"Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction."
~ Pope Benedict XVI, "Deus Caritas Est"
Faith Formation
for the Whole Family
Every family grows in faith in a unique way, and we’re here to support you on that journey. Whether you're just getting started or looking to go deeper, we want to walk alongside you. We use warm, easy-to-use resources from Faith and Family Life Catholic Ministries' program Pathways to help guide the way.
This year, we will explore their chapters "Mend" and "Nourish," focusing on the sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist. We will also offer Community Gatherings, providing a casual environment for families to come together and enrich their faith through conversation.
Building a solid foundation of our faith starts at home, and
Pathways
does just that through user-friendly at-home family meetings. Many parents have expressed their gratitude for these intimate family moments that have fostered a bond and growth in faith. These will continue, but this year we will also host some of the family meetings at church, to provide support for your family to grow in faith, as well as some introduction to community prayer.
Faith Formation is meant to help the whole family grow together in their walk with the Lord.
Pathways
offers resources and tools for parents and children to grow in faith together at home while also sharing the love and joy of Christ as a community at Church. The activities are designed to help families draw closer to God and to discover His loving presence in their daily lives. Through this journey, we hope each family feels inspired to live out their faith and to share God’s love with others.
With Mend and Nourish, families encounter Jesus and discover the beauty of Reconciliation and the Eucharist through hands-on activities and engaging conversation. We'll see how to experience more deeply God's forgiveness in the sacrament of Reconciliation and the new life He gives us in the Eucharist.
Sacrament Preparations
Mass Attendance
The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. As such, weekly attendance at the Sunday Mass is the single most important thing we do as Catholics. At Mass we are reminded of our identity, through the sacred scriptures, and we receive Christ’s very Self in the mystery of the sacrament of the Eucharist. With this in mind, we’ve incorporated Mass attendance as a fundamental component of our Faith Formation program.
Participation in Sunday Mass is a vital part of Faith Formation, just as conversing in a language is an essential part of learning that language. All families are asked to begin the habit of attending Sunday Mass as part of the program. Our Faith Formation classes are designed to coordinate with the morning Mass times.
First Holy Communion
The sacrament of Reconciliation, or Confession, prepares us to encounter the Lord with holy joy. We’re all works-in-progress, and each of us sins; confession keeps us accountable to God and to the community of Faith, while restoring us to God’s good graces by receiving His healing forgiveness. Before receiving Holy Communion, each child celebrates the sacrament of Reconciliation as (s)he grows in personal responsibility for his/her behavior and to experience the mercy of the God of love.
The Eucharist is the most special sacrament, in which Christ himself is contained, offered and received, and by which the Church constantly lives and grows. The Eucharistic sacrifice, the memorial of the death and resurrection of the Lord, in which the sacrifice of the cross is perpetuated over the centuries, is the summit and source of all Christian life and worship; it signifies and effects the unity of the people of God and achieves the building up of the Body of Christ.
Children, typically in Grades 1 and 2, are invited to participate, along with their parents, in a two-year program that prepares them for the reception of both the sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist. The program consists of home learning, church sessions, weekly Mass, and participation in special gatherings and parent/child retreats. See calendar for class schedule.
To learn more about our 2-year sacrament preparation, email Debora Robertson to schedule a chat at dspairani@goodshepherdwayland.org
Confirmation
The sacrament of Confirmation seals the gifts first given to us in baptism. When we’re baptized, we’re drawn into God’s family as sharers of Christ’s own life; Confirmation equips us to go forth and bear witness to the Good News of the Risen Christ. The Christian is more than just a believer; (s)he is a disciple of the Lord Jesus who lives the Faith in worship, service to others in the Name of Christ, and by living according to the virtues. In Confirmation, we’re given the gifts of the Holy Spirit needed to make Christ present in our world today through our own lives, shaped according to the example He left us, going forth from worship to glorify God by our lives.
At Good Shepherd, the Confirmation Preparation Process is a two-year process for all young people (in public, private, or Catholic schools, or homeschool) and is open to those starting in grade 7. See calendar for class schedule.
To learn more about our 2-year sacrament preparation, email Debora Robertson for a chat at dspairani@goodshepherdwayland.org
Baptismal Record
Families preparing for First Holy Communion or Confirmation, if any of your children were baptized outside of this parish, (and you have not already requested a copy of that child’s baptismal record be sent to us) then you will need to call the parish where the child was baptized and request an official certificate with church seal. Confirmation students should request a long-form baptismal certificate that also lists date of First Holy Communion. Please have the certificate mailed to:
Good Shepherd Parish Office, Attn: Kat Holmstrom, 99 Main St., Wayland, MA 01778.
More Questions?
Schedule a visit to learn more about the program. Email Debora Robertson at dspairani@goodshepherdwayland.org