Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.

- Pope Benedict XVI

Faith Formation (also known as catechesis) is an indispensible part of the overall formation and life of a disciple of Jesus Christ. Catechesis aims at maturing the initial conversion and faith of a person who has already made an explicit decision to follow Jesus, and educating the person by means of a deeper and more systematic knowledge of the Person and message of Jesus Christ. Growth in the knowledge and life of our Catholic faith as a disciple is a journey that ideally begins in infancy with the family, and reaches its culmination only in Heaven.

In these pages you will find information pertaining to the various dimensions of faith formation, including the main page for the Diocesan Office of Catechesis which serves the mission of evangelization by directing and moderating the catechetical activities in the Diocese of Paterson on behalf of Bishop Serratelli.