In northern Wisconsin, the Antigo Area Catholic Churches of St. John, St. Wenceslaus, and Ss. Mary & Hyacinth are helping more children discover Jesus. A Catholic Foundation Advancing the Mission Lifelong Catechesis Endowment grant is helping make faith formation accessible to all.
“We are grateful for a Catholic Foundation grant, so we can develop a culture of intentional faith and guide our youth to encounter Jesus. With the loving presence of Jesus in our youth’s lives, they will be motivated to share the Good News with others, especially with their own family,” explained Kristen Rolling, Faith Formation Coordinator for the Antigo Area Catholic Churches.
Many of the parents do not know the Catholic faith well enough to share it with their children, and the parents are not active in the faith. However, by giving religious education to the children, the children can bring their parents back to the Church.
Through the Catholic Foundation grant, the Antigo Area Catholic Churches can offer families the option of no tuition in exchange for their willingness to become active members of our parish by volunteering, turning in a Stewardship commitment card, and giving using envelopes.
This will benefit the parish in the long-term, so more families can become involved in the Church and more children can discover Jesus. The grant also makes it possible for the Antigo Area Catholic Churches to offer a tuition cap for their larger families and partial or full coverage for families in difficult circumstances.
“The youth are the Church of today, and we are calling them into conversion and intentional discipleship by offering a life-changing encounter with Jesus through authentic faith formation,” shared Rolling. “The impact of this program has the potential of supporting 25% of our families or more. Our faith formation program currently serves 87 families across three primary parishes within the Antigo area, as well as several surrounding parishes and communities.”
The key objective for this program is to promote parish involvement and share the love of Jesus with families in northern Wisconsin. The grant makes it possible for the Antigo Area Catholic Churches to embrace their struggling and large families.
By providing financial relief, families can focus on the benefit of the faith formation program for their children: developing their relationship with Jesus, responding to His call, and sharing their Catholic faith with others.
Because of the support of many generous families during the Advancing the Mission campaign, Catholic Foundation grant recipients like the Antigo Area Catholic Churches Religious Education Programs can help more people share Jesus. Together in faith, we leave a legacy for a brighter tomorrow!
For more than 25 years, the Catholic Foundation has supported Catholic parishes, schools, ministries, and organizations throughout northeastern Wisconsin. We partner with families looking to leave a legacy, and grants and distributions are made each year to support the work of the Church.