Faith Formation

Baptism Preparation Class

Contact: Deacon Charles Wright  937-667-3419 x 203

Prepares parents for the Baptism of their child. Must attend before child is baptized. Classes are the first Sunday of every other month starting in February.

Evangelization and Catechesis Commission

Contacts: Lois Cox, (937) 901-9134

Makes recommendations to the Pastor and Director of Evangelization & Catechesis in the areas of Adult Faith Formation, Parish School of Religion, Sacramental Preparation, RCIA, Children’s Liturgy of the Word, and other faith formation areas in the Parish. It is an advisory group that meets on the first Tuesday  of August, October, December, February, and April of each Fiscal Year.

Vacation Bible School

Contact:Deacon Charles Wright  937- 667-3419 x 203

Provides a week of fun and enthusiasm during the summer for children in preschool through 4th grade while learning about God’s Word.  

Adult Faith Formation Team

A group of parishioners who plan and organize Adult Faith Formation events for the Parish. They meet on the first Tuesday  of the following months: January, March, May, September, and November, or as needed.   Parishioners who are interested in serving on this team should contact Deacon Chuck Wright.

CONTACT:  Deacon Chuck Wright  937-667-3419, ext. 203

 

Adult Faith Formation Mission Statement

The St. John the Baptist Adult Faith Formation Team’s mission is to create opportunities for parishioners to renew and strengthen their faith in Christ and to promote their active engagement in the life of the Church so as to foster an enthusiasm within them to share this faith with others.

RCIA Inquiry

Are you, or someone you know, interested in the Catholic Faith? Did you know that a person can inquire at any time throughout the year about Catholicism, with no commitment beyond the interest of finding out more about what we believe and how it impacts our lives? Call Deacon Charles Wright 937-667-3419 x 203 to learn more.

Catholics Come Home

Have you been away from the Church for a while? Have you been thinking about returning and don’t know how or where to begin? St. John the Baptist staff are ready to offer a listening ear and help you take the steps to renew your relationship with God and with the Church.

We’re here to answer your questions, help you take those next steps, and welcome you home.

The following websites may be helpful to you:

Events

  • Vatican II: Did You Know? The document, Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions (Nostra Aetate), that created a new relationship with Jews and other non-Christians passed by a final vote of 2221-88!
  • Getting to Know Pope Francis: In his homily on May 22, Pope Francis said “Christians are called to welcome and cooperate with the good accomplished by members of other religions or no religion at all, promoting a culture of dialogue and peace. The commandment to do good and avoid evil is something that binds all human beings…and it is a beautiful path to peace.” “Someone can object, ‘But I don’t believe, Father, I’m an atheist.’ But do good and we’ll meet there,” said the Pope. “We are all children of God – all of us. And God loves us – all of us.”For a wonderfully complete round-up of memorable quotes from Pope Francis thus far, check out this blog post from John Thavis, former Rome Bureau Chief for Catholic News Service.
  • The Art of Family Prayer from the Knights of Columbus’ magazine, Columbia. Robert Alzapiedi, chief administrative officer of Holy Cross Family Ministries writes how the practice of family prayer helps your home to grow in faith, peace and joy. “However you pray now or decide to pray in the future, each experience of family prayer unites the family and strengthens the ties to each other and to God. For newcomers to family prayer…you will find it much easier than you expected and much more fulfilling than you could have imagined.” Read the complete article.

Scripture Reading Reflections:  The “Little Books” are offered during the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter…

 

Opportunities in the Year of Faith

 

Adult Faith Formation

  • The Five Loaves is an online ministry that provides methods, resources, and event opportunities for spiritual growth and renewal. The site enables people of faith to open themselves to the gift of grace and to make meaning of their experience of God in everyday life. Each week the site offers Between Sundays™ with five spiritual practices that are rooted in the experience of the first disciples. You can get on their email list and receive, for free, Between Sundays videos via email every week.
  • 3-Minute Retreats invite you to take a short prayer break right at your computer. Each day, a new retreat featuring soothing music, Scripture verses, and reflective thoughts and questions comes your way. You can receive the 3-Minute Retreat year-round with a free subscription. Sign up to have these peaceful prayer breaks delivered to your inbox every morning. Three minutes a day can give you 24 hours of peace.Also available as an app for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad!
  • Lifelong Faith is a treasure chest of articles, Christian practices and faith-based resources for parishes and parents alike. Projects and publications of John Roberto and LifelongFaith Associates.
  • Pray-as-you-go gives you access to a free, Catholic, daily prayer session designed for use on an MP3 player to help them pray while traveling to and from work or at home, using scripture, music and questions for reflection.
  • The Institute for Christian Formation, Inc. (ICF) is a non-profit corporation that assists the faithful – families, catechists, parishes, schools, etc. – with holistic faith formation centered on Jesus Christ revealing himself to us in Word (Scripture), Sacrament, and the Liturgical Calendar. Founded in 2004, the ICF strives to assist Catholic Christians in celebrating and handing on faith in a manner authentic to our Roman Catholic tradition.
  • In Between Sundays is a Catholic young adult podcast that gives you the essentials to live in the world outside of church. During the show, we talk about life as young adults and ways to grow in faith. We want to help our listeners become the best person they can be, by helping them develop their body, mind, soul and emotions. Being people of faith requires more than just one hour on Sunday, and we know that we’re not the only ones who believe that.In Between Sundays is a featured show on SQPN, a Catholic podcasting network and leader in new media.

  • The question for us is always “how can we turn information into transformation?” How can we use the sacred texts, tradition, and experience to lead people into new places with God, with life, with themselves?

    Richard Rohr

    The Center for Action and Contemplation seeks to empower individuals to live out their sacred soul tasks in service to the world through educational programs and resources.

  • BustedHalo.com, a great website for teens and young adults, strives to reveal the spiritual dimension of our lives through feature stories, reviews, interviews, faith guides, commentaries, audio clips, discussions and connections to retreat, worship and service opportunities that can’t be found anywhere else. We are committed to creating a forum that is: open, informed, unexpected, unpredictable, balanced, and thought-provoking. Every time we ask questions about what our lives mean and what keeps us alive, we are talking about something that’s relevant to BustedHalo.com.

St. Monica Catholic Church, Indianapolis, – Daily Reflections: Before one can begin to feel close to God, one must get to know God. And, two things really help — scripture (God talks to me) and prayer (I talk to God).

  • Our Daily Reflections are a way to organize your thoughts for prayer and a simple way to spend time with God. Over 5,000 people subscribe to our reflections from across the U.S., in Australia, Europe and South Africa. A priest in Sri Lanka uses them in his daily Mass homilies. An East Coast reader uses them in seventh grade catechism classes. Small Church Communities use them.
  • Dr. Paul Camarata is the producer of The SaintCast. Using his past experience as a broadcaster, educated in western Kansas by the Capuchin Franciscans, and with a love for the stories of the Saints, he has answered Blessed Pope John Paul’s call for the new evangelization by putting together a series of podcasts whose aim is to help others learn of the lives of these holy men and women, who have lived lives of heroic virtue. With profiles of these holy heroes, interviews, and through ‘soundseeing’ tours, Paul takes the listener from the catacombs of Rome, to the Areopagus Hill in Athens, to San Giovanni Rotondo, and to churches and holy places frequented by the saints all over the world. Taking a light-hearted approach to recounting these stories, he helps bring stories of the saints alive in our daily lives, in a format that is both informative and entertaining. The SaintCast pledges complete fidelity to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church.