Generations of Faith

Generations of Faith is an innovative approach to parish-wide faith formation. This model was developed by the Center for Ministry Development and has been funded by a four-year grant from the Lilly Endowment.

Parishes throughout the country are ecstatic with the success of the Generations of Faith Model for faith formation and community building in parish life for the 21st Century. We are pleased to offer our next Generations of Faith Celebration and we hope you will participate in this intergenerational event for the whole family. It will be held on Sunday, March 2, 2008. The theme for this Generations of Faith celebration is "Baptism: Just Don't Stand There, Do Something!" You may choose to come either at the noon or evening sessions.

Please register for this event so that we can accurately plan for food and materials. This can be done by registering online or by calling the Religious Education Office at 781-899-4734 or 781-899-8434. When you respond it is important to tell us which session and how many in your family are attending. Please RSVP no later than February 20th so we can give the caterer the final count.

This is a wonderful opportunity to spend time with the larger community, enhancing our connections with each other as well as learning more about the deeper aspects of our faith.

For our March 2 event, we are delighted to welcome as our guest presenter, Vince Ambrosetti, who will also be giving our parish mission on March 3rd, 4th, and 5th. Vince is a talented musician with a gift for blending Scripture, song, stories and reflection into a beautiful tapestry of faith. He has been nominated for 3 Grammy awards and has presented more than 450 parish missions, seminars and concerts in 49 states, Canada, Ireland, Italy and Israel.

Since the program that Vince has prepared is so special, we will not have the regular breakout sessions. Rather, after we enjoy the Italian cuisine of Maria's Catering Service, we will remain in the parish hall for the entire program.

About the Generations of Faith Model

Generations of Faith springs from the basic teaching that the church itself is the primary catechist, and is, itself, the ongoing curriculum for faith formation for all of its members, young and old. Based on the life of the church, its liturgical year and its mission, this model of faith formation prepares all members of the parish, not just the children, to fully participate in liturgy, church events, and service to others.

As this model of faith formation is increasingly being used in parishes across the country, as well as in our own Boston diocese, we are hoping to offer this at St. Julia Parish again next year. We welcome your thoughts about this new program. We are also currently looking for parishioners to help administer the program for next year. Please contact Sister Marie LaBollita if you would like to be part of this multi-generational program or would like to know more about it.