The Church’s catechetical mission aims to help the faithful of all ages to grow in both human and Christian maturity, enriching the whole of life with the leaven of the Gospel. Consequently, appropriate goals and content will embrace all the faith dimensions of an adult life—for example, understanding and communicating the faith, skills needed for personal growth, the experience of family life, relationships, public service, and concern for the common good. – USCCB Adult Faith Formation
For those of you who are familiar with the entirety of the St. John campus, which encompasses two large buildings aside from the church, I am sure you have been impressed on how we can squeeze the 4,800 events we have annually into the various rooms, nooks and crannies we can find. Just this past week, we had Theology on Tap the same night as our Adult Catholicism Class while the Irish Step Dancers danced in a classroom and Al-Anon met next to them. Every age group, every type of program happening here constantly enlivens our Parish Family. While we are bursting at the seams, we are happy and joyous in doing so.
However, there are certainly gaps in the environment’s ability to support the various functions we have here at St. John. Several of those gaps will be filled with the new Life Center. Others will be supported through the renovation of the current buildings, making sure mission-purpose is part of the design process. One mission essential capability we simply do not possess in our current buildings is a comfortable space for adult small-group discussion. Classrooms, of which we have 15, are good spaces for youth learning, and can be substitutes for various meeting spaces, but they are not conducive to encourage a relaxed, mature conversation. Working with our new Adult Faith Formation Coordinator, Jack Kindsvater, and the Capital Planning Committee, we determined a priority for this year to develop such a space. There was a large office in the Claussen Family Center that was underutilized, and so we have repurposed it as our new Adult Meeting Space. With comfortable seating for 10-12 adults, along with technology and tables, this room is ideally suited for small group discussions. It will be used by not only the Faith Formation program, but also for our Divorced and Separated Support Group and our Bereavement Support Group, which is expanding with additional services to lift up those who have lost loved ones. By creating this adult space, we are hopeful that we can engage the faithful journey of all our Parish Family, through their entire life.
While we have begun the work our current blessings have allowed us to accomplish for the Build Our Future, Serve Our Past capital campaign, we still need our entire Parish Family to give in order to reach our additional goals. If you have any questions, please contact Joe Lichwalla, the Campaign Coordinator at 239-495-2001 or email: [email protected].
You can also learn more information about the Campaign at: www.sjecc.com/future