The Diocese of Springfield in Illinois is implementing a program called Why Catholic? Faith Sharing sessions for Why Catholic? will kick off this fall, but just what is it? How will it work in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois?

Why Catholic? is a unique adult faith formation process developed by Renew International. It is centered around the evangelizing mission of Jesus.  It is solidly based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It is supported by leader formation, retreats, faith enrichment sessions, rich resources, and ongoing pastoral support.

Why Catholic? encourages and enables parishioners to become evangelizing Catholics by offering a concrete approach to help adults form their Catholic faith and connect its teachings to their everyday lives. With its thorough exploration of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, this process encourages learning in a prayerful small-group setting. 

The faith-sharing materials offer 48 sessions on Catholic beliefs, sacraments, morality, and prayer with direct Catechism quotes, scriptural references, and reflection questions. The four faith-sharing books are based on the four major themes of the Catechism. The books were reviewed by the U.S. Bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee to Oversee the Use of the Catechism, have an Imprimatur, and were tested in small groups.

The Why Catholic? process is comprehensive, containing a full range of elements in both English and Spanish. It includes orientation, small community leader formation, faith formation and enrichment sessions for all participants, retreat experiences, an invitation video, and family-oriented bulletin inserts. 

For Families: Renewing Family Faith: We Believe, We Celebrate, We Live, We Pray  connects parish families to the Catechism topics and the Why Catholic? process. Content-rich and interactive the Renewing Family Faith newsletter for families is an excellent resource that reinforces the Why Catholic? in the home and also may be used for whole parish catechesis.