Church's liturgical year, Advent (from, ad-venire in Latin or 'to come to') is the season encompassing the four Sundays (and weekdays) leading up to the celebration of Christmas. The Advent season is a time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds to Christ’s second coming at the end of time and also to the anniversary of the Lord’s birth on Christmas * * * The final days of Advent, from December 17 to December 24, we focus on our preparation for the celebrations of the Nativity of our Lord at Christmas. The Christmas season begins December 25, 2023 and ends January 8, 2024. As the U.S. Bishops state: Christmas is one of the most important days of the Church year, second only to Easter itself. Celebrating the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, it is the culmination of the mystery of the incarnation, the feast of God becoming flesh (...

September is usually the time of year when many Catholic parishes offer the "Order of Christian Initiation of Adults“ ("OCIA"), formerly known as the "Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults” ("RCIA"). 1 This Rite offers a process that supports and guides adults to receive or complete the three Sacraments of Initiation—Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation, that are ordinarily administered and celebrated at the Easter Vigil—and entering into full commuion with the Catholic Church. Some parishes offer an abbreviated formation process that allows previously catechized adults, who only need to complete the Sacraments of Eucharist or Confirmation, to receive these Sacraments at various times throughout the year. The Christian Initiation process is comprised of the following four stages or periods: Evangelization and Precatechumenate, Catechumenate, Purification and Enlightenment, and Post-Baptismal Catechesis (“Mystagogy”). A summary of the Christian Initiat...

"Help Us To Be There" Holy, life-giving Spirit, infuse in us your ability to remain present to your people. Help us to be there, to be right there, for the people who need us. There for young people, there for the elderly, there for the brokenhearted; fire our hearts with your life-changing presence. Even though we know you to be everywhere and in everything, give us the ability to be fully in one place at a time, open and ready to love. — Author Unknown Source: Jesuitresource.org "EVERYONE HAS SOMETHING TO GIVE TO HELP OTHERS" “ “It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving.” — St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta "We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude...

Lord God, You alone are the source of every good gift, of the vast array of our universe, and the mystery of each human life. We praise You and thank You for Your great power and tender, faithful love. Everything we are and everything we have are Your gifts, and after having created us You have given us into the keeping of Your son, Jesus Christ. Fill our minds with His truth and our hearts with His love, that in His spirit we may be bonded together into a community of faith, a parish family, a caring people. In the name and spirit of Jesus, we commit ourselves to be good stewards of the gifts entrusted to us, to share our time, our talent, our material and spiritual gifts as an outward sign of the treasure we hold in Jesus. Amen Leisa Anslinger, The Generous Heart "STEWARDSHIP" “ As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace." (1 Peter 4:10) " Take. Lord, and receive all my lib...

"ACTS OF FAITH, HOPE, AND LOVE" Act of Faith O my God, I firmly believe that you are one God in three divine Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I believe that your divine Son became man and died for our sins and that he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe these and all the truths which the Holy Catholic Church teaches because you have revealed them who are eternal truth and wisdom, who can neither deceive nor be deceived. In this faith I intend to live and die. Amen. Act of Hope O Lord God, I hope by your grace for the pardon of all my sins and after life here to gain eternal happiness because you have promised it who are infinitely powerful, faithful, kind, and merciful. In this hope I intend to live and die. Amen. Act of Love O Lord God, I love you above all things and I love my neighbor for your sake because you are the highest, infinite and perfect good, worthy of all my love. In this love I intend to live and die. Amen. Sou...

"PRAYER FOR COMPASSION" Often the world pushes us to be tough, to go against our natural instincts of gentleness and kindness. We are called to help calm the storms—and transform the world through love. Lord, preserve my gentle spirit, especially in the midst of chaos. The world pushes, and I want to push back. Help me to be more like you: forgiving and loving, yet strong. Teach me kindness and gentleness in all I do and say. Give me the strength to handle the ways of this world with love. Lord, I trust in your ways. Come Holy Spirit, fill me with compassion for others. Ignite in me the fire of God’s love. Help me to reach out to those who will cross my path today. I want to participate in your compassion. I want to reach out with your heart, with your power of mercy and love. I want to do more. Come, Holy Spirit, fill my heart, so that it may overflow with compassion for all I meet today. Amen. Source: Franciscan Spirit "PRACTICE AND LIVE ...

"Our Common Home" A Prayer for Stewardship God of all creation, At the beginning of time You placed a single mandate on humankind To be stewards of creation To replenish and nurture through all generations What you have made We kneel today amid that same creation— A world that is, in many ways, more splendid than ever But, in too many ways, scarred beyond recognition Turn us from our unmindfulness Help our touch be light Help us renew the world that supports us So we may once more know creation As it was in the beginning Amen. Source: Catholic Relief Services (CRS) "CARE FOR GOD'S CREATION" “ What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to children who are now growing up? ” (Pope Francis, Laudato Sí, no. 160) What kind of world do you want to leave to your children, to your grand-children, and to future generations? Another of the “seven themes” of CST is “Care for God’s Creation.” Pope Fran...