WELCOME

PARISH COMMITTEES

EVENTS

RESOURCES

CALENDAR

Lifelong Faith Formation

Holy Eucharist Parish is committed to lifelong faith formation at every age and every stage of life. Our goal is to form a community of faith that assists our members to open their hearts and minds to experience the Kingdom of God in our midst. Through the proclamation of God’s Word, the celebration of the Sacraments, and by sharing our gifts, our hope is to make the kingdom more visible thus contributing to a more just and peaceful society.

For over thirty years the Catholic Church has offered a comprehensive and compelling vision of faith formation and learning — lifelong, for all ages and generations, rooted in the life of the Church. In embracing the vision of faith formation in the Vatican documents and the General Directory for Catechesis, Holy Eucharist is moving toward a “whole church, model of faith formation. We realize that faith formation is not just for children. In a recent document entitled: “Diocese of Trenton, Catechetical Plan” the document calls for serious movement within the parishes to strengthen Adult Faith Formation. “Adult catechesis should be the organizing principle, which gives coherence to the various catechetical programs offered by a particular Church.. . This is the axis around which revolves the catechesis of childhood and adolescence as well as that of old age.” NDC, pg. 188

In light of the catechetical texts that have been outlined in the above-mentioned documents, the schooling model of faith formation with the classroom and textbook based methodology is being seriously reviewed both nationally and internationally. Parents need to be empowered to live out the promises made at their child’s Baptism to “be the first and foremost teachers of the faith and to keep the flame of faith alive.” (Rite of Baptism.)

At this time Faith Formation at Holy Eucharist is based on two options: Faith Fest an Intergenerational Experience of Family and Individuals and Traditional Classroom Schooling Model with Children and Catechist.

Faith Fest option is based on the Generations of Faith approach, which integrates home and parish into a comprehensive model of faith formation. Empowering and equipping individuals and families to live their faith at home and in the world are constitutive of this approach to faith formation. The Generations approach views the family as the church of the home and a community of learning and practice. The parish-wide focus on a common theme helps build a partnership between the home and the parish. Our aim is to bring about in the believer an ever more mature faith in Jesus Christ, a deeper knowledge and love of his person and message, and a firm commitment to follow him.

The Classroom Schooling model of Faith Formation invites the child into a program of learning catechesis, prayer, sacramental preparation, and Catholic doctrine.

Holy Eucharist provides preparation for sacraments and assists parents in preparing their child for those peak moments on the faith journey — the sacraments of initiation: Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, as well as other sacraments and special events. We also offer days of reflection for the children and parents in both experiences.

Both our Family Experience (Faith Fest) and our Classroom Schooling Experience programs reflects our aim to inform, form and transform individuals, families and the entire community in the Catholic Faith.

There are additional opportunities for adults to grow in their knowledge, understanding, and practice of the Catholic faith. Holy Eucharist offers the following programs:

Baptism
We want to welcome parents, whether birth parents, or adoptive parents, whether couples or a single parent, whether their child is an infant or is already exploring their new world, whether as parents their faith is strong or they are just beginning to make it their own, whether they as a family share the same religious background or they come from very different religious traditions. Holy Eucharist parish provides one evening of catechesis on the sacrament of baptism especially for parents and godparents so that they might enter more deeply into the experience of baptism and thereby participate more fully and consciously in the baptism of their child or children. Our program wants to provide an opportunity to parents to take the time out to reflect on their own journey of faith, affording parents the opportunity to meet and interact with other families in the parish and thereby strengthen their sense of belonging to the community, and to offer both prayer and support of the parish community.

The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)
Adults who are unbaptized or baptized in another Christian faith tradition and seek to embrace the Catholic faith, participate in an initiation process called RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults). Adults are fully initiated into the Catholic Church during this process, celebrating Baptism, if needed, Confirmation, and First Eucharist. Holy Eucharist offers a year round RCIA process, so a person may enter the first phase, at any time throughout the year. Inquirers bring their questions about Christianity and Catholicism to the meetings, which are led by members of the RCIA team.

Growing In Faith Together (GIFT)
Our parish Adult Faith Formation ministry (GIFT) provides a broad approach to discipleship that is rooted in the life of the Church, equips people to participate meaningfully in the life of the Church. Adults may inquire about GIFT and also register for our intergenerational Faith Fest gatherings on an annual basis.

Marriage Encounter

Marriage Encounter is designed to give married couples the opportunity to examine their lives together.