PROGRAM PHILOSOPHY
Philosophy
Our program is designed to prepare families and children to embrace the Sunday liturgy and apply the lessons of the Gospel to their daily lives. Living Grace connects literature and the art of storytelling to the lessons of the weekly Gospel story, providing families a shared experience from which to discuss and apply the lessons of the liturgy. The program seeks to grow a parish into the active Body of Christ, a living Eucharistic people, breaking open their lives to be Christ in the world today.
Program Outcomes
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Grows Christian Character rooted in Gospel Values
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Grows relationship to Scriptures through studying the upcoming Sunday Gospel
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Improves the liturgical experience of the child and family through preparation
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Offers a Whole Community Experience with an intergenerational focus
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Gives parents a cultural context to have discussions of faith with their children
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Invites transformational growth leading to Christian Maturity
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Inspiration
From the Eucharistic Prayer of the Didache, the first instructions handed to Christians from the Apostles, over the broken bread say, "We give you thanks, Father, for the life and the knowledge which you have revealed to us through Jesus your servant. To you be glory forever. As this broken bread scattered on the mountains was gathered and became one, so too, may your Church be gathered together from the ends of the earth into your kingdom For glory and power are yours through Jesus Christ forever.”
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PROGRAM APPROACH
THE POWER OF STORY: What sets Living Grace apart from other faith formation programs, is the way that it connects popular children’s literature with the themes of the Sunday Gospels. By paralleling the theme of each Gospel with a children’s story, Living Grace gives parents a cultural context and comfortable language in which to have discussions of faith with their children. The program communicates that the world is good through integrating secular children’s stories, filled with rich meaning and beautiful illustrations, that mirror the message of the Gospel. Children learn to see “God in all” building a healthy and holistic worldview. Each lesson teaches as Jesus did, through stories that illuminate the Gospel message within the cultural context of the day.
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HOLISTIC: This innovative program calls upon the arts and behavioral sciences creating a fresh approach to Catholic catechesis, theology, and spirituality. It encourages a healthy and vibrant psychology, sociology, and ecclesiology in today’s Catholic life. Catering to a variety of learning styles, Living Grace effectively conveys each lesson through multiple intelligences. Catechesis is centered on the liturgy as the source and summit of our faith, bringing the Sunday Gospel into the human experience. The Christian message will be experienced and integrated in ongoing ways throughout the week.
FAMILY CENTERED: Each week, the program prepares participants for a rich experience based on the Sunday Gospel. Children and families grow in their relationship to Scripture by engaging in the related themes through many wells of human experience. The whole family works on the same themes together, growing toward greater participation in the call of the Gospel. The shared preparation and exploration of the Gospel creates a readiness to be receptive to the Sunday liturgy.
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OUTCOME BASED: Living Grace fosters a sense of wonder about the Catholic faith. When nurtured and developed, this leads to ongoing formation and Christian maturity. The program invites participants into an experiential approach to faith formation by activating grace within the hearer of the Word of God. These inner movements invite transformational growth in the lives of our families and communities. The call is to become “doers“ of the Word, not just “hearers”. Grace, when activated, grows into the fruits of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. This is evidenced by growth within the child and family of well-formed Christian character rooted in Gospel values, thus setting the foundation for strong moral development. Liturgical experience is highly improved through preparation, so that the fruit of the liturgy roots itself deeper within the lives of members of the faith community, leading to true transformation and nourishment as Catholic Christians. This program approach gives parents tools to fully nurture their children in the Catholic tradition, growing them into the very best version of themselves.
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STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
A PATHWAY TO GRACE & GROWTH
THE SANDHOFF LILLIES ~ MALTEHOHE, NAMBIA
The phenomena of the Sandhoff Lilies occurs only about once every seven years, when over 1,700 acres of clay plain in the southern region of Namibia, burst forth into fields of thoursands of lilies from dry, barren desert soil after the rains. The lilies bloom to their full potential only when climate conditions work together to create these fields of natural wonder and beauty.
This is the purpose of LIVING GRACE. Like the lily seeds that lay dormant in the cracked desert floor - God is always present in our individual lives, our families, and our communities - just in need of the right mix of nourishment to burst forth into the fullness of life.
LIVING GRACE stimulates knowledge and understanding of our Catholic wisdom, tradition, and liturgy. We call forth the love and faith of parents, catechists, and the entire faith community to work together in growing the fullness of God’s beauty, gifts, grace, love, and life within each person and family.
LIVING GRACE grows the human person fully alive, a wellspring of living the Good News, growing into the Body of Christ, and becoming sources of inspiration and life for the world.
