PARISH FORMATION PROGRAMME
The Parish Formation Programme aims to provide a common formation experience for all parishioners, and in particular ministry members. The goals are to deepen one’s experience and friendship with God, to place one’s natural tendencies towards pleasure under the control of faith and reason, to cultivate virtue and discipline in prayer life, and to understand the mysteries of the Church more fully in the context of daily life. Ultimately, these goals direct us towards the main goal of becoming missionary apostles of Christ by becoming loving disciples empowered by the Holy Spirit to serve all and to make Jesus known to all.
FORTHCOMING SESSIONS
(subject to change)
Session 7 – 13 Jan 2027
Understanding the Mass
Session 8 – 10 Mar 2027
Mary in Our Faith
Session 9 – 12 May 2027
I Believe in God the Father
COMPLETED SESSIONS
Session 1 – 14 Jan 2026
Friendship with Christ
through Constant Prayer
Prayer is not merely getting on our knees and speaking with God – prayer is spending time with him, an intimate exchange between two close friends. In this session, we look at what the Church teaches on prayer, and explore some ways in which we can integrate prayer into our daily lives so that we are praying constantly through the day.
Session 2 – 11 Feb 2026
Listening to Christ
through Sacred Scripture
The Bible is not just a collection of stories from long ago. It is God speaking to each of us personally, telling us of his love and desire for us, and how we can find peace and strength in him. In this session, we look at how to listen to God speaking to us in the Bible, and on three important virtues that will greatly deepen our friendship with him – humility, detachment and equal fraternal love.
Session 3 – 27 May 2026
Contemplative Living
St Paul tells us, ‘Whatever you do, do it for the glory of God’ (1 Corinthians 10:31), reminding us that worshipping God goes beyond the Mass and prayers and carries on into our daily lives. In this session, we look at how to live a life constantly in the presence of God, whether we are at work, with our families, or enjoying ourselves with our friends.
Session 4 – 15 Jul 2026
Managing our Appetites
Our appetites are important not just to help us survive but to enable us to thrive, both personally and as a species. However, they can and often do draw us away from God and from doing what is right. In this session, we look at disordered appetites and how we can order them back towards God.
Session 5 – 9 Sep 2026
Purifying Ourselves
with Faith, Hope and Love
Faith, hope and love are the theological virtues that God infuses into our souls, to draw us towards him. God himself is the source and the end of these virtues. In this session, we look at how these virtues can purify our thinking, our motivations and our actions, leading us to a more integrated life with each other and with God.
Session 6 – 11 Nov 2026
The Human Virtues
While the theological virtues are supernaturally infused into us by God and have him as both their source and their goal, the human virtues can be developed through discipline, effort and practice. In this session, we look at what the human virtues are and how to elevate them by integrating them with the theological virtues to cultivate a virtuous life pleasing to God.
