1. Adult Meeting

2. Agenda This PowerPoint includes:
Slides for opening questions to help orient parents into their role of primary teachers of their children
Slides to introduce the A Family of Faith program
Closing reflection

3. Opening Questions Who is your child(ren)’s first teacher?
Who is their most important teacher?

4. Opening Questions
Children will first come to understand right from wrong and learn to choose good over evil from their family life. What does this mean for us as parents?
Once parents have answered the opening questions, affirm the vital importance of their teaching role in the lives of their children in a manner similar to the following:
You are your children’s first teacher, and the most important teacher they will ever have.
Despite what our culture often tries to tell us, being a teacher does NOT require any special skills or certifications for parents. We are always teaching our children!
We are teaching them even when we are not trying.
In fact, we can’t help but teach our children.
Teaching is what we do naturally, just as learning from parents is what children do naturally. Especially in the younger years, before peer groups become more influential, parental guidance is far and away the most important factor in who a child grows up to be. And even once kids enter their teen years, parents continue to have more influence than they may think.

5. Familiaris Consortio
The example and witness of parents “leave an impression that the future events in their children’s lives will not be able to efface.”

6. The goal of A Family of Faith
To encourage and equip you to be your child’s primary catechist.

7. Trivia Game

8. Parent’s Guide
Monthly overview pages explain what your family will learn this month, questions your family will explore during the month, words your children should know at the end of the month, etc.
“Your Catholic Home” gives you one easy way each month to bring the Faith into your family life.
Point out that many of the activities to teach throughout the month begin with a short “What you need to know before you begin” section. Encourage the parents to read these sections for their own understanding, even if they do not choose to do the activities with their children.

9. Parent’s Guide
A lesson overview page lists out the activities to choose from, alongside recommended age levels and times.
Each month features at least one journey board project activity that will be built on throughout the year. We will learn more about this later!
Walk the parents through the various icons that demonstrate types of Adult Meeting activities, for example: scissors for creative activities/crafts, a Bible for activities based on Scripture, an apple for direct instruction, and so forth.

10. Parent’s Guide
Saint of the Month essays tell the story of saints whose feast days we celebrate throughout the year. Saints are wonderful models of holiness, and we can ask them to pray for us!
Point out that each month ends with a wrap-up — a summary of the main ideas in each month’s lessons and some space to reflect on how your learning has been going.

11. Year-Long Journey Board Project

12. Reminders and Announcements
Each family will need a Holy Bible and a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
The Community Meeting picnic will take place at [insert location here] on [insert date and time here].

13. A society that loves its children is a healthy and dynamic society
A society that loves its children is a healthy and dynamic society. On their behalf I appeal to you parents. Children need parents who will provide them with a stable family environment. To know what real love is they need you to be united in your love for each other and for them. From you they seek companionship and guidance. From you, first and foremost, they must learn to distinguish right from wrong and to choose good over evil. I appeal to you: do not deprive your children of their rightful human and spiritual heritage...

14. ...Teach them about God, and tell them about Jesus, about his love and his Gospel. Teach them to love God and respect his commandments in the sure knowledge that they are his children above all. Teach them to pray. Teach them to be mature and responsible human beings, and honest citizens of their country. This is a stupendous privilege, a grave duty, and a wonderful task that you have received from God. By the witness of your own Christian lives, you lead your children to take their rightful place in the Church of Christ. —Pope St. John Paul II, 1986 homily

15. Closing Prayer
Dear Lord, thank You for bringing all of us here today as we begin this exciting and humbling journey together. Please bless all our families in a special way, and especially our parents, as they prepare to be their children’s catechists.