Our parish subscribes to a revolutionary online platform which provides the best in Catholic audio talks, movies, ebooks, and video-based studies from trusted providers like the Augustine Institute, Scott Hahn, Edward Sri, Fr. Michael Gaitley, etc.
The idea is to offer to the entire parish, free of charge, access to online resources which allows you to participate in bible study, apologetics, Christian entertainment, family catechesis, etc. at your convenience. It’s available 24/7 thus allowing you to put time aside when it’s best for you.
The beauty of this website is that you don’t have to come to the parish in order to participate in a workshop or faith-learning experience. It’s all available from home on your PC, phone, or IPad. It’s a great resource for catechists, parents who wish to share faith with their children (there are lots of video materials for children), and for all the rest of us who simply want to deepen our faith. I personally have been examined a fascinating bible-study on the Eucharist, called “Lectio: Eucharist,” which consists of brief video presentations that have been most rewarding.
I urge you to check it out by signing up for the website. Click HERE or type in abvmcentereach.formed.org on your browser. You will be asked to fill out a registration form and create a password for your email address. There is no charge. Once you have registered you’ll have access to all the material on FORMED. Check it out!
You also can install FORMED through an app. Learn more at app.formed.org. Our parish code is P8DGQ8.
Once you’ve signed up you’re ready to begin an exciting online journey which will help you grow in knowledge of your faith. St. Peter in his first letter tells us, “Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope” (3:15). As Catholics, we have a responsibility to know about our faith; we don’t just live by blind uninformed faith. Very often learning about what the Church teaches can be overwhelming. FORMED provides a user-friendly and accessible way to learn about the beautiful teachings of the Church. Learning about the faith means learning about topics such as prayer, sacraments, morality, and much more. We want to know what we believe and why we believe what we say we believe. Although this is important it does not end there. Knowing our faith is not just an academic exercise but one that leads us to prayer as well.
Imagine reading a book about prayer but never actually praying. It is counterintuitive. For example, FORMED has a short video series called “Forgiven” about confession, touching on frequently asked questions, how to prepare your children for their first confession, the biblical roots of the sacrament, in addition to other topics. Although it is important to know what the Church teaches about this sacrament of mercy, the hope is that knowledge moves to action and we use the videos to make a good confession. The faith is to be lived not just to have knowledge about. There is an ongoing temptation to treat our faith like other academic exercises or courses. We don’t live a life of history, or science, or math; but we do live the Catholic faith.
Each one of us is called to the vocation of holiness. We are a pilgrim people on a journey towards heaven. FORMED alone will not get us to heaven, but when applied in concrete ways, it can help us grow in virtue and holiness. Christ calls us to be His disciples. Without knowing what Christ asks of us, we cannot be his disciples. When we think about the disciples, after they encountered the Lord, they dropped what they were doing and followed him. We are looking for an opportunity to facilitate such an encounter. We meet Christ in prayer, in Sacred Scripture, in the sacraments, especially the Eucharist. FORMED is a tool that can help deepen our knowledge about all of these important avenues of encounter. Knowing about Jesus and His Church helps us to know Jesus and His Church, to deepen our relationship. What better time to begin this journey than now?
Moving forward you might consider starting a study/prayer group that uses FORMED in your home. May I suggest inviting a group of friends over, watching one of the videos and then having a discussion after? This fosters relationships and community, things that are necessary for discipleship. What about coming together as a family and going over some of the content directed towards children? When it comes to using FORMED, the possibilities are only limited by our imagination.
I invite you to sign up now. Click HERE or type in abvmcentereach.formed.org on your browser. Remember, there is no charge. Once you have registered you’ll have access to all the material on FORMED. Check it out!
You also can install FORMED through an app. Learn more at app.formed.org. Our parish code is P8DGQ8.
631-585-8760