Scripture is the Word of God and is a source for our faith and journeys of faith. It is an important way to know and discover who we are in the Imago Dei. Each community offers different Bible Studies over the course of a year.

• St. Marguerite Bourgeoys:
  Old and New Testaments studies are offered in Fall and Spring. All are welcome.
• St. Joseph:
  Various video sessions on the Bible, sacraments, discipleship, and church doctrine are presented each year.
• St. Andrew’s School of Evangelization

Become a Catholic – this process for adults is referred to as the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA). It is considered a “process” rather than a “program”. The process is usually facilitated by a team from the parish. After advertising/invitation in the bulletin for a number of weeks, if there are adults who have identified themselves as being interested in investigating our Catholic faith, a team is assembled in the fall of the year to provide support and instruction.

The parish priest is always a member of the team, but his level of involvement with the regular schedule of meetings depends on his availability. The priest is the primary source of dogmatic and doctrinal teaching for the interested adults. In the St. Marguerite Bourgeoys Parish, we have had the benefit of the involvement and leadership of our Parochial Administrator, Maryn Anderson, throughout the past several years.

The composition of the team is on a voluntary basis, and it varies from year to year with some individuals in our faith communities having been very committed to this process for a number of years. Typically, meetings are held with the interested individuals every 2-4 weeks. In addition, team meetings for planning are held as required.

Individuals fall into two main categories:

• Candidates are persons who have been baptized in another faith (whose baptismal rite is recognized by the Catholic church) – records which prove such baptism need to be provided; Catechumens are individuals who have never been baptized. The period from September/October up to Christmas is considered a period of Inquiry when the team provides some instruction, but the interested individuals are very much encouraged to ask their questions about the Catholic faith. The period between Christmas and Lent is a more intense period of instruction, with a bit more commitment from the interested individuals and still with the intention to answer questions about the faith. The Lenten Season is the period of final preparation with more intense and in-depth instruction, and a firm commitment by the individuals to receive the Easter Sacraments. The individuals are introduced to the parish community and a number of rituals are performed with them at parish Masses during Lent. The individuals are also introduced to the Archbishop during Lent, along with Candidates and Catechumens from the entire Archdiocese. The Easter Sacraments – Baptism for Catachumens, and Eucharist and Confirmation for both Candidates and Catechumens are typically conferred at the Easter Vigil Mass.
• The RCIA process is a very insightful and rewarding process for all of the participants – team members as well as Candidates and Catechumens. It is a unique opportunity to share faith with inquirers, and it inevitably leads to learning by all involved and often to deepening of the faith of the participants.

Devotion is love and religious observance. There are numerous ways to express devotion and listed are just a few ways that are seen in our parish.

• St. Marguerite Bourgeoys:
  • Mother’s Prayer: gathering as parents to pray to Mary for their children and grandchildren
  • Ignatian Prayer: small groups that pray and discern the Word of God in the Ignatian tradition.
  • Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament: taking time to pray before the Sacrament
  • Rosary before Mass
• St. Joseph:
  • Rosary Groups.
  • Cenacle Prayer of the Marian Movement of Priests: an hour of prayer which begins with an Invocation to the Holy Spirit, followed by a recitation of the Holy Rosary with meditations, prayers for the Holy Father, the Pope, a reading from the book “To the Priests, Our Lady’s Beloved Sons,” sharing, and an Act of Consecration.
• St. Augustine and Missions:
  • Small prayer group called “Journey in Faith” which meets every second week during the year
  • Mother’s Prayer group