DIOCESAN NEWS
01/22/10
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‘Why Catholic?’ centers on sacraments
By Fabvienen Taylor
      JACKSON — As Lent approaches, parishes participating in the “Why Catholic? Journey Through the Catechism” are preparing for the second part of this year’s program, which is focusing on the Catholic faith in sacramental liturgy.
      The text is “The Celebration of the Christian Mystery: Sacraments” and is available in each parish/mission.
      The first four sessions focus on the liturgy and understanding the sacraments.
They are followed by two sessions on baptism, one on the sacrament itself and another on the Rite of Christain Initiation of Adults (RCIA).
      Sign-up Sunday for persons participating is this weekend, Jan. 23-24.
Why Catholic? is a program developed by Renew Inc. for evangelization and adult faith formation in parishes.
      It explores Catholic teaching based on the four pillars of the “Catechism of the Catholic Church” — profession of faith, sacraments of faith, the life of faith, and Christian prayer and Scripture.
      The implementation of Why Catholic? in the Diocese of Jackson is to provide resources for the revitalization of parish life and to energize the mission of handing on the faith, according to Alice Hughes, director of the Office of Faith Formation.
      She said over 5,000 people have participated in the program, which is available in English and Spanish.
      Participants in the program have the opportunity to discuss and learn more about their faith in small parish groups which meet for six weeks.
      During the fall of 2008 over 80 parishes in the Jackson diocese began the first year of the program, “The Profession of Faith: What We Believe,” which centered on the mysteries of the Catholic faith.
      Renew Inc. conducts on-going training in theological and practical skills for parish core team members and small group leaders durithe program.
      Why Catholic?, a four-year process, was designed as a means to foster the goals of “Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us,” the 1999 U.S. bishops’ pastoral letter on adult faith formation
      Prayer commitment Sunday in parishes is Jan. 31.
In the coming weeks, Renew Inc. is offering faith enrichment workshops in each deanery on       “Christ’s Presence in the Eucharist.”
Workshop dates and places are:
      — Thursday, Jan. 28, for Deanery I, at Madison St. Joseph School library/cafeteria from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. in English and Spanish.
      — Friday, Jan. 29, for Deanery VI, at Meridian St. Patrick in English from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
      — In Spanish at Forest St. Michael Parish from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
      — Saturday, Jan. 30, for Deanery V, at Tupelo St. James Parish from 2 - 4 p.m. in English and Spanish.
      — Sunday, Jan. 31, for Deanery II, at Greenwood St. Francis School, from 3 - 5 p.m. in English and Spanish.
      — Monday, Feb. 1, for Deaneries III and IV, at Brookhaven St. Francis of Assisi Parish, from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. in English and Spanish.
      The six-week sessions will begin on Sunday, Feb. 14 or March 21. A retreat day for all parishioners, whether they participated in Why Catholic? or not, will be scheduled by each parish in April.

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