The Passing on the Faith Working Group is looking for ideas, experiences and stories from the local church.

We want to learn much more about what is already being tried and tested, developed or adapted in parishes and schools to support parents and grandparents in passing on faith in God.

Large or small, complex or simple, formal or informal - we want to hear about it! Even if your plans didn't turn out as expected.

If you have anything at all to share, please email in confidence to workinggroup@passingonthefaith.org.uk

Parenting Programmes

"The leadership potential of parents as the first teachers of their children in faith is sometimes taken for granted. In normal circumstances parents usually rise to the challenges well. However, when things go wrong they can be left holding all the blame. Parents can bear the burdens of fragile community connectedness and communications. Because all community, including church, depends on people being born to it, supporting those who give birth to, and nourish, new life is essential. It helps parents to appreciate the evangelising quality of the love and faith already lived at home and increases their confidence in sharing with their children their own faith in the loving God who gives us all life." BT
Read more about the Diocese of Leeds Parenting Project

Godly Play

"I think Godly Play is absolutely fabulous. I'm doing the 4 advent stories in a school assembly at the moment and it seems to be getting the pupils to think a little outside the box! It'd be great to meet up to hear from other Catholics that are using it, and in the future I do want to find ways to adapt Godly Play to explicitly Catholic issues.  I've bought the books but I find it difficult (and potentially expensive) to collect all the materials required for the stories. I've managed to make most of the parable stories (I had access to a wood-cutter in the school I worked in last year), and I've managed to make and find all the advent story materials, but it does take a long time. For example, at the moment I'm struggling with making the desert bag to hold sand for the exodus story. It would be so helpful if there was a central "lending library" of Godly play materials - it would cut down my preparation time massively." KF

www.godlyplay.org.uk

Faith in Our Family

"People really enjoy the hospitality. Feeling welcome in someone's home makes it possible for them to open up and talk about thoughts and feelings which generally cannot ever be shared in ordinary social interactions, religion being such a taboo subject. Being able to talk about one's own faith, or questions relating to it, in itself brings tremendous benefits. The fact that the host and leaders are seen as fellow parents, rather than Church officials, is also helpful to this process." LBB

This resource was available from www.viewpoint24.com/fiof-home.html but is now understood to be out of print.