Adult Formation Content Resources

Formation Studies

Formation studies
1. "Why We" - catechetical videos that would be good for anyone desiring to learn more about different elements of the Church or for someone who wants a "refresher" in fundamental Catholic teachings
2. "The Five" - these videos break down each element of The Five in helping participants to better understand the vision of Christian discipleship
3. Alpha - these videos explore the Christian faith, with each session breaking open a different question around the faith. This resource is good for anyone who has questions about life, God, and Christianity. While Alpha is not explicitly Catholic, it is a great resource to use in a Catholic context. For more info, check out this webpage.
4. The Rescue Project - this free video series from ACTS XXIX aims to break down the basics of the Gospel message in an engaging way. Resources for leaders, small group guides, and other supports are available on their website. The eight-week program focuses around a meal, a presentation, and discussion afterwards.
5. Foundations of Discipleship - These articles from FOCUS unpack different elements of discipleship - what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ and how you can walk with someone else in discipleship. While this was written for the context of college ministry, many of these articles contain good information about prayer and a living relationship with Jesus. The articles contain discussion questions that can be used in a small group setting.
6. Word on Fire - Bishop Robert Barron's Word on Fire initiative produces multiple video resources to form people in various aspects of the faith. Some particular highlights include:
  1. Catholicism - focuses on fundamental truths of the faith (also available in Spanish)
  2. Conversion - breaks open six different biblical examples of conversion to Christ
  3. Eucharist
  4. The Mass (also available in Spanish)
  5. The Sacraments (also available in Spanish)
  6. Mystery of God - speaks of who God is and how we can know that He exists (also available in Spanish)
  7. Seven Deadly Sins, Seven Lively Virtues - breaks open the main sins and virtues and how we live them out
7. Ascension Press - Ascension produces several high-quality video resources that can be used for Adult Formation. Some particular highlights include:
  1. The 99 - a series focusing on evangelization and discipleship. This series involves both video components as well as written resources.
  2. The Bible Timeline
  3. Jesus: The Way, the Truth, and the Life
  4. Mary: A Biblical Walk with the Blessed Mother
  5. A Biblical Walk through the Mass
8. Augustine Institute/FORMED.org - This website contains multiple video resources that can be used in a small-group setting covering various topics. Some highlights include:
  1. The Search - breaks open the fundamental questions of God, Jesus, and the meaning of life. Great for someone who wants to learn more about the faith
  2. Symbolon - explains basic Catholic teachings such as
  3. Revive Parishes - courses to assist parish staff and leaders in renewing their parish communities
9. Revive Parishes - Revive offers 14 free video-based courses that unpack a wide range of topics, from the Eucharist to marriage to engaging millenials and evangelization. These courses would be great for general adult formation or as training for a particualr group or ministry.

Bible Studies

bible studies
1. Catholic Productions - Dr. Brant Pitre offers weekly reflections on the Sunday readings, unpacking the biblical context for the readings and connecting it to our daily life. These video resources also include handout resources to help facilitate a small-group study in the Sunday Mass readings. There are two separate studies per Sunday - one that focuses on the First Reading and the Gospel, and one that focuses on the Second Reading.
2. Ascension Press - Ascension produces several high-quality video resources that can be used for Adult Formation. Some particular highlights include:
  1. The Bible Timeline
  2. Jesus: The Way, the Truth, and the Life
  3. Mary: A Biblical Walk with the Blessed Mother
  4. A Biblical Walk through the Mass
3. LECTIO Bible Studies from the Augustine Institute/FORMED.org - These video Bible studies break open various books and topics in the Scriptures, focusing on either particular books or tracing certain themes or people through multiple books.
4. St. Paul Center - The St. Paul Center offers Bible studies in video form as well as in text form, covering various topics and themes in the Scriptures for small groups to break open. The text Bible studies are available free of charge.
5. FOCUS Bible Studies - The Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) offers multiple free Bible study resources that unpack various themes in the Scriptures. These written resources are freely available and include resources to prepare leaders for facilitating small group conversation.

Particular Group Studies

Particular Group studies
Divorce Ministry
1. Surviving Divorce (Ascension Press) is a video-based small group study program that aims to bring hope and healing to those who have experienced the pain and loneliness of a broken marriage.
Bereavement Ministry
1. Grieving with Great Hope (FORMED.org) is a video-based program that walks participants through the grieving process after the loss of a loved one. The five-part series comes with a workbook and leader guide and is available on FORMED.org.
2. There are several books that can be used and walked through in a small-group format to support people through the grieving process. Two suggestions are:
  1. From Grief to Grace by Jeannie Ewing
  2. On Grief and Grieving by Elizabeth Kübler-Ross and David Kessler
Marriage Enrichment Ministry
1. Momnipotent (Ascension Press) is a video-based small group program geared towards mothers that offers encouragement to all women and beautifully resonates with their feminine hearts.
2. Witness to Love offers resources for couples date nights. These video resources can be used for an individual couple wanted to dive deeper into their marriage, for a small group of couples who want to journey together, or for a parish mission-style event for couples. They are developing a five-year monthly series, with a particular theme guiding each year's content.
Women's Ministry
1. Endow Groups - The mission of Endow is to help women better understand and appreciate their God-given dignity. They produce multiple studies focusing on certain books and saints that can be used for a women's small group ministry. Each study includes a study guide resource with discussion questions as well as supplemental audio and video resources. Resources for teenagers are also available.
2. Walking with Purpose - This ministry provides Bible study resources for women's small groups of all ages to journey with the Lord precisely in their femininity. Each Bible study includes a small-group resource as well as leader guides and supplemental video resources.
Men's Ministry
1. Exodus 90 - Exodus 90 offers multiple different small-group study resources designed specifically for men. While the Exodus 90 program (a 90-day program focusing on prayer, asceticism, and fraternity) is the most known, they offer many other written Bible studies sources for men to use in a small group setting.

Retreats

retreats
1. ACTS Retreat - These retreats provide an opportunity for adults to encounter the love of Jesus Christ more deeply. Retreats are available for both men and women, and can lead participants into a longer-term lifestyle of intentional discipleship. Starting ACTS in your parish can be a lengthy process, however. See their website for information about how to get started.
2. Domestic Church Retreat - These married couple retreats provide an opporunity for husbands and wives to encounter God precisely in their marital relationship and family life. Retreat experiences are follwoed up by ongoing small-group meetings that continue to deepen the fruits of the retreat.
3. Retrouvaille - Retrouvaille is a program for couples with marital problems, including those who are considering marriage separation and those who are already separated or divorced that want marriage help. It consists of a weekend experience combined with a series of 6-12 post-weekend sessions over 3 months. It provides the tools to help put your marriage in order again. The main emphasis of the program is on communication in marriage between husband and wife. It will give you the opportunity to rediscover each other and examine your lives together in a new and positive way. The programs are hosted in Baton Rouge, Lafayette, and New Orleans.