Dear Friends,
I have been asked to be in charge of the Confirmation Preparation for our High School
Students. I very much look forward to working with our youth as well as the parents to
help form them into their adult faith. I have been surprised to find that many people in
their Catholic faith never learned more than they did in grade school! Think about it. Is
it true for you? Have you continue to really learn substantially about your faith? Have
you taken any classes? Read any books with depth?
My favorite thing about priesthood is taking people deeper. This is
the most important thing in life… actually the only important thing
in life. So I encourage you to take every opportunity you can to
learn about your faith. It will only enrich your life, deepen your
prayer, join you more fully to the community, and help you to
become the person that you were always created to be.
This past world youth day our Holy Father, Pope Benedict,
encouraged the teens to really learn their faith. Here’s an excerpt
for the special catechism that was given to teens at World Youth
Day:
“So I invite you: Study this Catechism! That is my heartfelt desire. This
Catechism was not written to please you. It
will not make life easy for you, because it
demands of you a new life. It places before
you the Gospel message as the ‘pearl of
great value’ (Mt 13:46) for which you must
give everything. So I beg you: Study this
Catechism with passion and perseverance.”
“Yes, you need to be more deeply rooted in
the faith than the generation of your
parents so that you can engage the
challenges and temptations of this time
with strength and determination.”
If you do not have a catechism or have never read it, I highly
encourage you to get a copy. I think the best one by far is the
Catechism of the Catholic Church. They have also developed
companions to the Catechism which make it more accessible. There
, the
is a special one for adults United States Catholic Catechism for Adults
brand new one for teens YOUCAT and my personal favorite This Is Our Faith: A Catholic Catechism for
by Michael Pennock.
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I believe that every Catholic Household should have a bible as well
as a Catechism, because scripture and tradition are the two wings to
our faith. We need them both. We need to know them both, love
them both, and share them both with our children. And with both
the bible and the Catechism, they were never meant to be
interpreted alone, but in the community. That will be the focus of
the Confirmation Program and hopefully the focus of your family
life, that we may grow together sharing our love for Scripture and Tradition.
-Fr. Michael
Cathecism of the Catholic Church:
http://www.amazon.com/Catechism-Catholic-Church-U-S/dp/0385479670
This is Our Faith
1http://www.amazon.com/This-Our-Faith-Catholic-Catechism/dp/0877936536/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1314753368&sr=1-1
