Menu

ADULT FAITH FORMATION

No Faith Formation During COVID-19 Outbreak

Due to social distancing directives given by the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and the State of Ohio, all on-campus Faith Formation programs have temporarily been suspended.  Please contact the parish office if you would like more information or have questions about the cancellations.  Please continue to pray for an end to the coronavirus outbreak.

Individual AFF programs may still meet virtually.  Please contact your AFF program leader, for more information.

During this time, we will be posting some spiritual food for thought on our Facebook page, which you can find at www.facebook.com/stmarysbethel.

Welcome!

We are experiencing a revival of AFF in our parishes, and can strongly sense the presence, power, and movement of the Holy Spirit through our parishioners and programs. It's an exciting time to be in adult faith formation here in Christ Catholic Community.

Our AFF program is led by a committee of parishioners from both parishes with responsibility to the CRE and the Pastor. Together they decide the faith formation offerings based on the spiritual needs of the parish and parishioners’ input. The AFF committee plans and executes the various offerings which are held at both parishes. 

Currently, there are three ongoing Bible studies (Men’s, Women’s and Adult/co-ed) and a Men’s group studying the Catechism, all of which anyone can join at any time. 

Over the past year, we've also had a Parish Day of Reflection, small groups during Lent studying Prayer, small groups in the Fall studying the Biblical roots of the Mass, several Women’s Ministry events put on by the GRACE committee, several talks before Mass titled “Moment with the Catechism,” and several field trips to spiritual places of interest.  

We encourage you to get involved with what the Holy Spirit is doing in our parishes, and join us for one or more of our programs!

Bible Studies

Do you want to learn more about the Scriptures? Are you looking for a community of people who want to go deeper into their faith? Join one of our ongoing Bible studies!

Our three Bible studies look in-depth at specific books of the Bible, using the Little Rock Scripture Series. We started in 2017 with The Acts of the Apostles, and we are currently studying Paul’s letters to the Philippians, Colossians, Ephesians, 1st and 2nd Thessalonians. We take our time studying each book to dive into the riches the Lord offers in Scripture, and also to spend time praying with each other.

Current we have three ongoing Bible studies: 

  • Men’s Bible study – meets Saturday mornings 7:00 – 8:30 a.m. at St. Peter’s - Contact Tim Vinson for more information
  • Women’s Bible study – meets Friday mornings 9:15-10:45 a.m. at St. Peter’s - Contact Carol Adams at 513-515-3143 for more information
  • Adult (men+women) Bible study –meets Monday evenings 7:00-8:30 p.m. at St. Mary’s - Contact Rich Adams at 513-515-8065 for more information

Everyone is invited to attend a Bible study at any time. No need for pre-registration – just show up! All three groups are wonderful communities of believers who are diving deeper into their commitment of following Christ with each other. Just come, experience God's Word, and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you through his Scriptures and his Church community!

Small Christian Community Groups

In addition to our ongoing Bible studies and Men’s Catechism group, there typically offer additional opportunities several times a year to join a small Christian community study group at our parishes.

In 2018, we had 5 groups during Lent coming together once a week for 5 weeks to study the FORMED series “Lectio: Prayer” with Dr. Tim Gray. Then in September/October we had two larger groups meeting before/after Mass to study the Mass using the Ascension Press materials “A Biblical Walk Through the Mass” with Dr. Edward Sri. Discussing together what’s in the videos and study materials and sharing ideas and experiences helps us all to grow in our faith and knowledge of Jesus Christ and his Church.

Future small group studies will be published in the bulletin, on our Facebook page, and here on our website.

Field Trips

Several times a year we plan outings to spiritual places of interest that parishioners can be part of to be build up in faith and enjoy each others fellowship and friendship.

On Good Friday, pray the steps at Holy Cross / Immaculata Parish in Mt. Adams
 2011.hciparish.org/good-friday-praying-the-steps

 

E6 Catholic Men’s Conference – Armor Up
Saturday, February 22, 2020, East Central High School Performing Arts Center, St. Leon, IN (less than 1 hour from Cincinnati)
 www.e6catholicmensconference.com

Parish Days of Reflection

Our Pastoral Region holds two Days of Reflection each year, which are held on a Saturday at alternating parishes. Typically they begin with Mass at 9:00 AM and include lunch and time for adoration, ending mid-afternoon.  

Past topics for our Days of Reflection have included:

  • Prayer - Fr. David Endres
  • The Eucharist - P.J. Ehling, CRE
  • Living the Gospel - P.J. Ehling, CRE

We are planning our next Day of Reflection for March 28, 2020. All are welcome!

GRACE Committee

G-R-A-C-E stands for Girls Reflecting and Christian Evangelization.

The purpose of our committee is to offer the women of our parishes some time to step back away from our day-to-day demands and take some time to:

  • Breathe freely and clear our minds
  • Develop God’s perspective
  • Have moments of reflection
  • Find balance in our busy lives,
  • Connect with other women of faith in order to build community, fellowship, and friendships

   

We find purpose in spending time together; whether it is a slumber party or movie and game night.

We are currently planning a women’s weekend retreat at Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Center in Norwood on October 4-6, 2019. The theme will be focused on finding balance in our lives in our relationships as mothers, wives and women, and on our relationship with God.

Input and ideas for other get-togethers are alway welcome!

Members of the GRACE committee: Deborah Davis, Heather den Hollander, Mary Kinnard, Karin Mendoza, Melanie Murray and Connie Taggart.

Our parishes have a subscription to FORMED, which is an on-line platform for the Catholic faith, on demand. FORMED has a wealth of resources for growing your faith and knowledge about Jesus and his Church. It is a compilation of the best Catholic resources from all the great Catholic publishers. There are video series, books you can download, audio talks you can listen to, and much more.

Goto: sccr.formed.org to sign up and start learning and being inspired on your own time and at your own pace!

Men’s Catechism Study Group

The Men’s Catechism study group began in January 2019. Our group is now about 12 men, and we are reading through the Catechism of the Catholic Church in one year. 

The Catechism is made up of 4 parts: Our Faith, The Sacraments, Our Life in Christ and Prayer

We are finding ourselves in awe of the writings. The introduction, paragraph 25 of the CCC, ends with: 

“To conclude this Prologue, it is fitting to recall this pastoral principle stated by the Roman Catechism: The whole concern of doctrine and its teaching must be directed to the love that never ends. Whether something is proposed for belief, for hope or for action, the love of our Lord must always be made accessible, so that anyone can see that all the works of perfect Christian virtue spring from love and have no other objective than to arrive at love.” 

We are experiencing the depth, wisdom and love written in the Catechism as we each share what we learned and how the Holy Spirit has touched us through the passages. All men are welcome to join any time!