For Catholic adults, spiritual development centers on deepening their relationship with God through Jesus Christ, rooted in the sacraments, prayer, community, and moral life. Catholic spiritual writers and the Church’s tradition generally organize this growth into four core areas, often referred to as the pillars of Christian life:

The Sacramental & Liturgical Life – The sacraments are the primary source of grace for Catholics. Spiritual growth relies heavily on actively engaging with them.

— Frequent Reception of the Eucharist: Attending Mass not just on Sundays and holy days of obligation, but also on weekdays if possible.

— Regular Confession: Going to the Sacrament of Reconciliation monthly or seasonally to cleanse the soul and receive grace to fight temptation.

— Liturgical Living: Aligning daily life with the Church calendar, such as practicing self-denial during Lent and celebrating during the Easter season.

A Disciplined Prayer Life – Prayer is a relationship. Catholic tradition offers diverse prayer methods to help adults move from basic communication to deeper contemplation.

— Daily Mental Prayer: Dedicating 15 to 30 minutes of quiet time to talk to God from the heart and listen.

— Lectio Divina: Engaging in a slow, meditative reading of Sacred Scripture to hear God’s voice.

— The Rosary: Meditating on the mysteries of the life of Christ through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Spiritual & Intellectual Formation – Adult faith requires understanding. Ongoing education protects against a stagnant spiritual life.

— Spiritual Reading: Reading the writings of the Saints, classic works (like those of St. Teresa of Avila or St. Francis de Sales), and Church documents.

— Study of Scripture & the Catechism: Systematically studying the Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church to understand why the Church teaches what she does.

— Spiritual Direction: Seeking out a priest, religious, or trained lay person to guide your spiritual progress and provide accountability.

Moral Living & Works of Mercy – Spiritual growth must bear fruit in charity. Faith is lived out through how we treat others and govern ourselves.

— Cultivating Virtue: Actively working to replace personal vices with virtues like humility, patience, chastity, and charity. Humility is the mother of all virtue, pride is the father of all sin.

— Corporal Works of Mercy: Feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and visiting the sick or imprisoned.

— Spiritual Works of Mercy: Counseling the doubtful, comforting the sorrowful, and praying for the living and the dead.

— Duty of State: Excellence in one’s primary vocation—being a faithful spouse, a patient parent, or a just and diligent worker.

Sacred Heart offers Bible Study programs in the spring and fall. The studies usually run eight to ten weeks and concentrate on various books of the Bible. The classes meet at the Parish Life Center on Wednesday nights from 6:00- 9:00pm or Thursday afternoons from 1:00- 3:00pm. Parishioners can register for these classes in the Parish Life Center. The cost of the workbook is approximately $30 and CMG certification*is required.

Our current in person class is a study of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. We offer the first 10 sessions in the fall and the remaining 10 sessions in the spring of 2027.

This Link will take you to the Ascension Press website where you can purchase on-line access to the class videos and a read-only digital copy of the class workbook. Using this link you can order a physical copy of the class workbook.

For more information please contact Todd Wisler todd_wisler@hotmail.com

Ascension Press offers online Bible Study and other Catholic faith formation classes.

The Augustine Institute also offers online Scritpure study and other faith formation classes

formed.org – As a member of our parish you have free access to formed.org where you will find Bible study and other great learning resources. There are online courses about Catholicism, The Saints, daily reflections, scripture study, free audio books, resources and videos for kids, and much more. To sign up for free as a Sacred Heart Parishioner go to: https://signup.formed.org, type in Sacred Heart Conroe into the search box, select our parish, and enter your contact information. Formed is also available as a smartphone app.

Be sure to listen to Bishop Robert Barron‘s weekly homilies on YouTube

Father Mike Schmitz offers the popular “The Bible in a Year” podcast – a 365 day audio program that guides you through the entire Catholic Bible.

The Catholic Faith Study, taught by Henry Avila, MTS, meets from 6:00 – 8:00 pm in the Moran auditorium on the first, third, fourth and fifth Thursdays of each month with exceptions for Holy Days and some Holidays.

Are you looking for Truth and Light in today’s chaos and darkness?

Join the Catholic Faith Study of Sacred Heart Catholic Church and learn about the Joy and Grace found in our rich Faith. Delving deep into a variety of important topics using an open format, Henry Avila lays out the foundations of our Faith and explains how to apply it in today’s world.

CFS classes are flexible and ongoing. Attend when you can and don’t worry when you can’t! Henry begins every class with a quick overview of the info of the topic so you can pick up on the topic at any time!

All are welcome!  There is no cost! Contact denandmel@gmail.com to be included on the email list and receive updates.

Use this link to see the Catholic Faith Study Class Webpage for the class location and notes from previous classes.

Formed.org – As a member of our parish you have free access to formed.org where you will find Bible study and other great learning resources. There are online courses about Catholicism, The Saints, daily reflections, scripture study, free audio books, resources and videos for kids, and much more. To sign up for free as a Sacred Heart Parishioner go to: https://signup.formed.org, type in Sacred Heart Conroe into the search box, select our parish, and enter your contact information. Formed is also available as a smartphone app.

The All Roads Lead to Rome podcast is for everyone who wants to learn more about the beliefs and practices of the Catholic Church.

Online handbook with information about the Mass, common Catholic prayers, and more

The Augustine Institute offers graduate level continuing education theology classes online.

catholic.com – Answers to questions about Catholicism

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Website.org – includes an online Catechism

Magesterium.ai – An AI driven search engine that you can use to answer questions about Catholicism.  It is available as a phone app, website, and within the Hallow app. It restricts its searches to approved Catholic sources.

Father Mike Schmitz “The Catechism in a Year” – 365 podcasts that teach the beliefs of the Catholic Church

“The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church”. This 200-page volume offers a quick synopsis of the essential contents of the faith as promulgated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church

Bible study:

Ignatius Catholic Study Bible (2024) This study Bible displays commentaries from early Church fathers and other theologians on the same page as the Bible verses.

Ascension Press offers online Bible Study and other Catholic faith formation classes.

The Augustine Institute also offers online Scritpure study and other faith formation classes

Be sure to listen to Bishop Robert Barron‘s weekly homilies on YouTube

Father Mike Schmitz offers the popular “The Bible in a Year” podcast – a 365 day audio program that guides you through the entire Catholic Bible.

Learn about the holy Mass:

This Link takes you to a video showing how to receive communion:

The Catholic Mass Explained – Ascension Press website where you can learn about the Mass

“Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist: Unlocking the Secrets of the Last Supper” by Brant Petrie

Develop your prayer practice:

Hallow – The number one phone app and website for Catholic Christian prayer and meditation. It includes Bible and Catechism in a year, an online OCIA class series in the form of 10-20 minute podcasts, and much more. To access the free version of the Hallow app, you just need to skip the paid subscription prompts during account setup. Hallow offers a permanently free tier alongside its paid “Hallow Plus” subscription.

Here is how you can access it:

• Download the App: Install Hallow from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
• Create an Account: Sign up using your email, Apple ID, or Google account.
• Skip the Trial: When the app asks you to start a “7-day free trial” or upgrade to Hallow Plus, look for a “Skip,” “X,” or “Not Now” button (usually located in the top corner or at the bottom of the screen).
• Do Not Enter Payment Info: As long as you skip the trial screens and do not put in credit card or app store payment details, you will automatically remain on the free tier.

Once inside, you can use the Search tab (magnifying glass icon) to type in “St. Michael” to find the free prayer option. Free content will not have a padlock icon next to it.

“An Introduction to Prayer” by Bishop Robert Barron

The writings and teachings of the early church fathers:

“The Four Witnesses” by Rod Bennett (Introduction to the writings of the early church fathers)

newadvent.org – Writings of the Church Fathers and much more

Henry Avila’s “The Catholic Faith in the Early Church Fathers

You can find free, legal Catholic eBooks digital texts and audio books across several curated libraries and archives:

Curated Catholic eBook Directories

• Catholic eBooks Project: An alphabetical public-domain library offering roughly 1,800 legal Catholic texts, saints’ lives, and spiritual writings.
• Free Traditional Catholic Books: A dedicated archive featuring traditional Catholic literature, writings of the Church Fathers, and lives of the saints.
• Mary Our Help: A comprehensive collection of downloadable PDF eBooks covering Catholic theology, Mariology, the Eucharist, and classics like The Imitation of Christ and The Baltimore Catechism.
• Catholic Culture: Provides free digital essays, apologetics, and documents from Vatican II.
• Dynamic Catholic: Offers free physical and digital resources, including popular devotional and spiritual paperbacks.

General Digital Archives with Strong Catholic Collections

• New Advent: A major online repository for the writings of the Church Fathers and historical Catholic documents.
• Internet Archive / Open Library: Hosts thousands of out-of-copyright and historical Catholic books that can be borrowed or downloaded for free.
• Google Books: Allows you to search and preview or download millions of out-of-copyright public domain Christian and Catholic texts.

The Formation Toward Christian Ministry (FTCM) program offers basic theology and spiritual development to Catholic adults who want to deepen their commitment to Jesus and more fully answer their baptismal call to service as a mature disciple. As a core program offered by the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, FTCM provides authentic Catholic teachings taught by approved instructors with Masters or Doctoral degrees in theological disciplines. There are several formation programs within the Archdiocese that require FTCM as either a portion of their overall program or as a pre-requisite for entry into the program. These include, among others, catechist formation, catechetical leader formation, and youth ministry leader formation.

FTCM is a 108-clock hour process delivered over the course of three semesters. Classes meet on weekday evenings or in all-day Saturday format, depending on parish request. Each class session includes prayer, content presentation, and group dynamics. Each semester also includes participation in a Day of Reflection as a means to integrate content into daily living.

Link here for more information about the program and to register for classes.

To serve in a parish ministry you need to follow this link https://cmgconnect.org/ and complete the required training to earn the CMG certification.

None are scheduled at this time.