Archive for January, 2007
Be sure to check out a couple of very helpful online resources for catechists:
- Doreen Gerczak is a religion coordinator and instructor for grades 6, 7, and 8 at St. Edward’s Catholic Community in Spring, Texas. She invites catechists to her site “Catholic Catechist” - (www.CatholicCatechist.org) - dedicated to providing Catholic resources, lesson plans and classroom ideas to catechists worldwide. She also has a discussion group.
- Gilles Côté, located in Canada, taught grades 7 through 12 for 23 years in Catholic schools and has been involved in faith education in various ways at the parish level and in the larger community: in confirmation preparation classes, in RCIA as a catechist, in Baptism preparation sessions for parents, as facilitator in a faith sharing group, and as a member of a parish pastoral council. He invites you to his site “Resources for Catholic Educators” - (www.silk.net/RelEd/) - which provides links, lesson plans, clip art, coloring pages, crossword puzzles, and a newsletter for Catholic catechists. He also invites you to his other site “4CatholicEducators.com” (http://4catholiceducators.com/index.htm) - which is a portal to information on the Catholic Faith and to resources for teachers, catechists, directors of religious education, and more.
I appreciate the fact that both of these sites have given a plug to my blog! I am returning the favor!
In her comment on my January 29 post, Ali says:
“Prayers are much more to be memorized, they should also be written on our hearts. It sounds like a wonderful way for you to gauge both. By having an exchange like you described, I can only imagine it will be as rewarding for you as will be helpful for the children.”
You’re right, Ali, it was (is) very rewarding. Yesterday I had the opportunity to conduct 3 of my one-on-one “prayer interviews” and they went very well. The kids know their basic prayers very well (which we prayed together after identifying any intentions they had) and they do fairly well recalling how to say the Rosary. They get fuzzy when it comes to the Apostles’ Creed and surprisingly do not do very well when it comes to the Stations of the Cross. I enjoyed the opportunity to talk about each of these prayers and their significance and give some background on each. It also gave me an opportunity to encourage them to take to heart some of the prayers/devotions that they have not learned well. What I enjoyed most was the chance to just talk with the kids and give them some feedback, affirmation, and direction (if needed). I’m thankful that the program I’m working in allows for this kind of individual attention (while I conducted these interviews, Patti taught the lesson). I pray that it was rewarding for the kids too!
I mentioned a while back that I will be taking the young people aside one at a time to check whether or not they have taken to heart the prayers outlined in the parish curriculum. I begin tonight. (As I do this, Patti will be conducting the lesson).
I’m going to do this in a prayerful manner. Before we begin, I’m going to ask each of them if there is someone or some need they would like us to be praying for. Together, we’ll pray the Sign of the Cross and then we will pray together the Our Father and the Hail, Mary (I will pray the 1st part of each and ask them to pray the 2nd part). Then, we’ll enter into a prayerful discussion about the Mysteries of the Rosary and the Stations of the Cross, giving me the opportunity to see how well they know these. Then, we’ll do the same with the remaining prayers that are outlined. Finally, I’ll offer the opportunity for them to ask any questions they may have and I will offer a little feedback as well. We’ll close by praying together the Glory Be, again with me praying the first part and them praying the second part.
My hope is that they will not feel like they are being tested but rather “coached” (I would use the word “discipled” but I doubt that they would think in those terms.)
I’ll let you know how things are going with this over the next few weeks. If you have any similar experiences, please share them.
This Monday evening, we begin the home stretch to Confirmation…about 6 weeks away. This immediate preparation can be a great opportunity to impress upon the young people an appreciation and awareness of the great grace of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Uppermost in my mind is helping them to see that Confirmation is not the end of their religious formation. Too often, it is seen as “graduation” from the Church. I hope to emphasize that, through the Sacraments of Initiation, we enter into a way of life that brings us into an intimate relationship with Jesus. We don’t graduate from relationships! Please pray for me and for Patti (my co-catechist) and for our young people.
What prayers related to your ministry in the days and weeks ahead do you request from your fellow catechists?
I’m glad to hear that the bishops of the world will gather later this year (October) with Pope Benedict XVI for a Synod on the Bible. This will be a good opportunity for Catholics to reflect on the role of Scripture in our formation. For too many Catholics, the Bible has been kept at arm’s length, causing us to miss out on the power of God’s Word in Scripture. Catechists are at the forefront of integrating Scripture into the lives of young Catholics. We ourselves need to do all we can to learn more about Scripture so that we can help those we teach to gain access to the transforming grace that comes to us from the Living Word.
How’s your relationship with the Bible these days?
Now that I’m getting the hang of how to do this blog, I’ve finally updated my list of books that I’m reading. Take a look at the links in the right column of my home page (scroll down). I especially recommend My Life with the Saints for catechists, especially those teaching the saints in their classes.
What books do you recommend for spiritual growth for catechists?
We live in a new age, don’t we? There is so much available to us on the Internet that we, as catechists, can take advantage of. I’ve provided a list of links to a lot of my favorite Catholic Web sites in the right hand column of my blog’s homepage. I hope you get a chance to peruse some of them to see how they can be of help to you in your catechesis. Of course, most of our textbook publishers provide excellent Web resources as well. I know that for the text book I am using (Finding God for junior high), I go to www.FindingGod.org to find lots of assistance.
What Catholic Web sites do you recommend for catechists to add to their links?
We catechists are blessed in this day and age to have many fine catechetical textbooks from a variety of Catholic publishers. The General Directory for Catechesis reminds us however that there is no substitute for the person of the catechist. I know that when I teach, I think of my text book as a guide and a resource but I also do a lot of “ad lib” and bring in a variety of activities that reinforce the lesson. I’m wary of catechists who ignore their textbook altogether but also cautious about following the textbook too closely. I think flexibility and creativity are crucial…i.e., leaving room for the Holy Spirit!
What about you? What percentage of your lesson is directly connected with your textbook?
A catechist decided to have her young class memorize one of the most quoted passages in the Bible; Psalm 23. She gave the youngsters a month to take the verse to heart. Little Ian was excited about the task, but, he just couldn’t memorize the Psalm. After much practice, he could barely get past the first line. On the day that the kids were scheduled to recite Psalm 23 in front of the class, Ian was so nervous. When it was his turn, he stepped up in front of the class and said proudly, “The Lord is my Shepherd, and that’s all I need to know.”
I mentioned to Kathy (see comments on Catechist’s Role Description) that I didn’t think I could be a good 1st grade catechist and I admire those who are. Very few men are catechists in the first place and when they are, like me, they predominantly serve junior high. I’m often concerned about catechesis being either too feminine or too masculine, depending on the catechist. Perhaps the solution is to have more team-teaching with male/female catechists paired up. Maybe more men would be attracted to serve as catechists in the primary and intermediate grades if they knew they were sharing the duties. Men are attracted to roles where they feel they are “coaching” rather than nurturing and they perceive primary grade catechesis as primarily nurturing. These same men have no problem coaching primary grade soccer and tee-ball however! We need to find ways to invite men to “coach” catechesis for all ages.
