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Waterloo Catholic
Faith Formation Catechetical Plan
Revised Goals and Strategies
1) To continue to develop and grow the Waterloo Faith Formation
Commission to oversee and determine effective faith formation in
all ten areas of catechesis.
Strategies:
a) Develop and maintain a structure that
ensures a collaborative approach to
employing Faith Formation
personnel and determining their ministry
descriptions.
b) Develop a specific process for
maintaining dialog and communication between
the Faith Formation Commission and the
Cedar Valley Catholic Schools Board.
c) Invite St. Patrick Parish to join this
process.
d) Conduct an Orientation Session for newly
elected/appointed members of the
Faith Formation Commission.
e) Administer cooperative religious
education and formation opportunities with the
existing parish Faith Formation
Directors (DREs), the Director of Adult
Formation, and youth ministers.
f) The Faith Formation Directors will
review their job descriptions and make
recommendations regarding their
administrative roles and future configuration
by November 2011.
g) Nurture and recruit faith formation leaders.
h) Improve communication between the WCFFC and Pastoral Councils.
Parish
representatives will forward WCFFC minutes to parish
secretaries for inclusion
in Pastoral Council materials. Pastors
will be added to the group email.
2) To place a renewed emphasis on life-long faith formation for
adults and young adults.
Strategies:
a) Coordinate a consistent message about the
parishes' commitment to life-long
faith formation which expresses the faith
community's awareness and sensitivity
to the changing needs and conditions of adults
and families in the Church
today. This message could be communicated through:
-- Consistent homily ideas
-- a brochure or bulletin insert
-- Introduction of Faith Formation
Commission representatives in each parish
annually to report on the work of the WCFFC
-- Witness to life-long faith formation
from the Commission representatives
and/or other lay
leadership.
b) Implement “Year of the Eucharist”
activities to encourage efforts to ensure that
Sunday
worship will foster continued spiritual growth and a hunger for
a
deepening faith appropriate to all adult and young adult
lifestyles, consistent
with the ancient conviction that "as
the church prays, the church believes."
c) Study, choose and implement a shared
renewal experience for adults and
young adults in the Waterloo parishes (eg,
Christ Renews His Parish, Living in
Christ,
etc.) (2012)
d) Revive Theology on Tap for young adults.
e) Begin planning for the creation or
conversion of physical facilities that are
accessible and
appropriate environments for adult and young adult formation.
3) To meet the changing needs of families.
Strategies:
a) Use results from the parent survey to
determine future faith formation options.
b) Plan one shared metro event.
c) Stress the parishes' awareness and
sensitivity to the changing needs and
circumstances of
families and offer options on an individual bases when needed.
d) Study the coaching model for sacramental
preparation during the 2010-2011
year.
e) Offer a two-week faith formation program
for grades 1-8 during the summer of
2011.
f) Invite parents with special needs
children to participate in a support group.
4) To maintain and expand opportunities for religious education
and faith formation for middle school and high school students
in collaboration with Waterloo Area Youth Ministry.
Strategies:
a) Offer retreat opportunities for all high
school and middle school students
(Catholic and
non-Catholic school
students).
b) Develop strategies with Youth Ministry to
meet the needs of students in
public schools.
c) Explore options to CORE program.
d) Plan service experience for parents, tweens and
teens e) Adopt a
mentoring approach to encourage youth to become more active in
the life of the Catholic faith
community.
f) Recruit and develop adult volunteers.
g) Develop specific methods to involve
Hispanic youth in Youth Ministry
offerings.
5) To develop strategies which ensure that social justice and
service are essential parts of religious education and faith
formation at every level, including efforts to insure that
Catholics grow in their ability to act in response to social,
political, and economic
needs.
Strategies:
a) Collaborate with parish Social Justice
committees to provide a joint service
project for all parish
members/parish leaders.
b) Promote participation by parishes in
community service projects and
community meal(s).
c) Plan more programs or events featuring
speakers who have real-life experience.
d) Plan a forum for parents and high school
students on practical applications of
Catholic Social Teaching.
e) Develop immersion experiences for
adults, young adults and/or families.
6) To challenge parish leaders, pastoral councils, and
parishioners to recognize the central role which liturgy plays
in the formation and education of the Catholic community; to
examine ways in which we can respond to the need for more
diverse, engaging and spiritually satisfying liturgies.
Strategies:
a) Invite Pastoral Leaders into a
conversation about liturgy and its role in the faith
formation of all.
-- The purpose of this conversation is to
recognize the challenges, identify
possibilities for change and improvement (eg, using the same
Question of the
Week in all parishes; inviting lay
people to reflect on the Sunday message;
outdoor Mass; "bridge" worship experiences).
b) Initiate a program of exchanging pastors
and music groups among the parishes.
c) Develop and sponsor more retreats and
spiritual renewal experiences for adults,
young adults and/or families.
d) In collaboration with parish Liturgy
committees, conduct an evaluation of parish liturgies by means
of focus groups, town hall meetings, surveys, etc. Include
opportunities for feedback from non-participating
members.
Revised and adopted by the Waterloo Catholic Faith Formation
Commission January 11, 2011.
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Return to Faith Commission Home Page
Posted 03.28.10 •
Last Update: 01.12.11
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