Formation in The Catholic Faith

The Second Vatican Council in the document Gaudium et Spes reminds us that the Church exists in order to evangelise. In other words the church exists to help us come into, and grow, in relationship with Jesus Christ. At St Anthony's we strive to achieve this goal through the various faith formation programmes on offer.

For example:

Baptism preparation courses for people expecting a child
The Catechesis programme for the children in the age group 3-12 years
The Confirmation programme, with the active participation and involvement of the Parish Priest, which ensures a thorough preparation of teenage candidates for their Full Initiation into the Catholic Faith
Youth programmes and activities for our youth and young adults
An RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) process for adults who wish to be baptised and confirmed. This process is also used for people who have been baptised in another church and who wish to become Catholic.
The opportunity for adults to constantly update and grow in knowledge and understanding of their faith through their active participation in Small Christian Communities.
Why Catholic - a programme based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church

CATECHESIS AND THE FAMILY

Teaching Children Hands The family is the fundamental environment for catechesis. The Second Vatican Council’s declaration on Christian education puts it very clearly: “Parents must be acknowledged as the first and foremost educators of their children. The role of parents in education is of such importance that it is almost impossible to provide an adequate substitute” (Gravissimum Educationis No 3).
The General Directory for Catechesis presents the family as a source of catechesis which holds a privileged position. It states that the family is in the unique position to teach the Gospel by rooting it in profound human values. It lists the awakening of a sense of God, the first steps in prayer, the education of a Christian conscience, formation in the Christian sense of love as examples of Christian education which is ‘more witnessed than taught.’ Sensitive to the contemporary breakdown in family life in international culture, the GDC emphasizes the growing importance of the faith of grandparents in family catechesis. It states, “their wisdom and sense of the religious is often decisive in creating a true Christian climate. (GDC No 255).

CATECHESIS AND THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PARISH AND THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY

The parish is the primary place where the Christian community “is formed and expressed”. The General Directory of Catechesis states that the Christian Community is the “the origin, locus [place] and goal of catechesis” (GDC 254) and therefore, it is the “usual place in which the faith is born and in which it grows” (GDC 257).