Forming Faith Habits
Habits are SO powerful. If you want to know what your future will look like, examine the habits you have today. St. Jude’s Faith Formation can inspire, train, and hold teens (and even their families) accountable for developing habits of practicing their faith (individually and together).
Habits of GRATITUDE
Awareness, choosing to see the good, then expressing it
Habits of PRAYER
Individual prayer then praying with others
Habits of SCRIPTURE
Reading or listening to God’s Word then discussing it with others
Habits of SACRAMENTS
Eucharist and Reconciliation
Habits of SERVICE
Intentionally contributing to our family, friends, church, and community through our attitude, actions, words, and with our time, talents, and treasures
Keep in mind...
Forming a habit takes at least one month of consistent practice.
People just starting a new faith practice should strive for simplicity and consistency. Short and sweet is better than overwhelming and unsustainable!
For instance,
Start with 3-5 minutes of prayer everyday instead of longer.
Read the same verse of Scripture each day for a week instead of one chapter a day.
Aim for attending Mass once each month.
Encourage the students to practice together, invite their families to create a goal, and hold each other accountable.
People just starting a new faith practice should strive for simplicity and consistency. Short and sweet is better than overwhelming and unsustainable!
For instance,
Start with 3-5 minutes of prayer everyday instead of longer.
Read the same verse of Scripture each day for a week instead of one chapter a day.
Aim for attending Mass once each month.
Encourage the students to practice together, invite their families to create a goal, and hold each other accountable.
For Mentors & Parents:
It is ESSENTIAL that mentors and parents start when the student is ready and customize the process from where the student is starting from! When we recognize that the student shows interest and desire for adopting a new faith practice, we must strategically lead them through the process of learning a new skill and consistently implementing in their life.
Step 1: Inspire a student to desire to practice their faith more by sharing how powerfully a faith habit has been in your life.
Step 2: Assess how the student currently understands and carries out a practice by asking questions like: “How do you like to connect with God?” “How and how often do you pray/read Scripture/participate in a Sacrament?”
Step 3: Train the student HOW to do it (customize the practice to meet their needs and interests)
Step 4: Encourage the student to set a personal goal for incorporating the faith practice into their daily/weekly routine
Step 5: Hold them accountable for doing it. Utilize the group chat to hold the student accountable by asking “How are you doing on your _______ goal?”
Step 1: Inspire a student to desire to practice their faith more by sharing how powerfully a faith habit has been in your life.
Step 2: Assess how the student currently understands and carries out a practice by asking questions like: “How do you like to connect with God?” “How and how often do you pray/read Scripture/participate in a Sacrament?”
Step 3: Train the student HOW to do it (customize the practice to meet their needs and interests)
Step 4: Encourage the student to set a personal goal for incorporating the faith practice into their daily/weekly routine
Step 5: Hold them accountable for doing it. Utilize the group chat to hold the student accountable by asking “How are you doing on your _______ goal?”