Faith Formation Programs
St. Paul reminds us that Life IS Christ (Phil 1:21). “‘Christ Lives in Me’ is the is the singular confession of the Christian who has been led by God’s grace and who trusts, at the deepest level of being, that true life comes only through the redemptive sacrifice of Jesus Christ” (National Directory for Catechesis, p. 183-184).
Many Church documents echo this sentiment.
The goal of our faith formation programs is to help every baptized person realize that they were created by God out of love, for love, and to be loved. Therefore, the primary objective of all our programs is to help all people realize that they are not only loved by God, but also called by Him to a profound relationship of love with Him and others. Our programs accomplish this by helping people grow in their knowledge and love of God so that they may grow in holiness and fulfill their baptismal calling to become the face of Christ to a world desperate for His love.
St. Albert the Great Parish is committed to offering a variety of programs and opportunities designed to help individuals explore and deepen their relationship with God, their role in the Church, and their call to discipleship. It is one thing to know your Faith. It is something else entirely to understand how our Faith enhances and deepens our relationship with the living God. It is only through our being formed and informed in our Faith that we can be transformed by our relationship with God.
The programs listed below are formal and ongoing. As more programs are created they will be added to the list below so be sure to check back from time to time. In addition to the programs listed below, be sure to check under Current Happenings on our Home Page for special faith formation programs such as retreats, workshops, seminars, and reflections that may be offered periodically throughout the year.
For Adults
Catechetical Institute
The Catechetical Institute is a non-credit adult religious education program offering adult Catholic catechesis for those interested in growing in knowledge of their faith. It is also the program that provides catechist training for those who teach the faith.
Courses are non-credit for those taking the courses for their own personal enrichment. As such, they are open to all parishioners. This program is coordinated by the Religious Studies Division of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. Registrations are accepted online through the Seminary website. You may register for courses through the first night of class. The cost is $50.00 per course. Each course consists of four 2 ½ hour sessions for a total of 10 hours. All courses are currently held on Wednesday Evenings at St. Charles Seminary and local diocesan high schools.
The current course schedule may be found here. Summer courses are only offered at the seminary due to the accommodations of an air conditioned environment. Each summer session runs for one week – Monday to Thursday from 7:00 to 9:30 PM.
This is a great and affordable opportunity to deepen your knowledge of the Faith. Register online at St. Charles Seminary, or call 610-667-3394 for more information.
Institute for Christian Formation
The Institute for Christian Formation is for those seeking to learn more about their faith through formal instruction. The Institute offers courses in the Catechism of the Catholic Church as well as topics of special interest through its Catholic Formation series. Detailed information about the Institute and its offerings can be obtained from St. Charles Seminary’s website. There are tuition costs associated with the program, but the Archdiocesan will work with you if you have financial challenges.
FORMED.org
St. Albert the Great parishioners have free access to an exciting Catholic website which provides the best Catholic programs, movies, audio talks, and eBooks on the Catholic faith. It offers amazing Faith Formation in an engaging style with the best Catholic teachers, authors, and speakers, on-demand 24/7. From prayer and formation, to family and children’s movies, FORMED.org has it all in one place.
To Register for FORMED and start your Free On-Demand access go to Formed.org, enter St. Albert the Great, Huntingdon Valley, PA and then follow the prompts to start enjoying the best Catholic content all in one place!
Free Online Correspondence Course
The Missouri Knights of Columbus and the Vincentian Community have developed a Catholic Home Study Service. The Catholic Home Study Service offers free correspondence courses on the Catholic Faith. A list of the courses may be found at the Knights of Columbus Catholic Information Service website.
Seminars, Retreats, and Reflections
Periodically throughout the course of the year various seminars, retreats, and reflections are offered to parishioners that address varied themes and issues of importance to our Catholic faith such as our annual evenings of reflection for Advent and Lent. Please check our Home Page for the latest on current offerings and opportunities.
For Young Adults
Young Adult Ministry (YAM)
In addition to the opportunities under Adult Faith Formation, Young adults are encouraged to connect with the Office for Ministry with Young Adults which offers ongoing opportunities for worship, prayer, service, and fellowship with other young Catholic adults from across the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
For Youth
Catholic Youth Organization (CYO)
The CYO, Catholic Youth Organization, is comprised of numerous sports, social, and spiritual events for grade school youth. Sports include soccer, basketball, baseball, swimming, and track for grade school students, and basketball for high school students. For more information on CYO sports, visit the CYO Homepage. In addition, the CYO also hosts dances for students in grade 7 and 8 among other social activities.
Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD)
Our parish CCD Program runs September through May and is held in the school building every Tuesday afternoon from 4:30 – 5:45 PM. This program assists parents in providing a sound foundation in the Catholic faith for their children and is currently for children attending public schools in grades 1 to 7. For more information on our CCD program, visit our CCD Homepage.
Vacation Bible School (VBS)
Vacation Bible School, VBS for short, is an innovative, week-long theme centered program that not only teaches kids about their faith, and their relationship with Jesus, but gets them excited about it too. Held the last week of June, daily from 9 AM to 12 PM, kids participate in adventurous Bible learning activities where the stories of our faith are brought to life, sing catchy worship songs, play teamwork-building games, make and dig into delicious theme centered treats, and make memorable crafts to help them remember the lessons learning in VBS. For information on the yearly theme and to obtain registration information visit our VBS Homepage.