The gradual and continuous faith formation in the Catholic Church is an effort to form faithful and missionary Catholic individuals. This formation culminates in mentoring across all life stages—early childhood, children, adolescents, young adults, adults, and the elderly.
Efforts are made at each stage to provide information (knowledge), formation (values and character), and transformation (personal change) to help individuals grow in faith and move toward the fullness of Christian life.
Faith formation practices for early childhood and children in Kleco Parish, Surakarta, are based on faith mentoring guidelines issued by the diocese. These guidelines serve as targets and are translated into mentoring modules developed by the Diocesan Catechetical Team. This aligns with pastoral care in the area of evangelization and is consistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church.
The modules for early childhood and children include:
- Getting to know and experiencing the person of Jesus
- Getting to know and experiencing the Catholic Church
- Getting to know and experiencing family life
- Getting to know and experiencing prayer practices
- Getting to know and experiencing Catholic morals
- Getting to know and experiencing community life
- Getting to know and experiencing God’s creation
Faith Formation Practices
The congregation of Saint Paul Church, Kleco Parish, currently numbers around 5,800. Of this, approximately 500 are children aged 3 to 12. A key challenge in mentoring early childhood and children is the low participation rate in faith formation activities.
This is evident in the limited attendance at Sunday school programs. However, the Faith Formation Service Team for Early Childhood and Children continues to seek ways to improve participation in both Sunday school and overall Catholic faith development for children.
The steps taken include:
Sunday School in the Parish
Sunday school is held every Sunday at 9:30 a.m., following the Eucharistic celebration. However, this initiative has had limited success, with only about 20–25 children participating.
This situation prompted the idea of holding Sunday school in community areas. This approach has yielded more promising results, with over 40 children attending. Rotating Sunday schools in different areas has led to steadily increasing participation.
Big Brother Guiding Younger Siblings
The mentoring model involves members of the parish youth organization to bridge the age gap between mentors and children. “Big Brother Guiding Younger Siblings” is a strategy to creatively involve young people in mentoring younger children. While adult mentors provide the teaching materials, young mentors prepare themselves through a “Guardian Gathering” to ensure clear and unified mentoring goals focused on faith development.
Collaborating with Catholic Schools
The Faith Formation Team for Early Childhood and Children has established partnerships with several Catholic schools, including Marsudirini Kindergarten, Kanisius Serengan Kindergarten, and Kanisius Sorogenen Kindergarten. This collaboration fosters friendships among children of the same age and enriches the mentoring environment.
Dynamics of Creativity
Creative approaches are used to make the content, methods, atmosphere, and mentoring styles more engaging, meaningful, and enjoyable for children. Some examples in Kleco Parish include:
- Meaningful Material
Topics include: Fruits of the Spirit—gentleness and self-control; understanding and experiencing the Eucharist; and “Jesus in My Family.” - Attributes and Props
These include cardboard cutouts, coloring materials, puzzles, and other teaching aids. - Environmental Care Actions
Activities such as caring for pets and making fertilizer from eggshells are incorporated. - Games and Group Dynamics
Fun activities are included to support learning and relationship-building. - Monastery Visits
Organized trips serve as “call actions” for vocation awareness and spiritual enrichment. - Scripture Storytelling
Bible stories are told in engaging ways to bring Scripture to life. - Special Celebrations
Thanksgiving events are held to mark occasions such as Christmas and Easter.
The faith formation practices for early childhood and children in Kleco Parish are increasingly contextualized and adapted to local dynamics. These efforts are hoped to address current challenges and have a greater impact on children’s spiritual mentoring.
FX Juli Pramana is a professional educator and teacher at Yayasan Kanisius Vocational High School in Surakarta, Central Java. He is also a dedicated catechist at St. Paul’s Kleco Parish Church in Solo.
