Why do Catholics go to confession? What does the church teach about marriage and sexuality? Why should every Catholic go to Mass on Sundays and holy days?
An innovative new program called Why Catholic? will soon be available to parishes in the Springfield diocese to help Catholics grapple with provocative questions like these.
Why Catholic? Journey through the Catechism is a four-year process of evangelization and adult faith formation developed by RENEW International, but completely different from the RENEW process.
| Why Catholic? information sessions
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"I have heard only positive comments about Why Catholic? from other dioceses who have been using this process in their parishes. I am anxious to make it available to as many of our people as possible," said Bishop Lucas.
Why Catholic? is designed as a practical way for parishes to implement the goals of Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us, the U.S. bishops' 1999 pastoral letter on adult faith formation.
In this document, the bishops called for "a renewed commitment to adult faith formation, positioning it at the heart of our catechetical vision and practice." The bishops envisioned a life-long learning process for Catholics "by which people consciously grow in the life of Christ through experience, reflection prayer and study ... ." They saw adult religious formation as the central part of an education "axis around which revolves the catechesis of childhood and adolescence as well as that of old age."
Why Catholic? is based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church and each year of the four-year process is based on one of the four "pillars" of the catechism. The faith-sharing materials offer sessions on essential beliefs, sacraments, Christian morality and prayer. With the help of scriptural references and reflection questions that link to daily life, the resource is designed to foster adult learning in prayerful, small community settings. Program materials and workshops also integrate content from the recently-published United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, sponsored by the U.S. Catholic bishops and approved by the Vatican.
The basic Why Catholic? format is for small parish groups to meet 12 times a year over a four-year period. But the program is adaptable to various parish circumstances. Some parishes, for instance, may run the program six weeks in the spring and six weeks in the fall. Others may opt for one session a month or larger parishes might choose to run both schedules.
Why Catholic? is currently being used by 25 dioceses in the United States, including Rockford, Cincinnati, Little Rock and Crookston.
Bishop Lucas has appointed Chris Malmevik, associate director in the Department of Catechetical Ministries, as program coordinator for the diocese.
"To evangelize the world, we must first evangelize ourselves," said Malmevik. "There is a real hunger out there for mature Catholic insight and understanding. By exploring our Catholic belief and strengthening our own faith, we can learn to share that faith confidently with those around us, including our families."
RENEW International, based in Plainfield, N.J., is a Catholic not-for-profit organization that has a 26-year record in revitalizing parish life by training and implementing small community efforts in dioceses and parishes. Since its inception, RENEW International has touched the lives of over 25 million individuals in thousands of parishes across six continents. For more information, visit the RENEW International Web site at http://www.renewintl.org/.
For information on the diocesan implementation of the Why Catholic? program, call Malmevik at the Catholic Pastoral Center at (217) 698-8500, ext. 178. E-mail her at .