Welcome to our Faith Formation programming. We believe Faith Formation is lifelong and ongoing. Our focus is on family catechesis. Parents are children’s first and best teachers. It is our philosophy that it is our job to support the parents in this responsibility, not supplant it. Our core program utilizes the A Family of Faith materials. (For information on A Family of Faith click on link: https://vimeo.com/341799160 ) The vision for A Family of Faith is to help create strong Catholic families in which children learn the joys of following Jesus Christ and the truths of the faith through the witness of Christian life given by the parents. We will encourage and equip parents to fulfill their God-given duty and privilege of educating their children in the Catholic faith. Our meetings allow us to build community and celebrate Catholic life together through common prayer, service to others, social activities, and liturgical celebrations. We are in the 8th year of using these materials. We are in the second time through Year 4. Our theme this year is Christian Prayer. Topics will cover: What is Prayer?, Prayer in Salvation History, Jesus Teaches Us How to Pray- Our Father: The Summary of the Whole Gospel, The Holy Spirit and Prayer, Praying to the Virgin Mary, Expressions of Prayer, Praying with Scripture, Forms of Prayer, The Battle of Prayer, and Prayer and the Communion of Saints.
Our programming at Christ the King-St. Francis de Sales Parish meets every Sunday in Howard City at Fellowship Hall right before the 11 am Mass. We start at 9:00 and go until 10:45 am. Each of the groupings (The Branches [Adults], The Saplings [3rd-6th grade], The Seedlings [4 years- 2nd grade], & The Little Sprouts [infant- 3 years]) will get together in their rooms. Parents receive instruction to pass on to their families. The children receive supplemental material in their groups. Each month we focus on a particular topic. The first week each group meets separately to cover the material at the learners’ level and in ways that are best for that age group. During the adult session, parents will also be taught content as well as how to share the material with their children. We utilize diverse teaching strategies, view media, may have speakers, share personal experiences and/or applications of the doctrine, etc. The third week of the month is dedicated to families. We will do our follow-up meeting where we share how the learning is progressing within our domestic churches, how families are modifying and adapting the lessons to meet their family’s needs, clarify and answer questions, and support each other in our faith journey.
The programming at St. Bernadette of Lourdes-St. Margaret Mary meets on Thursday after the first and third Sunday of the month. (See the calendar with plans 24-25 for specific dates.) AnnMarie and Julie will facilitate the class right after the noon Mass.
We are still looking for some adults to help us with our Thicket [7th-12th grade] group at CTK-SF. If you feel a calling to help with this, please contact the parish office.
You can access the calendar with plans here.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the Director of Faith Formation at CTK-SF, Julie Gould, at faithformation@ctknsf.org or 231-937-5757. You may also reach out to the Director of Faith Formation at SBL-SMM, AnnMarie Wubbeling, at sbl.smm.church@gmail.com or 616-824-9001.