Dreams and Visions
Pastoral Planning for Lifelong Faith Formation
Bill Huebsch
Twenty-Third Publications
2007, 154 pages
$14.95
I just received Bill Huebsch’s newest book, Dreams and Visions: Pastoral Planning for Lifelong Faith Formation. Huebsch is the author A New Look at Grace: A Spirituality of Wholeness and a variety of titles focusing on whole community catechesis.
Dreams and Visions is a guide for parish catechetical leaders who wish “to build a process by which members have either 1) an initial encounter with Christ and his life-changing presence or 2) a deeper communion with him through retreats and encounters. While building on the K – 8 curriculum model, Huebsch provides a historical survey of the recent catechetical ministry since Pope John XXIII and then proceeds to offer a plan for involving the whole parish in ongoing conversion.
After reflecting on the four common dimensions of this plan - word, worship, service and administration, Dreams and Visions presents a fifth and sixth dimension. Retreats/encounters and adult faith gatherings are opportunities for deeper communion with God and ways to sustain the excitement of faith.
Huebsch concludes with an explanation of the three essentials in lifelong faith formation: participatory and welcoming liturgy, formation for catechists and teachers, and developing households of faith.
Ideally Dreams and Visions will be used by a parish team/staff to explore ways that they might practically enhance the effectiveness of the parish’s catechetical enterprise. (www.pastoralplanning.com)
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