STUDY PROGRAM

Our Catholic Faith

Appreciate the Catholic Faith a little bit more

Find out what it is we really believe as Catholics. By understanding our Faith better, we will appreciate it better and find more meaning in what we do.

Based on the book ‘100 Things Every Catholic Should Know’

The program is based on a book that covers what it is we believe in the Creed, how grace configures us to Christ in the sacraments, how we worship in the liturgy, how we connect to God in prayer, how Mary and the saints fit in in all of this, and how we are part of Christ’s Mystical Body – the Church.

Topics are distilled into bite-sized portions making them easy to undertand. And through referencing, it shows how the different topics are interrelated.

Now, the book has been translated into an online study program that is a quick and enlightening approach to know and understand the core beliefs of the Catholic Faith. Participants can go through the different assigned topics a week at a time.

Those who are new to the Faith will find this program an edifying handy reference, and those who crave for more will find it a great review material that might spark a new love for God and religion.

See more in the Program Overview below

Our Catholic Faith Study Program

O N L I N E   V E R S I O N

Free

This class is free for now. All materials are accessible online. All you need is a web browser and internet connection.

  • This Online version is accessible 24/7
  • Includes everything for each lesson
  • Study at your own pace each week
  • Includes weekly guided live discussions by text chat
  • Based on the book 100 Things Every Catholic Should Know
  • Heavily influenced by the Catholicism Video series of renowned theologian, Bishop Robert Barron
  • We will be accepting 20 participants for this pilot

Program Overview

Know more about the Catholic Faith as you have never done before!

The program is a result of a three year project whose aim was to put together topics that many Catholics ask about their faith. The topics are grouped in an orderly flow so that one lesson transitions nicely to the next.
See, hear, read, and learn what it is to be Catholic. Examine what we know of God, Jesus and his teachings, his Church, the ministers he authorized to lead the Church, his mother, and how we are to keep a relationship with Christ through prayer.
Each of the ten lessons of the program will focus on a certain topic. At the end of study program, participants will have a better appreciation of the different inter-woven doctrines that form the Catholic Faith. See the detailed lesson topics below.
How we will conduct the program
  • Each lesson will run for four or five weeks (include one week of orientation for new comers), covering one module per week. (In special programs, it will run for two and half weeks where two modules are covered a week.)
  • We will use Canvas Instructure as the Learning Management System. You will be given access to the lessons through Canvas.
  • English will be the mode of communication as this is open to all. There is no need feel concerned if your English isn’t too good; for as long as we understand each other, that will suffice.
  • Each lesson will start with an introduction and reflection question.
  • During the week, participants will read and watch the lesson materials.
  • Each week there will be a live discussion using text chat (no need of cameras or microphones for this.)
  • Each week participants will be asked to answer written questions and an assignment
This pilot program is free. Participants are recommended to:
  • Dedicate two hours a week for this program (roughly half hour to read and watch the lesson materials, half-hour answer the reflections, discussions, and assignments; and an hour to join the live discussion on Thursday evenings from 6PM to 7PM Western Standard Time (+8:00 at Australian Western Time, Hong Kong, Philippines, Singapore). For special programs, the live discussion will be done Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10AM WST(+8)
  • Answer the survey at the end of the study program as it will help us develop and improve it further.
  • Be courteous when interacting with other people in the study group.
  • Not misuse the lesson materials by copying them, selling them, or misinterpreting them.

FAQS

Do I need to be Catholic to attend?
No. However the talks will surround Catholic doctrine and customs. None of the topics will belittle other belief systems, but there may be times when examples may have to be made to differentiate Catholicism from them.
Do I need to have a bible?
No need to own one but we will be referring to some Scriptural verses so you may make use of an online version of the New American Bible Revised Edition.
What other materials must I have?
We will be referencing a lot of information from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It would be nice to own one for future reference, but you may also use the online version of the Cathechism of the Catholic Church.
Do I need to join the group discussions?
Yes, preferably. It will get you thinking about the guide questions. Also, when you share, we will know how you and your fellow-participants are thinking about a particular topic, and can address concerns right away. We will be using English as the standard means of communication as we may have people from different countries joining in. Don't be concerned if your English is not too good; for as long as we can understand one another, that is good enough.
Do I need to prepare for the weekly live dicussion?
Preferably yes. The lesson starts on a Saturday so you have five days to read and watch the lesson materials, as well as answer some questions. The live discussion will be more interactive if people have background information and contextual references as to what is being discussed.

Program Features

All the essential things in one place

Learn the important doctrines in the Catholic Faith in the comfort of your home, office, or at Starbucks.

SIGN UP

Lessons Breakdown

1. Who and What God is

We will explore what we know about God, and how we know he exists. We will explore his different divine attributes. We will understand the mystery of the Blessed Trinity. We will also tackle the problem of evil.

2.Creation,The Fall, and the need for a Savior

We will learn of the spiritual and material things that God created, and of the gifts and free will he gave to his creatures. We will also understand the fall of some angels, and of mankind, and how that affected our nature and relationship with God. Finally we will appreciate why a savior is needed to restore that relationship.

3.Jesus and what he taught

We will grasp the idea of God becoming man in the person of Jesus. We will also learn to value his teachings, when he reduces the Ten Commandments into commandments of love, and exemplified in the Beatitudes.

4.The Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Christ

We will see how the the Passion fits the Old Testament prophesies of the Messiah, and how Christ's death and Resurrection restored our severed relationship with God.

5.The Church and Why it Matters

We will see why Jesus founded a Church, and how and whom he built it on. We will also comprehend why he is inseparable from his Church. We will enumerate the four marks of the Church and why they are important. We will understand the authority of the pope and bishops, and why Apostolic Succession is important.

6. Grace, Sacraments, and the Holy Eucharist

We will appreciate what Grace is, and how Sacraments confer it to us. We will do a cursory study of the Sacraments but we will examine the Holy Eucharist in particular, and why we believe Jesus is truly present in it; and why it is the source and summit of the Christian life.

7.Faith, Scripture, the Ten Commandments, and Sin

We will inspect what Faith is and its sources. We will explore the characters of Peter and Paul and how they are important in the early Church's faith. We will see how the Holy Bible was put together, and how Sacred Tradition was important in doing that. We will check what each of the Commandments is asking us to do, and why doing otherwise is wrong.

8.The Last Things: Heaven, Hell, Purgatory, and the Last Judgment

We will aquaint ourselves with what happens when we die, and the alternative places we may end up. We will also find out what will happen at the end of time, and why the concept of the Communion of Saints is important when Jesus returns to judge us. We will also consider the criteria for the Last Judgment.

9.Mary: Our Tainted Nature's Solitary Boast

We will study Mary, her role in our salvation, and why we revere here above all the Saints. We will explore the Annunciation, the Immaculate Conception, her Assumption into Heaven, why we say she is Queen, and why we call her Mother of God.

10. Relationship with God through Prayer.
Praying to Saints.
Our Guardian Angels.

We will appreciate why we need to pray, and why we sometimes go through the Saints. We will investigate the different types of prayer, how to pray, and how we can use our body to show reverence. We will also rediscover the need to build a relationship with our Guardian Angels.

Schedule

Lesson Date Start Live Discussion Sign Up
Schedules may change. Kindly check this website to see the updated calendar.
01: Who and what God is March 2020 Tuesday and Friday 10AM WST(+8) Sign Up
02: Creation, the Fall, the need for a Savior No schedule yet No Schedule Yet
03: Jesus and what he taught No schedule yet No Schedule Yet
04: The Passion, death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Christ No schedule yet No Schedule Yet
05: The Church and why it matters No schedule yet No Schedule Yet
06: Grace, sacraments, and the Holy Eucharist No schedule yet No Schedule Yet
07: Faith, Scripture, Ten Commandments, and sin No schedule yet No Schedule Yet
08: The Last Things - judgment, heaven, hell, purgatory, and the Last Judgment No schedule yet No Schedule Yet
09: Mary - Our tainted nature's solitary boast No schedule yet No Schedule Yet
10: Prayer, saints, and guardian angels No schedule yet No Schedule Yet

Sign Up!

We will be taking in only 20 participants for this pilot

If you are ready to learn about your faith, sign up now.