One of the great joys of being a parish priest is leading Christian formation. I have always loved teaching, and for me, the priestly vocation is the perfect marriage of the art of teaching and the content of Christian faith. This is the time of year in which I begin to get excited about a new program year and its possibilities for Christian formation.
There are numerous opportunities at Good Shepherd to explore the Christian faith. Over the past program year, we discovered that the period of time immediately before Sung Mass is not the most ideal for adult formation. Attendance was inconsistent, and many people who might attend adult formation are frequently occupied with liturgical duties before Mass. Therefore, we will be moving to monthly adult formation offerings after Sung Mass, with a light lunch provided. Stay tuned for more information on those topics. Children’s formation will continue at the usual time before Sung Mass (9:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.).
But our most in-depth adult formation offering at Good Shepherd is Pilgrims in Christ. Each week of the program year, I find myself looking forward to Pilgrims. Many of you have probably heard that we have a Pilgrims in Christ class but are perhaps wondering what it is. Pilgrims meets weekly (with occasional exceptions) from mid-September to early June, on Thursday evenings from 7 to 8:30 p.m. It is intended for any who desire to go deeper in their faith journeys. Some participants are preparing for Holy Baptism, Confirmation, or Reception into the Episcopal Church (if they’ve previously been confirmed). Others have been long-time members of the Episcopal Church and simply wish to reaffirm their baptismal vows. And some are not looking to “do” anything; they are only interested in the pilgrim journey of faith.
I hesitate to call Pilgrims a “class.” As I’ve said, it’s really a journey of faith. It’s a process. The only qualification for participation is a willingness to be changed by the power of the Holy Spirit. That’s it. Pilgrims stands out from other adult formation offerings in this parish because it’s a long-term and comprehensive exploration of Christian doctrine, practice, and belief. Pilgrims takes as its structural model the ancient catechumenate, which prepared adults for the sacrament of Baptism. It is in four parts. The first part is “Inquiry,” a gentle toe dip into the Christian life, the practices and history of this parish, and Anglicanism in general. The second part is "The Catechumenate.” in part two, we take a deep dive into Scripture and the historical doctrines of our faith, somewhat akin to a whirlwind course in systematic theology. The third part takes the participant from head to heart and is called “Enlightenment.” Part three happens during Lent, and we explore spirituality through the lens of the Gospel readings from Year A of the Sunday Mass lectionary cycle. We also prepare for Easter. The final part, and arguably the most important but most often neglected, is “Mystagogia.” In the mystagogia section, we discern how God is calling us to live as witnesses to the Gospel in the world. If you are interested in seeing last year’s “syllabus,” you can find that here.
Pilgrims is a large time commitment, but I think it’s worth it. If the Episcopal Church is new to you, I encourage you to consider making time for Pilgrims. I always say that to understand the ethos of Anglicanism, you have to swim for a while in its waters. Anglicanism is a way of life, a spiritual practice you might say. Unlike our Sunday formation “buffet offerings” on a variety of topics, Pilgrims takes the participants systematically through the Christian faith. And Pilgrims looks at the Christian faith through an Anglican lens. If you are hesitant about making a commitment to Pilgrims, you can always begin and try out the “Inquiry” phase. If it doesn’t work, you can discontinue. There’s no harm and shame in giving it a try for a bit to see if the schedule works and then deciding that it doesn’t. Pilgrims is offered every year.
A final benefit of participating in Pilgrims is that you become a part of a new community of people. Pilgrims, indeed, builds community. It’s difficult to spend nine months with the same group of people and not feel connected to them in some new way.
The first Pilgrims class will be on Thursday, September 15 in Canterbury House. Whether you’ve been a member of the Episcopal Church your entire life or are relatively new, and especially if you want to mark a new entrance into this communion of God’s Church, I invite you to prayerfully consider being a Pilgrim in Christ this year. I don’t think you’ll regret it. Please reach out to me with any questions.
Yours in Christ,
Father Kyle