Pathways for Parish Leaders
Religious Education and Schools
As catechists and Catholic school educators, you rely on programs and supplemental resources that provide your parish’s young people with solid faith formation. With a FORMED subscription, your parish and school have access to engaging content that is catechetically solid and professionally produced. FORMED media is available for classroom use or for families to view at home, with many programs offered in both English and Spanish.
The Augustine Institute provides a DRE Pathway below for making the most of the content available on FORMED that can serve your catechists and establish a solid foundation for your parish’s youth in their faith journeys.
“A Powerful Evangelization Tool . . .”
“FORMED provides Catholics of all ages access to excellent Catholic resources. In a parish, school, or home setting—utilizing the best in current technology—FORMED becomes a powerful evangelization tool for the modern world.”
~ Bishop Gerard Bergie, Ontario, Canada ~
The Catholic Parent
Coming to FORMED January 15!
Do you ever feel like it’s almost impossible to raise holy kids who love God (and sit still in Mass!) in our modern world? You’re not alone. This six-episode series features real Catholic families like yours sharing their daily struggles and victories. Created by the Augustine Institute and Catholic Sprouts, The Catholic Parent aims to encourage you as a mom or dad as you embrace your God-given role to form your family in the richness of the Catholic faith.
Watch the series with your spouse, with friends, on your own, or as part of a small group! The participant guide—coming January 15—includes questions for group discussion, topics for personal reflection, and ideas to try at home.
Want to share The Catholic Parent at your parish? Download the parish promotional flyer here.
Top Recommendations for Elementary School Students
Click to view these resources on FORMED
Top Recommendations for Middle School Students
Click to view these resources on FORMED
Top Recommendations for High School Students
Click to view these resources on FORMED
Best Practices
Easy-to-use, ongoing Homework Assignments
Assign every student FORMED homework weekly, monthly, or quarterly. See homework templates below.
Teach parents how to access and use FORMED:
Send home this parent letter (English / Spanish). During parent night or open house, ask parents to “take out their phones” and give them time to subscribe right then at formed.org/signup. Invite techie teens to assist during the parish meeting for service hours
For the School and Religious Education Classroom
- Religion teachers can supplement their current curricula with the resources listed above.
- Use the “Reverse Classroom” approach whereby you ask students to watch something at home and then discuss during class.
- Use the Liturgical Calendar to find something on FORMED for any given day of the year.
- Help students learn more about the great saints on their feast days by watching FORMED movies and/or cartoons throughout the school year.
- Help students learn more about the Bible by
- Listening to the Truth and Life Audio Bible — kids love this!
- Reading aloud Bible Stories for Little Children
- Making Bible stories come to life with animated videos
Enhance the Catholic Culture of your School
- Early elementary teachers can play Catholic music during their free time by clicking on the Brother Francis video called JoyToons.
- Switch out secular movies and cartoons for Catholic resources, especially during the week before Christmas, Holy Week, and the end of the school year, when the academic work is not as intense.
- FORMED offers a variety of resources related to science, history, and literature:
- Science: The Origin of the Universe, From Nothing to Cosmos, Cosmic Origins
- History: The History of Salvation / God’s Plan for His People, A Story That Is Not Yet Finished, Divine Mercy
- Literature: Great Expectations, Huckleberry Finn, and other classics found here.
- Music: The Search, Session 2 with Musical Composer, Elements of the Mass, Part 1, Elements of the Mass, Part 2
- Art: The Search, Session 2 with Artist, In the Mind of the Artist, Lectio Bible Studies explore many pieces of sacred art
- Start a youth group, service group, or pro-life group using Revive: Loving and Serving the Poor.
Enhance Sacramental Preparation
- For Students:
- For Parents:
- Presence: The Mystery of the Eucharist (3 Videos w/PDF Guides)
- Confession by Fr. Larry Richards
- Forgiven: The Transforming Power of Confession (3 Videos w/PDF Guides)
- Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist by Dr. Brant Pitre
- True Worship by Fr. Mike Schmitz
- Sent By The Spirit – The Sacrament of Confirmation
- We Must Go Out: The Sacrament of Confirmation by Fr. Mike Schmitz
- Confirmation: The Sacrament of Evangelization & Martyrdom by Dr. Brant Pitre
- This document outlines additional ideas for parents.
- For Catechists:
- Confirmation:
- The Search (Videos),
- Never Alone: Life with the Holy Spirit (Videos),
- The Wild Goose (Videos),
- Confirmation: The Sacrament of Evangelization & Martyrdom by Brant Pitre (Audio),
- We Must Go Out: The Sacrament of Confirmation by Fr. Mike Schmitz (Audio)
Staff Development/Team Building
- Grow as a staff by listening to or watching resources on FORMED together or individually and then discussing at the start of a staff meeting, during a professional development day, or during a retreat:
- Some schools and dioceses approve hours on FORMED as credit for ongoing enrichment.
- Consider catechist certification with the Augustine Institute Short Courses.
Ongoing Formation for Parents/Staff
- Add the FORMED This Week on FORMED to your parish and school website.
- Encourage all parents and staff to subscribe to the FORMED Daily Reflections—start your day with a short and inspiring reflection on the gospel reading.
- Point teachers, students, and parents to our many resources on prayer, including the Divine Mercy Chaplet, Rosary , and Stations of the Cross.
- Encourage families to do a Marian consecration with Fr. Michael Gaitley’s 33 Days to Morning Glory or Marian Consecration for Little Souls.
- Offer additional titles on parenting for the newsletter or on Facebook; recommend one each month:
- Protecting Innocence: Parenting, Your Kids, & the Internet (Audio)
- Discipline That Lasts a Lifetime (Audio)
- Parenting for Purity (Audio)
- Pure Fatherhood (Audio)
- A Mother’s Rule of Life (eBook)
- Be a Man: Becoming the Man God Created You to Be (Audio and eBook)
- Foundations for Thriving in Parenting (Video Series)
- Motherhood Matters (Video Series)
- Be Not Afraid Family Hour (Video Series)
- Building Better Families on Character Strengths (Video Series)
Additional curriculum to consider for your school or religious education program (sold separately):
- Why Believe: An advanced one-year high school curriculum. (Note that the Why Believe videos are available on FORMED today; however, the student and teacher books are sold separately.)
- Signs of Grace: First Communion and First Reconciliation and Restored Order Confirmation Preparation. The online option is also available for purchase. (Note that the Signs of Grace videos are available on FORMED today; however, the student and teacher books are sold separately.)
- Word of Life: K-8 Religion Curriculum (K-5 available; 6 grade coming in 2023.)
Webinar:
Success Stories:
Using FORMED to Reach Every Fish in Every Pond, with Barbara Austin
Preparing for the Sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion, with Stacey Pinder
Signs of Grace Evangelizes Parents, with Deacon Kevin Bagley
Preparing for the Sacrament of First Holy Communion, with Dot Bowler
Preparing for the Sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion with Georgina Kotz
Testimonials:
“I am DRE at my parish and use Symbolon, Presence, Forgiven, and Beloved, among others, for my RCIA people and parts of Forgiven and Presence for my eighth and ninth graders. I can’t say enough about how much I use formed.org and how much I love the quality and integrity of what is taught in the programs. I think Beloved should be required for every Catholic. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Kathleen, DRE
“Originally, just five of the 25 children in First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion preparation were attending Mass each week. Now all of them attend with their families every week, thanks to FORMED and the Signs of Grace curriculum! They can’t wait to hear what Father has to say!”
Stacy, OR
“We successfully used The Search program during socially distanced in-person classes last fall with over 40 middle school and high school students in our parish, most of whom are preparing to receive the sacraments. . . . This program, especially The Search episodes, were very highly rated by the students in evaluation surveys!”
Steve, VA, Catechist
“They were given a break time and no one took a break. . . . They stayed and shared tears and joy!! The HOLY SPIRIT is so here . . . deeply grateful! Thank you!” In a second text she said: “Our Forgiven retreat is going beautifully. . . . GOD is forever faithful! So grateful for U, FORMED, and GOD!!” (After a Parent Retreat using Forgiven)
Kerry, IN
“We have turned to formed.org for resources when forced to minimize in-person sessions. They are wonderful! . . . We are currently using both the Forgiven and Presence series for the parents of our sacramental prep students. I have also searched for videos on specific topics for our Confirmation candidates and their sponsors to use. And finally, I have sourced the children’s section and specific videos as they related to our curriculum for our family catechesis families. Formed.org is much easier to search than the deep, dark Internet! I am grateful that our parish is a member of FORMED!”
Melissa, WI
“I totally love all of the material on formed.org and the work of the Augustine Institute. It is so good to have, and I am trying to spread the word about it as much as possible!! Thank you for all your great work!”
Lisa, Catechist
What’s Your Story?
Tell us your experience with using FORMED resources