As a Catholic parish community, St. Bartholomew is committed to providing total and lifelong faith formation for all people. We take seriously the challenge of Vatican II to provide formation for our community so that we can all become “full, conscious and active participants” in carrying out the mission and ministry of Jesus.
Based on the bishops’ Pastoral Plan for Adult Faith Formation in the United States, Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us, adult faith formation in our parish community appropriates the three major goals that guide and direct efforts in adult faith formation:
1. To Invite and Enable Ongoing Conversion to Jesus in Holiness of Life.
2. To Promote and Support Active Membership in the Christian Community.
3. To Call and Prepare Adults to Act as Disciples in Mission to the World.
To accomplish these goals we offer many and various spiritual and educational opportunities. We do this in a manner that is accessible to adults, always relating our common baptismal call to our life experience in both church and world. Christian faith formation provides adults with methods of exploring and reflecting on our faith, enabling them to forge their own path to God while helping them form their consciences according to the teachings and example of Jesus. Adult faith formation integrates actual life experience, diverse adult learning needs, the study of Scripture, and the teaching of the Church’s tradition, thus creating an environment that promotes intellectual, moral, and spiritual faith development.
All adult faith development aims at forming Christians to be followers of Christ immersed in the world to carry on the mission and ministry of Jesus. Whether you have been a faithful Catholic or have recently joined or returned to your faith, whether you attended Catholic schools or religious education/faith formation as a child, there is still so much to learn about Catholicism. We, at St. Bartholomew, invite you to take an active part in our faith formation opportunities and programs. Come and see. Come and be fed. Come, learn and reflect with us on how we can be more effective disciples of Christ in both church and world.
The Catholic Church always welcomes new members into its community. The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is the present-day process by which adult men and women can explore the Catholic faith, and make a decision to become Catholic.
Through RCIA, individuals are introduced to the life of the Catholic Church through catechesis (teaching the faith), liturgy (worship), scripture (reading the Bible), prayer and community development. This is accomplished by attending classes on Sunday and participating in Mass. Several volunteer and prayer experiences are scheduled on the weekends as well. The next session for the RCIA will begin online on Sunday, August 16, 2020 at 11am until we can meet in-person again.
If you are interested or would like more information, please contact, Kellie De Leo. To register, please complete the following forms and return to the Faith Formation Office.
We look forward to journeying with you as you prepare for Confirmation. The sacraments of the Church presuppose faith. Knowledge informs faith and in turn, faith informs action. In order for us to approach the sacraments we need to understand what we are receiving, what the spiritual gains are, as well as the expectations. Our 10 week preparation provides a solid foundation to help us understand and ready us for the sacrament of Confirmation.
Our next preparation session will begin on Tuesday, February 16, 2021, and go through April 27, 2021. Confirmation will be sometime in May. We do ask for a donation of $110. For more information, please contact Kellie De Leo. To register, please complete the following form, adult confirmation registration form , and return it to the Faith Formation Office.
“All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching,
for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness,”
2 Timothy 3:16.
The 50+ Scripture Study explores both Scripture and Tradition as expressions of the Word of God. Scripture is the written account of God’s self revelation and Tradition is the living faith handed on from generation to generation. For Catholics, Scripture and Tradition are inseparable, forming one “sacred deposit of the Word of God” (CCC, 97). The 50+ Scripture Study meets every other Thursday morning from 8:30 to 10am in the Seton Room. For additional information contact Ted Flood. Click on 50+ Scripture Study to download a PDF copy of their brochure.
Gospel Hangout
Want to feel more connected to our parish during the pandemic? Join the Wednesday Night Bible study for Gospel Hangout via Zoom on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month. Gospel Hangout is not a Scripture study, rather it uses a reflection process (Lectio Divina for small groups) that invites participants to reflect on how Jesus in the gospels is intersecting with their lives at this moment. We begin at 6:45 pm for fellowship and at 7:00 pm we reflect and discuss the upcoming Sunday Gospel reading. To join the group and receive an email link to the Zoom meeting, contact Amparo Baldemor.
Periodically, we have guest speakers who lead us in retreat or talk on specific aspects of our faith helping us gain deeper appreciation and understanding.