“Deep water faith” “Deep water faith in the shallow end, and we are caught in the middle.” This phrase from a contemporary Christian recording poses an interesting thought: what would “deep water faith” be? How do we form people in ways that could lead to the depths of the spiritual life? Forming the community One of the most challenging dynamics of fashioning faith formation in the parish is the breadth of faith and spiritual depth among our members. In any group of adult Catholics, we are likely to find some who have only a marginal awareness of God’s grace in their lives and others who consciously foster a living relationship with Christ, knowing fully the implications of such commitment and everything in-between. Fostering in our parishioners a “lively baptismal and eucharistic spirituality” will serve both individuals in our lives and our faith communities as we are drawn more deeply toward God’s heart and toward others with a “powerful sense of mission and apostolate” (United States Catholic Conference of Bishops, Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us 17). Spirituality such as this will have at its center the Sunday celebration of the Eucharist and our sacramental life and will intentionally draw people to allow God to transform them over time. Formation toward such spirituality will lead people to full, conscious, and active participation in the liturgy and to connect that participation with the circumstances of their daily lives. Formed through life within the community Recently, the steering team for a women’s faith formation process met to discern the themes they would explore in the coming year. The conversation began with a brief evaluation of the series that was just concluding, and then one by one, the women spoke of their own hopes and prayers and of the needs they were hearing expressed by the women in the parish. One woman began, voicing what became a common desire. She shared, “My family and I come to Mass every Sunday together. Sometimes, I really feel that I’m listening and praying and that those around me are, too. Even then, I wonder if I really ‘get it.’ Do I, do we, really grasp what is taking place when we celebrate Mass? I know that the Eucharist is supposed to be central in our lives — it just seems if that is true, then surely we should be growing in our appreciation and understanding of what the Eucharist is.” This woman’s passionate plea became the basis of a series on eucharistic spirituality for the women’s process, and it illustrates the feeling of many in our assemblies. The desire to deepen our sense of the Eucharist and the openness to be transformed as sacramental people is not a beginning place for most on the spiritual journey. We have to experience life in all its depth in order to grasp the need for the depth of life with God. The women’s series included catechesis to increase participants’ understanding of the Mass, exploring structural and textual elements. Following the presentation, the women shared at table, poring over prayer texts and connecting those texts with their lived experience. At table were women ranging in age from their mid-twenties through their mid-seventies: each learning from the other, each richer from the sharing and encouragement toward intense and intentional living as disciples, as sacramental people. Forming pastoral practice When considering approaches for spiritual faith formation, listening to those who will be served is vitally important. Had the women’s process team not taken the time to gather and listen to each other and to those they serve, the series would likely have offered less to participants, remaining more like what the group had experienced in the past. Listening provides insight into people’s lives and their spiritual needs. Once we have drawn people together to listen to their hopes, dreams, worries, and concerns, the processes that develop will ring true, and participation will likely increase; our parishioners are served to a greater degree, and we ourselves, if we are open to it, will be transformed as well. Then, in the grace of God, we will be fostering “deep water faith” that will direct our lives now and into the future. ML Leisa Anslinger is pastoral associate for faith formation at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Cincinnati. Author of  Here Comes Everybody! Whole Community Catechesis in the Parish, she is a national speaker on topics including whole-community catechesis and pastoral leadership. SUBSCRIBE NOW! What do YOU Think? Send an e-mail to ML Editor or post an entry on the ML Current Issue Discussion Board. (All submissions become the property of RPI and may be edited for length.)