What's in a Name?

Many of you may notice in the upcoming year that where you are used to seeing the term “Religious Education” you will now see “Faith Formation” instead. In recent years, the term “Faith Formation” is being used more and more frequently within Catholic parishes, replacing the more familiar “Religious Education” (or the even older “CCD”), and St. John’s and the Chelmsford Catholic Collaborative is choosing to do so as well. For those of you wondering why we are making this switch in terminology, we invite you to consider the following.
 
The term Religious Education most often brings to mind images of lectures, classrooms, and catechisms, terminal instruction aimed at children. While faith formation clearly includes teaching the young it is meant to encompass all ages and is intentionally designed to touch the heart as well as the intellect; to teach people to love deeply as well as to think deeply. Faith Formation’s focus is on helping people experience and live a more Christ-centered life.
 
Faith formation is woven organically throughout the mission of parish life and takes places in a variety of contexts: in liturgies, ministries, programs, catechesis, service work, outreach, evangelization, etc. All events in the parish have the potential to be (and should be) faith forming, opportunities to both deepen our faith and to bring into better focus the relationship between our faith and our lives. The goal of faith formation extends well beyond simply learning about the faith; it seeks to help people live the faith. Never fully completed, faith formation is an ever ongoing process that is meant to be transformative, challenging and equipping us to better and more fully live out the Gospel message as individuals and as faith communities.
 
Faith formation calls for a spirit of generosity, of curiosity, of imagination, and of commitment from all members of a parish community. All are welcome and encouraged to participate in the many ways we deepen our faith as Christians and assist others in their own faith journeys, through full and active participation in worship, through prayer, through mission, service, and advocacy work, through teaching and learning, through fellowship and support, etc. Each individual is asked to reflect on the ways the Spirit might be calling them to engage in the life of the parish and how to best respond to that call as we all journey together towards God.  

                                                                       Fr. Brian, Pastor
                                                                       Heather Hannaway, Director of Faith Formation