The Roman Catholic Diocese of Joliet in Illinois

Course Description: Jesus reveals the self-giving and self-sacrificing love of God, and he calls his disciples to bring the good news of the Kingdom of God to the entire world. The new evangelization is an invitation to hear this good news of the Gospel again, as if for the first time; it is a call to re-encounter the living Lord in and through the Church. This course will help participants continue to answer their personal call to holiness, to explore the responsibility of all baptized Catholics to spread the Good News, and to contribute to the Church’s mission of bringing all people to Christ.

     Session One: Disciples Called to Witness
   Session Two: Sharing the Joy of the Gospel

II. Methods of Faith Formation

Course Description: Teaching the faith in a systematic and organic way requires that catechists imitate the way that God draws us to Himself—that is, by preparing the setting and audience for an encounter with Christ, by proclaiming the truth to be examined, by explaining this “good news” in greater depth, and by relating it to everyday life.

Session One: Understanding Students & Leading them to Christ
Session Two: Planning an Engaging Catechetical Session

III. Creed

Course Description: The Creed summarizes the most fundamental truths of our faith which have been handed down to us from Christ, in and through the Church. By beginning to unpack the fundamental doctrines of Chrisianity, this course helps participants continue to grow in understanding of both the Triune God of Love and the call to build the Kingdom of God.

     Session One: I Believe in God the Father
     Session Two: I Believe in Jesus Christ
     Session Three: I Believe in the Holy Spirit

IV. Sacraments

Course Description: The mysteries professed in the Creed are communicated and actualized in the Sacraments of the Church. By providing participants with a deeper understanding of the divine origin, nature and central role of the Sacraments, this course will help participants grow in understanding of their role in the sacramental mission of the Church.

     Session One: The Sacramental Economy
     Session Two: The Sacraments of Initiation
     Session Three: The Sacraments of Healing
   Session Four: The Sacraments of Service

V. Moral Life

Course Description: To be a Christian is a matter not only of believing in Jesus but, as St. Paul describes it, of living in Christ so that “I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me”
(Gal 2:20). What the Creed professes and the Sacraments communicate, the Christian moral life enacts—thanks to the grace of Christ and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This course explores Christian moral principles by beginning with the dignity and vocation of the human person created in the image and likeness of God; it addresses key concepts such as freedom, responsibility, moral conscience, virtue and vice, law and grace, and the Beatitudes; it concludes with an overview of the Ten Commandments as the basis of our moral life in Christ.

     Session One: The Vocation of the Human Person
     Session Two: The Commandments—Love of God
     Session Three: The Commandments—Love of Neighbor

VI. Christian Prayer

Course Description: Prayer is the loving communication between the human person and the living and true God. "Prayer is Christian insofar as it is communion with Christ nd extends throughout the Church, which is his Body," explains the Catechism: "Its dimensions are those of Christ's love" (CCC, n. 2565). This course will explore the universal call to prayer, which is written in our hearts by our Creator, as well as the various expressions of prayer, and the greatest of all prayers—the Our Father. The course will also model various approaches to Catholic prayer.

     Session One: Prayer in the Christian Life
     Session Two: The Lord’s Prayer--The “Our Father”

Each session is two hours long and designed to stand alone

Please click on the Course or Session above to view a PDF with more information