“Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.” This commission is the inspiration for Escuela de la Fe, an international Catechetical Institute that seeks to spread the Gospel through the integral formation of apostles at the faithful service of the Church.
Formed in 2003, Escuela de la Fe has been offering a variety of classes for the Hispanic communities in Michigan in the Farmington, Novi, and Clarkston areas. Its roots however, can be traced back to 1975, when it was originally founded in Mexico in order to offer formation and renewal to catechists and evangelizers working within various dioceses. The program was approved by the Sacred Congregation of the Clergy of the Holy See on February 16, 1979.
Mónica Galindo has been the director of the Michigan branch of Escuela de la Fe since 2015. In 2003, she, along with two friends, Norma Soriano and Flor Rangel, were leading a weekly women’s reflection group based on Scripture and the liturgical year. Through their own prayer and reflection as they were preparing for the weekly meetings, they began to feel a desire to dig deeper into Scripture in a more structured way, but at the time, there were few courses available, and nothing in their area that fit into their busy family schedules. And, of course, there were no courses in Spanish.
Flor contacted a priest she knew well in Mexico, and asked for his help to find books or formation materials that they could use to learn more about Scripture themselves, and share it with the other women they knew. The priest sent them some materials, among which were Escuela de la Fe instructor manuals and student workbooks. But when they asked for more copies to share with their reflection group, the priest proposed instead that the women start their own apostolate in Michigan, and create an ongoing formation course that could be built upon year after year.
“With little knowledge and without realizing what we were in for, the three of us began studying and teaching a small group of women what we ourselves were learning.”
The group began by running two courses out of Our Lady of Sorrows in Farmington for a small class of ten women, adding new courses, and new participants, each year. In 2010, they expanded to a second Michigan location at Holy Family in Novi to keep up with the fast-growing Hispanic community there.
In 2019, the group was asked to open a course for the Regnum Christi women in Clarkston. The pandemic moved Escuela de la Fe online in 2020, and the course is now offered both on-site in Michigan and online, drawing students from across the United States and Mexico.
From the beginning, Escuela de la Fe has had the support of Legionary priests, who lead mornings of reflection and annual spiritual exercises, and the Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi, who provide spiritual direction. In 2020, Fr. Juan Sabadel, LC, arrived in the locality, providing the program with more opportunities to collaborate with Regnum Christi initiatives and grow in the RC identity.
Today, the Escuela de la Fe program consists of six modules, each with four 15-unit courses. Each module adds up to approximately 60 hours of coursework, covering topics including Catholic dogma and the liturgy, Scripture, prayer, and lay spirituality. One of the more popular courses focuses on Thanatology, the study of death and dying, and the processing of grief and loss. Those who complete the entire course obtain a diploma as Educators in the Faith.
Escuela de la Fe is open to all Spanish-speaking adults who wish to learn more about their faith and strengthen their Catholic identity, all in fidelity to the Magisterium of the Church.
Besides offering formative courses, Escuela de la Fe organizes mornings of reflection, spiritual exercises, conferences, urban missions, and cultural evangelization events. And in February of 2025, Escuela de la Fe is organizing a 10-day pilgrimage for Spanish speakers to Italy and Spain, including visits to Rome, Barcelona, Madrid, and Avila.
“Our mission is to prepare Educators in the Faith who are dedicated to the work of evangelization, from full-time catechists, to those striving to make their homes a true domestic church,” says Mónica. Students go on to serve in apostolates, support catechesis and other ministries in their parishes, and participate in the mission of Regnum Christi in the locality through a variety of initiatives, in both Spanish and English.
Besides being the co-founder and director of Escuela de la Fe in Michigan, Mónica also teaches some of the courses, and has also gone on to pursue training as a pastoral counselor and spiritual director. In these roles working closely with participants, Mónica has been witness to, above all, the strengthening of the family. “I have often heard that if it were not for what they have learning in the program and experiencing in their spiritual growth, students would surely have divorced or lost their faith. With the assistance of the Holy Spirit, I have been able to accompany so many people on their journey of faith and have seen them benefit from this beautiful program.”
You can find out more about the course offerings at Escuela de la Fe – Regnum Christi Detroit, where you can explore the list of classes or register for the course, or follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
To find out more about the upcoming pilgrimage to Rome and Spain, which runs February 2-11, 2025, send a message to 734-276-1483.
