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The Year of Faith
October 11, 2012 – November 24, 2013
In October 2011, in an Apostolic Letter called Porta Fidei, Pope Benedict XVI called for a Year of Faith to be held from October 11, 2012 to November 24, 2013.The Year of Faith marks the 50-year anniversary of the opening of Vatican II and the 20-year anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
The Year of Faith, declared by Pope Benedict XVI, is an opportunity for Catholics to experience a conversion – to turn back to Jesus and enter into a deeper relationship with him. The pope has described this conversion as opening the “door of faith” (Porta Fidei; see Acts 14:27).
In an accompanying document from the Vatican, Catholic schools are called to “offer students a living witness to the Lord and to nurture their faith” (note with Pastoral Recommendations for the Year of Faith, January 6, 2012). This can be done through special events, retreats, speakers, service projects, study of the Youth Catechism (YouCat) and discovering the documents of Vatican II, especially the four constitutions on divine revelation (Dei verbum), the sacred liturgy (Sacrosanctum concilium), the pastoral constitution on the Church in the modern world (Gadium et spes) and the dogmatic constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium).
Professional Resources from the NCEA
- Learn from Bishop Richard Malone, "Evangelization and Catechesis: Keeping Christ at the Heart of Catholic Identity."
- Watch videos of the key presentations from the NCEA Convention & Expo on NCEA's YouTube channel, celebrating faith within Catholic education.
- Access recorded workshop sessions discussing evangelization, faith, and catechism in the NCEA Live Learning Center.
Ideas to Celebrate the Year of Faith in Catholic Schools
- Participate in the Year of Faith YouTube Video Contest, sponsored by the NCEA and intelliVOL. Learn more about the contest here.
- Order prayer cards, featuring the Saints of the Americas, appropriate for school or home. They serve as a reminder of the place of the Virgin Mary as the Mother of God and the First Disciple of Jesus Christ.
- Have students write essays on what faith means to them, or how they have seen faith in the actions of a teacher, classmate or family member.
- Make art projects illustrating how the “door of faith” has opened students to the things of God, such as scripture, sacraments, service projects and prayers.
- Develop 3-5 minute “witness talks,” in which students develop an oral presentation that tells their personal conversion story, with the aim of helping others to come to faith in Jesus.
- Have students compose prayers of petition for Mass, praying that the Year of Faith would bring people to conversion and a deeper relationship with Jesus and the Church.
- Outside da Box: short films produced to support effective Catholic youth ministry by launching groups into lively and meaningful discussions that allow young people to wrestle with and embrace the call of Christ in their lives. Some videos are free. Others are available through a paid subscription. Members can also access free discussion guides provided for almost every video.
- WingClips: clips from feature films that you can incorporate into your teaching. Clips searchable by subject. Some features are free for educators. Others are available through a paid subscription.
- Any Given Sunday: developed to help young people ages 13 to 18 better prepare for Mass. Reflections of the weekly readings are written by some of the best known Catholic youth speakers, musicians and comedians in the country. Developed by the Youth Ministry Office for Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia.
- Access a resource booklet, adaptable for parishes, schools, and faith formation programs. Two themes, from each of the four pillars of the Catholic Catechism of the Church, were selected as quarterly focuses for the year. Every theme includes: prayers, scripture readings, reflection questions, resources, catechesis, fast facts, and faith in action. Each two themes are followed by a study of a Vatican II Constitution and a special interest focus.
Year of Faith Resources
- Official Vatican Year of Faith website. This website has the text of Porta Fidei and other documents, prayer, and an official hymn with links to videos and a variety of resources to help you renew you baptismal call by living with faith, hope and love in your everyday life. Site includes a "Q & A" section on what the Year of Faith is all about.
- United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) website. This website contains links to the documents of Vatican II, prayers, videos and other resources.
- Vatican celebrations and reflections scheduled throughout the year.
- How to Use the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults. Resources for ongoing catechesis of adults. Each chapter includes stories, doctrine, reflections, quotations, discussion questions, and prayers to lead the reader to a deepening faith.
Prayer for the New Evangelization
Heavenly Father,
Pour forth your Holy Spirit to inspire me with these words from Holy Scripture:
‘“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard?
And how can they hear without someone to preach? And how can people preach unless they are sent?” –Romans 10: 13-15
Stir in my soul the desire to renew my faith and deepen my relationship with your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ so that I might truly believe in and live the Good News.
Open my heart to hear the Gospel and grant me the confidence to proclaim the Good News to others.
Pour out your Spirit, so that I might be strengthened to go forth and witness to the Gospel in my everyday life through my words and actions.
In moments of hesitation, remind me:
If not me, then who will proclaim the Gospel?
If not now, then when will the Gospel be proclaimed?
If not the truth of the Gospel, then what shall I proclaim?
God, our Father, I pray that through the Holy Spirit I might hear the call of the New Evangelization to deepen my faith, grow in confidence to proclaim the Gospel and boldly witness to the saving grace of your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
(From the USCCB website on the Year of Faith)
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