FORMATION/CATECHESIS

The Catholic Church believes that experience is the first step in the catechetical process - the process of handing on our faith. Faith is relationship - relationship with the Lord Jesus, lived out in community. We are formed in such a faith by immersion into the life of the community - not be sitting at a desk reading a text. Thus, faith formation at Saint Paul Parish centers on this life of immersion into a community of faith.

Central to our life of faith is the Liturgy of the Church - the Mass, the Sacraments, the Liturgy of the Hours... The Liturgy or public prayer of the Church is central to Christian formation. It is here, in praying with the community, that we are formed in the life of a Christian. This is the prime experience of Catholic Christianity, and there can be no substitute for it. "Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi" certainly holds true - the Law of Prayer is the Law of Belief. Or, put more simply, how we pray defines what we believe.

There are many interrelated components to Faith Formation at Saint Paul Parish, all of which take into account the central role of the Liturgy in Christian formation. These components include, but are not limited to, the following...

*Sacraments/Sacramental Preparation

*Scripture

*Celebrating the Cycle of Feasts and Seasons

*Catechesis for All Ages

*Ongoing Formation for Teens and Adults

*Training Choir/Children's Choir

*Altar Server Formation

*Youth of Saint Paul Parish

*Serving Others in Jesus' Name

*Parish Catholic Resource Library/Story Time

*Parish Website

*The Domestic Church

Catechesis at Saint Paul Parish, including all of the components above, follows the curriculum guidelines of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati as outlined in Growing Together: Ministry to Children and Growing Together: Adolescent Religious Education, and taking to heart the Church's emphasis on the centrality of adult faith formation in its catechetical efforts. Every aspect of this curriculum is thoroughly covered in our Parish Faith Formation Process, and extensive parish documentation correlates this process to this curriculum and to the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

SACRAMENTS/SACRAMENTAL PREPARATION

The Roman Catholic Church is a Church of both Word (Scripture) and Sacrament. While there are many sacramentals and sacramental moments in the Church, there are seven "official" sacraments. The sacraments of initiation are baptism, confirmation and eucharist. The sacraments of service/vocation are matrimony (marriage) and holy orders. The sacraments of healing are reconciliation (penance/confession) and the anointing of the sick.

Included in our Parish Faith Formation Process is very solid sacramental preparation for baptism (infant and adult), confirmation, eucharist, marriage, and reconciliation. For further information on our sacramental preparation process, including the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults process, and all dates for the current 2006 Liturgical Year:please click here

SCRIPTURE

As stated above, the Roman Catholic Church is a Church of both Word and Sacrament. The Word of God, Sacred Scripture, is of extreme importance in our Church. Our Parish Faith Formation Process places great emphasis on Scripture and the Lectionary (the cycle of Biblical readings proclaimed in the Church). We make Catholic Bibles available to each household, as well as providing lectionary-based resources for parishioners, including At Home with the Word and Living Faith. Gatherings throughout the year focusing on Scripture help parishioners deepen their understanding and appreciation of the Bible. We also have numerous print and video Scripture resources in our Parish Library available for parishioner use. Scripture citations for every Sunday of the current Church Year are included in our Parish Faith Formation Calendar for the Year of Grace 2006 (available to parishioners at our Parish Office).

The Church follows a three-year cycle of readings proclaimed at Sunday Mass. During this 2006 Liturgical Year, we will be in Cycle B, in which the Gospel of Mark is prominent.

CELEBRATING THE CYCLE OF FEASTS AND SEASONS

An essential component of our Parish Faith Formation Process is the Church Calendar, the Liturgical Year. Over the centuries the Christian Calendar developed as a direct response to the catechetical needs of the Faithful. It is, you might say, the Church's lesson plan. In keeping the cycle of Christian feasts and seasons we will find that it "keeps" us - it gives us our identity as Catholic Christians. We celebrate the cycle of feasts and seasons in many ways in our Parish Faith Formation Process.

The Liturgy of the Hours: Vespers, or Evening Prayer, is one of the components of the Liturgy of the Hours, the Church's daily prayer. We celebrate Vespers here at Saint Paul Parish each Sunday during the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter, as well as on other major Feast Days. We also begin Ongoing Formation gatherings with Evening Prayer, and the Celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours is prominent in our Catholic Kids' Summer Days and Summer Camps. The Liturgy of the Hours is also prominently celebrated here during the Triduum - our "high holy days" in Catholicism. At Saint Paul Parish we pray the Prayer of the Church.

Seasonal Celebrations: We celebrate Seasonal Parish Celebrations here at Saint Paul Parish to help parishioners of all ages connect with the wonderful customs and traditions of the Church's Seasons, and to enable them to live these traditions on a daily basis in their homes. For example, one of the many activities at our Advent Parish Celebration would be the opportunity for parishioners to learn about and make a full-size Advent Wreath with live greenery for their home, and to have their wreath blessed at Vespers that same evening. Our five Seasonal Parish Celebrations include:

*Advent Parish Celebration

*Twelfth Night Celebration

*Parish Mardi Gras Celebration

*Easter Egg Hunt Celebration

*All Saints/All Souls Bonfire & Harvest Celebration

Celebrating Feast Days and Holy Days: A glance through our yearly Parish Faith Formation Calendar (available at our Parish Office) will enable parishioners to see the full extent to which we celebrate Feast Days and Holy Days during the Liturgical Year. There are large bonfires for the Midsummer Nativity (the Birth of John the Baptist) and All Saints Day. There is the Burning of Palm on Shrove Tuesday, the Blessing of Pets on the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, and the Blessing of Throats on the Feast of Saint Blase. There is the Blessing of Candles on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, and our Saint Joseph Table Lenten Supper on the Feast of Saint Joseph. There are big celebrations for our two Parish Patronal Feast Days - the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul on January 25 and the Feasts of Saints Peter and Paul on June 29. Day after day, week after week, the list goes on and on - all the ways we as a parish community Celebrate the Faith We Share by fully celebrating the Cycle of Feasts and Seasons of our Catholic Church!

For further information about the Liturgical Year, our current Liturgical Season, and a schedule for our parish celebrations of Feast Days and Holy Days during this current 2006 Liturgical Year:please click here

Story Time for Saints and Seasons: Story Time is a Faith Formation component for young children. The children grow in their understanding of our faith by entering into the stories of our Saints, the Church Seasons, and Bible Stories. Story Time always begins with the children gathered around the large liturgical Calendar. The "focus' Saint or Season for the day leads to catechesis/formation on serving others in Jesus' name, or ritual gestures such as the Sign of the Cross/bowing/genuflecting, or the sacrament of baptism, etc. Story Time is incorporated into our many seasonal celebrations here at Saint Paul Parish. For example, on the Feast of Saint Joseph (March 19), Story Time focusing on Saint Joseph is a component of our Saint Joseph Table Lenten Supper. Story Time incorporates Prayer, Scripture and Church Tradition in handing on the story of our Saints, Church and Church Seasons to children. For further information, please contact our parish office at 836-7535.

Bulletin Inserts: Parishioners will note that most weeks our Parish Sunday Bulletin includes inserts about Saints and Seasons, and ways to celebrate these special days in the home.

CATECHESIS FOR ALL AGES

Held at various times throughout the Liturgical Year, Catechesis for All Ages features intergenerational gatherings for everyone from the youngest child to great grandma and grandpa! Everyone - children, teens and adults - is welcome. Experiential in nature and including resources for all ages, this catechesis focuses on central aspects of our Catholic Faith, such as Prayer, Liturgy, Sacraments, Saints, the Church Calendar, Mary, Morality, Scripture, the Church ... These gatherings provide a wonderful opportunity for parishioners of all ages to gather together to Celebrate the Faith We Share, as well as to raise ecumenical and interfaith awareness.

There is also a Children's Summer Choir Camp each year for 7-8 year old children and for 9-12 year old children. In addition to singing games, music reading, choral rehearsal and prayer, there are Liturgy Topics and Special Activities each session providing catechesis on such topics as the Church Year, the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours.

Every other year, our young parish musicians also join with other young musicians from around the Miami Valley for a week-long Summer Music Camp, sponsored by the Miami Valley Catholic Church Musicians.

Our Children's Choir is regularly scheduled to sing at Sunday Mass and other Liturgical Celebrations. For more information about our Parish Music Ministry:please click here

ALTAR SERVER FORMATION

All parishioners 10 years of age and older, male and female, who have been baptized and celebrated First Communion, are welcome to become involved in the Ministry of Altar Server.

Topics at Servers' Camp include General Rules, Posture & Gesture, Preparation Rites, the Sacristy and Vesting, Preparing for Mass, Introductory Rites, the Eucharistic Prayer, Vestments and Vessels, the Sprinkling Rite, the Communion Rite, a Tour of the Church, the Liturgy of the Word, and Concluding Rites. There are also practice sessions each day. Each year at camp, there is some review of topics, as well as the introduction of new procedures.

Altar Servers continue their ministry formation with seasonal gatherings preparing them for liturgical celebrations during specific Church Seasons. During the 2006 Liturgical Year, these are scheduled at the following times:

THE YOUTH OF SAINT PAUL PARISH

The Youth of Saint Paul Parish, parishioners aged 12-18 years of age, are actively involved in supporting the various components of our Parish Faith Formation Process, as well as taking leadership for other parish events. The Youth are involved in planning and coordinating various facets of our Seasonal Parish Celebrations, our Parish Picnic, our Bonfires. They also sponsor our yearly Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper.

Our Youth are also active in other catechetical and social service dimensions of our Parish Life, such as Ongoing Formation, God's Garden of Feedin', and our Saint Vincent de Paul Society. The Youth of Saint Paul Parish meet monthly, the first or second Wednesday of the month, for prayer, formation, planning, and socializing.

SERVING OTHERS IN JESUS' NAME

At Baptism, we are anointed priest, prophet and king. We become a member of the body of Christ and receive a commission to serve others in Jesus' name. Serving others is not an option for any Christian, regardless of age or state in life - it is our duty and responsibility. There are many opportunities at Saint Paul Parish for parishioners to become involved in such ways as Faith Formation, Liturgical Ministries, Hospitality, etc. But as Christians, our primary responsibility is to focus outwards - to be a light for the world. Some ways Saint Paul Parish strives to be this beacon include tithing and outreach ministries such as God's Garden of Feedin' and Saint Vincent DePaul Society. Our parish provides spiritual and financial support to our sister parish located in Santa Luzmila, an extremely poor section of Lima, Peru. For further information about Ministry and Outreach at Saint Paul Parish:please click here

PARISH CATHOLIC RESOURCE LIBRARY

Saint Paul Parish has a Parish Catholic Resource Library containing wonderful print, audio and visual resources for use by all Saint Paul Parishioners. Our Library also features "Story Time for Saints and Seasons." For more information about our Parish Library:please click here

PARISH WEBSITE

Well, if you're reading this, you've found our Parish Website! Did you know that some pages of our website, including "Upcoming Events and Celebrations," is updated weekly each Friday morning? Our site also contains wonderful information about our Catholic Faith, as well as "hot links" to other Catholic sites, such as the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, the Vatican, U.D.'s Marian Library and The Saint of the Day. So visit us often to keep updated on our Parish, our Archdiocese, our Church!

THE DOMESTIC CHURCH

Our Roman Catholic Tradition has always stressed that faith both begins and is nurtured in the family and the home. At Saint Paul Parish we recognize, appreciate and support the primary role of parents in their children's faith formation, and the importance of the Domestic (home) Church. This is obvious from the way we Celebrate the Faith We Share at Saint Paul Parish, in all the components of our Parish Life and Faith Formation process. For further information on the Domestic Church and ways our Parish recognizes, appreciates and supports faith in the home:please click here

For further information on any of the above elements of Ongoing Formation/Catechesis, or any other component of Saint Paul Parish's Faith Formation Process please contact the church at 836-7535.

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