Families from St. Mary of the Visitation Parish-Ottumwa, St. Patrick Parish-Ottumwa and St. Mary Magdalen Parish-Bloomfield hear a talk from their parochial vicar, Father Ben Snyder, during the parishes’ inaugural Family Formation Night at St. Mary of the Visitation Parish in October.
By Anne Marie Amacher
The Catholic Messenger
Family-centered activities that bring together families and parishioners for catechesis are proving to be a winning combination in parishes that received Catholic Extension Society grants. St. Joseph parishes in Columbus Junction and West Liberty, Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport, St. Alphonsus Parish in Mount Pleasant and the Ottumwa cluster of St. Mary of the Visitation and St. Patrick parishes each received $15,000 grants for “passing on the faith” activities beginning in 2024 and continuing through 2026.
Kelley Tansey, director of faith formation in Mount Pleasant, said families were seeking common ground to pass on the faith and had concerns about society drawing young people away from their faith. “Families wanted the opportunity to build community ties within our parish so that we can all support each other on our faith journeys. We decided to create a number of programs based on cultural faith-based celebrations throughout the year,” Tansey said.
The celebrations aim to allow parents to share their experiences and traditions with their own children as well as to encourage interaction between the Spanish-speaking and English-speaking communities to learn about their traditions and customs. Spanish-speaking members of the community also gain confidence in being part of leading parish events, Tansey said.
So far, St. Alphonsus has offered a Learning Day focused on Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) with crafts. A week later, the Dia de los Muertos celebration featured a blessing, traditional Mexican food and bilingual information about the traditions and significance of the celebration. Other programs have focused on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Las Posadas and Arrullos del Niño Dios.
The next program supports a cherished community tradition, Tansey said. An ecumenical Way of the Cross on Good Friday will begin at St. Alphonsus and end at the local Methodist church. As the number of Spanish-speaking participants has grown, they have been fortunate to have a translator. Bilingual booklets will allow attendees to follow along and will be available for use in the churches as well.
“Everyone seems to enjoy learning about cultural faith celebrations,” she said. Events are well attended. “One of the fruits of this grant is the growing confidence among committee members in their role within the parish. They recognize this is their parish too. It’s inspiring to see them take ownership.”
Ana de La Torre, director of religious education at St. Mary of the Visitation Parish in Ottumwa, says the grant has helped the two Ottumwa parishes get more people involved in parish events. Each month Father Joseph Sia, the pastor, leads the topic in Spanish and Father Ben Snyder, parochial vicar, leads a topic for the English-speaking participants. One topic focused on praying at home. “We gave each family a crucifix, rosary and pamphlet on how to pray the rosary to take home. Father also talked about Advent and families received an Advent wreath.”
Participation has ranged between 80-100 families each time. “We’ve had nothing but great feedback. Parents enjoy learning with their children. Some have expressed that they love being equipped to answer questions and become better catechists to their children.”
Sacred Heart Cathedral brings the Anglo and Vietnamese communities together through a variety of cultural events. “It’s nice to see our parish community growing in our faith,” said Susan Stanforth, director of religious education. The cathedral has hosted Taste of Sacred Heart with Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, All Soul’s Day bilingual liturgy and celebration (Dia de los Muertos), Advent celebration, Christmas pageant, Tet liturgy and celebration (Vietnamese Lunar New Year). They also celebrated an Ash Wednesday bilingual liturgy and Lent kickoff presentation with dinner.
At St. Joseph in West Liberty, family nights include crafts, a take-home activity and a meal, said Hannah Campbell, director of religious education. “We offer a Bible-based lesson with families,” she said. That includes doing crafts together. Separately, the English-speaking and Spanish-speaking groups also participate in lessons in their language. Adults and family members stay with their children during Family Faith nights. Sharing a meal together has given families the opportunity to learn about their faith and meet others, Campbell said.
