Tracy Urban Returns to Serve as Faith Formation Coordinator

Our Lady of the Assumption is excited to welcome a familiar face back to our parish staff! Tracy Urban previously served as a catechist, from 1988-2006, and in the last few years has assisted with our Children’s Liturgy of the Word program. This summer, she re-joined the parish staff as the Faith Formation Coordinator and is excited about the future of the program.

“I actually first served in ministry at OLA during Fr. Eduino’s first assignment here,” Tracy says. “During that time I was the parish youth minister and served in many capacities in faith formation. I have always had a passion for working with children of all ages and it’s especially nice to do in a parish setting.”

In the role of Faith Formation Coordinator, Tracy will collaborate with parish leadership, catechists, parents, and volunteers to help the children develop and deepen their relationship with Jesus while learning about the richness of our Catholic traditions. She will also lead the Confirmation program for our seventh and eighth-grade students.

“It is easy to say that I simply enjoy the children,” Tracy says. “Kids are so open to the faith. They are honest and earnest, and it is beautiful to see the faith through their eyes. I get to work with a great group of parents who are desiring to bring their children up in the faith. Their openness allows me to support them as they nurture their children’s relationship with God.” The future of the Faith Formation Program as OLA has been formed through discussions between parish leadership, Tracy, catechists, and parents. After incredible feedback, we are excited to move forward with a format that we hope will promote a This summer, Tracy Urban re-joined the parish staff as the greater sense of community

Faith Formation Coordinator and is excited about and deepen relationships. the future of the program. “We are excited to be using Bannon Hall for our Sunday formation time for kindergarten through sixth grade,” Tracy says. “Our children will no longer be in a classroom setting. Rather, they will come together for prayer, reflections on the Gospel, a weekly theme or saint, and then break out to their age-appropriate groups within the hall for further discussions, lessons, or activities. We hope to incorporate the talents and faith experiences of our parish community to enrich the program and help the children see faith in action.”

It is the hope for both Fr. Eduino and Tracy that this change is exciting for our community. In a way, our younger parishioners will have the opportunity to be formed by more of our adults through the talents they might be able to share. Our older parishioners might feel more energized by the chance to tell a story, sing, or teach the future of our faith.

“I will also ask for prayers for our children and their families as we embark upon this new year of faith formation,” Tracy says, “I hope we have parishioners that want to share their faith by facilitating a group on Sundays as a catechist or in offering their gifts, talents, or stories one or more times through the year.

If you are interested in supporting our Faith Formation Program as a volunteer, please contact Tracy Urban at faithformation@olaparish.net.

This summer, Tracy Urban re-joined the parish staff as the Faith Formation Coordinator and is excited about the future of the program.