School Notes

Date posted:   Jul 21, 2021

Adult Faith Formation for a Vibrant Church

Photo of Adults learning

Fee: $60
Five Weeks

This course has been renamed to The Engaged Parish

Featuring video with Thomas Groome, Theresa O'Keefe, and Hosffman Ospino

Working for a more vibrant faith community?  Adult faith formation plays a vital role in animating the local church. Yet, it often suffers relative neglect. This course is for anyone on a parish council or other ministry with adults.  It explores the ways in which faith formation can happen anywhere members work together in the life of the church through evangelization, catechesis, and conversation about things that really matter.  It considers the cultural issues of diversity in the parish and post-modernity in the greater society as the context for deepening adults' engagement in the life of faith.

This course has a required text:  Jane E. Regan. Forming A Community of Faith: A Guide to Success in Adult Faith Formation Today. Twenty-Third Publications, 2014

Topics

  • Introductory Week: The Contemporary Context for Adult Faith Formation
  • Week 1: Connecting Evangelization and Adult Faith Formation
  • Week 2: Key Themes in the Catechetical Vision
  • Week 3: The Skill of Engaging Adults in Conversation
  • Week 4: Community of Practice: A New Perspective of Parish Life

Special Features

This course includes:

  • Weekly introductions to each new topic;
  • Three videos;
  • Text transcripts of each featured video;
  • Weekly questions for reflection and discussion; and
  • A page of further resources about topics discussed in this course.

All Crossroads courses include these features:

  • Participants have access 24 hours / 7 days a week to the course's password protected web site. 
  • Each participant belongs to a small community for conversation and faith sharing guided by a facilitator.
  • Site is usually available to participants at least three months after the course.
  • An orientation in how to navigate the web site is always available.
  • Technical assistance is easy to contact and prompt in returning a message
  • A Certificate of Active Participation is awarded to those who post at least three messages of substance for each week of content.

Additional Materials Needed:
Jane E. Regan. Forming A Community of Faith: A Guide to Success in Adult faith Formation Today. Twenty-Third Publications, 2014

Time Commitment:

A participant can expect to spend an average of 3-4 hours each week. This commitment includes both preparation and interaction online.

Content Scholars:  STM Professors Thomas GroomeTheresa O'Keefe, Hosffman Ospino, and Jane E. Regan