How It Works

Why Catholic? includes a full range of elements designed to meet the needs of your parish and designed to help reach out to others in faith.

Strong Pastoral Support

Through an initial consultation, information sessions, and workshops, RENEW's staff works with pastoral leadership and parishioners to ensure a successful program with strong participation.

• Initial Consultation — Meeting with diocesan staff to review the content of Why Catholic? and explain how to bring it to parishes.
• Information Sessions — An overview of how Why Catholic? responds to an identified need of adults’ desire to connect with their beliefs and renew their identity as Catholics.
• Launching Why Catholic? Workshop — Practical suggestions for inviting maximum participation in the parish.
• Small Community Leader Formation — On-site workshops for leaders with catechetical content and methods for facilitating adult learning.
• Ongoing Diocesan Support — In-person and phone consultation to guide the process from your RENEW International pastoring contact
• Online Pastoral Services — Wide array of special web-based tools and resources.

Quality Resources

Thoroughly reviewed materials including participant books, parish kit, and bulletin inserts offer participants a rich experience and sound teachings.

• Participant Books — These solid, approachable materials have been tested within small groups, were reviewed by the U.S. Bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee to Oversee the Use of the Catechism, and have an Imprimatur.
• Parish Kit — Includes the key resource materials to support successful parish implementation.
• RENEWING FAMILY FAITH Bulletin Inserts — Make Why Catholic? a total parish experience and connect families to Catechism topics through short essays, blessings, activities, and stories for sharing.
  • Book 1 Bulletin Insert
  • Book 2 Bulletin Insert
  • Book 3 Bulletin Insert
  • Book 4 Bulletin Insert

Formation Workshops

Engage and form participants in leading and participating in small Christian communities.

• Formation Workshops — For each year of Why Catholic? two formation workshops are offered—one focusing on the first six sessions and the second focusing on the second six sessions.
• Optional Retreat — A retreat kit for each Why Catholic? book provides all the elements necessary for parish teams to offer an all-day retreat or a shorter prayer experience.

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