The Saint John Paul II Fund provided a grant award in 2018 to The Leadership Institute of the Diocese of Bridgeport to launch The Family Bible Challenge for Lent.
This innovative program, is both an invitation and a challenge to young and old to spend time this Lent engaging with Sacred Scripture as a family. Some people “give up” something for Lent when you can pick up the Bible and learn for Lent.
“I welcome all our families to join in this great adventure to deepen your understanding of and appreciation for God’s Word,” the Bishop said in announcing the Challenge.
According to Patrick Donovan, executive director of The Leadership Institute, the diocese is looking for 1,000 families to take part in the first season of the Challenge during Lent 2019.
“Every family that participants will receive up to two Bibles as a gift. Bibles are available in English and Spanish and are being printed especially for our diocese, including a welcome letter from Bishop Caggiano,” Donovan said.
Families of any size can participant and are welcome to register online at the Institute’s website, www.formationreimagined.org.
Each Sunday, families will receive a Scripture passage via email and will be challenged to take the time to read the passage together, study, and use the reflection questions as a guide for discussion.
To make the Family Bible Challenge more engaging, families will receive an invitation each Wednesday to participate in online trivia about Scripture and the Catholic faith. While there are not any prizes, the names of families who participate will be listed online. In addition, families will be encouraged to spread the word about the challenge in their parishes and schools.
The Family Bible Challenge, Donovan said, has been about a year in the planning. The American Bible Society is providing the Bibles at no cost, the website and resources are developed with funds from the St. John Paul II grant, and the videos are developed through a partnership with The Bible Project, an online consortium of theologians dedicated to encouraging others to read the Bible.
The Family Bible Challenge will become a seasonal event, taking place online during Lent, Summer, and the Fall. On the off-season, the Institute will host trivia nights throughout the diocese to promote the Challenge and encourage families to play and pray together.
To learn more or to register for The Family Bible Challenge, visit formationreimagined.org, the official site of The Leadership Institute.
