Comments on: Lively Conversation on Intergenerational Catechesis http://catechistsjourney.loyolapress.com/2007/12/14/lively-conversation-on-intergenerational-catechesis/ Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:35:45 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Joe http://catechistsjourney.loyolapress.com/2007/12/14/lively-conversation-on-intergenerational-catechesis/#comment-569 Joe Tue, 15 Jan 2008 04:02:02 +0000 http://www.catechistsjourney.org/2007/12/14/lively-conversation-on-intergenerational-catechesis/#comment-569 RB, thanks for sharing. Sounds like you had a very fruitful experience. RB, thanks for sharing. Sounds like you had a very fruitful experience.

]]> By: RB http://catechistsjourney.loyolapress.com/2007/12/14/lively-conversation-on-intergenerational-catechesis/#comment-568 RB Fri, 11 Jan 2008 20:15:48 +0000 http://www.catechistsjourney.org/2007/12/14/lively-conversation-on-intergenerational-catechesis/#comment-568 I just wanted to add that I attended what I thought was the "adult" portion of the GOF event at St. Raphael's. The adult retreat that was offered on a separate evening from the family activity. My husband and I have been attending the WINGS events since they began and I really loved that they had the adult evening at the front end of the week with the family portion later in the week. My husband and I are parents of adult children and are appreciating adult only formation activities. It doesn't mean that we don't love children. We do enjoy the occassional intergenerational activity. The evenings are wonderfully planned and there is much learning that takes place. I believe the beauty of what is done at St. Raphael is that it creates a hunger to learn more. There is a re-energizing that takes place; new life is infused after the events. It doesn't need to be a once in a life-time revitalization but I look on it more as a shot in the arm, an energy booster. I don't believe the plan is ever to have GOF become primary but rather it is part of parish life. It is a piece of the overall formational offerings and the parish. It seems to provide the theme for the year and a continuity to the parish. I just wanted to add that I attended what I thought was the “adult” portion of the GOF event at St. Raphael’s. The adult retreat that was offered on a separate evening from the family activity. My husband and I have been attending the WINGS events since they began and I really loved that they had the adult evening at the front end of the week with the family portion later in the week. My husband and I are parents of adult children and are appreciating adult only formation activities. It doesn’t mean that we don’t love children. We do enjoy the occassional intergenerational activity.

The evenings are wonderfully planned and there is much learning that takes place. I believe the beauty of what is done at St. Raphael is that it creates a hunger to learn more. There is a re-energizing that takes place; new life is infused after the events. It doesn’t need to be a once in a life-time revitalization but I look on it more as a shot in the arm, an energy booster.

I don’t believe the plan is ever to have GOF become primary but rather it is part of parish life. It is a piece of the overall formational offerings and the parish. It seems to provide the theme for the year and a continuity to the parish.

]]> By: Joe http://catechistsjourney.loyolapress.com/2007/12/14/lively-conversation-on-intergenerational-catechesis/#comment-567 Joe Mon, 17 Dec 2007 02:23:38 +0000 http://www.catechistsjourney.org/2007/12/14/lively-conversation-on-intergenerational-catechesis/#comment-567 Amen! Amen!

]]> By: Dick http://catechistsjourney.loyolapress.com/2007/12/14/lively-conversation-on-intergenerational-catechesis/#comment-566 Dick Sun, 16 Dec 2007 23:05:17 +0000 http://www.catechistsjourney.org/2007/12/14/lively-conversation-on-intergenerational-catechesis/#comment-566 "Deeper waters" captures my whole concern. Hopefully the intergenerational events will create a thirst for water that satisfies. “Deeper waters” captures my whole concern. Hopefully the intergenerational events will create a thirst for water that satisfies.

]]> By: Joe http://catechistsjourney.loyolapress.com/2007/12/14/lively-conversation-on-intergenerational-catechesis/#comment-565 Joe Sun, 16 Dec 2007 17:18:36 +0000 http://www.catechistsjourney.org/2007/12/14/lively-conversation-on-intergenerational-catechesis/#comment-565 Maura, I appreciate you sharing about your own experience. Love your image of "deeper waters!" Maura, I appreciate you sharing about your own experience. Love your image of “deeper waters!”

]]> By: Maura http://catechistsjourney.loyolapress.com/2007/12/14/lively-conversation-on-intergenerational-catechesis/#comment-564 Maura Sun, 16 Dec 2007 15:04:03 +0000 http://www.catechistsjourney.org/2007/12/14/lively-conversation-on-intergenerational-catechesis/#comment-564 Joe Amen! What has occured to me experiencing intergenerational gatherings and discussing them to my peers is that these gatherings have tremendous potential to evengalize or reevangelize but but our children and adults still need to have ongoing catechesis. These events can spark or enliven faith but we all deserve to drink from deeper waters and that is where catechesis comes in. Peace Maura Joe
Amen!
What has occured to me experiencing intergenerational gatherings and discussing them to my peers is that these gatherings have tremendous potential to evengalize or reevangelize but but our children and adults still need to have ongoing catechesis.
These events can spark or enliven faith but we all deserve to drink from deeper waters and that is where catechesis comes in.
Peace
Maura

]]> By: Joe http://catechistsjourney.loyolapress.com/2007/12/14/lively-conversation-on-intergenerational-catechesis/#comment-563 Joe Sat, 15 Dec 2007 15:50:27 +0000 http://www.catechistsjourney.org/2007/12/14/lively-conversation-on-intergenerational-catechesis/#comment-563 Dick, thanks for your comments. I agree with you about the "one size does not fit all." Your comments are very insightful. I love your comment about finding many of the activities "cute." A colleague of mine and I talk about that often...he despises anything "cute" in catechesis. I recognize the need to do things in catechesis that are engaging and he teases me when I come up with ideas that he considers "cute." The bottom line is that the Gospel is not cute. Engaging (or "cute") activities are entry points and MUST be followed up by solid teaching of the substance of the Gospel. Thanks again for sharing. Dick, thanks for your comments. I agree with you about the “one size does not fit all.” Your comments are very insightful. I love your comment about finding many of the activities “cute.” A colleague of mine and I talk about that often…he despises anything “cute” in catechesis. I recognize the need to do things in catechesis that are engaging and he teases me when I come up with ideas that he considers “cute.” The bottom line is that the Gospel is not cute. Engaging (or “cute”) activities are entry points and MUST be followed up by solid teaching of the substance of the Gospel. Thanks again for sharing.

]]> By: Dick http://catechistsjourney.loyolapress.com/2007/12/14/lively-conversation-on-intergenerational-catechesis/#comment-562 Dick Sat, 15 Dec 2007 15:06:10 +0000 http://www.catechistsjourney.org/2007/12/14/lively-conversation-on-intergenerational-catechesis/#comment-562 Our parish has chosen to use intergenerational catechesis as the primary form of formation for the past two years. Granted, our parish has a lot of older people in it, but I have been surprised that I see a lot of adults but the children are a definite minority in the process. Yet, the activities have really been designed to appeal to a "child". Often times, as a participant, I find my response is "Isn't that cute?" rather than "That's something I hadn't thought about before" or "I need to pray about that." I believe the key to making intergenerational catechesis successful depends upon what happens outside of the monthly parish event. In the best of circumstances the monthly event can create a hunger to learn more. The challenge is to provide the resources that can be used at home for both children and adults that will "feed" that hunger. Secondly, I believe it is essential for the parish to provide other opportunities for adults to extend their learning beyond what is presented at the intergeneration events. The intergenerational approach is a powerful tool for evangelization and catechesis. But a successful catechetical program needs to use a variety of tools to meet the wide diversity of needs among its members. The older I get the more convinced I am that one size does not fit all. Our parish has chosen to use intergenerational catechesis as the primary form of formation for the past two years. Granted, our parish has a lot of older people in it, but I have been surprised that I see a lot of adults but the children are a definite minority in the process. Yet, the activities have really been designed to appeal to a “child”. Often times, as a participant, I find my response is “Isn’t that cute?” rather than “That’s something I hadn’t thought about before” or “I need to pray about that.”

I believe the key to making intergenerational catechesis successful depends upon what happens outside of the monthly parish event. In the best of circumstances the monthly event can create a hunger to learn more. The challenge is to provide the resources that can be used at home for both children and adults that will “feed” that hunger. Secondly, I believe it is essential for the parish to provide other opportunities for adults to extend their learning beyond what is presented at the intergeneration events.

The intergenerational approach is a powerful tool for evangelization and catechesis. But a successful catechetical program needs to use a variety of tools to meet the wide diversity of needs among its members. The older I get the more convinced I am that one size does not fit all.

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