Sharing the Faith:
A Faith Development Program
for Faculty and Staff

Sharing the Faith is a faculty faith development program for Catholic elementary and secondary schools. The program, based on the conviction that the mission of Catholic schools is expressed in the lives of the faculty, addresses the need for an adult-based, professional in-service that balances personal reflection with community building. It is a proven means of blending theological information, personal reflection and school mission.

Sharing the Faith encourages and develops individual and community faith life and deepens understanding of the school's Catholic identity. Based on the premise that each adult in a Catholic school is a person of faith, the program presents an ecumenically sensitive overview of Catholic tradition.

Designed by Catholic school educators, Sharing the Faith is rooted in research and proved in practice. Over 1800 schools document its value, feasibility, ease of implementation and ongoing benefit. In several dioceses across the country every school has implemented the program.

Starting the Sharing the Faith program

Created for the busy administrator committed to quality faculty faith development, Sharing the Faith is ready to implement! Each kit includes a leader's manual, participant materials, background resources, reflection guides, cassettes and prayer cards. The manual describes how to use the program, detailing session goals, approaches, prayer format and background information.

No training is required! Sharing the Faith builds on the experiences of the faculty and school community. The principal forms a steering committee to implement the program and determine which of the many suggested activities will be developed. An individual session generally fits a faculty meeting schedule; four sessions of the twelve are appropriate for faculty retreat gatherings.

Program Features
The multi-year program covers the following topics:

• God's call and our response within the history and mission of our school (1/2 day retreat format)
• Meeting God in the Hebrew Scriptures (90 minutes)
• God's continued revelation in the Christian Scriptures (90 minutes)
• Prayer-friendship with God (90 minutes)
• Sharing a holy meal (90 minutes)
• Support for our faith journeys (1/2 day retreat format)
• Jesus the Teacher and our vocation to the ministry of teaching (1/2 day retreat format)
• The Church (90 minutes)
• Moral choices and guideposts (90 minutes)
• Models of justice (90 minutes)
• Call to justice (90 minutes)
• Continuing our faith journeys (1/2 day retreat format)

Program Benefits

The program is extremely beneficial to those who participate. Documented benefits to participants include:

• deepening one's spirituality
• supporting faculty recognition of God's actions in their personal lives and in the life of the school community
• increasing understanding of the theology inherent in the school's instruction, worship and service
• encouraging faculty and staff faith expressions through belief, question, symbol and ritual
• ecumenically inclusive and respectful
• easy to implement

What past participants have said about the program:

The program has done exactly what its title states. It has helped us to share our faith, and as a result, we are building a stronger and more faith-filled community. It has been a wonderful experience for all of us."
-- Blessed Sacrament-St. Gabriel High School, NY

We have experienced many spiritual benefits from our prayer gathering time together and as a result we have developed a closer relationship as a faculty."
-- St. Catherine School, TX

We had been looking at the total religious formation program for the school especially in the area of the faith formation of the faculty and staff. It was so encouraging to see how well Sharing the Faith responded to what we had identified as our need."
-- Metro Catholic Parish School, OH

I think the program is excellent. It provides for a variety of needs in the faith development area. It is well structured yet provides for flexibility."
-- Blessed Sacrament School, UT

It helped encourage and strengthen our unity as a staff."
-- Regis High School, OR

The program is a good vehicle for helping us focus on the beliefs of our teachers."
-- Damian Memorial High School, HI

Ordering the Program

This multi-year staff development program is priced at $170.00. Materials include the manual for the steering committee, participant materials for 20 people (journal folders, ritual prayer cards, journal notepaper), background material for presenters (audio tapes and appendix) and handouts for photocopying. This noteworthy value translates into $14.20 per faculty in-service. Those who use the kit describe the materials as very attractive, clear, practical and professional. Though developed and piloted as a two-year program, a number of schools have found that a three-year schedule is preferable. Sharing the Faith can be ordered from the the Publications Department -

• by phone at (800) 711-6232 or by fax at (703) 243-0025
• by e-mail at services@ncea.org.
• from our website Online Store." (/store/)
• and orders can be mailed to

NCEA
Member Service Center
1005 N. Glebe Rd, Suite 525
Arlington, VA 22201