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Reasons to consider intergenerational faith formation:
As the domestic church, the family home is “a community of grace and prayer, a school of human virtues and of Christian charity” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1666). Parents, therefore, are the “first preachers of the faith to their children” (Lumen Gentium, 11). In fact, their role in educating their children in the faith is “so decisive that scarcely anything can compensate for their failure in it” (Familiaris Consortio, 36).
Goals:
Intergenerational faith formation supports parents in their role as “first preachers of the faith”, facilitates lifelong faith formation for all generations, encourages missionary discipleship in addition to catechesis, and engages the talents of the whole parish community.
General principles and format:
Intergenerational faith formation programs often consist of monthly or bi-weekly gatherings of all families at the Church and some include weekly sessions in each individual family home. A combination of textbooks, videos, speakers, arts/crafts, home grown curricula with take home lessons is used to create dynamic content for learning. Successful programs incorporate check-in calls from catechists or other volunteers to families between the sessions to accompany them in the family faith journey, training and support for catechists between sessions, and prayer teams dedicated to praying for a fruitful program. If a parish community is introducing an intergenerational faith formation program for the first time it is prudent to host multiple informational sessions for parishioners and training sessions for catechists.
Parishes typically host families in the intergenerational faith formation program once a month, or bi-weekly, (often after Mass) for seven months. Each session typically covers a specific topic related to the chosen theme for the year (e.g. session topic: Baptism, theme for the year: Sacraments). Depending on the needs of the community, multiple sessions might be made available. It is helpful to host the sessions in a Church facility that can accommodate a large group session and small group breakout sessions.
Communities often host the monthly session after Mass. The morning or evening often starts in the large group with a meal (provided by the parish, parents, or volunteers), followed by prayer which can incorporate the theme for the session. Then participants break off into small groups (often by age, although some programs arrange groups including a diversity of ages to encourage mentorship) for a lesson on the same topic and an opportunity to grow in faith. If small groups consist of multiple ages, guidance on mentorship is crucial to ensure older children are having a fruitful experience and fully engaging as mentors. Adults meet separately to enjoy a session geared toward their level and learning style; curriculum for adults might include a miniseries like The Catholicism Series or live speakers and sessions focused on relationship building and evangelization. The groups then often come together for a group session, closing prayers and announcements.
In between these sessions, the faith is lived out and learned in the home, possibly through weekly sessions led by parents and daily within the context of family life. Parents lean on the take-away sheets they received at the last parish session to lead their children in easy-to-understand weekly sessions (about an hour each) that bring the whole family together for dynamic and prayerful sessions often using hands-on activities, videos, and prayer. Families are encouraged to live out these lessons daily as they grow closer with one another and with Christ. Catechists check in to offer prayerful support and accompaniment during this time in between sessions. Also during this time, parish teams typically host catechists for a preview of the next month’s session.
Communities that have embraced this model have seen great fruit in increased sense of community, strengthened families, heightened adult engagement, stronger Mass attendance, and growth individually in relationships with Christ.
Resources:
Resources for curricula and models:
Usccb Evangelization and Catechesis
Sophia Institute Family of Faith curriculum
Loyola Press: Christ Our Life; Loyola Press: Finding God
Sadlier
FamilyFormation.net
Our Sunday Visitor Take Home Sheets
Adult recommended reading list
Important Church documents to strengthen and enhance curricula:
Sacred Scripture
Catechism of the Catholic Church
Evangelii Gaudium
Evangelii Nuntiandi
Lumen Gentium
General Directory for Catechesis
National Directory for Catechesis
Resources to supplement curricula with dynamic videos, etc.
Formed; Augustine institute
Dynamic Catholic Blessed videos
Word on Fire
Little Oratory
Ascension Press
If you are prayerfully considering implementing an intergenerational faith formation program in your parish, please reach out to Rosemary Maffei (rmaffei@rcab.org) with any questions and to be connected to communities who have had success with this model of faith formation.