Category Archives: Adult Faith Formation

Lent is coming to its conclusion, the joyous celebration of Easter is two weeks away. This is a great time for some serious reading and reflection. Deciding how to focus on the great mysteries of Holy Week can be a challenge; thus we offer the following suggestions.

1) The gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all include accounts of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus. The “passion narratives” constitute in each gospel the longest consecutive series of events recounted about the life of our Lord. As often as we have read or heard the accounts, there is obviously tremendous value in quietly and thoughtfully reviewing one or more of these gospels. Almost all bibles have good explanatory footnotes and links to relevant old testament passages. Many who cannot attend daily Mass take five minutes to ponder the readings for the day, which are easily available on the website of U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB. org). From now to Easter we read from John’s gospel.

2) Our collection of books and periodicals in the lower level of the church contains a rich and varied assortment that should be appealing to all, whatever your interests and time constraints. There are commentaries on the passion, reflections on the Eucharist, theological analyses on the death of Jesus and the cross as elements in God’s plan of redemption, accounts of the spiritual journeys of both ordinary people and saints, books with suggestions and ideas on developing a more fruitful spiritual life, and items on a host of other topics. The collection, which is growing, is still small enough to browse. So take ten minutes and sign out something that seems appropriate for you in this glorious season.

3) Although the title Catechism of the Catholic Church suggests a very large book that is “heavy” and somewhat dull, if you have not looked at the volume published by the Vatican in 1994 (under the direction of then Cardinal Ratzinger) you will be pleasantly surprised. It is a very readable exposition of the doctrine of the Catholic Church designed quite simply to “help deepen understanding of faith”. Part one of the Catechism is essentially organized around the creed, and chapter two is entitled “I believe in Jesus Christ, the only Son of God.” In about forty pages the book lays out the essential conclusions of the Church on the details of exactly what we believe about Jesus. Spending an hour or two with these forty pages is a rich experience. We have downloaded the chapter from the Vatican website (where you can get the whole catechism) and would be happy to send you a Word document that you can either print or read on your computer screen. Contact John Stewart at 617 969 0950 or johnstewart@alum.bu.edu.

As always the Faith Formation Commission would love your ideas for projects and programs we might consider for the parish, particularly things we might do in the summer or fall.  AFFC@stjohnwellesley.org

“Vatican II: The Fiftieth Anniversary – What Difference Has It Made?” – two lectures by Father Bryan Hehir, March 12 and March 19, St. John’s Church, 7:30 p.m.

Pope John XIII announced the council in January,1959.  For four consecutive years, 1962 through 1965, the 2,850 participants met each fall for ten weeks. They discussed, debated and voted on a range of issues and produced four “constitutions”, nine “decrees” and three “declarations”. Taken together, these sixteen documents had a profound impact on the church and on the spiritual lives of Catholics throughout the world. It is for much more than nostalgia that we commemorate this anniversary of Vatican II. Understanding what happened in Rome a half century ago can give us a good perspective on the challenges facing the Church today and the critical decisions that lie ahead.  Fr. Hehir’s lectures will help us understand better the implications of this historic event. Please attend and bring your friends!

Adult Faith Formation Schedule

March 4, 3:00 p.m. “Faith Maps: Ten Religious Explorers, from Newman to Joseph Ratzinger”; discussion led by Sr. Evelyn Ronan March 4, 3:00 p.m.; showing of “Catholicism: A Documentary Video” followed by discussion.

March 4, 7:30 p.m. Sacred Heart Parish, Newton Centre; viewing of video segments of the Archdiocese Justice Convocation (2011) and discussion of Catholic social teaching.

March 6, 6:30 p.m. Program for Woman, Journey Into the Heart of Prayer in St. John’s Gospel Sr. Evelyn Ronan; Social Hall

March 8, Faith Maps, 10:00 a.m., Parish Center with John Stewart

March 8, 5:30 p.m. “Why Confirmation Matters”; discussion with Professor Liam Bergin (Visiting Scholar, Irish Studies); B.C.; Heights Room, Corcoran Commons

March 9, 7:00 p.m. Emerging Theologians Conference, “Is Vatican II Still Relevant?”; B.C., Gasson Hall, Room 100, Main Campus; Presenter: Dr. Massimo Faggioli, University of St. Thomas

St. John’s Faith Formation Commission Email: AFFC@stjohnwellesley.org

This is time of great change in the Archdiocese of Boston and there are men and women in all parishes endeavoring to learn about the options and techniques of organizing the work of their faith communities. We thought it would be helpful to pass on some information about parish planning, a field of study and research that has grown tremendously in the last twenty years as parishes throughout the United States have had to make serious decisions about accomplishing their missions in a different way.  St. John’s, fortunately, has had a small group of dedicated people working on pastoral planning for several years. They have accumulated a lot of knowledge (and a number of books) about the process which should be valuable as we embark on the next phase of the journey.

Five major national Catholic organizations have come together to create one large “umbrella” agency, Emerging Models of Pastoral Leadership, which has a terrific website and regularly publishes an assortment of small reports and booklets. The five organizations are: National Association for Lay Ministry, The Conference for Pastoral Planning and Council Development, National Association of Church Personnel Administrators, National Catholic Young Adult Ministry Association and National Federation of Priest Councils.  Each of them have a good website and they all publish reports and papers filled with recommendations, ideas and the experiences of parishes.

On the book shelves on the lower level of the church there are several dozen items of interest to those seeking a better understanding of how people throughout the country are responding to the challenges of Catholic parish life in the 21st century. A sampling of the titles includes: “Pastoring Multiple Parishes”, “The Next Generation of Pastoral Leaders: What the Church Needs to Know”, “The Changing Face of the Church”, “Keeping the Covenant: Taking Parish to the Next Level”, “From Maintenance to Mission: Evangelization and the Revitalization of the Parish” and “Dreams and Visions: Pastoral Planning for Lifelong Faith Formation”.

Finally, everyone involved in parish life should be familiar with what remains the basic “charge” for lay people in the Catholic Church, a small booklet published five years ago by the Conference of Catholic Bishops: Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord; A Resource for Guiding the Development of Lay Ecclesial Ministry.

St. John’s Faith Formation Commission: Patrick Blomberg, Linda Colozzi, Marcia Grondin, Pat Kelleher (chair), John Salvati, John Stewart, Anne Wachtmeister, Sister Evelyn Ronan (advisor)

Email: AFFC@stjohnwellesley.org

Tuesday February 7th at 6:30pm in the Social Hall.  This year’s theme:  A Journey Into the Heart of Prayer in St. John’s Gospel.  Through prayer, presentation and sharing, we will ponder how the core of faith is Love offered and accepted; how God invites us to imagine our lives as grounded in a Love beyond all imagining. Each month, come join us for this graced evening and bring one of your favorite recipes for a wonderful Pot Luck!  All are welcome!

There are a host of terrific periodicals available to Catholics. Most have short articles on an assortment of topics and issues and can be read either in bits and pieces, as time is available, or in an hour or so.  (For a sample of these magazines visit the small parish library on the lower level.)  The January 13, 2012 issue of Commonweal is a good example of the range of subjects covered by Catholic magazines. (Commonweal was founded in 1924 as a “review of religion, politics and culture”.  Its orientation is “progressive”, compared, for example, to the somewhat “conservative” journal First Things.)

In addition to the usual fare of editorials, book and film reviews and letters to the editor, the January 13 issue contains a long article entitled “A Modus Vivendi? Sex, Marriage and the Church”. The article consists of brief commentaries by nine leading spiritual writers and theologians in the country.

The commentaries respond to an introduction describing the dramatic cultural shifts of the last forty or so years that have seen the percentage of married Catholics in America drop from 79% in 1979 to 53% in 2010 and polls that indicate large numbers of Catholics conflicted by the disconnect between their practices and the official teachings of the Church. How, the writers were asked, should the Church respond, pastorally and doctrinally, to this very difficult situation?

The answers provided in the essays are both interesting and varied. While there is no consensus among the essays on what lies ahead, they lay out a wonderful range of ideas, opinions and options. If you are not a subscriber to Commonweal  and cannot borrow the January issue from someone who is, contact John Stewart and he will get a copy of the article to you (johnstewart@alum.bu.edu or 617-969-0950).

Adult Faith Formation Schedule

February 4 – Men’s Group in the Social Hall after the 7:00am Mass for coffee, donuts and good conversation.

February 9 – Book Discussion Group in the Parish Center at 7:30pm.  A Guide to Thomas Aquinas by Joseph Pieper.

February 7 – Evening for Women in the Social Hall at 6:30pm. “A Journey into the Heart of Prayer in St. John’s Gospel”.

St. John’s Adult Faith Formation Commission: Patrick Blomberg, Linda Colozzi, Marcia Grondin, Pat Kelleher (chair), John Salvati, John Stewart, and Anne Wachtmeister •Sister Evelyn Ronan (advisor).

Email: AFFC@stjohnwellesley.org