DIOCESE OF BUFFALO FAMILIES AT THE CENTER OF

DIOCESE OF BUFFALO FAMILIES AT THE CENTER OF FAITH Session Two Presenters Leif Kehrwald & John Roberto

Comprehensive Family Plan Children/Teens + Parents + Grandparents Three Elements of a Family Plan Family Life & Parent Formation Family Faith at Home Family Engagement in the Intergenerational Faith Community

Comprehensive Family Plan Young Children Older Children Young Adolescents Older Adolescents Family Faith @ Home ü God in Everyday Life ü Faith Practices ü Milestones Intergenerational Faith Community Seasonal Events ü Bible through the Year ü Intergenerational Connections & Experiences ü Family Life & Parent/Grandparent Formation Strong Family Life ü Parents & Grandparents as Faith Formers ü

Plan for Family Faith Formation Developmentally-Appropriate Content, practices, and strategies accommodated to the needs and interests of each stage of family life (children, parents, and grandparents). 1. Families with young children (0 -5) 2. Families with older children (6 -10) 3. Families with children (0 -10) 4. Families with young adolescents (11 -14) 5. Families with older adolescents (15 -18) 6. Families with adolescents (11 -18)

Transforming Our Practice Family Life & Parent Formation Family Faith at Home Family Engagement in the Intergenerational Faith Community

Forming Faith @ Home Developmentally Appropriate activities for. . . 1. Seasons of the year 2. Rituals and milestones 3. Learning the tradition 4. Prayer and spiritual formation 5. Reading the Bible 6. Service, justice, care for creation

Discovering God in Everyday Life God is present and active in family life Immanent as well as transcendent Available in/through our life experiences Present in relationships Families epitomize relationship Families are both human and spiritual Families: authentic ecclesial expression

Discovering God in Everyday Life: Hindrances World Demands Time Change Lifecycle growth Other

Discovering God in Everyday Life: Response Factors Intention Connect with others Routine => Ritual Do what works

Discovering God in Everyday Life 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Examen for Children Quiet the children before bedtime. Ask them what made them happy over the past day. Ask them what made them sad over the past day. Ask them what they look forward to tomorrow. Remind them to thank God for what made them happy, ask for God’s help when they are sad, and pray for God’s presence in the coming day.

Discovering God in Everyday Life 1. Embed and Equip Worship, learning, sacraments, retreats, and more 2. Create and Sponsor Family/intergenerational programs Small group experiences 3. Equip and Resource Print, audio, and video resources for discovering God and for living practices in everyday life 4. Connect and Engage New settings for spiritual conversations

Forming Faith through Milestones Birth / Baptism 1. Church ritual/blessing Baptism anniversaries 2. Home First prayers First Bible stories Starting school year Receiving a first Bible First Communion Confirmation Graduation celebration/blessing 3. Learning program – at church or home 4. Symbol 5. Supporting continued growth

Forming Faith through Milestones Preparing • What types of experiences, programming, activities, and resources will you develop to prepare people for the event? Experiencing • How will you design the event? • How will you engage groups, families, and the faith community? Living • How will you sustain/exten d the event? • What types of experiences, programs, activities, and resources will you offer people?

Forming Faith through Milestones

Forming Faith through Milestones

Forming Faith through Milestones

Transforming Our Practice Family Faith @ Home Family Life & Parent Formation Family Engagement in the Intergenerational Faith Community

Developing a Strong Family Life Family faith formation strengthens family life by developing the assets/strengths and skills for healthy family life and providing a supportive context forming faith, living the Christian faith, and promoting positive development in children and youth. • Developing family assets or strengths • Promoting character strengths in young people through developmental relationships.

Developing a Strong Family Life Developmental Relationships – Search Institute Express Care Challenge Growth Provide Support Share Power Expand Possibilities

Developing Strong Family Life Programming 1. Communicating effectively 2. Establishing family routines: family meals, shared activities, 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. daily commitments Celebrating meaningful traditions and rituals Discussing tough topics Making decisions and solving problems as a family Learning how to build strong relationships and express care for each other Developing the strengths & potential of children & youth Supporting each other: encouraging and praising, giving feedback, standing up for each other Treating each with respect and dignity

Developing Strong Family Life Create a Family Life Plan for Each Stage Using the Family Assets and Developmental Relationships, curate and create developmentallyappropriate programs, activities, and resources for families at each stage. 1. Family website 2. Parent programs 3. Family programs 4. Family mentors 5. Life cycle support groups for parents

www. Parent. Further. com

Empowering Parents & Grandparents Twin Tasks 1. Promoting the faith growth of parents 2. Developing the faith forming skills of parents Content • Theological and spiritual formation of parents • Skills for parenting for faith growth • Knowledge and skills for parenting

Empowering Parents Developing Faith @ Home Promoting Healthy Development Parental Faith Formation Key Content Faith Forming & Parenting Skills

Empowering Parents Three Roles Sponsor of the Catholic Faith Gatekeeper of the Catholic Faith Interpreter of the Catholic Faith As “sponsors, ” “gatekeepers, ” and “interpreters” of the Catholic faith for their children, parents give children a glimpse of what Catholicism seems to be all about and whether or not it can meaningfully inform one’s day-to-day life. (American Catholic Religious Parenting, Burtkus and Smith)

Empowering Parents Shaping the Religious Household 1. 2. 3. 4. Parents’ motivating narrative for transmission (the why): the story that parents tell of their own religious journey, a uniquely personal narrative which frames and motivates whether, why, and how they transmit their faith to their children. Parents’ degree of reflective intentionality in channeling the religious culture of the household in a purposeful direction (the how): what sorts of practices are necessary to achieve those aims. Religious content (the what): religiously significant practices, relationships, and experiences to which children are exposed through the influence of parents. Enacted interpretation of family’s religious commitments (events of availability of faith to children): discrete events, regular occasions, or extended processes by which children are not merely exposed to religious content, but through which they perceive religion’s significance to their parents’ lives, their family’s life, and their own orientation to the world.

Empowering Parents Competencies ü ü ü ü Expressing care, love, affection, and support for children Balancing time and commitments, managing stress Practicing healthy relationships Disciplining children and learning discipline practices Creating a warm, caring supportive family. Set boundaries and high expectations for children Managing technology and media use Challenging children to grow and continuously improve Providing support to help children complete tasks and achieve goals Sharing power with children so that there voice is heard and they share in making decisions. Expanding possibilities and connecting children to opportunities for growth Developing emotional communication skills Developing positive parent-child interaction skills Learning to respond consistently to their child

Empowering Parents & Grandparents Guides for Developing Parent Programming 1. Address diverse spiritual-religious identities of parents. 2. Have parents practice new skills with their own children during program sessions. 3. Give parents a plan for parenting. • Give them a plan for parenting proactively. • Show them how it works. • Tell them what to do today.

Empowering Parents & Grandparents Guides for Developing Parent Programming 4. Address the levels of partnership with parents. • • Aware Involved Engaged Invested 5. Design programs that engage parents in the learning experience. 6. Use a variety of environments & methods to engage all parents. 7. Use online platforms and digitally enabled strategies.

Empowering Parents Parent Programming 1. Parent website 2. Parent programs—a progression of workshops, 3. 4. 5. 6. webinars, and/or courses for each stage of the lifecycle Laboratory experiences—immersion/hands-on experiences through church events or family/intergenerational programs Parent mentors Lifecycle support groups for parents A parent catechumenate—around key milestone experiences and “moments of return”

Flip the Model of Parent Formation @ Home / Daily Life Exploring the Content - print, audio, video, activities @ The Program Applying the Content: Create – Practice - Perform - Participate

PART 3 CONGREGATION & FAMILIES

Transforming Our Practice Family Faith @ Home Family Engagement in the Intergenerational Faith Community Family Life & Parent Formation

Core Strategies for Becoming Intentionally Intergenerational 1. Connect - Generations 2. Infuse - Intergenerational Experiences & Relationships into Existing Ministries & Programs 3. Create - Intergenerational Experiences Serving Caring Relationships Praying Celebrating Learning

Intergenerational Learning Process Part 1. Meal, Community Building, Prayer Part 2. GATHER: All Ages Learning Part 3. GROW: In-Depth Learning Experience • Formats: Whole Group, Age Group, or Activity Center Part 4. GO FORTH: • Sharing Learning Experiences • Home Application • Closing Prayer

Intergenerational Learning

Intergenerational Learning 1. 2. 3. 4. Bible Study Family Time Worship Skills Recreation Gen. On Ministries

Intergenerational Learning A flexible, relaxed arrival time with drinks and snacks ü Creative exploration of a Bible story/theme through creative experiences for people of different learning styles and of all ages. Children and adults are not separated and are encouraged to explore the story/theme together ü A short but explicit time of worship with story, music and prayers that builds on the creative exploration. ü A generous welcome and hospitality is expressed through a delicious homecooked, sit-down meal with others ü

Celebrating Seasons Calendar Year • • • • New Year’s Eve and Day Martin Luther King Jr. Day Valentine’s Day St. Patrick’s Day Earth Day Mother’s Day Memorial Day Father’s Day July 4 – Independence Day Labor Day Start of School Halloween Thanksgiving Church Year • Advent • Christmas • Epiphany • Ash Wednesday • Lent • Holy Week • Easter • Pentecost • St. Francis Day–Blessing the Animals (October 4) • All Saints and Souls (Nov 1 -2)

Example: 40 -Day Lent Curriculum Church Life Daily & Home Life • Ash Wednesday • Lenten Sunday liturgies • Stations of the Cross • Lenten prayer • Lenten retreat • Lenten service • Lenten soup suppers • Fasting • Praying • Service/Almsgivi ng • Lectionary reflection • Family activities Online Life • Lenten learning resources • Lenten calendar • Daily Lenten prayer • Weekly table prayer • Video resources • Online retreat experience

Example: Earth Day • • Community cleanup Planting a community garden All ages workshop on caring for creation Story time at the library on environmental awareness • • Church Ecumenical prayer • service • Intergenerational program on • theology of caring for creation • Church audit Global project for • whole community • Home Recycling activities Planting a family garden Meal time creation prayer Daily Bible verses for April Children’s activities Storybooks and videos • Home audit

Intergenerational Learning Preparation: knowledge & practices for participating fully Reflection: on the experience and living its meaning in daily life Guided Participation: in the events of church life & the Christian Faith

Intergenerational Families Pre event / post event Age/stage appropriate Digital mirror Tactile If they build it, they'll use it Loop back Model in gathered setting