Faith Formation

“By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.” (Jn 15:8)

We are loved into being by God who desires that we share in and enjoy the abundance of His very life.  This is the “Great Good News”!  Faith is both a gift from God as well as our human response that draws us into a deep personal relationship with God and an assent to God’s truth.  As Christians, our faith is lived in discipleship to Jesus Christ in our own human situation and time.  As disciples, we become increasingly centered in Jesus Christ and on God’s Kingdom and are accompanied by others with whom we share the journey of faith development and growth in Christian maturity.

The vision of faith formation for St. Ignatius Loyola Parish is expressed by the phrase in our mission, “community of disciples”.  We are a community that fosters lifelong learning and growth in discipleship by placing adult faith formation at the core of parish life.  In their document, Our Hearts are Burning Within Us, the Roman Catholic Bishops of the United States called for a lifelong process “by which people consciously grow in the life of Christ through experience, reflection, prayer and study”. (OWHB, p.2) In the same document, they insisted that the development of a living, explicit and fruitful adult faith requires growth in:

  1. Knowledge of the faith
  2. Liturgical life
  3. Moral formation
  4. Prayer
  5. Communal life
  6. Service and evangelization

St. Ignatius Loyola Parish has a long tradition of providing faith formation for adults.  Presently, Knowledge of the faith is initiated through the RCIA program.  It is enhanced through the “Fordham on Park” courses in Adult Faith Formation; Bible Study; Religion and Culture Lectures in collaboration with the Metropolitan Museum of Art; the Bicentennial Lecture Series; and Book Clubs.  Programs in Spirituality such as: retreats, spiritual direction, Centering Prayer; Prayer Workshops; Taize Prayer around the Cross; Vespers in Advent and Lent as well as the Christian Life Communities foster growth in relationship with both God and the community.  Service and moral formation is at the heart of the Ignatian Teens, Ignatian Young Adults, Ignatian Social Justice, and Pax Christi, as well as the Outreach Programs of Pastoral Care of the Sick and Bereavement Ministries.