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Downloadable PDFs:
School and Parish: Catechetical Partners
Catechetical Partners: Working with the Parish School
Guidelines for Catechesis
Catechesis in a Multicultural Church
Viewing Curriculum Through the Lens of Faith
Serving Today's Families
Articles:
The National Directory for Catechesis: A Renewed Passion for Catechesis
Including Children and Parents of Other Faiths
Authentically Proclaiming the Teachings of Our Faith
Links:
RCL Web Catechetical Newsletter
The National Directory for Catechesis: A Renewed Passion for Catechesis
A vital aspect of your responsibility as a parish catechetical leader or school religion coordinator is to be knowledgeable about the content of recent Church documents, particularly those that relate directly to religious education. Your awareness of these documents enables you to reflect on the on-going catechetical efforts in your parish or school, consider how they mirror current Church directives, and initiate strategies for implementing new guidelines. Another facet of your role involves introducing the parish or school staff to new documents and helping them to understand the implications for their ministry.
The National Directory for Catechesis (NDC) is an especially important document for everyone involved in the catechetical ministry. Published in May, 2005, the NDC is a resource for catechesis in the United States. Like the General Directory for Catechesis, published in 1997, which states the goals, principles, and guidelines for catechesis in the universal Church, the NDC defines catechesis as “that particular form of the ministry of the word which matures initial conversion to make it into a living, explicit and fruitful confession of faith” (NDC 19 A, page 54). The NDC is a companion document to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), which systematically imparts the content of Catholic doctrine we are called to teach based on the four pillars of faith. These are Creed, Liturgy and Sacraments, Morality, and Prayer. Faith First Legacy Edition uses a similar four-unit structure to teach the four pillars of our faith every year at every grade level. While the Catechism provides the content for catechesis; the NDC provides the context for the renewal of catechesis in the United States through guidelines which define the “nature, purpose, object, tasks, basic content, and various methodologies of catechesis” (NDC 5, page 17).
There are three major themes woven throughout the NDC. The first is the new evangelization, which is the “clear and unequivocal proclamation of the person of Jesus Christ, that is, the preaching of his name, his teaching, his life, his promises and the Kingdom which he has gained for us by his Paschal Mystery” (NDC 17A, page 47). The entire document is Christ-centered and tells us that we evangelize to bring about conversion to Jesus—by “making a genuine commitment to him and a personal decision to follow him as his disciple” (NDC 17B, page 48). The implication for us as religious educators is that our task is to help students move beyond simply knowing about Jesus; we must strive to awaken faith and to help our students meet Christ and invite him into their daily lives.
A second major theme is the RCIA as a paradigm for all catechesis. The Directory states that the “baptismal catechumenate is the source of inspiration for all catechesis. The process of formation includes four stages…These stages, which reflect the wisdom of the great catechumenal tradition, also inspire the gradual nature of catechesis” (NDC 35D, page 115). Approaching catechesis through the lens of the catechumenal model promotes life-long formation and helps us to recognize that both evangelization and catechesis have no ending point.
The third important theme found in the Directory is culture, diversity and inculturation. We live in a secular world, and both the entertainment industry and the media often powerfully influence the people we minister to. The information and values promoted by these influences are often completely contradictory to the teachings of Jesus. The NDC calls us to “present the Christian life as a response to Christ’s invitation to follow him—in one’s personal life and family, the parish, and the wider human community” (NDC 4C, page 15). The NDC calls for a recognition that “just as all races, ethnicities, and cultures in the world are represented in the United Sates, so too do they find a home within the Catholic Church. Each group brings its own language, history, customs, rituals, and traditions for ‘building up the body of Christ’” (NDC 11C, page 29). The Directory calls us to welcome and respect the rich diversity of our Church family and to recognize how different cultures enrich the Church, while at the same time, do all we can to promote unity within the Church.
The content of the Christian message—the truths of our faith as presented in the CCC and specific elements for teaching the sacraments and Christian morality—are outlined in Chapters 3, 5, and 6 of the Directory. You will find that the Faith First Legacy Edition addresses these standards fully with age-appropriate catechesis.
Methodology is addressed in Chapter 4 of the NDC. First it focuses on divine methodology—God’s self-revelation to us in Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. This section emphasizes God as the revealer of everything we know and believe about our faith. Second, the chapter identifies eight elements of human methodology—the ways in which all people come to faith (see NDC 29A-H, pages 95-105). Reflect on these methodologies with your catechists/religion teachers to help them understand more clearly their own role in the total faith formation process of their learners. Faith First incorporates all of these eight methodologies in its learning design.
The remainder of the Directory—Chapters 7 through 10—have clear implications for you and your staff. These chapters discuss catechizing according to a person’s readiness and age level (Chapter 7), specific roles and responsibilities of those who catechize (Chapter 8); the importance of parish, diocesan, and national organizational structures, policies, and procedures to carry out the catechetical mission of the Church (Chapter 9); and resources for catechesis (Chapter 10). As you study these chapters with the parish or school staff, you will find detailed sections that apply directly to the ministry you share. In Chapter 8, for example, you will find a list that delineates the characteristics of the spiritual life of a catechist or school religion teacher (NDC 54B8, page 229). Chapter 10 reminds us of the primary role Sacred Scripture and the Catechism hold as both the norm and the inspiration for all catechesis. This chapter also discusses the criteria that should be found in our textbooks and how to evaluate the resources we use in religious education. Finally, Chapter 10 addresses the impact of media and the role of technology in providing “many promising opportunities to proclaim the message of Jesus Christ in new ways” (NDC 69A, page 286).
Take time to read and study the National Directory for Catechesis and make it a priority to acquaint your staff with it. In order to implement the guidelines found in the NDC, we must first know and understand what it asks of us. Look at the Directory as an opportunity to rededicate yourself and the catechists/religion teachers you work with to our ministry and to create in all of us “a renewed passion for catechesis” (NDC 72, page 297).
For Reflection
• What efforts do you and your staff make to evangelize students—to help them encounter Christ in their daily lives? What can you do to put renewed emphasis on evangelization in your parish or school program?
• What can you do, as a catechetical leader or school religion coordinator, to help to deepen the spiritual lives of your staff? How will you focus on this goal during the coming year?
Including Children and Parents of Other Faiths
Catholic schools in most places increasingly serve children from various faith traditions. This creates challenges in the religion curriculum—challenges that can be addressed either as problems or as enriching opportunities. Discussing your local situation at the outset of each school year can help your school to establish an approach that respects all students while still upholding your primary mission of faith formation for the Catholic students in your school.
Years ago the religious educator Thomas Groome spoke to the faculty of a large Catholic school in Karachi, Pakistan. He described his experience in his book Educating for Life (1998). The situation he encountered there was far different from what you experience. In this school of three thousand students, 95% of the student body was Muslim. Christian symbols could not be in evidence, a Catholic religion class could not be taught, yet one on Islam was required! What then, wondered Dr. Groome, made this school Catholic? The answer, he discovered, was a rich one, and it led him to write a book as a response. While the situation he encountered is different, his reflection reminds us of many necessary aspects of your own mission. He spoke of a basic respect for human life and dignity that he found in the Pakistani school, of a hopeful approach toward life, a commitment to peace and justice, respect for diversity, and the development of a personal spirituality. Surely all these values are at the core of every Catholic school.
Yet the situation and policies of American Catholic schools are quite different. While certain inner-city Catholic schools may have a high percentage of non-Catholic students, in most schools the Catholic student population is the majority. Non-Catholic parents may be attracted to the Catholic school for its high academic standards, as well as for all the humanizing features cited by Dr. Groome. But they still understand that their children will participate in the religion curriculum and other activities related to the faith-based character formation of all the students. Your challenge is to offer this curriculum while remaining sensitive to the presence of other faith traditions in your midst. Here are some tips that may assist you.
• Start with the parents. Your principal will have made your school policies clear to parents from other traditions, but establish your own line of communication as well.
• Teach the curriculum. Make sure that you teach the curriculum content in its entirety. This is your first obligation to your Catholic students. Share your own faith experience where appropriate just as you would if the entire class were Catholic. Use the same teaching process with all. Its goal is to help students build meaning and to make connections between the content and life. This process can be interesting and helpful for the non-Catholic student as well, for many of our Catholic values cross religious boundaries. In teaching the curriculum, it is only the outcomes that will be different between your two groups of students. Your goal with the non-Catholic students is never to proselytize, but to inform and give them an exposure to Catholic teaching and practice.
• Encourage respect for diversity. You will want to make the Catholic students aware of the diversity that is present in the classroom. Do this on the very first day of school. Early in the year, you may wish to offer all children who are willing to do so (including those who are Catholic) the chance to share a bit about their family’s religious background and traditions. The respect with which you greet each child’s contribution will be a valuable lesson for all.
• Avoid relativism. There is one caution when presenting the Catholic faith in the presence of children from other traditions. While respect for the diversity in our classrooms is important, be careful not to communicate to Catholic children that all traditions are of equal value and that religious truth is somehow relative. You are serving as a Catholic catechist, and it is important to convey clearly that Catholics believe firmly that their tradition is the one true faith revealed through Jesus Christ. We can know this to be true, and still be respectful of others who have come to a different conclusion from within their own traditions. The Church clearly teaches that all are obligated to follow the dictates of their individual consciences and that those who do God’s will as they know it may obtain eternal salvation (CCC 847).
• Be flexible with worship experiences. One place where you may need to make adjustments will be in the areas of prayer and worship. This is where good dialogue with parents will assist you. Non-Catholic children who do not wish to participate in Catholic prayer experiences should not be required to do so, and naturally they would not participate actively in sacramental celebrations. They may attend if they wish, or you may need to provide for alternative activities or reflection time for them. Be careful, however, not to use this as a reason to neglect the prayer experiences that are so important for the faith formation of the Catholic students.
• Invite dialogue where advisable. Primary grade children are concrete thinkers and may be having their first exposure to the teachings of the Catholic tradition, so too much dialogue with or information about other traditions may be confusing. Since they will be aware that children from other religions are present, they will have questions from time to time. Answer them simply, and make it clear by your manner that you are comfortable and welcoming of this diversity in your classroom. Older students who have more of a grasp of their own tradition and are more literate in it will be able to engage in classroom dialogue about differing religious attitudes. You will simply want to monitor these conversations and make sure that at the end of the conversation the Catholic students still clearly understand the parameters of Catholic belief. You do not need to fear this dialogue or questions that may result from it. The Catholic faith has a strong foundation and it will stand up to scrutiny.
Children today live in an increasingly diverse world in their schools and communities. An increasing number of them come to you from interfaith families. Your attitude toward this reality holds the key to your success in dealing with it. If you look at religious diversity in your classroom as a gift and an opportunity that is allowing you to prepare children more completely for life in today’s world, you will find that your own creativity in dealing with diversity will be unleashed and both your faith and that of all your students will be enriched.
For Reflection
• What is your own experience of religious diversity in your own family and community?
• How has your own life been enriched through your exposure to other religions and cultures?
Authentically Proclaiming the Teachings of Our Faith
By Kate Ristow, MA, National Catechetical Consultant for RCL Benziger
Every veteran catechetical leader has had the experience of catechists expressing concern about teaching or responding to students’ questions about topics like divorce and remarriage, capital punishment, artificial birth control, premarital sex, abortion, in vitro fertilization, the ordination of women, or why priests are not permitted to marry. In some cases catechists worry that, in the case of marriage, presenting the Church’s teachings fully will upset the students. Catechists might ask, “How can I teach that matrimony is a life-long commitment when I know that half the students in my class come from families that have experienced divorce? Won’t this make the kids feel badly or worried about their parents’ situation?”
In other situations, catechists are concerned that the teachings of the Church will sound outdated to the students: “Ministers and rabbi’s get married; why can’t our priests?” or “My aunt and uncle have been trying to have a baby for a long time, but a priest told them that it would be wrong for them to use any of the new medical techniques to have a baby. Why is the Church against these new discoveries?” Ordinarily, the students who ask these questions are not trying to be controversial; they are honestly trying to make sense of what Catholics believe and why.
It is vital that catechetical leaders help catechists understand that the Church’s teachings are not arbitrary; their source is word of God revealed by Jesus and entrusted to the Apostles. The truths of our faith, drawn from sacred Tradition and sacred Scripture, are called the deposit of faith. These truths have been passed down from age to age through the Apostles’ successors, the bishops. The Holy Spirit guides the Church in interpreting the word of God through the Magisterium, the living, teaching office of the Church.
It is equally important that catechists accept that the Church is not a cafeteria; we can’t pick and choose what we teach. Catechists need to understand that it is their responsibility to teach the authentic truths of the Church fully to their students. The Catechism of the Catholic Church and today’s textbooks, especially those with a genuine spiral approach, greatly assist catechists in this task. The Catechism provides a comprehensive presentation on the faith; textbooks offer incremental, age-appropriate language and techniques for presenting the truths from the Catechism to students.
There are three positive actions catechetical leaders can implement to ensure that catechists understand their responsibility to teach the authentic truths of our faith. First, put the “cafeteria Catholic” issue on the agenda of one of your catechist meetings early in the year and discuss it thoroughly with the staff. You may want to share two quotations from the National Directory for Catechists with the staff:
“Parishes should…help all who catechize to understand that, like Jesus, their teaching is not their own but, rather, comes from God” (NDC 25 A, page 77).
“The spiritual life of a catechist should be characterized by…a missionary zeal by which they are fully convinced of the truth of the Catholic faith and enthusiastically proclaim it” (NDC 54 B 8, page 228).
Encourage catechists to teach from their Catechist Guides, which have been carefully reviewed by the bishops for accuracy and fidelity to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. This will help them stay on track and ensure that children are learning the truths of our faith systematically and completely. Emphasize that straying from the content of their lessons to promote a specific agenda or call into question Church doctrine is unfair to the students’ developing faith and creates confusion.
Secondly, urge catechists to surface issues they face with their students and areas where they, too, are confused or unsure about Church teachings. If at all possible, give each catechist their own copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church or the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults. Having these excellent reference tools at hand will not only assist catechists in their ministry; it will also help them in their ongoing personal faith development.
Finally, work with the staff to brainstorm appropriate responses to questions the students may pose regarding issues that they are concerned about addressing in class. Catechists are savvy enough to know that responding, “Because the Church says so” isn’t going to satisfy a curious or confused middle-schooler. Working with catechists to frame suitable replies will help them feel more confident about faithfully teaching the totality of the Church’s truths to their students.
