How’s the heart ever going to know what is good if…

My friend Dr. Farey (head of Catechetical Formation, Course Director B.Div, and Course Director License in Catechetics at the Maryvale Institute in Birmingham, England) has a wonderful quote that is so pertinent to catechesis today:

“How is the heart ever going to know what is good if we don’t use our mind to inform the heart? Don’t let anyone say to you, ‘don’t worry about all that study, all you need is to get your heart united to Christ’. Yes, we need our hearts plunged in Christ… be led by Christ but let your mind be led by Christ through the Church so that your heart can follow what is actually good, and not just what is an awful lot of opinions of what must be good… The Catechism is there to help us.”

I often speak of formation in Christ (not merely information) needing to be at the heart of catechesis.  However, I could not agree more with the importance of assuring that in our catechesis in the Third Millennium needs to incorporate both the heart and the mind when passing on the deposit of faith.

Too often today people struggle to have their hearts follow what is actually good. At the risk of sounding judgemental, it appears that individuals allow the messages and ideas given by society to shape their understanding of life, liberty and even in the pursuit of Jesus.  Teaching the truths of the faith, especially the deposit of faith articulated in the Catechism, will help others see how these truths that are Godly and that are point to the good (which is from God).  Too often our society desires to revise what is good or form ones idea of God based on a more modern application of what is seen as good (because they believe that “they see it more clearly” then what the Bible says or what the Church would say).

The Catechism is such a gift to help us see the beauty and the unity of the faith articulated and drawing the reader toward the ture and ultimate good – God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

What do you think about Dr. Farey’s quote? I’d enjoy your insights and thoughts.

 

Ways To Encourage Mass Attendance

In the Early Church followers of “the way” (Acts 9:2) would gather on the “first day of the week” (Acts 20:7) for “the breaking of the bread”((Acts 2:42).  This practice has been at the heart of the Church from the very beginning.  It is essential for the life of the Christian Community to gather each Sunday to honor God on the Lord’s Day.  Sunday Mass is foundational to living and bearing fruit in the Christian life.  Here are ways to encourage children and their parents to attend Mass every Sunday:

1) Share with them that they will be missed if they to not attend.

2) Communicate what God does every week at Mass (sharing His Word and His Body and Blood).

3) Discuss how faithfulness to the Commandments and the Precepts of the Church draw us closer to God.

4) Share the impact of the Mass in your life.

5) Pray for parents and kids to have the grace to respond to God’s love by coming to praise and honor Him each Sunday.

 

Six Key Themes for Catechesis

Gerard Gaskin wrote an article in the Australian Magazine AD2000 and noted six key themes for authentic catechesis from Pope John Paul II apostolic letter on Catechesis (Catechesi Tradendae).  His article can be found here.  Below I’ve quoted from the article the six key themes worth noting:

1. Christocentric catechesis: “Christocentricity in catechesis also means the intention to transmit not one’s own teaching or that of some other master, but the teaching of Jesus Christ … the Truth that he is” (n.6).

2. Catechesis must be systematic: Pope John Paul drew attention to the “… absolute need for a systematic catechesis … not improvised but programmed to reach a precise goal; it must deal with essentials” (n.21 ).

3. The integrity of content: The Pope asserts the “… right (of the person being catechised) to receive the ‘word of faith’ not in a mutilated, falsified form but whole and entire … there is no valid pretext for refusing him any part whatever of that knowledge” (n.30).

4. Orthodoxy versus orthopraxis: “It is useless to play off orthopraxis (right actions) against orthodoxy (right beliefs): Christianity is inseparably both.” The Pope attacks the “either or” argument, that the doctrinal formation of children will in some way be done at the expense of teaching them to lead good lives: “firm and well-thought-out convictions lead to courageous and upright action” (n.22).

5. Life experience: “It is also quite useless to campaign for the abandonment of serious and orderly study of the message of Christ in the name of a message concentrating on life experience. No one can arrive at the whole truth on the basis solely of some simple private experience” (n.22).

6. Methodology – memorisation: Whilst acknowledging that memorisation can lead to, “reducing all knowledge to formulas that are repeated without being properly understood”, the Holy Father regrets the, “definitive suppression of memorisation in catechesis.” He asks, “Should we not attempt to put this faculty back into use in an intelligent and even an original way in catechesis … We must be realists. The blossoms, if we may call them that, of faith and piety do not grow in the desert places of a memory-less catechesis” (n.55).

What is your feedback on these 6 themes?  Do you find each of these to continue to be vital for catechesis in the Third Millennium?

 

Custodians of the Faith

Pope Emaritus Benedict spoke back in 2010 to the Italian Bishops conference in Assisi about the translation of the Roman Missal in the context of liturgical reform.  He said that “all true reformers are, in fact, obedient to the faith.” He explained:

“They do not move arbitrarily, they do not claim any discretional jurisdiction over rites. They are not masters but custodians of the treasure that was instituted by the Lord and entrusted to us. The entire Church is present in each liturgical act, and adhering to its form is a condition for the authenticity of the celebration.”

The “reformers” he is speaking of are all the bishops, priests and liturgists who will be implementing the new translation of the Roman Missal.  I think the Pope’s message also applies to the work of catechesis when passing on the Deposit of Faith.  We cannot teach personal opinions or only the truths that “we think” are more relevant.  There is a temptation to side-step the more challenging teachings of the Gospel and the Church. The Lord has entrusted to His Church the full Deposit of Faith and we, in the ministry of catechesis, must never see ourselves as the “masters but custodians of the treasure(s) that was instituted by the Lord and entrusted to us.”

3 Ways we can do this in our Religious Education Programs:

1) Make sure and talk to your DRE about what are the fundamental truths of the Faith, e.g., Holy Trinity, the Incarnation, the Paschal Mystery, the Sacraments, the doctrine of sin, etc.

2) Be faithful to the teachings of Christ and His Church in your own life. As we allow comfort or lukewarmness to infect our own Faith lives, it becomes contagious and spreads to the programs we lead and the teachings we pass on.  The teachings of the Church are life-giving and inspire one to go deeper and grow in a relationship with God.

3.    Be sure to find small teachable moments to pass on to the parents as well.  It is becoming increasingly more challenging to encourage parents to attend any presentations about the faith.  Look to newsletters, emails, and small assignments in which students and parents can work together, so that parents can deepen their understanding of the blessings and joy of knowing the teachings of the Church and desire more fervently to live them in their lives.

Come Holy Spirit!

 

5 Steps to Being “Fishers of Men”

I was reading an article at the National Catholic Register which discussed keys to leading others to conversion.  We all want to lead others closer to Christ and His Church don’t we?  I know, for me, I desire to share Christ with others and help lead people closer to Him.  Fr. John McCloskey in his book Good News, Bad News: Evangelization, Conversion, and the Crisis of Faith speaks about the importance of personal relationships being at the heart of conversion “a gift of self by the evangelizer”, Father McCloskey says the best approach is a direct one.  Here are the 5 steps he recommends:

1) Ask a friend or family member if he or she has ever considered joining the Catholic Church;

2) Be prepared to answer questions about the faith (which will probably require some study of your own), but be confident that you almost certainly know more than your non-Catholic friend;

3) Engage friends by suggesting good Catholic books and readings (a “Catholic Lifetime Reading Plan” is appended to his book), while sharing the beauty of the liturgy;

4) Know that conversion often takes time and is ultimately God’s work, and

5) Follow up.

In this Year of Faith where so many in our culture have allowed the secular influences to dim their faith, let us seek to reach out and help witness to them the treasure and the blessing of a faith in Christ.

 

Successfully Passing on the Faith

Over the years as I’ve worked with catechists to hand on the faith to their students I’ve noticed that there are two common ideas:1) Getting certain ideas communicated to ones students and 2) How to do that in a way that gets them engaged.

Sometimes I think trying to do activities to engage them is what catechists tend to be concerned about the most.  This has a lot to do with the times we are living in where students today need to be engaged in different ways then in generations past.  In addition catechists want to be sure to not bore their students (which is admirable).

What things should we consider when planning a lesson?  Does too much focus on engagement diminish in any way the message/content that needs to be handed on and proclaimed?  It’s worthwhile to be aware of pitfalls or shortcomings that could arise due to the need to involve students more than ever today.  Here are a few things about lesson planning and what to consider when teaching a lesson so that you, as a catechist, can successfully hand/pass on our rich Catholic Faith.

1) Whatever method(s) you use to convey the lesson of the day, make sure that it is serving the content.  It is key to find ways to “break open” and/or “bring to life” the message that you are teaching, but not at the expense of the content.  For some this is obvious but for others it might be something that unintentionally tends to happen.  All the activities you choose should help draw your students into the message/content.  I’ve seen where the message gets conveyed in a short amount of time and the activities that follow do not relate very well to the actual content that was just spoken of.

2) Don’t be afraid of the content being boring and feel you have to “get through” the content and then move onto getting them engaged and enjoying class.  Our Catholic Faith is not only rich but it is beautiful.  Allow the beauty of the truths of the Faith to speak for themselves (The Catechism does a great job of this).  You can assist with your enthusiasm and love for the Faith.  God wants to draw your students to Himself even more than you do so believe that His truth can do just that.  The Holy Spirit is the interior teacher and will stir up in them the gift of faith which they have been given.  This does require trust and a confidence that God seeks a response from them.

3) Pray for the soil of your students hearts to be ready and open to receive what has been proclaimed and discussed (before class and after class).

What do you find to be important to successfully handing on the faith?

 

Why People Don’t Want to Go to Church Anymore

This was the subject of an email I recently received that received caught my attention.  A evangelical     named Thom Schultz wrote the following that I found interesting:”Last weekend most people in America avoided church. And, a sizable portion of those who did make it to church
wished they were somewhere else. But why?I decided to go direct to the source. I staked out a city park to ask the public why they weren’t in church. What they
told me echoed what I’ve been hearing for several years now.Their reasons centered around four recurring themes:

“Church people judge me.” A young woman told me that as a child she regularly attended church and Sunday school. But she’s given up on the church as an adult. “They make me feel like an outcast,” she     said. “How? Why?” I asked. “Well, I’m a smoker,” she said.

“I don’t want to be lectured.” More people today want to participate in the discussion. A man told me    he’s talked with over a thousand other men who’ve given up on church. He said, “Guys don’t want to sit in     a room and idly listen to some preacher do all the talking. They want to ask questions. They want to share their thoughts too.”

“They’re a bunch of hypocrites.” I know church leaders are weary of this “excuse.” But people are’nt merely referring to incongruous behavior.    What bothers them is the sense that church spokespeople act like they have all the answers. That they’ve arrived. That they’re only interested in telling others what to do—“teaching,” to use the church vernacular.

“I don’t want religion. I want God.” Most people don’t experience God at church. They’re not looking for the “deep” theological trivia that seems to interest some preachers. They crave something very simple. They’re dying to be reassured that God is real, that he is more than a historical figure,       that  he is present today, and that he is active in the lives of people around them.

Those of us who remain in this imperfect gathering of the faithful need to stop talking and “teaching” long enough to listen to the majority outside our  walls. I’m not suggesting their views are flawless. Or that we should design ministry merely according to consumer whims. But we do need to keep        our ultimate goal in mind—to help bring others into a closer relationship with Jesus Christ.

That’s what defined the ministry of Jesus himself. He boldly broke away from the habits and routines of the religious elite of the time. And he fashioned     a highly relational ministry that connected with the disenfranchised.”

________________

Do you find these reasons to be true?  

The Pew Forum study from 2008 found that about only 30% of Adult Catholics are actively practicing their faith.  I suspect that also includes going to    Mass.  30% – Wow!  The “missing Mass is a grave sin” (Cf. CCC 2181) does not seem to have much weight in the Third Millennium.  

What can we do in our Catholic parishes to draw people to church?

 

Intensive Summer Program

Today we just completed our annual two week summer intensive School of Religion Program.  We had 198 students register for it this year.  It was a good two weeks full of activity and learning.  This program has been going on for about 8 years now.  Originally our parish offered School of Religion classes on Tuesday and Wednesday nights for 1st – 6th grade.  Once we began to offer the summer program (we do not offer 2nd grade in the summer)  we no longer offered Tuesday night classes.  Many parents really like the summer option because their kids are so busy during the school year that it is challenging to get them to class on a weekly basis.  There are pro’s and con’s to a summer intensive verses once a week for 9 months, but both meet the growing needs of parents and students.

Our Theme This Summer was Faith: Love it, Learn it, Live it! I copied the logo and put up sheets like this all around the building with different ways to apply the Live it, Love it and Learn it theme.

I want to share a few personal challenges I have during these two weeks:

1) The Parents: They are, as we always say: The primary teachers of their child’s faith.  Most parents however feel more comfortable having someone else teach them the basic tenants of the faith (more about that in a future post).  I worked really hard this year communicating with the parents and seeking feedback from them throughout the two weeks (mostly through email).  Each day I emailed the parents announcements and what their child would be learning (by grade level).  I also tried to include helpful tips for the parents, helpful parent websites on faith formation and valuable articles on helping their children grow in their faith.  One email program software we have will report how many emails were opened (some days were better than others).  I so desire to reach out to the parents and get them engaged so they can be empowered and enriched.  It is not easy.  I think some parents really did like the emails (which did take me about 2 hours to put together each day) but others were just too busy to look at them.  We need to find ways to equip parents who so often received poor faith formation themselves growing up.

2) Another challenge I have during our two week program is connecting with the catechists and aides in such a short period of time.  It’s great to work with and around them for the two weeks, but I just wish I had more time to process and see all that they are doing. They have great ideas and they bring so much to the table to share.  I also took the time each day to email them about important announcements for the next day as well as give them teaching ideas and inspirational quotes from saints, the Catechism and catechetical documents.  It is so important to help with their ongoing formation.

Sending these two emails each day took up my whole afternoon and took a lot of energy.  From an administrative point of view I’m glad the two weeks are over, but I’m sad because I wish there was more time to assist our students in their academic and most especially spiritual formation.

I will pray for our parents that they will continue to help their children grow in their faith and remember that these two weeks are only the beginning of what they should be doing now for the rest of the year until next summer (and throughout their child’s life).  I will also pray for the students that the Holy Spirit continues to speak to their hearts and minds.

Students just having a Q&A Session with our pastor.

 

The Catechist: Irreplaceable

I recently gave a catechist retreat/In-Service to a group of catechists at a parish in the Archdiocese.  One of the things I shared with them is the importance of them bringing everything together.  It is not the textbook, the DVD, the music, the pictures or the great use of the powerpoint/smartboard you used that helped make your class a fruitful one.  Although helpful and very important in passing on the faith in a suitable manner to young people in the Third Millennium, nothing replaces the person of the catechist.  The catechist is the person who unites, organizes and links all the great tools available together in order that our Catholic Faith can be made known in the lives of their students.  Our Faith is full of life and has the potential to draw students into the life and mission of the Church.  It is the person of the catechist who is the linchpin, the crux, and central to helping students encounter Christ and the Gospel Message.

The National Directory of Catechesis says: “No number of attractive personal qualities, no amount of skill and training, and no level of scholarship of erudition can replace the power of God’s word communicated through a life lived in the Spirit (pg. 243).” A person who desires to grow in holiness and proclaim in word and deed a life rooted in Christ is irreplaceable in the ministry of Catechesis.

Come Holy Spirit lead us as catechists to radiate you through our teaching, and through our very being!  And students will be saying…Ahh see how they love Jesus…I want that too”.

 

Starting Over…A New Model

I came across the blog Reverend Know-It-All and found a very interesting post about his thoughts on the current state of Religious Education and Catholic Education.  He shared about how we is going to start over and do something completely different.  

I’d be very interested to hear what you think about his thoughts?  Check out the post and please share with me your thoughts about the following questions:

• Do you think our current system of once a week religious education is unfruitful?  On a scale of 1 to 5 (1=great and 5=completely unsuccessful/fruitful) – where is the state of the average religious education program?

• What do you think about his comments regarding Sacramental Preparation?

• Where do the parents fit in?

• What do you think about this comment he made: “In this country, we can’t manage a religious life because we are up against team sports.”?

• What would you propose as solutions to our current challenges in Religious Education?

• Are there any unique or interesting religious education models that you know about?

 

Live, Love and Work Different

Are You Intriguing?

Recently I watched a youtube recording of Matthew Kelly’s talk from the L.A. Congress 2012.  His talk was around an hour and in part of it he spoke about how Protestant faiths do a much better job of intriguing people or as I would say – drawing people in to “want more” (more of God) than Catholics do.  Matthew Kelly went on to ask “as Catholics do we intrigue anyone by our faith”?  In order to draw others into the Faith they have to see us live, love and work differently than what they see in the people around them.  Does our Catholic Faith and our life of holiness contribute significantly to making us “look different” in the way we live each day?  Do others experience the love of Christ in our daily actions?  And do we work in a different way than others – not that we have to work longer but do we work harder (not just half-hearted), do we work without complaining?  The more we do this the more we as Catholics will be intriguing to a world hungry for God.

2 questions

1) What are characteristics of an authentic witness of Christian life (these characteristics are what the world finds “intriguing”)?

2) As catechists, how do you empower your students to be “intriguing” or how to you help your students witness their faith?

 

More Than A “Teaching” Session

Are your Confirmation Sessions teaching teens the faith or forming them in the faith?  Ok, this is a bit of a trick question, because we ideally need to do both: catechize so transformation will occur.  Recently we had a Confirmation Session with 100 8th graders that was extremely powerful and really blew all of us away at what the Holy Spirit did.

Some background

This year we have implemented a new format for our Confirmation Program by taking kids out of the classroom setting and gathering them all together and trying to do more formation in the faith as compared to merely a catechesis about various topics of the faith.  New Programs/formats always need tweaking.  We have learned a lot this year about empowering volunteers and engaging large numbers of teens.  We have had many frustrations with attendance, volunteers not showing up and a lack of the right kind of engagement from volunteers but we’ve persevered, continued to pray and asked the Holy Spirit to lead us.

Confirmation

We wanted to create a night that gave teens an idea of what happens during the Confirmation Mass.  Many who’ve been through it have said they didn’t really have much of a clue what was going on while it was happening.  So the following is what we did to try to change that.

Gather and Proclaim

We open the night with a humorous 2 minute video about what Confirmation is (the video does not give any answers).  We then had a skit entitled: At the Movies with Jesus and it focused on choosing Christ.  We then debriefed about the skit and shared how tonight we were going to explore a little about Confirmation and the amazing things that happen at the Confirmation Mass.

Break

Small group leaders then took their students to discuss some of the aspects of the Confirmation Mass.  The leaders shared that there was some good discussion during this time.

Send

We concluded by showing another movie clip and discussed that God is asking us to give Him permission.  Joe, one of our youth ministers shared a story and ended up giving away a rosary that was very valuable to him and blessed by the pope.  It truly was a Holy Spirit moment and it was very powerful for the person who received it. She had a hard time receiving it because she felt she didn’t deserve it (that’s exactly the point – we don’t deserve God’s gave and gifts but He cares for us so much that He freely and lovingly showers his grace and gifts upon us).

The Holy Spirit continued to work as we invited teens to come up and share why they were excited about Confirmation.  They came up and shared things like – It’ll bring me closer to God, it’ll strengthen my faith, it’s very important to me.  This was their way of standing up in front of others and witnessing their faith.  It was powerful and exciting to see the teens stand up for their faith.  We had one of those “they finally got it” moments.

It turned out to be a great night!  We were skeptical before the evening began regarding how it would go and how much involvement we’d get from the teens.  God certainly was not outdone is generosity.  Thank you Holy Spirit!

This is one example of how we’ve sought to really engage our teens and form them into the disciples Christ He is calling them to be.  We pray that their faith continues to grow.  Here is an outline of the night – Confirmation.

How About You?

What have you done to engage your Confirmation Candidates?

 

Top 10 Requirements of Good Teaching

I posted this last year, but I think it’s worthwhile to re-post.  On appleseeds.org I found some great teaching tips by Richard Leblanc, Ph.D. from York University.  Although it is not directly about faith formation I think there are some real gems in what Dr. Leblanc says.

1. GOOD TEACHING is as much about passion as it is about reason. It’s about not only motivating students to learn, but teaching them how to learn, and doing so in a manner that is relevant, meaningful, and memorable. It’s about caring for your craft, having a passion for it, and conveying that passion to everyone, most importantly to your students.

2. GOOD TEACHING is about substance and training students as consumers of knowledge. It’s about doing your best to keep on top of your field, reading sources, inside and outside of your areas of expertise, and being at the leading edge as often as possible. But knowledge is not confined to scholarly journals. Good teaching is also about bridging the gap between theory and practice. It’s about leaving the ivory tower and immersing oneself in the field, talking to, consulting with, and assisting practitioners, and liaising with their communities.

3. GOOD TEACHING is about listening, questioning, being responsive, and remembering that each student and class is different. It’s about eliciting responses and developing the oral communication skills of the quiet students. It’s about pushing students to excel; at the same time, it’s about being human, respecting others, and being professional at all times.

4. GOOD TEACHING is about not always having a fixed agenda and being rigid, but being flexible, fluid, experimenting, and having the confidence to react and adjust to changing circumstances. It’s about getting only 10 percent of what you wanted to do in a class done and still feeling good. It’s about deviating from the course syllabus or lecture schedule easily when there is more and better learning elsewhere. Good teaching is about the creative balance between being an authoritarian dictator on the one hand and a pushover on the other. Good teachers migrate between these poles at all times, depending on the circumstances. They know where they need to be and when.

5. GOOD TEACHING is also about style. Should good teaching be entertaining? You bet! Does this mean that it lacks in substance? Not a chance! Effective teaching is not about being locked with both hands glued to a podium or having your eyes fixated on a slide projector while you drone on. Good teachers work the room and every student in it. They realize that they are conductors and the class is their orchestra. All students play different instruments and at varying proficiencies. A teacher’s job is to develop skills and make these instruments come to life as a coherent whole to make music.

6. GOOD TEACHING is about humor. This is very important. It’s about being self-deprecating and not taking yourself too seriously. It’s often about making innocuous jokes, mostly at your own expense, so that the ice breaks and students learn in a more relaxed atmosphere where you, like them, are human with your own share of faults and shortcomings.

7. GOOD TEACHING is about caring, nurturing, and developing minds and talents. It’s about devoting time, often invisible, to every student. It’s also about the thankless hours of grading, designing or redesigning courses, and preparing materials to further enhance instruction.

8. GOOD TEACHING is supported by strong and visionary leadership, and very tangible instructional support resources, personnel, and funds. Good teaching is continually reinforced by an overarching vision that transcends the entire organization from full professors to part-time instructors and is reflected in what is said, but more importantly by what is done.

9. GOOD TEACHING is about mentoring between senior and junior faculty, teamwork, and being recognized and promoted by one’s peers. Effective teaching should also be rewarded, and poor teaching needs to be remediated through training and development programs.

10. AT THE END OF THE DAY, good teaching is about having fun, experiencing pleasure and intrinsic rewards…like locking eyes with a student in the back row and seeing the synapses and neurons connecting, thoughts being formed, the person becoming better, and a smile cracking across a face as learning all of a sudden happens. It’s about the former student who says your course changed her life. It’s about another telling you that your course was the best one he’s ever taken. Good teachers practice their craft not for the money or because they have to, but because they truly enjoy it and because they want to. Good teachers couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

THE CORE
Association for Experiential Education
Schools & Colleges Professional Group Newsletter
Spring 1999, Vol. 2, # 1 (Electronic Version)

http://www.aee.org/prof&sig/core9921.html

Editor’s note: In 1998, professor Leblanc was awarded the Seymous Schulich Award for Teaching Excellence. His top ten requirements for good teaching was originally published in The Teaching Professor, Vol. 12, # 6, 1998.

What would you say are key teaching requirements?

 

Salvation History Curriculum Update

So Far So Good

Almost 2 months have passed since our Year I Confirmation students have been encountering a new curriculum on the major events of Salvation History.  This curriculum that we have created seeks to not only convey the major events of Salvation History, especially through the 6 major covenants, but also aims to engage 7th graders in a fresh way.  Students rotate classes approximately every 30 minutes.

Today’s Topic

During the first 30 to 40  minutes students review the lesson from the week before and then the current lesson not only shares about that particular covenant we are talking about but it also answers the homework questions that were given to them the week before. The hope is that they will have read and reflected on the Scripture that speaks about the covenant we will be focusing on that particular class period.

Practical Application

Next students build on what they are learning by going to 30 minutes of what we call “practical application”.  For example, last night each class (we have 6 Year I classes) discussed God’s covenant with Abraham, His Call, and his journey.  After about 35 minutes discussing this covenant students switched classes and went to “practical application” where they discussed how we are “maxed out” in our lives and so busy with noise and activity that we don’t hear God.  The question they explored is does God still speak to His people like He spoke to Abraham?  Students were broken up into groups and given a skit they had to perform.  Skit #1 was entitled: “Constant noise – never even noticing God”, skit #2 was entitled: “No time – too many important things to do – doesn’t stop for, recognize, or make time for God”.  Skit #3 was entitled: “We do all the talking – Too busy talking to every listen”. These skits were followed up by some questions.

Spotlight

During the last 30 minutes students switched to spotlight and encountered a great video about Abraham and Isaac.  The video was 17 minutes and very powerful.  There were also discussion questions that followed the video.

At the end of each class we encourage catechist to do a brief review and go over what their assignment is for next week’s class.  Finally, we ask the catechists to close in prayer.

What We Are Hearing

We are getting great feedback about this format and how students are engaged and really talking and interacting.  Catechists are really enjoying this format and there is a great vibe from them about how things are going.  Praise God for these blessings!

P.S. We have 6 classes and each class has a “team class” which means when it’s time to switch the students for example in Class 1 go to their team class, 2 and class 2 goes to into class 1.  So when one group is covering practical application the other is covering spotlight and then after 30 minutes they switch and experience the section they have not covered yet.  I hope that makes sense.  I thought it might sound a little confusing if I articulated it up above.

 

Room For Change

Like Change?

Change is not easy for people.  Even in a world that is in a constant state of change it is difficult to experience, especially when we have become so accustom to the way things are.  Are you looking forward, indifferent or are hesitant to the new changes of the Third Edition of the Roman Missal?

Seeing the Mass with New Eyes

Almost all diocese across the country have had numerous workshops to discuss the changes which are bringing a sense of renewal in general to the Liturgy.  Hopefully the faithful everywhere have come to a greater awareness of the beauty and the depth of the Mass.  I just recently gave a talk to parents about the Mass in general and hope that it brought a greater sense of all that is going on at Mass and how we are truly engaging in something heavenly and supernatural at Mass.  My talk was not so much about the upcoming changes as it was to focus on the wonder of the Mass and how it makes present the events of Calvary. Participating in the Mass is the closest we come to heaven this side of it.

Helping Your Students

What are you doing in your Religious Education, Youth Ministry and Adult Faith Formation to help individuals prepare for the changes?  Many resources have been printed and made available to help various age groups understand the changes and be ready for them in Advent.  Here are a few ideas for the various age groups to consider:

Adults:

~ A series of presentations on the changes for the parish.

~ Resources published in the Bulletin and made available on your parish website.

Elementary and Youth:

~ 30 minute lessons on the specific changes that will happen (I’m especially doing this with 4th – 6th graders).

~ Taking lesson plans and connecting them with the changes.  For example when the lesson plan mentions the Creed take that opportunity to discuss the changes in wording. Or when you do a lesson on Reconciliation take that opportunity to discuss why the changes in the penitential rite.

~ Learning Stations:  We recently had an enrichment session at our parish for 1st – 6th graders about the changes.  We set up 6 learning stations where students and parents spent 10 minutes at each station focusing on some aspect of the Mass (4 stations related to the changes and the other two were intended to give a greater appreciation of the Mass)  They walked away with something from each station.

~ Aim to mention the Mass and how it is central to our life and worship as Catholic Christians.  What a great opportunity to dive more deeply into the Mass and why it is so important to us as Catholics.  St. Bernard said “you will gain more from one single Mass than you would from distributing all your goods to the poor or making pilgrimages to all the most holy shrines in Christendom.”

Opportunity Knocks

Don’t miss this opportunity to talk about something ever ancient yet ever new.  I’ll repeat what has been said by many for the last 2 years about these changes: It gives us a great opportunity, a unique moment to really emphasize and help those we catechize not only become aware of why the changes but how the Mass continues to be our strength, life and source of life giving grace for the faithful.

 

Delivery System: Reaching the Next Generation

I’m am not usually a fan of America Magazine but when I saw this posted from the NCCL newsletter I found it very interesting.  The September 19th edition of the Magazine had an editorial about Steve Jobs and asked the question,  What would the church of Steve Jobs look like regarding how it would reach out to young people?

The last paragraph asked the following:

“One hears that young people want what the church has to offer, but they cannot find it in that church. The delivery system fails. Imagine a Bishop Steve Jobs. What would his diocese—the Diocese of Appleton, perhaps—look like? How would entrenched interests react to his challenge? What is out there in plain sight that he would see and point out to fellow church leaders? How would he change not the message, not the content, not the words but the delivery system? The human side of the church could use the energy of new vision.”

How would you answer this?

What about the delivery system in the Church is going well and what needs renewal or in the technology world what “updates” need to be made?

 

Top Ten “To-Do’s” with Primaries (1st – 3rd Graders)

I found the following filed away and I just pulled it out and thought it would be worth sharing.

Top Ten “To-Do’s” with Primaries

By Kelly Renz

1. Show great reverence for the Bible, the church space, God’s name, etc.
2. Use images kids can identify with to understand faith terms.
3. use the senses and employ multi-sensory teaching.
4. Get kids – and yourself- moving.
5. Ask lots of questions; lead them to think, consider, analyze, compare.
6. Talk frequently about emotions; it helps them apply their own experience.
7. Be inclusive; draw in every student, even the most shy.
8. Be joyful and enthusiastic about your faith; it will be contagious!
9. Recognize good behavior often; never shame or belittle.
10. Never assume they know how to pray; expose them over and over to all forms of prayer.

The one caveat I would say is number 6.  It is great to apply things to their own experiences but primary age kids love hard and fast rules and facts so be sure to tap them into what is true and what God wants them to know about Himself.

Would you add anything to the list?

 

Blog Recommendation

 

 

 

 

Lisa Mladnich has a blog on patheos.com called Be An Amazing Catechist that I highly recommend.  It has great articles especially for catechist who are teaching the faith in a classroom setting.  I encourage you to check out this great resources that will encourage, inspire and empower you!  She just came out with a new resource on sacramental preparation that I will be reviewing soon (when I get a chance).

 

S & L: New 8th Grade Confirmation Program

This past Sunday our parish began a new 8th grade Confirmation Program.  Our goal was to get our students out of the traditional classroom model of religious education and find a way to more fully engage them as well as involve the whole parish (public school and Catholic school students).  We want to foster a Confirmation program that is bringing all or our Confirmation candidates together in an environment that engages them and inspires them in their Catholic Faith. 

Here’s what we did on our first night:

We gathered 200 kids in our Gym for a few icebreakers which they seemed to really enjoy.  Then we moved into our youth room where we did a random skit.  We kept the kids laughing at the beginning of this night.  We really wanted to set the mood for this year and start things off right.  Then we introduced our theme for the night: “Come Follow Me”.  Jesus Christ is at the heart of our ministry to these young teens and we don’t just want to teach them about Jesus but we desire to lead them closer to Jesus and in a relationship with Him.  We showed video clips from 4 different movies that focused on making a decision to go forward, to do something that was challenging but significant.  After each video clip a 30 second to one minute commentary was given.  We wrapped this part up by reading from Matthew 4 where Jesus called Peter and Andrew to be fishers of Men. 

Next we had students gather in small groups (they will be in these small groups all year) and take some time to get to know one another as well as have the catechist/small group leader shared how they have followed Jesus in their lives and what difference that has made in it. 

We concluded the night by gathering back in the youth room and challenging them to follow Jesus and walk in His footsteps.  We had them put a sticker on the bottom of their shoes that said: Come Follow Me.  

It was a great night!  We are very excited about our new format which we hope really draws these students closer to Christ in a way that they will enjoy.  May the Holy Spirit continue to lead and guide us. 

What are you doing in your ministry to engage students?

 

New Salvation History Curriculum

 

 

 

 

 

 

A New Curriculum

Last night we had our 7th grade catechists gather for our In-Service.  We rolled out a new vision and curriculum.  There was great excitement about it all. 

Toward the end of last year’s religious education program we decided we needed our middle school program to look different from what religious education students were use to going to from K-6 grade.  By middle school we want to avoid a mentality of “this is the same old thing every year”.  Yes, we want them to continue to grow in their knowledge of faith, but more importantly we want them to be formed in their faith and able to witness to it in their everyday lives.  Not to mention the need to do it in a way that engages them and keeps them guessing what is going to happen next.  While, we are not professional entertainers nor experts in engaging middle schoolers, we wanted to create a curriculum that draws them into the Scriptures as well as how it relates to their current lives.

Nuts and Bolts

Our curriculum aims to cover the key aspects of Salvation History through the 6 major covenants (5 in the Old Testament and 1 in the New).  We will be covering the key aspects through the following method:

1) We will spend between 30 to 45 minutes each week cover the topic of the day.

2) Students then will switch classes (each class has what we call a “team class”) and cover either “practical application” or “spotlight”.  After 25 to 30 minutes of that they switch again and cover whatever they did not cover in the previous 25-30 minutes.  Practical Application seeks to make application of the topic and help them respond to it.  Spotlight aims to highlight something via a video, a testimony or activity that assists students in further applying and understanding how the topic affects and relates to them.

3) At times we will not have them switch but we will gather all the students together (e.g. gather in the church for a prayer/blessing or watch a video as a whole group.  

Engaging Middle Schoolers 

We are very excited about this new program and last night our catechists and aides responded very positively and with enthusiasm about this new curriculum.  We currently have 4 lessons created and are working on developing the other lessons.  It’s a time-consuming process since there does not really exist a program out their that covers salvation history for middle schoolers and engages them.  There are textbooks that cover the Bible but not in a way that is less classroom presentation style.  We are looking to be less textbook driven and more engaging as our students gather.  There will be a component of presenting material while not relying on a textbook.

Please say a pray for our endeavor and let me know if you’d like me to share more.   

 

Biblical Catechists

Do you ever have the tendency to say more than less?  I know I do.  I admire those who can speak to the heart of the matter and no more.  Here are a few biblical catechists who did just that.  I have much to learn from them.  The following 3 saints give us a glimpse of catechizing so profoundly in just a few words.

Mary – The first catechist gives a great job description of a disciple of Jesus: “Do whatever He tells you” (John 2:5)

John the Baptist – “Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29) and “He must increase and I must decrease” (John 3:30)

 

Elizabeth -  “Hail Mary, full of grace” (Luke 1:28) and “Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, ‘Most blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb.  And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me’?” (Luke 1: 41-43)

 

May these saints help us this coming year to aspire to share the Good News with the humility, patients and charity they exemplified.  May we heed their words and come back to them regularly.

 

The 15 Marks of the Catholic Church

St. Robert Bellarmine developed 15 marks of the Catholic Church.  He was not only a great catechist and one of the patron saints of catechists but he is also a Doctor of the Church.  He lived from 1542 to 1621.  His Feast Day is September 17th.  These 15 marks are worth considering for all catechists who pass on the treasures of our Catholic Faith.  Maybe for older grades they could be taught as the 15 Marks but I was thinking that if catechists just keeping these concepts in mind it would help students see the wonder and depth of our Catholic Faith.

1. The Church’s Name, Catholic, universal, and world wide, and not confined to any particular nation or people.

2. Antiquity, in tracing her ancestry directly to Jesus Christ.

3. Constant Duration, in lasting substantially unchanged for so many centuries.

4. Extensiveness, in the number of her loyal members.

5. Episcopla Succession, of her Bishops from the first Apostles at the Last Supper to the present hierarchy.

6. Doctrinal Agreement, of her doctrine with the teaching of the ancient Church.

7. Union, of her members among themselves, and with their visible head, the Roman Pontiff.

8. Holiness, of doctrine in reflecting the sanctity of GOD.

9. Efficacy, of doctrine in its power to sanctify believers, and inspire them to great moral achievement.

10. Holiness of Life, of the Church’s representative writers and defenders.

11. The glory of Miracles, worked in the Church and under the Church’s auspices.

12. The gift of Prophesy found among the Church’s saints and spokesmen.

13. The Opposition that the Church arouses among those who attack her on the very grounds that Christ was opposed by His enemies.

14. The Unhappy End, of those who fight against her.

15. The Temporal Peace and Earthly Happiness of those who live by the Church’s teaching and defend her interests.

 

Alternative Religious Education Program – Part 2

Summer Program Underway

So far our first week of Summer School of Religion (Religious Education) is going very well.  Along with covering about 8-9 chapters so far this week (after 3 days of classes) students have had the opportunity to go to a music session on Monday and Tuesday, visit with one of our priests for a Q & A session, and attend a church tour.  Other exciting things coming up this week are a field trip for 6th graders on Thursday and 4th graders on Friday and one for 5th graders next Wednesday.  They will also attend Stations of the Cross on Friday and more times for music on Friday and a couple of times next week.  Students will also have an opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation next week as well as a living saints museum.

Challenges of a Two Week Program

First, it is important to note that no program is perfect.  Parents are the primary educators and what we do in our religious education program is in conjunction and in partnership with what should be done within the family.  Families should be living the Faith, talking about the Faith and sharing the Faith on a daily basis.

Our intensive two week program is the only one of its kind in our metro area.  Many parishes practically loathe the fact that we offer such a program and others love the idea but do not have the support they need from their pastor.  Many at our own parish believe it is merely a way to “get it out of the way”.   Yes, there is the potential for parents to sign up their busy child(ren) for two weeks in the summer so they don’t have to make the time for religious formation classes during the year.  However, that does not mean they are not learning and growing during the year.  We hope and pray at a minimum they are attending Mass weekly (but this is also a problem with some parents who have their children attending during the year).  Another challenge is that the great things children learn during the two weeks are not spoken or thought of 3 months later.  For example, the lesson on the Works of Mercy is forgotten about and kids forget to apply the collection they are participating in their schools or the things they are doing during the year with the Works of Mercy that they learned about in July.  Another challenge I find is that the liturgical year is not able to be celebrated in the same way in a two week period as it is from September to May.  Catechists are able to focus on so many aspects of the faith within the context of the liturgical seasons during the year, but not as much in the summer – it’s a little more abstract.  It’s challenge to talk about Advent in July when they won’t celebrate it for another 5 months.

Advantages

I believe I shared in Part I is that our program is 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM.  Most if not all of these students are not in any other educational program during these two weeks and are only focusing on their religious education.  It is very challenging during the year when kids have been at school all day and they are tired and worn out when they come to religious education in the evenings once a week.  Also, students seem to process and retain what they are learning about because they have it day after day for these two weeks instead of only once a week.  Many parents share how they believe their child gets more out of the summer because they are finding it easier for their child to connect the dots about their faith.  I think another advantage is the ability to schedule unique activities throughout the program. Although I’ve been able to do some great things during the year it is easier to schedule music for a half an hour for each grade in a 3.5 hour day verses trying to do the same thing during the year when all we have is an hour and 15 minutes.  I try to schedule at least one thing out of class each day as well as allowing the catechists to decide when they want to take their class to a short “snack break”.  In addition, I really like that during these two weeks the classrooms can be set up in anyway the catechists want them to be set up verses during the year when it would take more time to move desks around before class begins and then move them back at the end of class.  Catechists do not tend to do that as much during the year so as not to “mess up” the Catholic School students desks or put them back in the wrong order.  Neither are they able to decorate and personalize very much during the year but in the summer they are able to do that to a greater degree.

Enrichment Sessions

Since I’ve become the Director I’ve required students and parents to commit to 4 times a year for enrichment sessions (twice in the Fall and twice in the Spring).  These session are designed to build community and continue to help kids and their parents grow in their faith throughout the year.

Although I was unsure when I first began working at the parish about a summer program, I now am an advocate of the Summer Program.  I am always aware of the challenges we face at helping live the faith throughout the year.  There are many great things about this program and I am blessed to be able to be at a parish that offers alternatives and various options for parishioners.  One size (i.e., program) does not fit all.   Feel free to contact me about this program and I’d be happy to share more.

 

Alternative Religious Education Program – Part I

This Monday begins our Summer School of Religion Program.  About 10 years ago my parish began an alternative religious education program.  It offers an intensive two week session that is 3 and a half hours a day for two weeks.  Last year 258 students participated.  Many parents love it and other parents would not even consider having their child only go to class for only two weeks in the summer (some think that would be merely getting it out of the way).   There are some real positives to a program of this sort as well as challenges (more in my next post about this).

Over the last three years I’ve worked hard to make sure the classes are covering the same amount of material as classes during the school year.  I’ve outlined the chapters for each grade (1st, 3rd – 6th) in order to help the catechists be prepared and ready to cover their lessons well.  Our program also has music, a church tour, time for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, field trips for some grades, Stations of the Cross, Mass, and a food drive.  It aims to not merely get through so many chapters but to help the students encounter a Catholic culture and a program that forms the whole person.

In my next post I’ll share some of the pro’s and con’s of a alternative program like this one.

Does your parish do anything like this?

 

A Method of Passing on the Faith

Recently I had a great conversation with Fr. Erbin Fernandez, a priest in the Diocese of Singapore who has had a great impact on the catechetical renewal going on in his diocese.  It sounds very exciting!  I really like the way Fr. Erbin has outlined a method of passing on the faith.  I had the opportunity to share it at my catechist in-service last night.  It goes like so (also see chart below):

We want to approach passing on the faith with a lens that goes deeper than what we find in a typical school classroom environment.   Our goal is initiating others into Christ.  We have to make our meeting spaces more than a “classroom” and draw those we catechize into prayer.  Having a prayer space is very important.  It helps cultivate a distinct environment in a classroom or meeting room.  The prayer space or sacred space should not merely be off to the side but should be more central and at the center of where you as a catechist are presenting and gathering your students.  Next we see in a typical classroom teaching situation students have a “teacher”.  When initiating into Christ, the catechist is more than a teacher but a “steward” of the mysteries of faith.  In addition, in a typical school setting you have “students”.  In Catechesis we want to initiate “seekers”.  Cultivating an environment where those you are passing the faith onto are seeking more and wanting to grow in faith is essential to truly drawing them into a relationship with Christ and His Church.  Next, we see that imparting “knowledge” to others is important but not sufficient in a faith environment – “faith” must be fostered and renewed.  The books that are used in classes to help students in a regular school know that subject are a good tool but the most important of books is the Bible.  The Bible is God’s living Word which speaks of his loving plan which He has revealed to us.  It also goes without saying that we are also passing on the Apostolic Tradition that was not written down but handed on through the preaching of the apostles and their successors.  Next, the “instruction” given in a typical school is necessary, but we as catechists are doing more than instructing, we are initiating seekers into Christ.  What is vital for initiating others into Christ is an initiation into the mystery of Christ and all that that entails.  We desire nothing greater than to initiate and draw others into a way of life and a way of being.  Finally, in a school setting the way students learn is through various “subjects”.  In a catechetical setting we cover different topics from week to week which should be in the context of the “liturgical year”.  The story of our salvation and how God has love, moved, worked and acted is remembered and celebrated though the liturgical year.   Here is what Fr. Erbin from the Diocese of Singapore sent me regarding how we should approach our catechesis.

The more we “initiate” those we catechize the more they are not only drawn into a greater love of their faith but also able to encounter faith, encounter joy, encounter friendship, grace, love and mercy from the one who is our all in all: Jesus Christ.  What a gift we have to share and what a joy it is to witness and celebrate it!

What do you think?  I would love to hear your thoughts!

 

A Couple Father’s Day Videos

Being that it’s Father’s Day weekend I wanted to post this great video called The Dad Life.  I think it is a great video put out by a church to show that to be a Dad has responsibilities…it is a vocation with important implications on society.  Most parents will get a great laugh out of watching this but also it is a great teaching tool.  If you have a few minutes check it out. I couldn’t figure out how to embed it into my post this time so I’ve given the link above.

I also found this great video:

In Familiaris Consortio, the Apostolic Exhortation of Pope John Paul II, the Holy Father spoke about “Men as husbands and fathers”: 

“Within the conjugal and family communion-community, the man is called upon to live his gift and role as husband and father…In his wife, he sees the fulfillment of God’s intention: ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him,’ and he makes his own the cry of Adam, the first husband: ‘This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh!’ ”  ”Authentic conjugal love presupposes and requires that a man have a profound respect for the equal dignity of his wife: ‘You are not her master,’ writes St. Ambrose, ‘but her husband; she was not given to you to be your slave, but your wife….Reciprocate her attentiveness to you and be grateful to her for her love.’ With his wife, a man should live a ‘very special form of personal friendship.’ As for the Christian, he is called upon to develop a new attitude of love, manifesting towards his wife a charity that is both gentle and strong like that which Christ has for the Church.”

Pius XII addressed a pilgrimage of fathers, entitled Un pelerinage de peres (September 18, 1951), in which he says that

“if the mother is the heart, the father is the head of the family, and consequently its health and efficiency depend on the vigor, the virtues and the activity of the father…It is clear that your first duty in the sanctuary of the family home is to provide–with due respect and the perfection, humanly possible, of its integrity, of its unity, of the natural hierarchy which unites the members among themselves–for the preservation of the physical, intellectual, moral and religious sanctity of the family. Evidently, this obligation includes that of defending and promoting its sacred duties; in the first place that of fulfilling the obligations due to God, to constitute a Christian society in the full sense of the word; secondly to defend the rights of the family against all attacks or external influences which could attack its purity, faith, and holy stability.”

That last sentence is so important for me as a father to remember that it is my responsibility to defend against external influences which could attack the purity, faith and holy stability of my family.  Fathers need to reflect on this more.  I know I will.

Happy Father’s Day!

 

Importance of Content and Discipline in the Classroom

The Need for Sufficient Content

Monsignor Charles Pope of the Archdiocese of Washington wrote a great article about the importance of content and discipline in catechesis today.  He began the article by saying:

“Almost no one in the Church would claim today that we have done a good job of handing on the faith to our children. Depending on how we reckon it we have lost two or three generations to an ignorance and inability to articulate the  faith. Even the most basic teachings are unknown to the young.”    You can find the complete article/blog entry by clicking here: http://blog.adw.org/2010/03/critical-keys-for-catholic-catechesis-discipline-and-content/

He makes many great points about the importance of repetition, memorization, time, accountability and resourcefulness to not only convey content well but to make sure discipline is also a part of learning.

3 Important Points by Blessed John Paul II

This also makes me think of Pope John Paul II who speaks of the importance of content in ” On Catechesis in Our Time” paragraph 30:

“With regard to the content of catechesis, three important points deserve special attention today.

The first point concerns the integrity of the content. In order that the sacrificial offering of his or her faith(75) should be perfect, the person who becomes a disciple of Christ has the right to receive “the word of faith”(76) not in mutilated, falsified or diminished form but whole and entire, in all its rigor and vigor. Unfaithfulness on some point to the integrity of the message means a dangerous weakening of catechesis and putting at risk the results that Christ and the ecclesial community have a right to expect from it. It is certainly not by chance that the final command of Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel bears the mark of a certain entireness: “All authority…has been given to me…make disciples of all nations…teaching them to observe all…I am with you always.” This is why, when a person first becomes aware of “the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus,”(77) whom he has encountered by faith, and has the perhaps unconscious desire to know Him more extensively and better,” hearing about Him and being taught in Him, as the truth is in Jesus,(78) there is no valid pretext for refusing Him any part whatever of that knowledge. What kind of catechesis would it be that failed to give their full place to man’s creation and sin; to God’s plan of redemption and its long, loving preparation and realization; to the incarnation of the Son of God; to Mary, the Immaculate One, the Mother of God, ever Virgin, raised body and soul to the glory of heaven, and to her role in the mystery of salvation; to the mystery of lawlessness at work in our lives(79) and the power of God freeing us from it; to the need for penance and asceticism; to the sacramental and liturgical actions; to the reality of the Eucharistic Presence; to participation in divine life here and hereafter, and so on? Thus, no true catechist can lawfully, on his own initiative, make a selection of what he considers important in the deposit of faith as opposed to what he considers unimportant, so as to teach the one and reject the other.”

In a day and age that is preoccupied with making the faith attractive to students (which is important), content can get lost along the way or at least be diminished.  It is vital that we do both.  Therein lies the challenge.

How do you make your classes engaging and convey sound content?

 

Does God Exist?

So many want to either leave God out of everyday life or put him in a box and take him out only when it is appropriate.  Check out this video.

 

The Marks of a Catholic School

The Institute for Catholic Education for Liberal Education posted the following from the Headmaster’s Office.  Even though I work primarily in a religious education program there are some good talking points.

The Marks of a Catholic School

Archbishop Michael Miller, former Secretary of the Sacred Congregation for Catholic Schools, has recently penned a “must-read” and easily readable book for all Catholic educators.  The Holy See’s Teaching on Catholic Schools faithfully summarizes the last fifty years of Magisterial documents on the Catholic school [Link to Magisterial Documents].  We strongly recommend that the entire faculty read and discuss this book together.  Board members should also be familiar with its contents.

Archbishop Miller teaches that Catholic schools should be:

1. Inspired by a Supernatural Vision

2. Founded on a Christian Anthropology

3. Animated by Communion and Community

4. Imbued with a Catholic Worldview

5. Sustained by the Witness of Teaching

The following excerpts from his work illustrate these five marks.

1. Inspired by a Supernatural Vision
The enduring foundation on which the Church builds her educational philosophy is the conviction that it is a process which forms the whole child, especially with his or her eyes fixed on the vision of God. The specific purpose of a Catholic education is the formation of boys and girls who will be good citizens of this world, enriching society with the leaven of the Gospel, but who will also be citizens of the world to come. Catholic schools have a straightforward goal: to foster the growth of good Catholic human beings who love God and neighbor and thus fulfill their destiny of becoming saints.

2. Founded on a Christian Anthropology
The Holy See’s documents insist that, to be worthy of its name, a Catholic school must be founded on Jesus Christ the Redeemer who, through his Incarnation, is united with each student. Christ is not an after-thought or an add-on to Catholic educational philosophy but the center and fulcrum of the entire enterprise, the light enlightening every pupil who comes into our schools (cf. Jn 1:9).

3. Animated by Communion and Community
A third important teaching on Catholic schools that has emerged in the Holy See’s documents in recent years is its emphasis on the community aspect of the Catholic school, a dimension rooted both in the social nature of the human person and the reality the Church as a “the home and the school of communion.” That the Catholic school is an educational community “is one of the most enriching developments for the contemporary school.

4. Imbued with a Catholic Worldview
A fourth distinctive characteristic of Catholic schools, which always finds a place in the Holy See’s teaching is this. Catholicism should permeate not just the class period of catechism or religious education, or the school’s pastoral activities, but the entire curriculum. The Vatican documents speak of “an integral education, an education which responds to all the needs of the human person.”

4.1 Search for Wisdom and Truth
In an age of information overload, Catholic schools must be especially attentive to the delicate balance between human experience and understanding. In the words of T.S. Eliot, we do not want our students to say: “We had the experience but missed the meaning.”

The greatest challenge to Catholic education in the United States today, and the greatest contribution that authentically Catholic education can make to American culture, is to restore to that culture the conviction that human beings can grasp the truth of things, and in grasping that truth can know their duties to God, to themselves and their neighbors.

4.2 Faith, Culture and Life
From the nature of the Catholic school also stems one of the most significant elements of its educational project: the synthesis of culture and faith. The endeavor to interweave reason and faith, which has become the heart of individual subjects, makes for unity, articulation and coordination, bringing forth within what is learnt in a school a Christian vision of the world, of life, of culture and of history.

5. Sustained by the Witness of Teaching
The careful hiring of men and women who enthusiastically endorse a Catholic ethos is, I would maintain, the primary way to foster a school’s catholicity. The reason for such concern about teachers is straightforward. Catholic education is strengthened by its “martyrs.”

What would you add?

 

Family Life…Busy, Hectic…No Time

Brenda Estill (I think she’s a DRE) had some good insights about parents and faith formation that I’d like to share  (this is from an email group I subscribe to).  She wrote:

“It amazes me everytime I here a parent say that their children won’t be able to attend class or they can’t attend a parent meeting because of another commitment which usually has to do with sports.
Now I love sports and I believe that physical fitness is very important but I also think our culture has taken it a little too far. We now have flag football for 3 year olds, traveling teams for kindergarteners, practices and games on Sundays (even our Catholic Schools are scheduling these) and how many kids not even out of high school have had knee surgeries. I had one mom tell me that her niece who is a junior in HS has already had 3 surgeries on her ACL.And how about the kid that is so stressed out by the abuse he is receiving from his football coach that his parents have spent 100′s of dollars trying to figure out why the lining of his stomach and esophagus are raw.
How much time, energy, resources and mental anguish are we going to continue spending trying to make sure our kids “succeed”.
When will we teach them to be still, quite and to enter into silence so that they may find the true direction for their lives. When will we teach them to follow the path that God has planned for them and not what the culture says is the only way to happiness.
We make so many excuses for why our families are stressed and can’t find time to spend together, maybe none of us want to admit that we to have bought into the lie of our culture– The more busy you are the less time for trouble.
But in the midst of this noise and comotion when do we here the voice of God–not often enough–not when practicing on Sunday leads us to miss mass or when we begin to believe as faith formation leaders that maybe we are pushing too hard–are we really? Our teaching isn’t about making the grade, making money, becoming the star athlete or even Rhoades scholar–it is about our eternal salvation. When we as parents say that our children’s salvation is important to us do we back that up with actions or do we fall into the category of “fitting in” with todays culture.
I will continue to strive for families to come and engage in Christian relationships and dialogue– and I will pray that they will not settle for what the culture has planned for them.”

Amen!  I think we need to continue to be strong in our ministry.  We need to help parents see the overarching value of faith formation as foundational to their children’s lives – more than anything else.  Parish programs have a very important role.  It is important to note that parish religious education programs are collaborating with parents, not taking the place of parents who are primarily called to lay the foundation of faith and morals in the lives of their children.  May the Holy Spirit guide busy families to slow down and grow together and in their relationship with God.