|
His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI
Pastor's Letter
Daily Readings
The Basilica
Mass Times
Basilica Choir
Newcomers
Parish Events
Adult Formation
Media Schedule
R.C.I.A.
Benedict Mission
Altar & Rosary
Basilica Marketplace
Movie Reviews
Links Page
| |
The Purpose of Continuing Formation
To do our part in sharing in the mission of Jesus Christ, adult
Catholics must be mature in faith and well equipped to share the Gospel,
promoting it in every family circle, in every church gathering, in every place
of work, and in every public forum. We must be women and men of prayer
whose faith is alive and vital, grounded in a deep commitment to the person and
message of Christ.
We are entering a period of new vitality for the Church, a
period in which adult Catholic laity will play a pivotal leadership role in
fulfilling the Christian mission of evangelizing and transforming society.
For us to fulfill our roles our faith must be lifelong, just as we must continue
to learn to keep up in the changing world in our jobs, our families and our
society.
The qualities of a mature and adult faith life and discipleship
include:
-
Living Faith - a searching faith to find
understanding (frequent reading of the Word of God, the writings of our
tradition, involvement in our parish and diocesan life and the mission of
the Church, participation in works of justice and service to the poor, and
the fulfillment of our human obligations in family and society.
-
Explicit Faith - a faith rooted in a personal
relationship with Jesus Christ lived in the Christian community, a faith
entered into through dialogue with the gospel message as professed by the
teaching of the Church and lived by the people of God.
-
Fruitful Faith - a faith which enjoys the fruits of
the Holy Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity,
faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control ). Such fruits bear justice
and compassion through active outreach to those in need, sharing the witness
of Jesus to a world that is in need of love and justice.
Our goals are:
-
Invite and Enable Ongoing Conversion to Christ in
Holiness of Life - help to develop an attitude of conversion.
-
Promote and Support Active Membership in the Parish
Family - that our response to God's call to community cannot remain
abstract and un-incarnated, but reveals itself concretely by a visible entry
into a community of believers.
-
Call and Prepare Adults to Act as Disciples in Mission to
the World - to study and understand, then share the the message of
Christ to renew and to transform the social and temporal order.
|
