What is WHY CATHOLIC?

The Diocese of Jefferson City is promoting a program called Why Catholic? Information sessions for Why Catholic? will kick off this fall, but just what is it? How will it work in the diocese of Jefferson City?

Why Catholic? isa unique adult faith formation process developed by Renew International. It is centered around the evangelizing mission of Jesus.  It is solidly based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It is supported by leader formation, retreats, faith enrichment sessions, rich resources, and ongoing pastoral support.

Why Catholic? encourages and enables parishioners to become evangelizing Catholics by offering a concrete approach to help adults form their Catholic faith and connect its teachings to their everyday lives. With its thorough exploration of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, this process encourages learning in a prayerful small-group setting. 

The faith-sharing materials offer 48 sessions on Catholic beliefs, sacraments, morality, and prayer with direct Catechism quotes, scriptural references, and reflection questions. The four faith-sharing books are based on the four major themes of the Catechism. The books were reviewed by the U.S. Bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee to Oversee the Use of the Catechism, have an Imprimatur, and were tested in small groups.

The Why Catholic? process is comprehensive, containing a full range of elements in both English and Spanish. It includes orientation, small community leader formation, faith formation and enrichment sessions for all participants, retreat experiences, an invitation video, and family-oriented bulletin inserts. 

For Families: Renewing Family Faith: We Believe, We Celebrate, We Live, We Pray  connects parish families to the Catechism topics and the Why Catholic? process. Content-rich and interactive the Renewing Family Faith newsletter for families is an excellent resource that reinforces the Why Catholic? in the home and also may be used for whole parish catechesis.

Although parishes are not mandated to participate, Bishop Gaydos is very enthusiastic about the program and strongly encourages parishes to consider it.In the Diocese of Jefferson City, Why Catholic? will be implemented in a five year timeframe. 

Regional Information Sessions will provide parish leaders an overview of the Why Catholic? process and how it responds to an identified need today.   Adults desire to connect with their Catholic beliefs and renew their identity as Catholics. Parishes will be offered the opportunity to sign up or indicate a follow-up contact at this meeting.

Regional Launching Why Catholic? Workshops  will assist pastor/pastoral staff, Why Catholic? teams, and other key catechetical leaders to successfully implement Why Catholic? as a total parish experience.  Includes practical suggestions for inviting maximum participation and for using Why Catholic? in a variety of settings.

Regional Evangelization “Nuts and Bolts” Workshops  will help Why Catholic? Teams deepen their understanding of Catholic evangelization and explore the relationship between evangelization and catechesis.  Offers practical concrete strategies for outreach to active and inactive Catholics.

Regional Small Community Leader Formation Workshops– On-site formation workshop for teams and small group leaders with strong catechetical content and methods for integrating adult learning.  Workshops will address the themes in the Profession of Faith book.

Regional Faith Formation and Enrichment Sessions – In-depth faith formation workshops on key topics from each of the four pillars of the Catechism for all participants and leaders.  Theme for Year One: Scripture and Tradition: The Braid of Revelation. 

Book One The Profession of Faith: What We Believe (12 Faith Sharing Sessions, Six in the Fall and Six during Lent, for Small Groups in Parishes) – The first book in the series, The Profession of Faith: What We Believe, looks at the truths that we, as Catholics, believe and explores the basic tenets of our faith.  It offers insights on what it means to be a Catholic following “the oldest Roman catechism, the Apostles’ Creed.”  It is based on part one of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Regional Retreat Experience – RENEW-led retreat for parish participants around the theme of each book is held in the Spring.  Using the theme of Discovering God in the Ordinary, it will provide an opportunity to reflect on God’s love and presence as experienced through creation, God’s people, the communion of saints and everyday experience.

Regional Small Community Leader Formation Workshops will address the themes in the Celebration of the Christian Mystery book.

Regional Faith Formation and Enrichment Sessions will develop the theme The Body of Christ: Christ’s Presence in the Liturgy

Book 2 – The Celebration of the Christian Mystery: Sacraments (12 Faith Sharing Sessions, Six in the Fall and Six during Lent, for Small Groups in Parishes) – The first four sessions of The Celebration of the Christian Mystery: Sacraments focus on the liturgy and an understanding of the sacraments.  Then follow two sessions on Baptism, one on the sacrament itself and another on the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.  The latter offers reflections on the Rite and on its meaning for us and our parishes.  The last six sessions focus on the other six sacraments.

Regional Retreat Experience will develop the theme Bread for the Journey.

Regional Small Community Leader Formation Workshops will address the themes in the Life in Christ: Walking with God book.

Regional Faith Formation and Enrichment Sessions will develop the theme Living Gospel Values in the 21st Century.

Book 3: Life in Christ: Walking with God (12 Faith Sharing Sessions, Six in the Fall and Six during Lent, for Small Groups in Parishes) – The first six sessions of Life in Christ: Walking with God center on the Beatitudes, on our freedom and responsibility, conscience, virtues, sin, mercy, moral solidarity, moral law, grace, and the Church.  The second six sessions focus on the implications of the Ten Commandments.

Regional Retreat Experience will develop the theme Walking with Christ: Living the Beatitudes.

Regional Small Community Leader Formation Workshops will address the themes in the Christian Prayer: Deepening My Experience of God book.

Regional Faith Formation and Enrichment Sessions will develop the theme Prayer: Many Methods, One Purpose.

Book 4 – Christian Prayer: Deepening My Experience of God (12 Faith Sharing Sessions, Six in the Fall and Six during Lent, for Small Groups in Parishes) The first three sessions of Christian Prayer: Deepening My Experience of God focus on prayer and how God communicates with us.  The next six sessions look at different forms of prayer and some difficulties we experience in prayer.  The last three sessions offer a deeper look at the prayer that Jesus taught us, the Lord’s Prayer.  All cover what the Catechism says about the concept of prayer, and include various styles of prayer for participants’ use.

Regional Retreat Experience will develop the theme Sitting by the Well: Meeting Jesus in Prayer.

Join us at one of the Diocesan Retreats...

A Day of Reflection and Spiritual Growth
“Discovering God in the Ordinary”

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