The Fundamentals of Being Catholic

The Details

Dates:

Time:

Location:
Fee:
Childcare:

Registration: Sundays; April 13, 20 and 27 and
May 4, 11 and 18
6:30–7:45pm (after 5:00pm Mass
and our weekly Sunday night dinner)
Pax Christi (exact room TBA)
No Charge
Free and available for all sessions. Contact Kate Gartin, 952-405-7242, one week prior to session.
These are stand-alone presentations. Attend all six or as many as you choose. Pre-registration is not required. Open to all adults.
The Fundamentals
of Being Catholic

A six-week series of talks designed to help you better understand the basics of your Catholic faith - to help you answer some of those "big" questions about being a Catholic:

Why am I Catholic? What does it mean to be Catholic? How do I evangelize? Am I supposed to be converting people to be Catholic? What does Vatican II mean? Do I have to do good things to be saved and go to Heaven? Why do we pray? Do Catholics pray to Mary? What is Mary's role in the church? Why do we talk about the saints?

If someone - a friend, a child, a co-worker or a relative - asked you a question about being Catholic or the Catholic Church, would you have an accurate answer? Would your response begin, "Well, I've always thought…"

Many Catholics spend their lives without answers to questions about their church and their faith. But the Bible teaches us that we must seek true answers: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all ways acknowledge God, and God will direct your paths. –Proverbs 3:5-6

Some of us learned the answers, but may have forgotten them. Some of us have never had the opportunity to learn. Some of us learned one thing as kids, but things may have changed. Whatever the reason, you have the opportunity to seek faithful answers to these questions - and many others - this spring! Think of it as spring cleaning for your faith, spring training for your journey as a Catholic.

Week One: April 13    –Vicki Klima
What Catholics Believe and Why
This week could be titled, "getting down to brass tacks!" What are the pillars of the Catholic Church? We'll talk about current teaching regarding what we really believe as Catholics, and the reasons upon which those beliefs are based. Why do Catholics not need to be born again? Why do we confess to a priest? What is transubstantiation?

Week Two: April 20      –Fr. Bill Murtaugh
Prayer and the Holy Spirit
Prayer is a pathway to God. Discover or affirm what prayer means in your daily life as a Catholic. What happens when we pray? We'll also find out more about the Holy Spirit: Who/what is the Holy Spirit? What place does the Holy Spirit have in your life?

Week Three: April 27      –Fr. Steve McMichael
Mary and the Saints
Learn about the historical and contemporary role of Mary and the saints in the Catholic Church. Do Catholics pray to Mary and the saints? How can Mary help us in our spiritual journey? Why are Mary and the saints important to our faith life? Are we supposed to be going to church on Holy Days?

Week Four: May 4
Catholics and the Bible
No worries: There won't be a quiz! Learn about the role of the Bible in the Catholic church and why tradition is important in our faith. What does the Bible say about knowing scripture and tradition?

Week Five: May 11
The Beatitudes
Pax Christi was founded on Christ's Sermon on the Mount. This part of Matthew's Gospel begins with the Beatitudes - a litany of blessings on the poor, the sick, the sorrowful, and the forgotten people who work in Jesus' name. Why did Pax Christi's founders choose the Beatitudes to speak for our community? What does that say about us?

Week Six: May 18
Vatican II
In our closing session, we will revisit how Vatican II changed the Catholic church. Pax Christi Catholic Community was founded almost 20 years after Vatican II. What does it mean to be a post-Vatican II Catholic community?

For additional information, contact Michael Griffin, Director of Faith Formation, 952-405-7230, or mgriffin@paxchristi.com.

Click here to download and print an Adult Faithformation Program Comment Card.