Archive for July, 2007
Today is the feast day of St. Ignatius of Loyola. When we talk about Ignatius, we tend to focus on either spirituality, missionary work, or higher education. What is often lost in all of this is the fact that Ignatius was a catechist! He and his followers regularly gathered children in the churches and squares of Rome to offer instruction on the basics of Christianity.
This sketch, by Peter Paul Rubens (from the 1609 Life of Ignatius Loyola) shows Ignatius catechizing in the foreground while other Jesuits hear confessions and distribute Communion in the background.
So on this feast of St. Ignatius, we renew our commitment to catechesis, following in the footsteps of Ignatius of Loyola. May our efforts be for the greater glory of God!
Amy G., a religious education coordinator in N.J., wrote the following bulletin article, offering responses to my list of reasons why people hesitate to become a catechist. Nice job, Amy! Thanks for letting me share it here!
Maybe being a catechist is something you feel God is calling you to, but you’ve got some reservations. Joe Paprocki, a former Director of Religious Education and current 8th grade catechist came up with some reasons why he thinks that people hesitate to volunteer to be a catechist which he published on his website, “Catechist’s Journey” (www.catechistsjourney.org). These are reprinted here with Joe’s permission. I’ve given my own reassurances after each hesitation. I hope this helps you. If you want to ask some more questions about volunteering as a catechist, please call me or Michelle at the Religious Education Office. Hope to hear from you soon!
~Amy G., Religious Education Coordinator
“I’m hesitant to become a catechist because…”
“…I don’t know if I can handle a group of kids. I don’t know if kids will like me.”
Everyone is nervous going into a classroom on their first day of teaching (Some of us were nervous for our first several weeks of teaching). The good news is that the children already know how to behave in a classroom from being at school. They know what acceptable behavior is and what it is not. The bad news is that they will sometimes act up. Children thrive when there are clear expectations for their behavior and clear consequences for when they step out of line. If you are friendly, fair, and firm with your students, classroom discipline comes easier. And people of all ages like others who are friendly, fair, and firm.
“…I don’t know if I’ll be able to answer kids’ questions.”
Our textbooks are very easy to use and the answers to most questions you will be asked will come from the text. However, sometimes, kids come up with really excellent questions that are not all that easy to answer. There is absolutely nothing wrong with saying, “I don’t know, but I’ll find out and tell you next time we meet.” Then, after class, you can just walk down to the Religious Ed Office and ask us for the answer.
“…I’m not sure that I have anything to share. I’m not that holy; I’m just a regular person.”
Teaching religion is not just about passing on facts for memorization. In addition to helping the children learn about God, the catechist must help the young people in his or her class to get to know Jesus Christ through His Church; to foster in them a relationship with Jesus. If you’re thinking about serving God as a catechist, you probably have a relationship with Our Lord already. And your good relationship with God probably happened as part of a process, not all of a sudden. You can share some of how you got to where you are with God now. And the struggle it sometimes is to stay that way.
And as far as not being holy enough goes, let’s look at the example of the canonized saints. They considered themselves regular people, too. They love God with all their mind, with all their heart, and with all their strength. Does that sound like someone else you know?
“…I’m not sure that I know just what the Church teaches. I’m afraid I’ll say something wrong.”
Our textbooks are in conformity with the Catechism of the Catholic Church. That means that everything in our textbooks is in line with what the Church teaches. The key here is never to guess at what the Church teaches. If you don’t know, just say, “I’m not sure, let me get back to you” and ask the Religious Ed Office or consult the Catechism we’ll give you.
“…I don’t have any formal training to teach and I’ve never taught before.”
Have you ever shown someone else how to make one of your favorite recipes or use a computer program? Have you ever given someone else directions to a destination? If you can answer yes to questions like those, then guess what: you taught someone! Sure, not formally, but you taught them all the same.
Our texts come with a variety of activities you can use in each lesson and they give you a hand with how to plan lessons.
I heard a priest once say, “God doesn’t call the qualified; He qualifies the called.” At our parish, we qualify those who are called to the ministry of catechesis by sending you to local workshops on how to teach religion and on the catechism. We often run these classes right here at our parish. You’re not out there on your own; Michelle and I are here to help you in any way we can.
“…I don’t know if I have the time.”
Being a catechist is definitely a time commitment. And it’s not just the hour and 15 minutes you’re here in the classroom. For your time with your students to go well, you need to prepare before you walk into the classroom for at least an hour. Many of my best catechists take much longer than that. And when you factor in the workshops that I strongly encourage everyone to attend, it probably averages out to about 3 hours a week outside of the classroom time.
Maybe a weekly class just can’t fit into your schedule right now, but you could do the monthly Confirmation Preparation Program. Or maybe right now you’d like to serve as a teacher’s aide or a substitute teacher to get a feel for what this is like.
I’ve been reading The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins, a professed atheist and I must say I am very disappointed. His tone is so bitter and the way he speaks of people of faith is so belittling that I find nothing compelling in his stance.
Not that I want to be compelled! However, I was under the impression that his book was an attempt to offer a logical and practical argument for atheism but it is little more than an attack on faith and religion. In other words, I find nothing in his argument that would compel me to want to follow in his footsteps. He offers nothing attractive about atheism but only bitter criticisms of religion.
I recognize his points about all of the awful things that have happened in the name of religion in human history. However, God has truly revealed himself as a God of love and justice (not justice in the sense of revenge but in the sense of living in right relationship with one another) and countless numbers of people of faith have lived according to this message, spreading mercy, charity, and compassion while working for justice.
Frankly, I’m not seeing why so many are finding his book compelling because it trashes religion but offers nothing in return which in my mind is a one-way street to despair, nihilism, and existentialism.
I guess I had hoped to read something more challenging as opposed to something easily dismissed as axe grinding.
One of the rewards of being a catechist or a teacher of any kind is meeting former students. We always talk about sowing the seeds of faith with those we teach. It’s nice to see how some of those seeds have “sprung” as the years have gone by!
Over the last 2 evenings at Theology on Tap, I bumped into 2 former students of mine, both of whom are now engaged in training in the Diaconate! It’s so wonderful to see their passion for the faith compelling them to answer God’s call to serve in this capacity.
A few weeks back, I received an e-mail from a student I taught over 20 years ago and it warmed my heart:
I know you probably don’ t remember me, but I do remember you. Quigley South High School 1979 – 83 . You made me feel very secure and proud of my beliefs. I had never had so much fun in Religion Class. I never knew a teacher I could talk to like a friend. Your teachings have always stayed with me and I want you to know how inspirational you were. Thank you for everything you taught me those years. I hope you and your family are well.
Truth is, I DID remember this former student when I saw his name and it really warmed my heart to read what he said. We exchanged a few more e-mails to “catch-up” with one another after all these years.
This is just another example of the rewards of serving as a catechist or religion teacher!
On Sunday, I attended Mass at St. Emily parish in Mount Prospect, immediately before my Theology on Tap presentation. After Communion, a young man (probably in his twenties), came up to the microphone and gave a witness talk about his calling as a catechist. He did an excellent job of talking about the need for catechesis and the spiritual growth that comes with serving as a catechist. He also extended a powerful invitation to folks to consider the call to serve as a catechist.
As he spoke, I felt a sense of pride, listening to someone articulate what most of us catechists firmly believe about our ministry and our calling. I wanted to jump out of my seat and applaud him. I settled for sitting up tall in my seat, proud to know that the ministry I love was being so eloquently spoken about.
Many parishes use these types of witness talks (usually about 3 minutes long) as part of their recruitment of new catechists. I think it is not only a very effective recruitment strategy but it also serves to elevate the awareness of the vocation of the catechist in the parish.
If your pastor or DRE invites you to give a witness talk about serving as a catechist, please consider this wonderful opportunity to talk about a calling that is near and dear to the heart of a half-million people in the United States: the calling to serve as a catechist!
I’ve been reminding my young adult audiences at Theology on Tap that, according to the Code of Canon Law, they have a right to sound catechesis! All too often, young adults (and for that matter, adults in general) are neglected when it comes to offering catechesis which is to be a lifelong endeavor and not relegated to a childhood experience.
Many young adults are surprised to discover that catechesis is their right according to canon law. Specifically, canon 217 states that:
Since they are called by baptism to lead a life in keeping with the teaching of the gospel, the Christian faithful have the right to a Christian education by which they are to be instructed properly to strive for the maturity of the human person and at the same time to know and live the mystery of salvation.
By the same token, the Church has a duty to provide catechesis for all people. Canon 773 states:
It is a proper and grave duty especially of pastors of souls to take care of the catechesis of the Christian people so that the living faith of the faithful becomes manifest and active through doctrinal instruction and the experience of Christian life.
Likewise, canon 776 declares:
By virtue of his function, a pastor is bound to take care of the catechetical formation of adults, youth, and children…
At the same time, we all have an obligation to participate in catechesis. Canon 229 emphasizes this obligation:
Lay persons are bound by the obligation and possess the right to acquire knowledge of Christian doctrine appropriate to the capacity and condition of each in order for them to be able to live according to this doctrine, announce it themselves, defend it if necessary, and take their part in exercising the apostolate.
I’ve been telling the young adults that, if catechetical opportunities are not being offered to them in their parishes, they have an obligation to go to their pastor and remind him that their rights are being violated!
That may sound dramatic, but when you stop to think that we believe that the Good News of Jesus is our salvation, then the right to catechesis that proclaims that Good News can be seen as a matter of “life” and “death.”
I’m beginning my Theology on Tap talks this week with the following story.
At the time of 9/11, I was working for the Archdiocese of Chicago, Office for Catechesis, as a Vicariate Catechetical Coordinator. The DREs I was working with felt that it would be good to engage in Muslim-Catholic dialogue and I agreed. I visited a mosque and invited the Imam there to meet with a group of DREs and he cordially accepted. A few days before his visit, the Imam called me to let me know that he personally would not be able to make it but that he would send a representative. I assumed this meant a member of his “staff.” He did indeed send a representative who did a wonderful job of explaining the basics of Islam to about 10 DREs. I asked him what his position was at the mosque and he said, “Oh, I don’t work at the mosque…I run a video store on 95th street.” In other words, in Catholic-speak, he was a “parishioner!” It would be as if a Catholic priest was invited to speak to a group of Muslim teachers and because he could not attend, asked a parishioner to fill in for him and explain the basics of the Catholic faith. How many of us would feel comfortable doing that?
The truth is, most ordinary Catholics would feel ill-equipped to do so. And yet, our faith is summed up for us in the Creed. Likewise, the Catechism provides us with 4 pillars to talk about: Creed, Sacraments, Morality, and Prayer.
As catechists, we can help those we teach to learn to be able to talk about their faith with confidence. Hopefully, we will reach a place where pastors could easily feel that they could call on a faithful parishioner to stand in for him to describe the Catholic faith to those who are not familiar with it.
p.s. If a pastor really needed to do this, I bet he would turn to a catechist! How would you feel if this happened to you?
Girls Gone Mild is the title of a new book by Wendy Shalit. I haven’t read this but I wonder if it might be of interest and help to catechists who work with young ladies. Catholic News Service describes the book this way:
WASHINGTON (CNS) – Some girls are choosing to be mild, rejecting the wild. And mild doesn’t mean meek and passive – these girls are standing up to pressures to be promiscuous, rejecting the “Girls Gone Wild” culture, according to an author of a new work that addresses the issue.
If any catechists have read this or plan to read it, keep in touch with your thoughts and reactions.
Over the next week, I’ll be a “catechist” for young adults in a program in the Chicago Archdiocese called Theology on Tap, a speaker and conversation series for people in their 20s and 30s to learn more about the Catholic faith, make connections between faith and everyday life, and enter into conversation with peers. The program is being hosted at 40 locations throughout the Archdiocese of Chicago and 14 in the Diocese of Joliet from July 8 - August 5.
You can click on the link to the right titled My Speaking Engagements to see where I’ll be and when. Most of my presentations will be on “What Difference Does Being a Catholic Make? Five Distinguishing Characteristics of Catholics.” Here’s at peek at what I’ll be talking about:
Catholicism is defined by so much more than outward appearances. We do not create a sense of Catholic identity simply by increasing the number of statues and crucifixes in a given location. Catholicism is a way of life. This way of life is generally characterized by the following:
- a sense of sacramentality,
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a commitment to community,
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respect for the dignity of human life and commitment to justice,
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a reverence for Tradition,
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and a disposition to faith and hope, and not despair.
I pray that the Holy Spirit will guide me to teach young adults how to deepen their commitment to Jesus Christ through the Catholic Tradition.
p.s. I wrote an article on this topic for Today’s Parish Minister online a few months back
I read with sadness the announcement of the passing of Carl J. Pfeifer who, with his wife Janaan Manternach, were, in the minds of many, the “father” and “mother” of the contemporary catechist. Their book, Creative Catechist, is a classic and inspired me early on in my career in catechetical ministry. Thank you, Carl, for inspiring so many of us to be creative catechists!
Carl J. Pfeifer, 78, died of Alzheimers at 1:05 am, Thursday July 12 2007, at Stonehill Care Center. His body was donated to the Deeded Body Program at the University of Iowa College of Medicine.Services: A Memorial Mass will be celebrated at St. Martin’s Catholic Church in Cascade, Iowa at 10:00 A.M. on July 28, 2007 with Rev. Neil J. Manternach officiating. Concelebrating is Rev. Douglas Loecke, Rev. Msgr. Albert Manternach & Rev. Carl J. Manternach. Eulogy will be given by Angela Barbieri. Relatives and friends may call after 9:00A.M. at the church. The Reiff Funeral Home in Cascade is in charge of arrangements.
He was born on June 22, 1929, in St. Louis, MO., son of Carl and Emma (Heine) Pfeifer. He was a member of the Society of Jesus, Missouri Province, for twenty-nine years. On November 20, 1976 he married Janaan Manternach, a former Dubuque Franciscan at Holy Trinity Church in Georgetown, DC. Carl was a prolific writer of religion textbooks, and single title books on catechetics, theology, prayer, meditation, and the saints. He also wrote numerous articles for journals, newspapers, and newsletters. He co-authored with his wife the trend setting religion series, LIFE, LOVE, JOY. It dramatically changed how Catholic children are taught religion.
He was widely known as a lecturer on catechetics and religious education throughout the United States, Europe, Canada, Guam, and Central America. He taught summer sessions at both The Catholic University of America, and St. Michael’s College in Winooski, Vermont. He also taught courses at Theological College in Washington, D.C. and St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore, Maryland.
Carl and his wife, Janaan, were presented the prestigious annual award from the National Conference of Catechetical Leadership recognizing their long and illustrious contribution to catechetical ministry. They were the first married couple to receive this award. They were also honored by the National Association of Parish Catechetical Directors with the Emmaus Award for Excellence In Catechesis. This award was given to them because of their international reputation and contribution to the field of Catholic catechesis through writing, publishing and teaching. He was an avid photographer. For several years he wrote a weekly photo-meditation which appeared in many Diocesan newspapers. They also became a book titled “Photomeditations” His photos were exhibited in galleries in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland. He was a pioneer in introducing photos of everyday life experience into religion textbooks.
Carl is survived by his wife, Janaan, his brother, Richard (Rosemary) Pfeifer, three brothers-in-law, Thomas (Helen) Manternach, Donald (Anita) Manternach, Richard Ripple; two sisters-in-law, Grace Miller and Janice Manternach; four godchildren, Angela Barbieri, Miguel Barbieri, Edward Jeep and Emily Jeep Klingaman; two honorary, grandchildren, Jake and Hannah Verrips; numerous nieces and nephews including a special nephew, Carl Gerard (Jerry) Pfeifer and his wife, Charlene, who loved their Uncle Carl in many simple and cherishing ways.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his father and mother-in-law, Jacob and Anita Takes Manternach; three sisters-in-laws, Janet Manternach Ripple, Luann Vaske Manternach and Cecilia Lucas Manternach; two brothers-in-law, Orland (Bub) Manternach, and Donald Jacob Manternach (in infancy); a niece, Amy Manternach Kurt and a niece-in-law, Cathy Kimm Manternach.
Memorials may be given in his name to Stonehill Care Center, the Missouri Province Jesuits (St. Louis), the Sisters of St. Francis (Dubuque, Iowa), Hospice of Dubuque or to a charity of your choice. His family would like to thank Dr. Osamah Khatib, the aides, nurses, and others who lovingly cared for him at Stonehill and for the staff of Hospice of Dubuque who ably helped him in his final act of living. Online condolences may be left for the family at www. reiffuneralhomeinc.com.Published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch from 7/15/2007 - 7/16/2007.
