Events

St. William Catholic Church
620 Round Rock West Dr
Round Rock, TX 78681
(512) 255-4473

Adult Faith Formation

What is Adult Faith Formation?

Adult Faith formation is the process in which we continue to grow closer to Christ by developing a relationship with Him. Think about how you initially developed your relationship with a close friend or with your spouse. You probably spent a lot of time with them, asked them questions about where they were from, learned their likes and dislikes, shared with them your likes and dislikes and confided about struggles.

Since we are made in the image of God, we relate to God in much the same way as we relate to one another. We must spend time with the persons of the Holy Trinity. Engage in conversation with him (prayer), learn about him (scripture) and do things with him (service in the Church). Adult faith formation will assist you in developing your relationship with the three persons of the Holy Trinity in each of these areas.

The Approach

A Personal Relationship with Christ

The key is a personal relationship with Christ, without an internal conversion of heart (in a sense falling in love with Jesus) all other activities related to Adult Faith Formation will produce inferior fruit. Once this relationship has taken hold, the individual is open to learn and accept the teachings of Christ and apply them to their lives.

This first step in the process focuses on a few key areas:

          • Awakening the Holy Spirit
          • Growing in Knowledge of the Faith
          • Equipping yourself to give a reason for your hope.

As we build that relationship and learn more about the Holy Trinity, we will be able to orient our lives to be a better reflection of the life of Jesus Christ.

Awakening the Holy Spirit focuses on “lighting a fire” within your soul. Think of it as a reorienting of your life to put God at the center. This is the essential first step in growing in your faith. With God at the center and a personal relationship with Jesus, you are ready and open to learning about God’s plan for your life.

Growing in Knowledge of the Faith will assist you with getting to know God and how he has revealed himself in this world. God the creator of all things, in the fullness of time sent his Son Jesus to show us how much he loved us and to fully reveal himself to us. There is much for us to learn about God and his plan for us, and this is accomplished through study of the person of Jesus. The Holy Scriptures, the writings of the Church, and the lives of the Saints all instruct us about who God is and what he desires. It is through this intimate knowledge of God that we grow closer to him.

Equipping yourself to give a reason for your hope is a necessary step in our society, just as it was in the time of the Apostles. St. Peter says as much in his first encyclical (1 Peter 3:15). While we live in a mostly christian country, many do not understand why we as Catholics believe the things we believe or do the things we do within our life of faith. Some of our co-workers, family members, or fellow Catholics may ask us for an explanation. Our preparedness to answer these questions (or accusations) may provide the information they need to grow further in their own relationship with Christ. We believe we have the fullness of the faith in the Catholic Church. We are called to share this great gift we have been given and to share it with joy and charity.

Married Life

If the individual is married, then the focus of adult faith formation shifts to strengthening the marriage relationship. After each spouse has Jesus as the primary love of their life, then they can concentrate on each other and their relationship, which should be a reflection of the love of God. A good marriage is one of the best gifts you can give to your children and to the Christian community.

Family Life

If the couple has children, the next step in the Adult Faith formation program is to focus on forming a family of God. The family is known as the domestic church, because it is here that children first encounter and learn about the faith.

As parents may be aware, children learn more by what they observe, than from the words you say. Parents are the primary educators of their children in the faith; this is truly a great privilege and responsibility. It is essential that you first develop your personal understanding of the faith, how to live it in your life and within your marriage. It is impossible to pass on to your children what you yourself do not possess.

Community Life (Evangelization)

Let your light shine, do not hide it under a bushel basket. This great gift you have been given cannot be kept to yourself. To those who have been given much, much will be expected. Some of us are called to be active in spreading the Good News of Christ through teaching, others through their witness in the workplace or the grocery store coupled with the willingness to explain the reason for their hope when asked. Above all, our witness of Christian Charity will speak volumes to those who encounter us in the world.

Programs

A Personal Relationship with Christ

Awakening the Holy Spirit

Trinitarian Faith Retreat

Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples: Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit...(Matthew 28:19)

Have you thought about how your baptism should be affecting your everyday life? Most of us don't. It is through our Baptism that we come into a personal relationship with the Father , Son and Holy Spirit. For most of us this merits further investigation.

The course is called trinitarian because it strengthens our relationship with the Blessed Trinity. We can experience the Love of God the Father in a personal way. Our relationship with Jesus the Son as Lord and Savior can be made stronger. Also we can be empowered by the Holy Spirit as we come into a deeper relationship with the Third person of the Blessed Trinity.

• One or two day retreat held four times a year

• A time designed to revive and strengthen the graces of Baptism and Confirmation, includes personal testimonies, introduction to the basics of the Catholic faith, as well as how to live it in our world today.

"Seek the Lord while He may be found, call Him while He is near." Isaiah 55:6

Damascus Journey

• A series of eight weekly meetings held twice a year (Spring and Fall sessions)

• An in-depth program that focuses on awakening the Holy Spirit. Consists of an introduction to the basics of the Catholic faith coupled with specific methods to living the Catholic faith in your daily lives.

Growing in Knowledge of the Faith

Discipleship Nights

• Weekly meetings held all year

• This program will focus on assisting you with Growing in Knowledge of the Faith, and Equipping yourself to give a reason for your hope.

• The topics will vary during the year, with modules on old testament and new testament bible studies, practical guidance on improving your prayer life, books studies from the writings of the Church Fathers, Popes and Doctors of the Church, and beginning Apologetics (how to explain the faith to others).

Little Rock Bible Study

• Meets every Tuesday at 9:30 AM and 7:45 PM; A particular study lasts from about six weeks to twelve weeks and are held, Spring, Summer and Fall.

• Lessons are assigned from a study guide and workbook covering a particular book of the bible.

• A biblical commentary and bibles are used to answer study questions and then those answers are shared with the group at the weekly meeting.

• At the end of each session a 20-minute video is viewed, which summarizes the main points of each lesson and ensures that our teaching is soundly based on Catholic Tradition and the biblical interpretation is consistent with the catechism.

A Marriage That Reflects God’s Love

Marriage Enrichment Workshop

• The Marriage Enrichment Workshop consists of a five hour short course on how to improve your marriage and live in such a way as to show the love of God within your marriage.

• The workshop will cover topics including: repairing wrongdoing and effective communication between spouses.

• Workshops are provided twice a year.

The Marriage Course

• The Marriage Course is a series of eight sessions designed to help any married couple strengthen their relationship.

• It’s a great opportunity to spend time together as a couple looking at the important issues in your marriage.

• The Marriage Course is very practical and will help equip you with the tools needed to build a healthy marriage that lasts a lifetime.

• Each week you are given the opportunity to enjoy a special meal together and listen to a talk. Then there is plenty of time to discuss the topic as a couple. There is no group work involved at any stage of the course.

• Program conducted twice a year (Fall and Spring), consists of seven dinner meetings.

The Splendor of Love

• Familia, Living the Splendor of Love, is an international Catholic outreach committed to strengthening the family. Their programs are directed at fostering the development of religious, moral, psychological and social values in the family.

• Familia promotes the Church’s beautiful teachings concerning marriage and family life based on Pope John Paul II’s theology of the body.

• Small group study (5-6 couples), consists of eight two hour sessions.

Becoming a Holy Family

Raising Missionaries, Martyrs, and Saints

• How do you raise a Catholic family in a culture which is often presenting a way to live that is contrary to the faith?

• The family has been referred to as the domestic church, this title implies that the family is an important component of teaching the faith to the family members as well as being a sign within the community.

• The responsibility of the parents is an awesome one, we are called to pass on the great gift we have been given by God. This program will provide a framework for living the Catholic life within your homes, so that you have the greatest opportunity to raise children that will seek first the kingdom of God.

• This workshop is still under development and will be provided twice a year once it is complete.

Community Life (Evangelization)

Christ Renews His Parish

• Two retreat weekends a year. Two for Women and two for Men. Followed by the opportunity to participate in a six month team formation to help with putting on the next retreat.

• This program is primarily focused on leading others to Christ (through the retreat weekends) and developing a sense of community with other men or women in the parish.

Sacramental Preparation

Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)

• Meetings begin in September and continue through May of the following year.

• For those who are interested in joining the Catholic Church, or for those adults who were baptized but have not received the other sacraments of initiation (First Communion and Confirmation).

• This program prepares the individual for full communion with the Catholic Church by instructing them on the basics tenants of the Catholic Faith and how to live your lives for Christ within the parish community.