The purpose of the Faith Formation Programs is to foster and nurture parishioners in their growth as Catholic Christians, empowering them to know and practice their faith, apply its teachings and values in their daily lives, and share their gift of faith with others.
 
As part of St. Robert Bellarmine Parish, the faith formation programs seek to further the parish vision to: build a Catholic community of commitment, passion and love; celebrate our faith through dynamic liturgy and a rich sacramental life; welcome all into the warmth of our parish family; share the gifts God entrusted to us; and strive to learn, live and share our faith.
 
Our programming is guided by the following values:

• Word, Witness, and Worship (WWW) go hand in hand:
  • We believe the way we go about teaching the Faith teaches as much, if not more, about the Faith and what it means to be part of a Catholic Christian community, as the actual words and activities we use to achieve this goal. Welcoming and hospitality, family and community, respect, joy, stewardship, collaboration, and of course, faith, all shape how we do what we do.
  • We believe that worshipping together (eg. Sunday Mass) is central to our formation as it both expresses and forms our Catholic identity through Word, Sacrament, and Community. All of us should strive towards weekly participation at Sunday Mass. 

• Responsibility and commitment: modern family life pulls us in many directions: school, sports, an endless choice of activities and interests. But, let’s face it, religion is not one of those directions.  This means that if having faith and handing this faith on to your children is important to you, you will need to make a commitment to this endeavor and give it the time and effort it needs and deserves if it is to bear fruit. 

• Relevance: why put the time and effort? Why does faith matter? How can it help me and my family? We believe the Gospel brings us into relationship with Jesus Christ who reveals to us the face of God. This relationship is the single most important relationship of our lives and has the power to sustain us through any trial that may come our way. And when times are good, our relationship with God sheds light on our lives, and helps us discern its meaning, purpose, and direction. We strive to nurture and help deepend this relationship in all who participate in our programs.

• Flexibility: we recognize that families can face unexpected challenges that make it difficult to plan and participate in religious education programs. We want to support families through these difficult times by coming up with a workable way for them to continue growing in faith within the constraints they face.

Current Priorities:

• Faith formation of adults.
• Encourage families to share, learn about, and practice their faith at home.
• Increase Mass attendance of families who participate in the Religious Education program.