Generations of Faith is our parish Lifelong Faith Formation process. It includes school-age children, their parents, their grandparents, retired couples, newlyweds, parents of toddlers, single adults...in short, any member of the parish interested in learning more about their Catholic faith and deepening their relationship with God. It is also the Faith Formation (religious education) program for the children of the parish.

It is in response to these three ideas that Generations of Faith was developed. It is a process wherein we strive to help families with children to teach and live the faith with their children, and to help adult participants to go beyond the "catechism" we all learned as children and enrich their faith. We do this in monthly evening sessions, starting at 5:30 PM on the first Wednesday of each month, starting with a meal together. This social aspect of Generations is an important way of building community, and makes the evening fun.

After dinner, we pray and then learn a little about what the topic for the evening will be. These topics are part of a six-year cycle of Church knowledge and practice. Then we usually break into groups: two or three groups of families with school-age children and an adults-only group for further study. When we have these breakout groups, babysitting is available for parents of babies or toddlers if they want to participate in the adult learning section. In the breakouts, the topic of the night is developed more fully. Occasionally the evening's format changes: we might all stay together in a large group, or we might go around to different "learning centers," depending on the topic of the night. After about an hour, we gather together for some follow-up, reflection, and a closing prayer.

Every family or individual who attends receives a "take-home kit" - usually a bag with some reading material for the adults, some family reading or projects for children or teens, and some activity pages for the children based on the gospels of the upcoming month. Sometimes there is an object, such as a crucifix or an Advent wreath or even a refrigerator magnet, that serves in the home as a visual reminder of what we have talked about or who we are. We try to incorporate the monthly Generations ideas and even songs into the liturgy of the parish during that month also.

To cover the cost of food and the learning materials in the event itself, as well as in the take-home kits, we ask participants to offer $10 per family and $5 per single person each time they attend. There are also free-will offering baskets placed on the food serving tables. However, nobody is ever excluded if they cannot afford to pay – everyone is welcome.

Not only do we need teachers and assistants for the learning part of Generations, but there is a need for people to help with cooking and serving the dinners (usually simple meals), donating desserts, cleaning up in the kitchen, stuffing take-home kits, setting up the hall and babysitting. People can help all year or sign on for one session. Most importantly, we want people to come! Call Cathy Jayjack at the Education Office at 323-1163 to help or to register to attend.