The Council of Catholic Women-Archdiocese of Washington (CCW-ADW) is so excited to share with you our Service Project: “Faith Enrichment.” This project supports Cardinal McElroy’s goal for the Archdiocese: “To foster a Parish Culture which Piercingly invites people to a personal encounter with Jesus Christ.”

To help support a Parish culture that encourages a personal encounter with Jesus, we have provided you with a sample “Faith Enrichment” pouch—complete with a crucifix, rosary, prayer cards, and other resources including instructions on setting up a prayer corner at home.  The pouches can be tailored to meet the needs of your community and parish.

The goal of the Faith Enrichment project is to increase each parishioner’s awareness that Our Father’s House extends beyond the Church doors into our homes and hearts.

We recognize that Faith Enrichment may be implemented differently across parishes. Please consider the following suggestions:

1. Determine the Scope of the Faith Enrichment:
   1. Provide Faith Enrichment bags to all interested parishioners
   2. Give bags to First Communion families; Confirmation families and/or OCIA candidates
   3. Give all parishioners information on how to create a home prayer space for Faith Enrichment or simply encourage parishioners to create a home prayer space for Faith Enrichment.
2. Suggestions for Communicating Faith Enrichment
   1. Announcement during Mass
   2. Put announcement in bulletin
   3. Ask a member of CCW-ADW to speak to the parishioners explaining the goals and objectives
   4. Put information on parish website

The following information identifies possible sources of religious items and supplies for your Faith Enrichment project:

• For complimentary Rosaries, see Holy Cross Family Ministries at https://hcfmstore.org/collections/complimentary-rosaries
• For prayer cards, Rosaries, religious medals: https://www.catholicprayercards.org/index.html
• 4-inch Crucifixes are available on Amazon.com: $16.59 for a set of 10.
• The 6×9 inch white mesh gifts bags are available on Amazon.com: $13.99/100 bags.

To help you determine the correct implementation strategy the following cost of the pouch is provided:

• The pouch as given averaged $4.00 per bag. This included Rosary, Crucifix, prayer cards, and materials printed professionally.
  • To reduce the cost of the faith enrichment pouch/project to less than $4 per bag, consider xeroxing the resources and instructions instead of going to a printer.
  • Donated items from supporters of the project would help lower costs.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email Sharon O’Brien, CCW-ADW Service Commissioner at [email protected].