Cafe

The above logo is a new advertising initiative for adult education in parishes, regions, and the diocese. CAFÉ (Catholic Adult Formation and Education) is intended as a continuing overview brand name for adult education/faith formation efforts. It is being used by parishes and regions to publicize program offerings.

The cup of warm coffee with the Holy Spirit in its midst is meant to suggest that adult education/faith formation is inviting and enriching, offers nourishment and community, and is engaging and adds meaning to life. Look for this logo and the publicity in your parish about various opportunities for ongoing adult education/faith formation. Explore the length and depth of your Catholic faith and how it connects to the various aspects of your daily life.

Each month this article will list a number of adult education/faith formation opportunities across the diocese as well a resource or program idea to consider.

As the CAFÉ logo indicates and Jane Regan, a popular author and speaker has said, "adults learn best when they are in conversation with other adults about things that matter."

CAFÉ Idea Box #1
Any individual can connect with the Catholic Church and any individual or parish can reach inactive Catholics by using an internet resource from St. Anthony Messenger Press. OnceCatholic.org is a welcoming interactive Web community. It puts people in touch with online resources related to various reasons individuals are no longer active in the Church. Access their site at www.oncecatholic.org.

You can:
get a stack of postcards about this web site to mail to individuals
post the website address in your parish bulletin and encourage parishioners to share it with inactive family members and friends
put this link on your parish web page for any visitor to find.

Consider this one concrete action for your parish evangelization effort.

CAFÉ Idea Box #2
A practical resource for personal use, RCIA, or small faith communities is Quest, a reflection booklet which breaks open the Sunday readings. For those using it privately, this booklet:

gives a short explanation of the readings
a few reflection questions
some suggestions for individual response in daily life

For those using it for RCIA or small faith communities, it provides:
tactics for innovative gathering
an opening prayer
commentary on the Sunday readings
scripture sharing and reflection
faith sharing and reflection
response in action
sending forth closing prayer

This booklet comes out three timkes each year to include all the readings of the liturgical cycle. Call the Pastoral Department for Small Christian Communities at the Archdiocese of Hartford, Connecticut, 860-243-9642.

CAFÉ Idea Box #3
Looking for adult lectionary-based materials? FREE copies of SUNDAY BY SUNDAY issues for Lent are available from Good Ground Press by calling 800-232-5533. SUNDAY BY SUNDAY is a weekly scripture study program that invites adults to reflect on the Sunday readings. It is used by RCIA, small Christian communities, post-Renew and in other faith-sharing groups. If you would like four free sessions of SUNDAY BY SUNDAY to use with your entire group, call: 800-232-5533 or visit www.goodgroundpress.com. For questions about adult education/faith formation resources or programs, contact: Pete Ries at 517-342-2486.

CAFE Idea Box #4
Consider The Growing Faith Project, adult faith formation in 48 thematic booklets by Bill Huebsch of Twenty-Third Publications. There is flexibility for multiple usages of this easy to read/discussion material. Some DREs use it for parents in family religious education programs. Topics can be arranged in short adult faith formation series by Directors of Adult Faith Formation. The material can enhance certain aspects of the RCIA. Call: 800-321-0411 for more information.

CAFE Idea Box #5
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, gives adult faith formation program leaders an opportunity for some innovative programming around a popular movie heavily laden with Christian values. Consider the resource, A Guide to Narnia: 100 Questions about the Chronicles of Narnia, Ascension Press, 800-376-0520, www.ascensionpress.com. Free discussion guides are at www.narniaresources.com/downloads.

CAFE Idea Box #6
Occasional bulletin inserts can be a way to provide ongoing adult education/faith formation which parishioners can do according to their own personal schedules. Resources for Christian Living (RCL) (800-822-6701) and St. Anthony Messenger Press (800-488-0488) provide a number of such resources. Every Day Catholic from St. Anthony Messenger Press is a four page, one sheet monthly insert. It is professionally laid out with 4-color print. Produced for busy people, it includes 6 short sections which relate faith to daily life. Single subscriptions are $14.00 per year. Multiple subscriptions quickly reduce that price. A parish can get 300 copies per month for one year for $75 a month.

CAFE Idea Box #7
The release of the movie The Da Vinci Code in May, 2006, became an opportunity for faith formation prompted by what is happening in daily life. The book of the same name was a best seller over the last 2-3 years. It has and will cause questions about basic beliefs of our faith. Some parishes scheduled adult faith formation events regarding The Da Vinci Code. For resources that could be helpful in this area, consider the following:
* pamphlet The Da Vinci Code: The Facts Behind the Fiction of the Bestselling Novel, by Amy Welborn, Our Sunday Visitor, 2004, 800-348-2440
* the book De-Coding Davinci: The Facts Behind the Fiction of the DaVinci Code, by Amy Welborn, Our Sunday Visitor, 2004, 800-348-2440
* the book Mary of Magdala, revised edition, What the DaVinci Code Misses, by mar Thompson, Paulist Press, 2006, 800-218-1903

CAFE Idea Box #8
The movie, The Nativity Story, gives adult faith formation program leaders an opportunity for some innovative programming built around a current popular movie heavily laden with Christian values and references to our faith. Two resources for personal and small group use include: The Nativity Story: Contemplating Mary's Journeys of Faith and The Nativity Story: A Film Study Guide for Catholics. The first contains eleven chapters each written from a different perspective by eleven women. Reflection/discussion questions follow each chapter. The second resource contains a) an introduction to the film, b) a personal film study guide with scripture study, journaling questions and film study questions, c) a group study guide laid out in five thematic sections with discussion questions and d) a whole community catechesis approach with a process and key questions for adults, teens and children for the Sunday readings from the First Sunday of Advent through Epiphany. These resources can be ordered from Pauline Books and Media at 312-346-4228.