The Catholic Villages of Arlington offer faith formation for families with children from toddlers to grade 12 who attend our local public, private, & Catholic schools, or are home-schooled.

The Villages are a way of being church to each other, not just on Sunday, but every day. This is not a new concept - Early Christians met in small groups to share their faith and break bread. "Where two or three come together in my name, I am there with them." Matthew 18:20

Faith Formation for the Whole Family

We offer gatherings, resources, and faith formation programs throughout the entire year designed to include parent participation to help strengthen the faith life of the whole family. Through our faith formation process, we hope that families/households will come to a fuller and richer experience of the presence of God in their lives and grow in their mission of being Christ's disciples in our world.

Pathways

Every family is unique, as is their faith journey. Our hope is to help guide and support families along their pathway. We will be using many resources from Faith and Family Life Catholic Ministries - Pathways. 

Pathways resources encourage at-church community even if the majority of the catechesis is happening in the home. Community is essential in the life of the Church and we desire for families to gather often to support one another. The premier weekly gathering is Sunday Mass. It is our prayer that as families fall in love with Jesus and their community, that they would hunger to live in a weekly communion available to them at the Mass! 

All CPARL families will typically begin their Faith Formation process using two resources from Pathways - Seek followed by Root.

• Seek for Children is a Vacation Bible School-style experience designed for children in grades K-5. Through songs, activities, and teachings children will get to know a God who is love and be given a shared vocabulary to begin conversations of faith with their parents.
• Seek for Teens is a youth night-style experience designed for teens as they journey with their parents in the first steps of formation. Through games, discussions, witnesses, and teachings teens will get to know a God who is love, be grounded in their primary identity as children of God, and be given a shared vocabulary to begin conversations of faith with their parents.
• Seek for Parents is a small group experience designed for parents as they journey with their children in the first steps of formation. Through discussions, activities, reflections, and video witnesses and teachings parents will get to know a God who is love and be given a shared vocabulary to begin conversations of faith with their children.     

• Root for Families (grade 8 and below) is designed for families with children in grades K-8. Through 6 at-home Family Meetings led by their parents and 6 at-church Family Sessions, children will get to know the Trinity and the essential teachings of our faith contained in the Creed. This experience is designed to be accompanied by Root for Parents.
• Root for Teens (grade 9 and above) is designed for high school teens. Through 6 self-led mini-series (each is 5 (15-minute) modules), 6 self-led Teen and Sponsor Meetings, and 6 at-church Family Sessions, teens will get to know the Trinity and the essential teachings of our faith contained in the Creed.
• Root for Parents is designed to meld into the fast-paced lives of modern parents. Through 6 self-led mini-series (each is 5 (15 minute) modules), 6 at-home Family Meetings (grade 8 and under), and 6 at-church Family Sessions, parents will get to know the Trinity and the essential teachings of our faith contained in the Creed. They will be given a vocabulary of faith and empowered with the knowledge to share the faith with their families. 

It will generally take an entire year for families to complete Seek and Root. After completing Seek and Root families will join a Village and continue on their Faith Formation Pathway. While continuing to gather monthly at-church with their Village, families will use ongoing Faith Formation resources or they may begin Sacramental Preparation for Reconciliation, Eucharist, and/or Confirmation.
 

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the Catholic Villages of Arlington? 
Each Village is a group of 4 - 6 households of varying sizes and make-ups (adults, youth, and children) that gather for Worship, Prayer, Study, and Community - also known as the Core Acts.  

What are the Core Acts?
Acts 2:42 tells us that the early Christians "devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers." The Core Acts for the Villages are modeled on the devotions of the early Christians - Worship, Prayer, Study, Community. 

How often do Villages gather? 
Villages gather at least monthly but are encouraged to gather more frequently. Sometimes Villages gather in large groups with other Villages and sometimes Villages gather indvidually.  

What about Sacramental Preparation? 
Children and young people preparing to celebrate Reconciliation for the first time, Communion for the first time, and/or Confirmation will have a supplemental process for immediate preparation. (See the Reconciliation & Eucharist and/or Youth Confirmation Pages for more information)