Adult Faith Formation
-
Religious education is not only for children.According to the United States Bishops' Document, Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us (OHWB):Adult faith formation, by which people consciously grow in the life of Christ through experience, reflection, prayer, and study, must be the "the central task in [this] catechetical enterprise," becoming "the axis around which revolves the catechesis of childhood and adolescence as well as that of old age." (OHWB #5)The Bishops outline three key goals of Adult Faith Formation(OHWB #67-73):
Inviting and enabling ongoing conversion to Jesus in holiness of life:- helping adults acquire an attitude of conversion to the Lord
- leading adults to repentance of sin, reconciliation through the sacraments and deepening faith in Jesus
Promoting and supporting active membership in the Christian community:- helping adults make a conscious and firm decision to live the faith through membership in the Christian community
- inviting and supporting baptized adults in their co-responsibility for the Church's mission and life
Calling and preparing adults to act as disciples in mission to the world:- inviting baptized adults to evangelization and justice in the world
Adult faith growth touches on six areas, all of which are needed for the full maturation of the Christian person:
- Knowledge of the faith
- Liturgical Life
- Moral Formation
- Prayer
- Communal Life
- Missionary Spirit