FAITH FORMATION Gears Up for New T
This summer youth experienced Totus Tuus, which means “totally yours.”
Totus Tuus offered a week of fun and learning more about the Catholic faith.
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he family is the first place children learn the faith. This is why the Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church calls the family the “domestic church.” In turn, the United States Conference on Catholic Bishops lays out several ways to build a “domestic church,” like always attending Sunday Mass, praying a Rosary as a family, and inviting priests, deacons and sisters into your home, to name a few. The Antigo Area Catholic Churches seek to also teach children the faith, outside of the home. “We want to help engage parents in catechesis,” says Tracey Minish, who has served as Director of Religious Education for the past seven years. “We want to give them the tools that they need to be the model of faith for their children.” We look forward to the upcoming year as a chance to reformat the way the faith is taught. After the ups and downs of 2020 and 2021, we believe this is a great time to “begin anew.” “I believe — among parishioners and families — there is an authentic hunger to return,” she says. Faith Formation classes are held Wednesday nights with sacramental prep on the weekends. In particular, Tracey hopes we are able to facilitate more participatory lessons, similar to the lessons used for the LifeTeen program — she has taken additional training in Arizona through LifeTeen. Through this format, someone proclaims the lesson, then students break into small groups to discuss. “I believe that if a person’s relationship with Jesus is prominent, then all truths of the Catholic faith make sense,” Tracey says. With the small groups being smaller in number than an average class, more catechists are needed. Tracey asks all adults to consider teaching, and thanks all of the teachers for their commitment to the program. This ministry has a profound impact on both the students and the teachers. Deacon Andy Bures has been teaching Faith Formation for more than 20 years. He started teaching at St. Wenceslaus and moved when the programs all combined, and he has been teaching the juniors for the past few years. He really enjoys being able to have a positive impact on the lives of young people. “The definition of a Catholic is to evangelize,” he says. “This ministry is the best ministry to grow in faith. You have to deepen your faith to pass it on.” He asks everyone to consider a “reorder” of their lives to
