

Adult Education and Small Faith Community Sharing On Faithful Citizenship

The following sessions can be used for a wide range of adult education programs. Many parishes have ongoing small groups that meet regularly to pray together, read Scripture, share faith and discuss what is happening in their lives and in the world around them. These groups may meet weekly, bi-monthly or according to some other regular pattern. The material that follows may be used by such groups at their regular gatherings or as part of a special series of meetings. The material can also be used in parishes that wish to create new groups that will meet for a shorter duration, e.g., as Lenten gatherings or during the summertime.

The four sample sessions correspond to the Sample Lesson Plans for Elementary Age Students and the Sample Lesson Plans for Junior High and High School Youth. One option is to make the sessions intergenerational, in which families and individuals of all ages gather for prayer and then break out into age appropriate groups. Or, these sessions can be done independently.

Below you will find a standard structure for the sessions followed by material for five specific themes. Those who use this material should feel free to adapt it to fit the specific situation of each individual group. A time frame of about 60 minutes is proposed, but the format is sufficiently flexible to allow less or more time.

General Session Format

Session A: The Call to Participate in Public Life

Session B: Forming Consciences

Session C: Avoiding Evil and Doing Good

Session D: Catholic Social Teaching in the Public Square

General Session Format


The leader should see that details of hospitality are taken care of so that everyone feels welcome, knows one another and is comfortable being together. In ongoing groups this pattern will already be well established. New groups will need to be more deliberate in establishing this climate right from the beginning. An icebreaker in which all are invited to share why they are interested in being part of the group can help everyone become acquainted quickly.

Opening Prayer

Depending on the leader's preference, a spontaneous prayer may be used to open the session, or a prepared text might be used. If the group is comfortable singing together, an appropriate song should be chosen. The following prayer can serve to begin each session:

Let us pray:(pause long enough to allow everyone to enter into a quiet state of awareness.)

Loving God, we thank you for this opportunity to gather together in the name of your Son Jesus Christ. Help us to put aside whatever might keep us from being fully present in this moment. Help us to be mindful that you are with us as the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, the One who draws us together in love and peace. Open our hearts and our minds as we share our faith and seek your guidance. Give us courage to probe deeply how you call us to live as your disciples in a complex and confusing world. Show us how to faithfully participate in public life  in a nation that proclaims "In God we trust." We ask this, through Christ our Lord. (Amen)

Guidelines for Civil Dialogue (5 minutes)

The leader should go over the Ground Rules for Civil Dialogue that are included on the Civil Dialogue handout, which can be found here.  The first time the group meets, he or she may also wish to read Cardinal Wuerl's reflection together, and/or share the following words from Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship (nos. 60-62):



  • Focused more on moral principles than on the latest polls


Scripture Reading & Faith Sharing (25 minutes)

The leader should introduce the focus of the gathering, explaining that the passage chosen from Scripture is meant to complement the theme of the session. The leader or another designated person then proclaims the reading.

     A reading from…

After the reading is finished, a brief period of silence follows. Then the leader says,

     What word or phrase from the reading strikes you, or is echoing in your heart at this time? Just repeat the word or phrase aloud.

When all have had a chance to respond, the leader invites everyone to listen one more time to the text. It is good to have a different person proclaim the reading this second time.

     A reading from…

The leader then invites all to share what they are hearing in the text. The suggested discussion questions that accompany each Scriptural passage may be used to prompt discussion.

Faithful Citizenship Reading & Discussion (25 minutes)

The leader makes a transition to the next segment of the meeting by reminding the group of the theme chosen for the session and inviting all to listen to the reading selected in conjunction with that theme. One of the participants in the group should have been asked ahead of time to read the passage, and the leader invites that person to read at this time.

     A reading from…

After the reading, the leader invites reactions from the group and facilitates the ensuing discussion. Optional suggested questions that accompany the reading may be used to prompt discusison. Without dominating, the leader should encourage participants to make connections between the Scripture reading/faith sharing and the discussion of faithful participation in public life.

Closing Prayer (5 minutes)

The leader closes the session by inviting all to prayer. One way to do this is to ask participants to name aloud the needs that were stirred in their hearts by the sharing. After each petition is spoken, an agreed-upon common response (e.g., "Lord, hear our prayer") is said. The petitions may be concluded with all holding hands and reciting together the Our Father. If the group is comfortable singing, a suitable song may be chosen. Refreshments and social time should follow.

Session A

Theme: The Call to Participate in Public Life

Scripture Reading & Discussion Questions

A Reading from Mark 12:28-34:






And 'to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself' is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."


Discussion Questions:

  1. Jesus says that both loving God and loving neighbor bring a person closer to the kingdom of God. Sometimes we have a tendency to compartmentalize our faith life from our activity in the world. How is faith related to action in the world? How is love for God related to love for neighbor? How does a deep faith life help us to love others? How does being compassionate toward others affect us spiritually?

  2. The reading instructs that you should love your neighbor as yourself.  What would it look like to really love another person as you love yourself?  Is your current perspective of service or charity one in which you see the poor and vulnerable just as you see yourself?

  3. How do the two commandments relate to the idea of participating in public life?

  4. How can the two commandments be seen as a foundation for all the other commandments? If our society were to embrace "love for neighbor" as a central idea governing our laws and policies, how might society be different?

  5. What changes can you make in your own life to love God and neighbor better?

Faithful Citizenship Reading & Discussion Questions

Readings from Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States





Discussion Questions:

  1. The bishops note that engagement in public life is our response to God, who is love. How is God's love connected to our political participation? What connections do you see between the reading from Mark and the bishops' and Pope Francis' words?

  2. What are ways that disciples of Christ can participate in the political process? How have you personally participated?

  3. What obstacles do you personally feel stand in the way of you taking an active role in political life?

  4. The bishops note that we all have a role to play in promoting the common good. In their statement, Everyday Christianity, the bishops noted:


    In what area is your work, and how can you promote the common good through that work?

  5. In what ways can you help build a society in which the dignity of all human life is respected?

Session B

Theme: Forming Consciences

Scripture Reading & Discussion Questions

A Reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans. . . (Romans 2:13-16)




Discussion Questions:

  1. What does Paul mean when he writes that although the Gentiles may not be familiar with Judaic law, "the demands of the law are written in their hearts"?

  2. Name a time in which you had a difficult time deciding what was right in a situation. What helped you make your decision?

  3. Why does Paul make a distinction between hearing the law and observing the law? How does this relate to you personally?

  4. How does a person form the ability to choose between right and wrong? How does a person become equipped to make a responsible and faithful choice?

Faithful Citizenship Reading & Discussion Questions





Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of when you hear the word "conscience"? How does this compare to what the bishops describe as the elements of forming one's conscience?

  2. How might applying the process described by the bishops help you or others to prayerfully explore a particular issue or teaching?

  3. What is the role of prudence in decision making? How does one develop prudence? Describe an example of the virtue of prudence in your own life or decision-making.

  4. What implications do the bishops' teachings on conscience and prudence have for you as an advocate and a voter?

Session C

Theme: Avoiding Evil and Doing Good  

Scripture Reading & Discussion Questions

A Reading from the Gospel of Matthew. . . (Matthew 19:16-21)






Discussion Questions

  1. How do each of the commandments that Jesus lifted up relate to the life and dignity of the human person? How does the last instruction he gives relate to this theme?

  2. How are the commandments that Jesus mentions related to one another? How are avoiding evil and doing good linked? How are they different?

  3. How might these commandments relate to modern-day issues? What does it mean to "come follow" Christ in public life?

Faithful Citizenship Reading & Discussion Questions


Aided by the virtue of prudence in the exercise of well-formed consciences, Catholics are called to make practical judgments regarding good and evil choices in the political arena (no. 21).





Discussion Questions:


  2. What are examples of intrinsic evils and why must they always be opposed? What are examples of supporting the common good and acting in solidarity with those in need?

  3. How is the bishops' teaching on avoiding evil and doing good related to the reading from Matthew 19? How does this teaching from the bishops call Catholics to more authentically put their faith into action?

  4. How can you personally respond to the call for each of us to oppose evil and support good?


Session D

Theme: Catholic Social Teaching and the Public Square

Note to leader: Unlike the previous 3 sessions, for Session D, participants should be instructed, well in advance of the session, to read numbers 40 through 90 of Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship. The statement is available online here, and in print, at the USCCB online store.

Scripture Reading & Discussion Questions

A reading from Matthew 25:31-46:





Discussion Questions:

  1. Have there been any particular experiences in your life when you unexpectedly recognized the face of Christ in another person? Describe.

  2. In the context of our contemporary situation, who is hungry, thirsty, naked, ill, a stranger, or imprisoned today?

  3. How would you evaluate your own faith community's response to those you just identified?

  4. What audience do you think Jesus had in mind when he told this parable? Who is most in need of hearing this parable today?

Faithful Citizenship Reading and Discussion Questions:

In advance of the session, participants should have read numbers 40 through 90 of Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship. Have copies of the statement available for those who need it, and give participants a few minutes to review what they read before using the discussion questions below.

Discussion Questions:

  1. In Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, the bishops highlight four overall principles (the dignity of the human person, subsidiarity, common good, and solidarity), and seven specific themes, highlighted in bold within the text. How can these principles and themes help guide our participation in the public square?

  2. Have there been any particular experiences in your life that have helped you to understand and experience one of these principles or themes in action?

  3. Were you surprised, challenged, or encouraged by any of the ways that the bishops apply Catholic social teaching to issues that face our local and global communities? How?

  4. How might the Holy Spirit be calling you to participate, on an ongoing basis (not just at election time), to address one of the many ways that human life or dignity or the common good are threatened?


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