Catechesis for the Whole Parish

What is KNOW-LOVE-SERVE? 

The PURPOSE of whole parish catechesis

KNOW

LOVE

SERVE

The PLAN for whole parish catechesis

Our next class is Sunday, April 6th in Potsdam or Tuesday, April 8th in Colton 
                   
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The many PARTS of whole parish catechesis 

The various parts of KNOW-LOVE-SERVE are best understood in the wider context of the  3 essential of areas that make up Catholic parish life: 

A. WORD & WITNESS (evangelization, catechesis, formation) 

Texts 

The main texts used for KNOW-LOVE-SERVE will be the Bible and the  Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, an official synopsis of the truths of the Catholic faith contained in the Catechism of the  Catholic Church, presented in the familiar question-and-answer format. A  copy of the Compendium will be provided for every participating household, along with suggestions for editions of the Bible and other helpful  catechisms. 

Monthly gatherings 

All participants in KNOW-LOVE-SERVE will be studying the very same subject each month, but in age-appropriate lessons. This material will be first presented in one of 9 monthly lessons per year, beginning in September (est. 2024).  Gatherings, 45-minutes long, will be offered on Sunday morning in Potsdam,  then the adult teaching will be repeated on a weekday evening in Colton. 

On Sundays, youth (PreK through 8 grade*) will break into four groups to be introduced to the month’s subject. 

At the same time, adults—including high school students—will gather in church for a lesson taught by Fr. Giroux. (Very young children should come with their parents to the adult sessions, much as they do to Mass.) 

A 4-page guide will be provided at each adult gathering, and the sessions will follow this format: 

1. An opening prayer 

2. A brief appreciation of a piece of Catholic art 

3. The teaching, based on the 10-point lesson of the month 

4. A concluding prayer

We record the monthly adult gatherings and make them available online-- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVZG-3YHhNBRt5P4gnqz2rtt0ClcyATjK

* For PreK, a child must turn 4 years old—and for Kindergarten, a child must turn 5 years old—by December  1st. All children must be able to use the restroom by themselves to take part in the separate youth sessions.

Home study 

This part of KNOW-LOVE-SERVE is probably the most important, but is also  meant to be the most flexible so that it can be adapted to the particular  needs and schedules of every household. 

The monthly gatherings are intended to be an introduction, with the exploration of each month’s  subject continuing at home—especially in the most ordinary of ways: by conversations in the car or around the dinner table, by activities related to the subject, or by fostering a Catholic culture within one’s home. 
The  monthly guide, distributed at the adult gathering, will include several  helpful features: 

“DEEPER ROOTS” – a key to finding the coordinating material in  several suggested, age-appropriate catechisms; 

“BEARING FRUITS” – some suggested activities related to the subject or the season of the Church’s year; and  

“FOREVER FRIENDS” – a designated saint for our consideration each month. 

A resource list will be provided at the beginning of each year, with suggestions of books, videos (streaming on FORMED), podcasts, and subscription services that you might find helpful. 
And there will also be a regularly updated page on the parish website with resources specifically related to the month’s subject; this will be “crowd sourced” by participants who are encouraged to share all the good stuff they have found on their own. 

Question box 

To keep the monthly adult lessons on schedule and on topic, questions will not be taken during the session. However, a question box will be available, and Fr. Giroux hopes to answer appropriate inquiries in his column in the bulletin. 

B. LITURGY & SPIRITUAL LIFE (sacraments, devotion, prayer) 

The essentials 

Like all Catholics, participants in KNOW-LOVE-SERVE are expected to faithfully attend Mass on Sundays and holy days, pray each day, and go to  confession with some regularity. 

Preparation for the sacraments 

The parents of youth preparing to receive their 
1st Penance / 1st Communion  (Grade 2 and up) or
Confirmation (Grade 7 and up) 
will be provided with additional materials for study specific to the sacraments. 
These  preparations will begin in October and run alongside the rest of the KNOW LOVE-SERVE project. It is preferable that families of children who wish to prepare for 1st Penance / 1st Communion already will have participated in KNOW-LOVE-SERVE for at least one year.

Likewise, by the time children are to be confirmed, youth ideally will have participated in Years 1, 2, and 3—maybe even more than once. Similar arrangements will be worked out for adults who wish to prepare for the sacraments. 

“PETITIONS & PRAISES” 

The opening prayer of each monthly gathering will include an opportunity  to pray together for each other’s needs, as well as in gratitude for favors  received—whether silently or voiced out loud. 

“LET US PRAY” 

The monthly guide will include a different prayer for our consideration each  month. 

C. CHARITY & COMMUNITY (fellowship, outreach, stewardship) 

Hospitality 

Each monthly gathering will include a time for snacks and socializing for adults and youth together, either before or after the lesson. 
This should be considered an essential component of the overall program, and not an optional “extra.” Knowing each other better is part of the plan! 
It is hoped that most participants will occasionally assist by either providing food or setting up/cleaning up so that the burden does not fall on only a few shoulders. 

Occasional events 

Most months, there will be at least one event offered in addition to the  Sunday/weekday monthly gathering. Events may revolve around a special  liturgy or devotion, a party or a festival. 

Opportunities for service 

As KNOW-LOVE-SERVE continues to grow and develop, we hope to  highlight opportunities for both group and individual service within our  parishes and wider communities. 

Communication 

In addition to the customary Sunday bulletin and announcements made at  Mass, we will be increasingly using the Flocknote platform to communicate  with parishioners via email and text, as well as take better advantage of  other social media. 

Bring a friend! 

KNOW-LOVE-SERVE is not meant only for the convinced, but also for the  curious. Consider sharing your experience by inviting someone else— Catholic or otherwise—to join you at a monthly gathering or event. Guests  are always very welcome!

Catechesis is a responsibility of the entire Christian community. This should not be the work of catechists and priests alone, but of the whole community of the faithful. 
The Christian community follows the development of catechetical processes, for children, young people and adults, as a duty that involves and binds it directly. (GDC 220) A fully Christian community can exist only when a systematic catechesis of all its members takes place and when an effective and well developed catechesis of adults is regarded as the central task of the catechetical enterprise.” (ACCC, no. 25).