FORMED provides the very best Catholic content from more than 60 organizations to help parishes, families and individuals explore their faith anywhere. Supporting thousands of movies, children’s programs, ebooks, audio, parish programs and studies direct to your browser, mobile or connected device.

Watch - Pulling together the best in Catholic movies, children’s programming, audio dramas and books, we provide a trusted and engaging entertainment alternative in support of a Catholic lifestyle.

Learn - Our Bible studies, sacramental prep materials, documentaries, books and audio talks from leading Catholic experts will help you grow in understanding your faith.

Share - Encountering and sharing our content has never been easier. Share the platform with your parishioners, send a subscription to a friend and help them engage via their mobile, tablet, or connected TV device.

Link to Formed Website

Formed Sign Up Information Page

Formed is an online platform that provides access to the best Catholic audio talks, movies, eBooks, and video-based studies from trusted providers like the Augustine Institute, Ignatius Press, the Knights of Columbus and more.

Recently, St. John the Beloved Disciple Parish has enrolled as a parish in the Formed program. Through this subscription, we provide for all of our parishioners, free of charge, who register into Formed as a member of St. John the Beloved Disciple Parish.

Here is a brief summary of what is available for you to view and experience through Formed:

•Study Programs: There is a wide range of study programs available through Formed. Notable among these are on topics such as Baptism, The Holy Eucharist, Reconciliation/Confession, Male Spirituality (sponsored by the Knights of Columbus), multiple Bible Studies, Marriage, Happiness, Mothering, and much more.

•Movies: A wide range of religious-themed movies, of feature-length, are available through Formed. There are over 150 movies for adults and over 30 movies for children.

•Audio-Presentations: Presentations on various lives of the Saints and topics of religious interest.

•EBooks: Numerous books recorded here for your reference and enjoyment, both classics and of religious thoughtfulness.

We encourage you to register for the Formed Program through St. John the Beloved Disciple Parish. This is done under St. John the Beloved Disciple Parish at no cost to
you. Information how to register for Formed will be available in the Church Lobby today after Masses. Registration is a simple process and once registered you are free to explore
the immense religious treasures in Formed.

 

Living in the 21st century has made Catholics a digital people, whether they embrace and enjoy that truth or not. But instead of viewing technology as the antithesis of faith, that perspective can be reframed and used to form faith. That’s exactly what the leading thinkers of Augustine Institute had in mind when they created a unique, parish-based evangelization program called “Formed.”

Participating parishes receive an access code that they provide to all parishioners. Once on Formed.org, individuals have a plethora of resources at their fingertips that can aid in personal faith formation, group study, family prayer and even home catechesis. Because the Augustine Institute has merged with well-known Lighthouse Catholic Media, Formed users can access free Lighthouse CDs, which often include powerful conversion stories and informative studies on the theological aspects of the faith.

In addition to audio CDs, Formed offers free e-books for download in such genres as children’s, theology, prayer and devotion, practical living, parenting and inspirational. Spanish titles are also available with recent new additions. There are youth and adult fiction options as well: The Formed digital library serves a wide variety literary tastes.

While the above options are fantastic for individual or family use, Formed also offers sacramental preparation programs, documentaries and inspirational films, YDisciple, faith formation, and Bible studies — all can be tailor-made for parish programs that want to incorporate different media options into their group settings.

Debi Schoedel, administrative assistant of Our Lady of Good Hope in Fort Wayne, said that Formed has enriched parish life significantly since they launched the program. “I have people stop in all the time telling me the videos they watched, or the study they’re doing at home. I believe the upper grades of our school may have used some of the videos in class for sacrament prep or religion class, too.”

Our Lady of Good Hope maximizes the use of Formed by including weekly videos, e-books, audio files and programs for the saint or feast of the day in the bulletin. “You can stream the materials on your computer, smart phone, tablet or other device,” she added. “Most of the study programs have the leader and participant materials for download, so there’s no extra expense to participate other than printing the study materials.” She viewed this as an added benefit of the program.

To participate, parishes typically pay a reasonable fee and then allow their parishioners to access the program online or via the new Formed app, for free. This is yet another way Formed is accessible to everyone and truly a tool of evangelization that could reach an incalculable number of people for a very small investment.

Julia Thill, pastoral associate at St. Vincent de Paul in Fort Wayne, said that she’s noticing a very specific use of Formed in their parish. “I refer people going through RCIA to Formed for further enrichment,” she offered. “I try to provide the segment number that specifically covers the subject we discussed at our most recent meeting. It seems best when they are able to review these segments at home, so that they can take it all in.”

The Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend currently has 33 parishes enrolled in the Formed program. Mary Glowaski, Director of the Office of Evangelization, stated that “pastors and parish staffs were contacting us, asking for direction and resources specifically for adult formation and RCIA. It was the intention and hope that the diocese could provide up-to-date, engaging and accessible ways to offer the teachings of our church. One of the gifts of Formed is that there are many ‘points of entry’ for parish members. The resources are accessible to anyone at any time. Small faith communities can grow naturally.”

Glowaski believes that Formed is one of many modern tools of evangelization, because of the developers’ recognition for new methods of outreach. She said the program is a gentle, non-threatening way to invite Catholics who are on the fringe of their faith back without any sort of proselytizing or pressure. She also sees it as a way for lukewarm Catholics to feel invited to look deeper into the church privately, while having the option to take their questions to their pastor for further dialogue. “A person accessing Formed might even approach an RCIA director, a teacher, or simply a parishioner for deeper conversation,” Glowaski said. The beauty of Formed is that it has the potential to enrich the cradle Catholic who desires deeper meaning and understanding of her faith, the newly minted Catholic who recently joined the faith, the seeker who is drawn to the church and has many questions, or the lapsed Catholic who has been wounded and may need a more reserved, gentler approach to returning home.

The success of Formed throughout the world may be due to the myriad talents of contributors, whether they are writers of books featured on the site, or documentary film makers, historians, theologians or speakers who have converted or reverted to the Catholic faith. When the gifts of the Holy Spirit are used according to its call, Catholics can find themselves making an indelible impact in their own communities and beyond. That is the mission of Formed, and its fruits are blossoming within the Diocese of Fort Wayne as well.