JAYNE MONDOY

Coordinating Task Force for Faith Formation

People often describe me as enthusiastic. Perhaps it comes from years spent as a teacher, youth minister and high school administrator. These roles required unbounded enthusiasm and love as I matched energy and wits with teenagers one-third my age and twice my size. My enthusiastic support for the faith formation task force should come as no surprise.

The task force is comprised of persons of deep faith and professionalism, who themselves are faith formation leaders. Our task force roster is available at www.catholichawaii.org under the “Road Map” tab.

During the past several months our task force has defined goals and discussed best practices and helpful resources. We are assisting several parishes and schools with their plans to improve or redesign their programs. We also collaborate with the other task forces, particularly the leadership committee, and work together on overlapping areas.

The desired outcomes of the faith formation task force (programs that are funded, have trained leaders, and respond to the spiritual and devotional needs of youth and families) require a Christ-centered foundation. That foundation would cultivate relationships within parishes and our Catholic schools to increase family and youth involvement in parish life and help church members to communicate their beliefs, witness to their faith, and translate the Gospel into their lives.

While our diocesan Road Map is new, our journey is not. God is eternally present; we stand on holy ground! God is the initiator of all faith formation efforts and in our busy-ness it is easy to get caught up in the false notion that unless we act, God does not. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that, “The desire for God is written in the human heart because man is created by God and for God. And, God never ceases to draw man to Himself” (CCC, 27).

God’s presence has been and continues to be manifest in our diocese. Each day our mission to know and live the Word leads to ongoing conversion. A list of the ways in which we respond to this mission is sure to fall short. Yet it is important to acknowledge that many inspiring, Christ-centered activities are taking place as our Catholic community responds to God’s desire to draw man to himself. A few examples are beautifully celebrated liturgies, profound experiences of prayer and devotion, a vibrant RCIA process, small Christian communities, retreats, and lively intergenerational involvement in outreach and community activities. Within these contexts, intimate conversions take place through:

n   The young adult who willingly sets aside his iPhone to immerse himself in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. He states that adoration is a sea of calm in his 24/7 world, allowing him to quiet his soul and listen to God’s voice.

n   The grandmother, a catechumen in the RCIA program, who is drawn to the church, not by its doctrine, but by the faith of her husband, his family, and the parishioners who shed tears with her in times of sorrow and celebrate with her in times of joy. She now seeks to know more about Jesus and commit to a life in communion with him.

n   The student, so enthused by a school project based on the Return of the Twelve and the Feeding of the Five Thousand (Mt. 15: 13 – 20) that she and her entire family live as models of charity and justice on behalf of the homeless.

These glimpses into God’s transformative power underscore my enthusiasm for the work of the faith formation task force. We are here to be of assistance to parish and school leaders as they create frameworks and foundations for Christ-centered programs that fit together and strengthen relationships within the parish community and with our Catholic schools. These programs will help all of us communicate our beliefs, witness to our faith, and translate the Gospel into our lives.