FORMATION

We at St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church encourage all to grow in the understanding of our faith so each one of us may learn how to live it more fully. St. Peter’s Christian Formation options include: Bible Study Course, RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) program, Marriage Course, Catechism, Children’s Liturgy, Youth Ministry and our Reading Resources.

BIBLE STUDY

All scripture, “is inspired by God and useful for refuting error, for guiding people’s lives and teaching them to be upright. This is how someone who is dedicated to God becomes fully equipped and ready for any good work.” (Timothy 2:16-17) For any one who has opened up the Bible knows that it is a hard book to understand. It has difficult passages, unfamiliar writing styles and is quite a large volume of information. For some this has been very discouraging. We at St. Peter’s hope to change this with our Bible study course.

Jesus is the life model for all Christians and it is only in Holy Scripture that we find that model for our lives exemplified in the life of Jesus Himself. Hoping that many will benefit from the charism of St. Francis of Assisi (the Gospel life) and the example of his life, we at St. Peter’s encourage all to do as St. Francis did, that is recognize and refer to the Gospel, the Word of God as the preeminent source for knowing and following the Will of God. For St. Francis, referring to the Scriptures was the first step in his decision making process.

RCIA (RITE OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION OF ADULTS)

St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church welcomes new members to our parish community with our RCIA program. The RCIA or Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, is for those who are interested in becoming a Christian in the Catholic tradition, including those from other Christian denominations. As Christ called His disciples to follow Him, so will He call others to join His church. If you are drawn to the Catholic faith, we welcome you and we at St. Peters make ourselves available to help you with the RCIA process, so that it may be an easy and comfortable one for you.

MARRIAGE COURSE

Marriage courses are for all couples planning to marry. Couples planning to marry between the months of January and August of any given year, are required to attend the marriage course to be held in the months of October and November, of the previous year.

For those couples preparing to marry between the months of September and December should register for the course that is held in January and February of the same year.

If you so choose, you may attend another marriage preparation course offered at another location. Our parish office can help you in locating another course that best suits your needs. In either case, you must contact the parish office prior to the above mentioned dates and register for either the parish course or get approval for another course outside of the parish.

CATECHISM

St. Peter’s provide Catechism courses to help children prepare for and understand the sacrament they are to receive. The catechism courses are for children of private and public schools, preparing to receive First Communion or Confirmation. These courses are required to be eligible to receive the sacraments. Courses for First Communion and Confirmation for children attending Catholic schools will be provided by the respective Catholic school.

CHILDREN’S LITURGY

The children’s liturgy is a separate liturgy dedicated to making the gospel readings easier to understand for those children up and including grade three. On Sunday, at the 9:00am & 12:00 Noon Masses, children are pulled out of the Mass and brought to the parish hall, where the Gospel readings are read in a more simpler version, along with discussion and further knowledge on the Gospel.

YOUTH MINISTRY

The Youth Ministry at St. Peter’s seeks to provide opportunities for those in our parish who are between the ages of 15-30, single or married, to connect with one another in the context of a faith community. We strive to develop and sustain a balanced ministry through which young adults are able to participate in various social activities, serve our parish and our community, and grow spiritually in our Catholic faith. We hope to develop friendships and networks of support to sustain us in our journeys through life’s joys and struggles.

SUGGESTED READING