Faith Formation

  Mark Nuehring, Director

Email: mnuehring@dow.org

Phone: 507-454-4643 ext 224

“It is important … that  the catechesis of children and young people, permanent catechesis and the catechesis of adults should not be separate watertight compartments… it is important that their perfect complementarity be fostered.”

                                                                                                                 #72 General Directory for Catechesis (GDC)

Catechesis, faith formation, or whatever your parish currently calls it, is not the same as it was a few years ago. Granted, the content of the faith hasn’t changed much, but with the printing of the General Directory for Catechesis in 1997, and the National Directory for Catechesis in 2005, the Roman Catholic Church is beginning to advocate for a more comprehensive parish wide vision for faith formation. You may have even heard it referred to as whole community catechesis. In paragraph 168 the GDC states, “in giving attention to the individual, it should not be overlooked that the recipient of catechesis is the whole Christian community and every person in it.”

This vision certainly requires us to look beyond our weekly child centered faith formation program. It requires us to re-examine how we engage the “whole parish” in faith formation. This is a daunting task! But, many parishes in the diocese are well on the journey, and are valuable resources to share their successes and struggles. If you would learn from one of these parishes, please send me an e-mail, MNuehring@dow.org

Faith formation can not be limited in vision or scope to youth anymore. We must break this mindset, and find ways of weaving and integrating a more wholistic vision of faith formation in our parishes.

We are on this journey together. Please send me a e-mail if I can help you and your parish.