FAITH FORMATION
What is Faith Formation?
Faith formation is all about growing in your knowledge and practice of the Catholic Faith! We have opportunities for people of all ages! If you want to learn more about your faith and grow in your relationship with God, please check out our programs and join the fun!
Faith formation is catechesis, or teaching the faith, which allows people opportunities to deepen one's awareness of Jesus Christ through educational and enrichment programs. Each of our programs and educational environments are designed to reach the head and the heart while helping parishioners to live and experience a more Christ-centered life. Like us on Twitter and Facebook to keep up-to-date on our upcoming events.
To Download the 2021-2022 CCD Registration Form Click Here.
The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is a process established for the universal Church for individuals to become Catholic and receive the sacraments of initiation –Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist.
We begin with the period of Inquiry. During this period, teaching is given to people who are interested in learning more about the Catholic Faith. The sessions cover basic information about the Faith. There is no obligation involved in attending these meetings – they are intended to help a person decide whether they want to continue learning about the Faith. Attendees at this stage are known as Inquirers
Fr. Cerilo Javinez
973-366-0184 ext. 6
[email protected]
All Catholics are called to the mission of evangelization. This involves living lives that reflect the Gospel and bringing those principles into everyday life. Whether it be in our work place, our homes, or our relationships, evangelization takes place through several means. While it is not always an easy task, each action we take can bring us and those around us closer to Christ. Throughout the past 50 years, the Church has held a special focus to evangelization as a means to empower and educate individuals to take on this mission. The Diocese of Paterson is a leader in the field of evangelization through the work that is accomplished at St. Paul's Inside the Walls: The Diocesan Center for Evangelization. Here individuals can take courses in catechesis, prepare for special ministries, and enjoy fellowship with others from around the diocese. Visit the website above for more information on how you can get involved!
In addition to St. Paul's Inside the Walls, several great resources for evangelization exist around the world. From centers similar to St. Paul's to depositories of papal documents, below you find a list of valuable resources for your use.
USCCB Page on Evangelization- The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, headquartered in Washington, D.C, is a great place to start for information on evangelization. This site includes links to goals and objectives of evangelization as well as special prayers and they 'whys' of evangelization.
The Catholic Apostolate Center- All are called to a vocation in life. The Catholic Apostolate Center, founded under the spirituality of St. Vincent Palloti, exists to help people find their vocation while working to assist with formation in the New Evangelization. The Center provides several resources for evangelization and catechesis, sacraments, and other happenings within the Church. They also host free webinars on various topics for all to access from around the world. Based in Hyattsville, MD, the Center's staff consists of leaders in the field of pastoral ministry and Catholic higher education.
Evangelii Nuntiandi (Evangelization in the Modern World)- Blessed Pope Paul VI released this Apostolic Exhortation in 1975 which encouraged all people- both religious and laity- to spread the Gospel message in every aspect of their lives. Although it was written in the 1970s, the themes and messages included in this document are still relevent in our world today. This document has been considered one of the foremost writings from the Church on evangelization.
We want to help you most effectively catechize your children at home. Please use any or all of the resources here. If you have a resource you would like to see on this page, please send a link or title to our Director of Faith Formation Steven Serafin at [email protected]
Be My Disciples
This is our publisher’s website. Teachers and Parents can use this link to find lesson plans, training, ideas, and resources. All teachers can register on the site with their ISBN from the teachers addition for additional resources and activities.
Evangelization.com
All teachers and parents can access our 6th - Confirmation Study programs through this link. This is a great way to see what your children are learning, and bring that knowledge home.
Catechism of the Catholic Church
This link provides online access to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The Catechism is organized by paragraph numbers rather than pages.
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Here you will find a diversity of resources and ideas that are recommended by our bishops. Most of the resources focus on Catholic social teaching, justice and peace, and human dignity.
Call To Faith
Teachers and Parents can use this link to find lesson plans, training, ideas, and resources.
Allelu!
Teachers and Parents with children in PK-3 through Kinder will find ideas, training, and other resources on how to best use Allelu! at home or in the classroom.
St. Mary’s Press Resource Center
St. Mary's Press has thousands of resources available for catechists, aides, parents and students to help make teaching and learning about our faith more fun. They have activities and assessments, videos and images that cover a variety of Catholic topics, teachings and events.
The Religion Teacher
The Religion Teacher provides several resources for creating lesson plans, resources for the Old and New Testaments, activities for the liturgical year and the rosary, and links to other resources.