Alternative Religious Education Program – Part 2

Before summer gets away I wanted to follow up upon my first entry with the same title.  Our 2 week intensive Religious Education or as we call it “School of Religion” Program is the only one of its kind in our metro area.  Many parishes loathe the fact that we offer such a program.  Many even at our own parish believe it is merely a way to “get a year done” quickly.  But there are a few things that need to be pointed out about this kind of program.  First, no program is perfect.  Yes, there is the potential for parents to sign their busy child up for two weeks in the summer so they don’t have to take religious formation classes during the year, but that does not mean they are not learning during the year.  Granted, it is possible that they are not doing anything during the year (other than hopefully going to Mass every Sunday).   Our program now requires students and parents to come twice in the Fall and twice in the Spring for “Enrichment Sessions” where they build community and continue to grow in faith.  Another key advantage of this program (which is from 9:00am to 12:30pm) is that for most of the students this is the only form of “education” they are getting during those two weeks.  During the year students who go to religious formation during the year have been in school all day and then have to come to our parish for another hour and 15 minutes.  This presents challenges of its own that are not a factor in our summer program.  Also, students seem to process and retain the information and formation they are receiving  because they have it day after day 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. 

Although I was unsure when I first began working at the parish, I now am an advocate of the summer program.  Feel free to contact me about it and I’d be happy to share more.

 

Alternative Religious Education Program

About 5 years ago my parish began an alternative Religious Ed. Program.  It offers an intensive two week session that is 3 and a half hours a day for two weeks.  This year we have 27o registered.  Granted there are pro’s and con’s to having an intensive summer program, but there are also many advantages.

This year I’ve worked hard to make sure the classes are covering the same amount of material as 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 execute in such an intense time frame.  Our program also has crafts, music, a church tour, time for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Stations of the Cross, Mass, a service project and a food drive.  It’s an exciting program!  I’ll share more soon on the pro’s and con’s of this type of program.  I will leave you with one thought…it is a program that meets a rising need of parents: to make sure their children receive good religious formation in an environment that puts so many demands on parents and kids.

 

For God so loved the world…He gave

The Heart of the Gospel Message – love and heroic sacrifice go together.  This past Sunday’s Gospel from John Chapter 3 reminds me of a truth that is sometimes forgotten in Religious Education Circles.  Love is the obvious foundation to the Gospel message, but love it not isolated from suffering, sacrifice and demands.  God the Father not only sent His Son, who is also God, to take on human flesh so He could raise us up to new life, but he also planned in the fullness of time to redeem the world, more specifically you and I so that we could have life and not die but have eternal life.  Without this love, love incarnate dying and suffering we could not have life with God.  Wow.  Now that’s Amazing Love!

Sometimes in our Religious Education Programs we hear parents and catechists talk about how we should show our students only love and reveal to them the depths of God’s love.  When we are labeled as requiring too much when we expect more than the minimum.  When we seek to discuss why a child is not doing any of the necessary activities/homework the Religious Education program is labeled as demanding.  Even catechists share that they focus more on the kindness, joy and love of Jesus but don’t really like to discuss the strong teachings of Jesus like taking up your cross to follow Jesus. 

The greatest, St. Paul says, “is love”.  However, love this deep requires something; it demands a response that is not lukewarm or divided – it requires sacrifice and a committed response.  Without that Jesus would have not been able to make it to the end – to Calvary and be sacrificed, disgraced, beaten, naked and nailed on the cross.  

Our Religious Education efforts have requirements and our message in the classroom should as well so that the Gospel may not only be conveyed as a nice, pleasant and comforting story.  It must also help us be liberated from mediocrity, from expecting only a teddy bear Jesus to be encountered.  

May the heroic love and sacrifice of Christ compel us to respond to God’s invitation to commit our whole lives to Christ and His will for the students we teach and all those handing on the deposit of faith.

 

The Essential Role of Parents in Passing on the Faith

The other day I was talking with a fellow DRE and we were discussing an interesting and very sad mindset of some parents today. We’ve both had parents tell us “why do I have to do this activity at home regarding religion with my child?” that it why I send him/her to your program.”

It cannot be understated that parents are the most important formers/ educators of their children.  They know their child best emotionally, physically and spiritually more than any other person.  Weather a child attends Catholic School or not, parents have the primary responsibility of helping their children grow in faith.

Check out what the Church Documents say: the-churchs-teaching-on-the-role-of-parents-in-the-education-of-the-faith

It is clear that Religious Education Programs and Catholic Schools must reengage parents in their primary role as educators of the Christian life. Parishes and schools are partnering/collaborating with parents. It is true that parents are very busy and their time and energy is admirable to send their child to grow and learn about the Faith in the many programs provided by parishes and schools, but they are secondary to what parents should be fostering and doing in the home. May the Holy Spirit lead and guide parents to be authentic and equipped witnesses of the Faith.

3 Ways to Equip Parents

1. Always communicate with parents how important their role in passing on the faith is.

2. Continually provide ideas on how families can live the Faith at home.

3. Require parent involvement in sacramental preparation and faith assignments and activities.

 

What I’m Learning

The ministry of catechesis has many challenges in the Third Millennium. Some of the challenges going on in my ministry of Directing a School of Religion (Religious Ed.) Program is the fact that we only have the students once a week for an hour and 15 minutes (grades 1-6) to pass on the faith. The middle schoolers meet for an hour an a half. Most of the time students struggle to remember what they learned the week before due to the length of time between lessons (sometimes it is longer than a week). Most parents are so busy and over committed that they do not have the time to follow up and discuss with their child what they are learning. I’m not speaking about all parents but most of of the parents I’ve ever worked with this is the case. This poses a huge challenge to passing on the faith. One thing I’m doing is improving the lessons and equipping the catechists at our parish. Also, I’m trying to find ways to communicate with parents and encourage parents to grow in their faith and share it with their children.

There is a lot of work to be done and progress to be made but I’m continuing to learn the need to engage parents in their primary role of educating their children in the faith. Our program has a collaborative role, we are not the primary educators. Yes, we probably have more resources at our disposal and have catechists who maybe know the faith to a greater degree than parents who have not taken the time that an average catechist does to grow in the faith,but that does not change our role.

It would be great to hear from anyone who has insights regarding these challenges. Come Holy Spirit!

 

Take The Quiz

Here is a great quiz put out by Catholic Answers about some key aspects of the Catholic Faith. Test your knowledge and see how you do.

www.catholic.com/thisrock/1993/9302fea1.asp

 

Assessments

This year we are giving our students from 1st grade – 8th grade an end of the year assessment. Yes, I said assessment (a test). I’ve just finished creating the assessments based on the textbooks our students are using. The purpose of this is to see how they are understanding the faith as it is being passed onto them in the classroom and through home study.

Some are not keen on the idea of giving a sort of test in a religious education program, becuase it may turn kids off to the faith or because it is a way of assessing knowledge through a written test and not all students are good at test taking. Finally, some think that it should not come down to an assessment at the end of the year.

On the positive side, it is a solid meas of helping a religious education or school of religion program know how well or poorly they are passing on the faith. In addition, it helps inform parents what their children know or do not know. Another positive for giving an assessment is that it will not prevent a student from moving forward to the next grade or prevent the reception of a sacrament. Our Religious Education programs, however, needs to strive to pass on the faith whole and entire. How are we to know how well we are doing if we have no instrument to help measure (as imperfect as it is) our progress or lack of it? It is very difficult to judge the success of a program merely on how many students like coming to class verses how many do not. Finally, an assessment in each grade helps attain goals. A program that does not have goals and seek to fulfill them lacks the focus it needs to move forward toward growth.

May Christ, the divine teacher, lead and guide us always to transmit the Gospel to the students in our Religious Education Programs.