Parents and Families at the Center of Faith Formation
What is it?
The goal of this project is to assist families in the claiming of their proper role in the faith formation of children and adolescents. The project is sponsored by the National Community of Catechetical Leaders (NCCL) and generously funded through a grant by the Lilly Foundation. The Diocese of Phoenix invited our parish to engage with this project as we seek to assist the parents in creating the home and family as the primary place of Christian Formation.
For centuries, Christian formation in faith took place in the home. Parents understood that their role was to raise their children in the faith (a promise made when children are Baptized) and in so doing to pass on the faith that had been transmitted to them by their families. Over the past century, however, this dynamic has changed significantly. As education became a product to be bought and sold, in many ways, so did religious education. This shift created a dynamic where the parish must now compete for the time of the family, and religious formation has become less of a family activity, rooted in the home, and more of a service provided at the parish.
We seek to reverse this. By offering ideas and opportunities for families to practice and share their faith together, both in experiences at the parish and with resources for the home, we have a deep hope that the handing on of the faith will be the responsibility of the parent, who is assisted by the parish. Please watch this space for ideas to share faith in your homes, events with a family emphasis, and other opportunities that will be intended to assist our parish households in becoming agents of faith sharing and growth in today’s world.
For more information
Please contact one of the parish leadership team
Preschool Heather Fraher, 480-948-9466, hfraher@bscaz.org
Elementary Age Formation Isabella Rice, Ph.D., 480-948-8370, irice@bscaz.org
Middle School and High School Stephen Mikitish, 480-948-8370, smikitish@bscaz.org
Sacramental Prep & Adult Formation Larry Fraher, Ph.D., 480-948-8370, lfraher@bscaz.org
Upcoming Events
Annual Saints and Sweets Festival
Join us on Sat, Nov 1 as this is the day that celebrates the Saints; those people through whom the Church knows the witness of faith and whose prayers help us in our lives.
