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Tiffany Marthaler Embraces Opportunity to Teach and Share in Faith Formation
The 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” (11). In turn, the United States Conference on Catholic Bishops lays out a number of 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 St. Alexius Faith Formation program seeks to also teach children the faith, outside the home. Tiffany Marthaler has been a volunteer teacher for the program for the past four years. Her son, Brock, is in the program, which meets after 8:30 a.m. Mass on Sundays during the school year. Tiffany first taught third and fourth grade and has taught fifth and sixth grade the last two years.
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While Tiffany isn’t a professional teacher, she has found that teaching the faith comes easily to her. Sharing her time is important to her since Brock is in the program. She has also found that she’s learning right along with her students. Brock was baptized Catholic, and Tiffany wanted to practice the same faith as her son — she went through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults process and entered into the Catholic faith. There is always so much to learn about the Catholic Church and teaching has been a great avenue for Tiffany to learn more about the faith. She appreciates the weekly topics and time with the students.
“I really enjoy the conversations we have based on whatever that week’s curriculum is,” she says. “They are engaged and want to learn what it means to be Catholic.”
Tiffany most enjoys teaching on the resurrection, and she participated in a Bible study this past spring where she learned more about the death and resurrection of Jesus. This helped her to better teach on the topic.
For Tiffany, being involved as a Faith Formation teacher is truly a calling. She encourages others to consider getting involved. It’s not only a way to give back to our Lord, who gives us so many blessings but to also learn more about the Catholic faith.
“Pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance and go for it,” she says. “I don’t have a background in education, but the Holy Spirit nudged me when I was asked and I said ‘yes’ without giving it much thought. It’s very fulfilling.”
Tiffany Marthaler with her son, Brock, and husband, Ken
