Formed In Faith
Sharing the Word through Faith Formation, Archdiocese of Louisville
FORMED is now FREE for the next 40 days!!!
PCLs and other ministers, if you need ideas on how to use Formed with your parishioners contact Maureen Larison, mlarison@archlou.org.
This is a difficult and unprecedented time for all of us.
As Catholics, we are suddenly faced with our parish doors being locked and limited access to the sacraments. This can be very disheartening. Now more than ever, we must hold fast to the great virtue of Hope.
In the words of Pope St. John Paul II “Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors for Christ.” We must open the doors of our hearts to Christ and trust in the Lord who will give us everything we need.
In an effort to assist Catholics everywhere, we are opening our doors to make the FORMED platform free to everyone for the next 40 days. Sign up today and get immediate access to the best Catholic movies, faith formation videos, audio talks, and great children’s videos.
If you are a parent with children home from school, make sure to utilize our faith formation curriculum. If you are already a FORMED subscriber, please consider sharing this opportunity with your friends and loved ones.
Click the link below to access FORMED and connect with your faith via iOS, Android, desktop, connected TV (TVOS and ROKU) or XBOX.
As we are gathered together in our homes, this can be a tremendous opportunity to watch something as a family that will inspire hope and remind us all that the Lord will provide for us even through these difficult times.
Pray for us. We are praying for you.
— The FORMED Team
Cancelled Events
The office of Faith Formation has come to the decision that, in light of the increased precautions we are all asked to take to ensure public safety, the following programs will be cancelled.
Please continue to follow our blog and Facebook page for the most up to date information about classes and programs.
Coronavirus Response Lesson From Loyola Press
Coronavirus Response Lesson
From Loyola Press
To help schools and parishes provide continuity for their students and be constructively proactive no matter where children are spending their days, Loyola Press has created a special lesson as a companion to Growing with God: Safe and Sacred™ child safety and Catholic family living program.
This Coronavirus Response Lesson helps educators, catechists, or parents discuss the COVID-19 virus with children and teach them valuable skills. This lesson offers prevention and mitigation techniques based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance and includes a faith component to remind children of God’s unconditional love for them.
We hope these resources offer your community some comfort and hope during the current situation. Please feel free to send these resources to your community. For the most current information on the COVID-19 outbreak, please visit the CDC website.
Growing with GOD Coronavirus Response Lesson – Student Worksheet
Growing with GOD Coronavirus Response Lesson – Teacher/Catechist/Parent Pages
Growing with GOD Coronavirus Response Lesson – Lesson Resource
A Faith Response to the Coraonavirus
The coronavirus outbreak is stirring up anxiety,
confusion, and major inconveniences. It is a situation in which we can easily overreact or underreact. How can our faith tradition guide and comfort us
through this troubling time?
A good starting point is to remember that the most repeated phrase in the Bible is “Do not be afraid!” or “Have
no fear!” God probably sends us this message so frequently because fear is such a big part of human nature.
Fear can alert us to dangers in our lives to keep us safe,
but fear can also lead us astray, toward selfish responses.
Click here to view the entire article from The Pastoral Center.
Media and Online Class Options
**Updated 3/16/20
As of 3/16/20 all programs and classes from the Office of Faith Formation have been cancelled.
Our classes have NOT been cancelled. If you have registered to attend a class please plan to attend. If you are not able to attend contact our office to cancel your registration.
If you want to complete a class but aren’t comfortable joining a live class, look into taking one of our media or online options.
https://formedinfaith.wordpress.com/catechist-certification/media-options/
6 reasons why I ‘hate’ Lent (A tongue-in-cheek look at Lent)
By Cory Busse
This morning, my 10-year-old showed me an infographic on Lent.
An infographic.
On Lent.
There’s nothing quite like the innocence of a child and an illustrated guide to fasting and abstinence to remind me of all the reasons no one genuinely looks forward to this time of year.
Here are six reasons to hate how Lent forces us to be our best selves.
1. It reminds me that I’m not the center of the universe.
Give me Advent any day. Advent is fun. There’s a hustle and bustle about it. A person can really get swept up in the preparation and the lights and the magic and the promise of a new Baby Jesus. A Catholic — even a good, lifelong Catholic who went to eight years of Catholic elementary school and graduated from a reputable Catholic university — can get blissfully distracted by things like presents and trees and the familiar, comforting hymns at Mass. Advent is my jam. Lent has no such bells or whistles. Full of dirges and reflection, Lent only serves to distract me from my own self-absorption. It is — by a factor of a full two weeks — longer than Advent without any of the glib, sparkly diversions to take my mind off of Jesus. At least in the lead-up to Christmas, I can feel good about myself by dropping some change in a red kettle without really investing in a spirit of giving. Lent doesn’t allow me that kind of room to take my eye off the ball. Lent persistently reminds me that it’s not about me, but that it’s about Jesus and what his death and resurrection mean. And what fun is that?
Click here to continue reading.
New Orleans and the Catholic Imagination
I woke up this morning in northern Indiana, I felt deeply sad. Some might assume that it is the perma-cloud that has reasserted its wintry authority over South Bend. Some would tell me that it’s the pile of papers that must be graded over the next three days.
Both are wrong. It’s because today is Mardi Gras, and I’m not in New Orleans.
When I tell people that I love New Orleans especially around Mardi Gras, a number of assumptions are made about me as a person. People imagine me as the kind of person who likes to wander drunkenly down Bourbon St., my feet immersed in some unidentified liquid, while my body brushes against a crowd of half-clothed human beings.
They think to themselves how can a Catholic theologian, who is supposed to be piously engaged in theological education and research, enjoy this kind of debauchery?
Archdiocese of Louisville
USCCB
Formed In Faith 