We strongly recommend as you learn that you journal on any thoughts that come to mind as you work through the videos and tasks of each workshop. This will be a valuable record of your learning journey, and a possible inspiration for conversations with your small group, formation companion, or mentor.

When completing these workshops, do not be afraid to just be yourself. It's ok to share your weaknesses, in understanding or in faith, with your mentor. In fact, the best way of learning is to let your weaknesses be seen so that they can be addressed. We often learn best from making mistakes, so put your whole heart into these workshops. Trust that your mentor or small group will respect your vulnerability, challenge you, and encourage you.

We recommend taking these workshops with a pencil or pen in hand. Every workshop includes a handout that outlines the content of the workshop. It can be helpful to print these handouts and take notes as you go along.

Throughout the workshops you may also be asked to read sections of text from either Scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Church documents, articles from the Catechetical Review, and many more. As you read, you may find it helpful to mark the text in the following ways:

• Underline points or ideas the author is indicating as important. One indication that a point is being emphasized is that the words or ideas recur; another is that the point is written about in a particularly arresting way.

• Mark any words or ideas when you are not certain as to their meaning. You will want to check the meaning of these — check any footnotes, or a biblical dictionary to help understand them (a link to this resource is provided on each workshop's page). Probe the text; make it a habit to ask “Why?” of passages. You are trying to understand why the writer has written what you are reading. Experience shows that these points are often some of the richest veins for exploration. Be patient and keep questioning.

• Mark any points which strike you, where the words seem to “leap off the page” or are especially pertinent for you at the moment; you may want to return to these in prayer, or even memorize certain lines.

• It is an ancient practice to read passages out loud, and it can assist you in focusing on the words and their meaning. Practicing the skill of learning and discovering the faith ever more fully will inspire those we teach to do the same.