Calendar of Topics 

DATE	TOPIC	SOME AREAS TO BE COVERED
Sept. 14	Welcome-Introduction	What will be taught? Who will be teaching? Some particular areas of focus; expectations as far as attendance, participation, etc. Handouts: · Bible (which will be blessed as part of this session) · Schedule for the year · 7-8: presentation, 8 -8:30 questions and discussion · Journey of Faith Journal Chapter 1 handout
Sept. 21	Tradition and Scripture	What does God reveal to man? Why and in what way is divine revelation transmitted? Why does Sacred Scripture teach the truth? How does man respond to God who reveals himself?
Sept. 28	Faith Journey	Why do we believe? Where does this longing for the Lord come from? Why is it called a “faith journey”? How can one tell you are at the right place on this “faith journey”?
Oct. 5	Creed	Why does the Profession of Faith begin with the words, “I believe in God”? What is the central mystery of Christian faith and life? What is the saving meaning of the Resurrection? How will Christ judge the living and the dead?
Oct.12	God the Father	Why is God called the Father? What is divine Providence? What is the place of the human person in creation? For what purpose did God create man and woman? Where does the soul come from?
Oct.19	God the Son	Why is Jesus called “Christ”? Why did the Son of God become man? What does the hidden life of Jesus in Nazareth teach us? What are the results of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross?
Oct. 26	God the Holy Spirit	What does it mean to say, “I believe in the Holy Spirit”? What does the Spirit do in the Church? How do Christ and his Spirit act in the hearts of the faithful?
Nov. 2	The Church	Where did the Church begin? In what way is the Church a mystery? Who belongs to the Catholic Church?
Nov. 9	Mary Mother of God and Communion of Saints	How does the Blessed Mother help the Church? What kind of devotion is directed to the holy Virgin Mary? What is a saint? What is the meaning of the “communion of saints”?
Nov. 16	Personal Prayer	From whom did Jesus learn how to pray? How does prayer develop a personal relationship with Christ? What are the difficulties in prayer?
Nov. 23	Thanksgiving /no class	Have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving!
Nov. 30	Sacraments	What makes a sacrament a sacrament? What are they based on? How can they help one live the faith?
Dec. 7	Baptism and Confirmation	When did Baptism start in the Church? What are the effects of Baptism? What place does Confirmation have in the divine plan of salvation? Who can receive Confirmation?
Dec. 14	Liturgy and Liturgical Year	What is the Mass? What’s the difference between a “Liturgy” and a “church service”? Why do we have to go to Mass on Sunday? What’s the connection between the Liturgy and the Liturgical Year in the Church?
Dec. 21	Eucharist	What is the Eucharist? How can one know that Jesus is really present in the Eucharist? Does it make any difference if one goes to Mass without receiving the Eucharist?
Dec. 28	Ten Commandments and Commandments of the Church	Where are the 10 Commandments in the Bible? Is one Commandment considered more serious than another? What purpose do the Commandments of the Church have?
Jan. 4	Conscience Formation	What is a moral conscience? How is a moral conscience formed? Can a moral conscience make erroneous judgments?
Jan. 11	Reconciliation	Why do they call confession “Reconciliation”? When did Jesus institute this sacrament? Which sins must be confessed? What are the effects of this sacrament?
Jan. 18	Sacrament of the Sick	Who can receive this sacrament? Why is it significant that Jesus had compassion for the sick? What happens to a person receiving this sacrament?
Jan. 25	Holy Orders and Matrimony/Vocation	Why are these sacraments sometimes called sacraments of service of communion and mission? What do you have to do to become a priest? Why did God institute Matrimony? What is required when one of the spouses is not a Catholic?
Feb. 1	Life of Christ	What does the Gospel teach about the mysteries of the birth and infancy of Jesus? What do we learn from the temptations of Jesus in the desert? Why did Jesus manifest the Kingdom by means of signs and miracles?
Feb. 8	Signs, Symbols, and Sacramentals	Why do we make the Sign of the Cross? Why do Catholics put the body of Christ on their cross and most others do not? What are sacramentals?
Feb. 15	Season of Lent/Stations of the Cross	What happens if one doesn’t keep the Lenten fast? Where did the Stations of the Cross come from? Why was the death of Jesus part of God’s plan?
Feb. 22	Ash Wednesday/no class	Lent begins
Feb. 29	Beatitudes	Why should one be familiar with the beatitudes? What did Jesus mean about being meek or poor? How do the beatitudes affect how one thinks?
March 7	Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy	What are the spiritual and corporal works of mercy? What examples did Jesus give us that we could imitate? How important are these to being a good Christian?
March 14	Salvation and Afterlife	What happens when we die? Do we have to believe in an afterlife? What is heaven like?
March 21	Jesus of Nazareth Video	How can viewing this video with our group help me prepare for Holy Week?
March 28	Our Holiest Week	What is the meaning of the different services that happen during Holy Week? Which ones are the most important to get to? Why are the services so long?
April 4	Holy Week/ no class	Joy in the Resurrection!!!
April 11	Resurrection Stories/Acts of the Apostles	What does the Lord’s resurrection mean? Who is “saved”? How is the Church today like the Church right after the resurrection?
April 18	Pentecost and Church History	What happened on Pentecost? Will it ever happen again? How do we know Church history is reliable?
April 25	Mystagogy	What does the work “mystagogy” mean? When can one feel they learned enough about the Church? What’s expected of a Church member to be “active”?