What is CFM? What makes CFM different from other small faith communities or study groups?
Peer ministry – CFM is a peer ministry that includes the whole family. CFM members share life, faith and best practices, build friendships, and participate in actions together to positively shape the world in which they live. Children are witnesses to multiple families trying to live their faith. CFM takes place in the heart of the domestic Church. The local nature makes it beneficial in every situation.
Formation of families – CFM uses the social inquiry method of observe, judge, act (OJA) as the framework for discussion through which members can grow in virtue and the spiritual life. The training and formation of members occurs through a method by which the group works through life questions, rather than by listening to one speaker. The result is the training/formation of the members in prudence or making wise decisions.
Action – CFM groups are not only discussion groups. They are action groups. The OJA methodology guides members to a way of life that is intentional and proactive, effecting growth and change and not merely discussion. The actions change the families who participate as well as bring Christ into the environments of which they are a part.
Welcoming accompaniment – CFM builds community and has been helping families to build life-long friendships for over 70 years — friendships that are welcoming and that inspire an active faith.
Is CFM just for Catholics?
CFM is for Catholics, but not only Catholics. The Christian Family Movement strives to create a welcoming environment for all members to explore and deepen their faith and invite others to do the same. CFM program materials are Catholic and inclusive of interchurch families as well as the unchurched. Each member is encouraged to deepen his or her relationship with God. CFM is a comfortable setting for mixed faith couples to discover ways to express and act on the values they have in common. Children witness a unity of purpose in their parents. Meetings are written from the lived experience of CFM members and are approved by ICCFM and CFM’s chaplain.
Is everyone welcome to join?
Yes! CFM recognizes there are many people who would enjoy and benefit from a discussion of current topics through the lens of the family.
What happens at a CFM meeting and how often do you meet?
Members gather in a parish setting(preferred) for a social inquiry and use the Jocist Method (observe, judge, act). Meetings are about 1 ½ – 2 hours, including prayer, reflection on the Scriptures and social time. Groups are encouraged to gather twice monthly, once as adults for the meeting and the second time as families for a social, spiritual or service activity. These gatherings might be formally scheduled or more spontaneous, such as celebrating Sacraments or other milestones, or helping one another with projects, etc.
What is the Observe, Judge, Act method of missionary discipleship?
CFM members learn and practice the observe/judge/act (OJA) method of missionary discipleship, the “Jocist Method,” pioneered by Servant of God, Cardinal Joseph Cardijn, founder of the Young Christian Worker Movement in Belgium. In his encyclical, Mater et Magistra, Pope John XXIII affirms the process of observe (see), judge, act as a way of reading and responding to the signs of the times: “There are three stages which should normally be followed in the reduction of social principles into practice. First, one reviews the concrete situation; secondly, one forms a judgement on it in the light of these same principles; thirdly, one decides what in the circumstances can and should be done to implement these principles. These are the three stages that are usually expressed in the three terms: observe, judge, act.”
How does CFM include children?
Whether to have children present at the CFM action group meetings is a decision made by each CFM group. Most groups meet for the Social Inquiry only as adults, and during the meeting the members plan social activities and service projects that include the whole family. The adults take what they discussed in their meeting home to their family for further discussion. Some groups plan activities for children during their meeting that relate to the adult discussion topic. It is appropriate to include children in the Opening and Closing Prayer as well as the social time of the meeting. CFM does have some program guides which incorporate children into the meeting.
What is a movement?
Movements in the Catholic Church are made up of members following a specific way of Christian life. For the CFM member, this entails living the observe, judge, act way of life. CFM is an officially recognized movement in the Catholic Church and is in harmony with the teachings of the Magisterium.