I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete
(John 15:11).

[Adapted from the National Directory for Catechesis published by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2005. *At various points the phrase "faith formation" has been substituted for the more technical term "catechesis.']

Jesus formed his disciples by making known to them the various dimensions of the Kingdom of God.... Christ's method of formation was accomplished by diverse yet inter-related tasks. His example is the most fruitful inspiration for effective catechesis today because it is integral to formation in the Christian faith.

Faith must be known , celebrated, lived and expressed in prayer. So catechesis comprises six fundamental tasks, each of which is related to an aspect of faith in Christ....

Faith formation* promotes knowledge of the faith.
Faith formation* promotes knowledge of the meaning of the Liturgy and the Sacraments.
Faith formation* promotes moral formation in Jesus Christ.
Faith formation* teaches the Christian how to pray with Christ.
Faith formation* prepares the Christian to live in community and to participate actively in the Life and mission of the Church.
Faith formation* promotes a missionary spirit that prepares the faithful to be present as Christians in society.

These six tasks of faith formation* constitute a unified whole by which faith formation* seeks to achieve its objective: the formation of disciples of Jesus Christ. All these tasks are necessary in order to attain the full development of the Christian faith. Each task, from its own perspective, realizes the object of catechesis, and all the tasks are interdependent....

--  United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
    National Directory for Catechesis. 2005. #20.