Week of July 31, 2022

Week of July 31, 2022

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Dear Parishioners,

As I may have mentioned before, it is very important for Catholics to educate themselves. There are two broad reasons for this. First, if we do not take responsibility in learning the faith, we will believe anything anyone tells us about the faith. This is especially dangerous since we live in a world that is increasingly secular and against the faith. There is no shortage of misrepresentation of the faith in the media we consume. Second, the more you know about God, the more you can love Him. After all, we cannot love what we don’t know. But, if we do know something, not only can we love it, but it also drives us to want to learn more about it. So, when people learn about the faith, it is not just an empty set of facts but a means to grow closer to God. Putting it simply: we learn about God so that we can love God.

Therefore, in order to help you all learn about the faith, I have hired a Director of Adult Catechesis (DAC). His name is Jeffrey Carter (no relation). Jeff has his Masters Degree in Theology and he has a real love of teaching. I look forward to seeing what he does in this role. To start, there are two programs he would like to hold for anyone who would like to attend:

First, on Monday nights, Jeff would like to make the educational sessions of the Rites of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) open to anyone who would like to attend. Normally, these meetings would just be for adults who would like to be baptized. However, these classes would be great to attend for anyone who would like to relearn the basics of the faith. Anyone who has attended or helped with RCIA before knows the value of simply hearing what we believe, and I have known people who like to attend these programs for many years in a row because they get something new learning about the faith each time.

Second, once a month on Tuesdays, Jeff is going to pilot a program called CARE (Continuing Adult Religious Education). The purpose of this program is to continue the formation of Catholics. He will cover varying topics centered around the Catechism itself.

If you are interested in any of these programs, feel free to reach out to me at the Parish Office or by email toddcarterpriest@gmail.com and I will put you in touch with Jeff. I do not yet want to announce where exactly these programs will be held because we are still figuring out available meeting spaces and schedules.

God bless!

Fr. Carter

P.S. Speaking of adult catechesis, Kim DiBiase has been doing a wonderful job running the Great Adventure Bible Study on Wednesdays. Stay tuned for information on the new session we will start this Fall.