Parish C.A.R.E. Program
Holy Innocents Church parish is offering a Continuing Adult Religious Education Program. The parish C.A.R.E. Program provides comprehensive, systematic lessons on a range of Catholic topics using a hybrid approach of both discussions and lectures.
Continuing catechesis is incredibly important. Adult catechesis “is the principal form of catechesis, because it is addressed to persons who have the greatest responsibilities and the capacity to live the Christian message in its fully developed form.” John Paul II’s wisdom on adult catechesis rings true when considering the Church’s mission, our mission, is to evangelize the Gospel message. He says,
The primary and essential object of catechesis is ‘the mystery of Christ.’ Catechizing is, in a way, to lead a person to study this mystery in all its dimensions: ‘to make all men see what is the plan of the mystery… comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth… know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge… (and be filled) with all the fullness of God.’ It is therefore to reveal in the Person of Christ the whole of God’s eternal design reaching fulfillment in that Person. It is to seek to understand the meaning of Christ’s actions and words and of the signs worked by Him, for they simultaneously hide and reveal His mystery. Accordingly, the definitive aim of catechesis is to put people not only in touch but in communion, in intimacy, with Jesus Christ: only He can lead us to the love of the Father in the Spirit and make us share in the life of the Holy Trinity.
This program aims to communicate established Church doctrine, dogma, and tradition into everyday application by drawing participants into experiencing the common expression of Church teaching in our lives. To live a life of evangelization is to live a Eucharistic worldview. Ensuring our outlook as Christians is centered on the Eucharist is essential towards living the Gospel. Again to quote John Paul II,
Catechesis is intrinsically linked with the whole of liturgical and sacramental activity, for it is in the sacraments, especially in the Eucharist, that Christ Jesus works in fullness for the transformation of human beings….On the one hand, the catechesis that prepares for the sacraments is an eminent kind, and every form of catechesis necessarily leads to the sacraments of faith. On the other hand, authentic practice of the sacraments is bound to have a catechetical aspect. In other words, sacramental life is impoverished and very soon turns into hollow ritualism if it is not based on serious knowledge of the meaning of the sacraments, and catechesis becomes intellectualized if it fails to come alive in the sacramental practice.
Catechesis is not just for receiving the Sacraments of Initiation. It is a lifelong endeavor providing Catholics with the opportunity to engage their faith through discussion in fraternity, community, and fellowship with other Catholics.
For questions, please contact the Director of Adult Catechesis, Jeffrey Carter, at jeffcarter83@gmail.com.
