It is with great excitement that we announce the launch of the new Melbourne Archdiocesan sacraments of initiation resource, Journeying Together, which can be found at sacraments.melbournecatholic.org.
In his recent Patrick Oration, Archbishop Peter A Comensoli reminded us that the home remains the prime location within which faith can be formed and nurtured:
The early Church was a Church that assembled and passed on the faith in family homes … Might not this also be our calling at this time and place?
Journeying Together has been created specifically to serve our domestic Church by offering parents an accessible, easy-to-use resource to help them participate in their children’s spiritual formation and faith journey. Journeying Together facilitates an at-home experience of ‘God-talk’ and is designed not to replace but to complement children’s sacramental preparation in a Catholic primary school or parish catechetical setting.
The Confirmation and Eucharist modules are currently available, with Penance and Baptism to follow. Each module consists of four sessions, which follow a process that assists parents and children not only to explore the meaning behind the elements of the sacrament, but also to grow in the Catholic faith through a spiritual encounter with Jesus.
Each session has the feel of a home liturgy, teaching the core elements of the sacrament, but always ending in a prayerful processing of the content. The audio elements include children reading Scripture, adult voices narrating various sections, and occasional music; families are encouraged to engage with the resource through interactive quizzes and comparison slides; and background photos and artwork are used to re-enforce key points. The wide variety of learning objects cater to a range of learning styles.
Each session will take approximately 45 minutes, and as a guide, the resource could be fully completed over about a four-week period.
Explore the resource for yourself, and spread the word to parents, teachers and all involved in the faith formation of our children.
Parents, teachers and catechists can find further details on the module sessions at sacraments.melbournecatholic.org/parentInformation.html
