CCD - Sneak Peek
Last week many NFL teams started their training camps for the upcoming season and our catechists came together to meet for the second time this year to discuss our upcoming season, if you will, in Building Up the Body of Christ. Just like in sports, players get pumped up for their games because the fans are excited, and they bring their energy to their team to play. I can tell you that our catechists are ready to teach. They are pumped!
I was so energized by our team of catechists after our meeting last Monday, that I only slept about 4 hours that night. Their enthusiasm for their love of Christ and eagerness in teaching of our faith was invigorating. The love for the journey they are embarking on for this upcoming year was transparent. I am extremely excited to be working alongside them in evangelizing our youth, instilling a moral compass so that they may face the various challenges that life throws at them.
In our meeting we discussed changes to our program, meeting rooms, goals, and everything in between. We have a team made up of “veteran” catechists and “rookies.” It has been great to see the teamwork that has been displayed and how each one is feeding off each other. As someone new in this role, it has truly been a blessing to find a group of people all with the same goals.
The program that has been created at Our Lady of Perpetual Help is a Family Catechesis model. This model is designed to invite parents to grow in their own understanding of their faith while at the same time taking an active role in their child’s faith formation.
We have a lot in store for this upcoming year. We are incorporating a number of innovative ideas while also creating outreach initiatives that are designed to help our families on their journey in following Jesus’ teachings and living out their faith. These initiatives are designed to aid in living out their faith by their works. We read in St. James 2:18, “But someone will say, “One person has faith, another has actions.” My answer is, “Show me how anyone can have faith without actions. I will show you my faith by my actions.”
Finally, as I am writing this, I realized that I am just speaking about meeting with our first through sixth grade catechists. I still need to meet with our seventh and eighth grade catechist team as well as our youth group leaders. This is going to be an exciting year! If you know a child that has not yet registered for our PREP program and/or if you want to join in the excitement or know someone who does, please reach out to me at the rectory.
Enjoy the rest of your summer!
God bless,
John G. Napoli
