Dear Parish Family,
Last week, I shared my gratitude for your support as we completed our first year of Family Life Catechesis here at Mary, Mother of Our Savior Parish. Today, I would like to share more about the program that will guide us in the year ahead and why this shift in faith formation is so vital in our time.
We will be using Loyola Press’ Christ Our Life series, authored by the Sisters of Notre Dame of Chardon, Ohio. This newly updated program is rooted in the kerygma the joyful proclamation of Jesus Christ and equips children and families to live as missionary disciples. With a full integration of multimedia resources videos, audio, animations, and interactive activities Christ Our Life makes the faith accessible, engaging, and memorable for families.
But more than a program, Family Life Catechesis represents a needed renewal in how the Church hands on the faith. We live in a hyper-secularized culture where the faith can no longer be assumed or left to Sunday Mass and occasional religious instruction. If we hope to reach the next generation, parents must once again take up their irreplaceable role as the primary teachers of the faith. No parish program, no priest, and no catechist can substitute for the daily witness of mothers and fathers who model prayer, forgiveness, and love of Christ in the home.
This is why Family Life Catechesis matters so deeply. It places the parish at the service of families, giving parents the tools and confidence to pass on the faith in ways that truly shape their children’s hearts. As Sister Jane Marie Reisinger, S.N.D., who helped author Christ Our Life, explains: “The Christ Our Life series gives each student the proper footing needed for faith-filled living. It helps catechists form students to pray, to love others, to live with a sense of morality, and hopefully to leave the Church and world better than they found it.”
I invite all families to join us for the very first session of Family Life Catechesis on Sunday, September 21st as we begin a new year together.
May this year be one in which parents are strengthened, children are inspired, and our parish family grows even more firmly rooted in Christ.
Your Servant in Christ,
Father Jason C. Hage, Pastor
Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us!
Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us!
Mary, Mother of Our Savior, pray for us!