Summer Recap

A busy summer for Lifelong Faith Formation

Recently a parishioner asked me, “Have you enjoyed your time off this summer?” Yes, I enjoyed the summer! It is a special season to enjoy family and nature! But while we didn’t have catechetical classes, we in the Faith Formation department had a busy summer offering some wonderful faith forming opportunities. Here are some of the highlights:

Bible Camp
In June we had the most joyful week of Summer Bible Camp with lots of fun and learning about Heroes of Faith, hearing about saints and the legacy of our Scriptural roots as God’s people. God’s Word came alive in learning the meaning of our Bible Stories! Children 3 years to Grade 3 were with caring adult and youth volunteer leaders and our 4th and 5th graders had an experience learning Bible stories combined with exciting field trips.

Middle School Outreach Camp
Our middle school students joined other local parishes to serve God in several outreach opportunities in their “Mission of Mercy” camp, working with 10 non-profit organizations between Waukesha and Milwaukee. The week was based on the Scripture in John 13 when Jesus gave the model of serving others. The youth and their leaders packed 13,000 pounds of food for Feeding America, cleaned and painted for Hebron House, fed people at The Hope Center and offered companionship at the Catholic Home.

High School Mission Trip
This summer, a group of our high school teens went to Farmington Hills, MI for a powerful mission trip with Catholic Heart Workcamp. Throughout the week, they served others, deepened their faith, and shared prayer and friendship. They experienced meaningful service projects, including painting homes, working with children, and supporting local outreach ministries. These acts of love were meant not only to bring Christ’s compassion into the Detroit community, but also to help Christ’s presence grow in the hearts of those serving.

Adult Faith Formation
Adult formation continued with a 3-part series on the Apostles, a Summer Book Study – The Saint Monica Club and a presentation on St. Augustine. Coming up there will be a new presentation about Carlo Acutis & Giorgio Frassati, who will be canonized September 7 and we will transition from summer with the series: The Mass: The Mystery We Celebrate in September.

Throughout the summer OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation for Adults), Baptism Prep sessions and Support Groups continued to meet. Faith Formation Staff all received performance reviews and all supplies for the upcoming year were organized and catechists and were being lined up for the coming year.

In addition to all these meaningful experiences, I was able to give two presentations for the Archdiocesan Catechetical Conference on the topic of family faith formation, sharing some ideas of what we offer here at our parish with other parishes.

We are grateful for our faithful and dedicated Faith Formation staff, Taylor Baar, Tasha Baures, Lea Boyd, Debbie Kusch, Ann Grunwaldt, Michelle Lukas, Maureen Michaels and Al McCauley, who generously led all of this ministry this summer! We look forward to the coming year of catechesis, opening the door to our relationships with God and each other. We look forward to sharing the coming year with each of you!