It’s vacation time for me, my friends! Time to allow the brain to lie fallow. That means no posting for a couple of weeks. I’ll post again right after the Fourth of July weekend (July 7 to be exact). I hope you enjoy the start of summer and I’ll see you back here in a few weeks. Peace. -joe
I was struck by a line in yesterday’s Gospel that I think speaks to catechists:
“Then he summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority to expel unclean spirits…” (Mt 10:1)
Two things in particular strike me. One is the notion of authority. Catechists need to know that they have been given authority to teach. All authority belongs to God, who is the Author of all of creation. God, in turn, has given all authority to Jesus (Mt. 28:18). Jesus, in turn, has given authority to the Church (Mt. 16:19). The Church, in turn, authorizes catechists, to minister in Jesus’ name, proclaiming the Gospel. We are to teach with authority because we have been given (entrusted with) that authority. Knowing this should give us confidence and courage to do our work.
Second, I’m struck by the notion of “expelling unclean spirits.” For so long, I associated this verse strictly with the notion of “driving out demons” from people who are “possessed.” In many ways, I’ve dismissed this phrase an anachronistic…harkening back to a time when people thought that many maladies (which today we can diagnose and treat) were caused by demonic possession. Upon further reflection, however, I realized that the term “unclean spirits” need not be (nor should be) interpreted in such fantastical supernatural terms. We ALL deal with unclean spirits - those “forces” that separate us from the love of God and render us “unclean” - not fit to participate in the divine life. The most basic examples would, of course, be the Seven Deadly Sins: pride, covetousness, envy, anger, gluttony, lust, and sloth. We are all too familiar with these “unclean spirits” from our own lives and we see them in the lives of those we teach. IT IS OUR JOB AS CATECHISTS TO EXPEL THESE UNCLEAN SPIRITS! Not through rituals of exorcism but through our teaching: we have been given authority to expel that which is contrary to the will of God.
We don’t have to become some kind of wacky Benny Hinn-type preacher to expel unclean spirits. We just have to teach the Gospel with authority - with confidence and courage, knowing that the Author of Life has revealed the truths we are imparting!
Here’s a link to a nice effort by some folks to recruit catechists for their parish:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90OcnKfpURk
We are approaching the start of the Year of Saint Paul that was proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI. The special year begins on June 29, the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles, marking the 2000th anniversary of the birth of Paul. Here are a couple of resources you’ll want to check out if that will be of help to you if you are planning to mark this special year in your parish:
The NCCL (National Conference for Catechetical Leadership) has a link on their Web site with resources for the Pauline year. Go to http://www.nccl.org/mc/page.do and click on “Resources for the Year of Paul.”
Loyola Press has a Web site dedicated to the year of Paul. Go to www.yearofsaintpaul.com.
If you know of other helpful links, pass them along!
The I.T. folks have finished updating software that I use for this blog meaning that the short “under construction” period is over. So, I’ll be back to posting.
In the meantime, here’s a cool pic of my grandmother from her First Holy Communion in 1902!!! I just received this pic from a distant relative. I wonder how old Granny was when this pic was taken…she looks older than 7!
My site may be under construction for a day or two so hang in there and I’ll be back soon!
I spent a good chunk of Saturday with about 30 catechists at St. Paul the Apostle parish in Gurnee, IL, not far from the Wisconsin border. The catechists were from 3 or 4 parishes within the area and they were there for a catechist certification module on the theological foundations of catechesis (10 hours, spread over 2 Saturdays). We had a very productive day, looking at the vocation of the catechist, the ministry of catechesis, and a variety of teaching techniques, especially lesson planning, selecting activities, and preparing the learning environment. We had a very nice mix of people with little to no experience as a catechist to some with 10, 20, and even 30 years experience! That always makes for some great small-group discussions, where the more experienced catechists can share their wisdom with the “newcomers.” So, a big “shout out” to all the folks I met up in Gurnee on Saturday and I hope you enjoy your next session on June 21 with my co-facilitator, Colleen Walery!
I’m hearing that some parishes are experimenting with a catechetical model that employs a summer intensive religious education program for K-8 (usually 3 weeks) while throughout the year, offering periodic intergenerational events and a weekly children’s liturgy of the Word. Sounds to me like an interesting alternative. This is not to be confused with a Vacation Bible School. it is the formal religious education program taking place in a 3-week intensive model. Instead of having twenty- to twenty-five weekly sessions of 75- to 90-minutes throughout the year (@ 30 hours of formal class time), the summer intensive meets 4 or 5 days a week for 2 or 3 hours, covering about the same amount of class time…about 30 hours. I’d love to hear thoughts, especially from anyone doing this model. Have a great weekend!
Here is more of my dialogue with an Anglican minister from Rwanda who has been sent to the United States to do missionary work and to form catechists:
Joe,
I feel similarly blessed by this contact.
The reason why the Rwandan curriculum wouldn’t work in scope (it would to some extent in sequence) is that the general education level in Rwanda is very low and catechist, according to the canons, only have to be able to read and write, basically an elementary education. Also, Anglican parishes, even very small rural ones, tend to have a much higher level of education—college degrees are the norm. (BTW, this is changing in our mission (www.theamia.org) not because of fewer educated people but because of intentional outreach to other groups).
Obviously, in this situation, while we’re not looking for a compressed seminary education, we do need to offer a higher standard. We’re looking at not only teaching methodology and basic pastoral skills, but also doctrinal, biblical, and church historical content.
I’m hoping to move beyond this pilot project at some point and offer it on a much broader scale and use it as a DMin project (yes, I already have a doctorate—I’m just a glutton for punishment).
What I’m especially interested in at this point is how the Catholic Church trains its catechists, both scope and sequence, content and materials.
Thanks and blessings.
Rev. -N-
Here is my response:
Dear Rev. -N-
Thanks so much for your follow up. This is very helpful.
Catechist formation in the Catholic Church differs from one diocese to another, however, more and more diocese are requiring catechists to become certified, after participating in so many hours of formation and training.
For example, here in Chicago, the Office for Catechesis and Youth Ministry requires catechists to achieve 50 hours of formation for certification. Now, in reality, most catechists begin their ministry without this formation and then work toward certification while on the job. The requirement, at least in Chicago, is that catechists must be working toward certification and that responsibility falls to the parish director of religious education. Here is the curriculum for Chicago (this is actually the old one which required 48 hours…the new one is not yet posted):
http://www.catechesis-chicago.org/FF/FF_Curriculum/ffcurrintro.htm
I highly recommend checking the Web sites of other dioceses, big and small, to see what they require. Look for their catechetical office, usually named either the Office for Catechesis or Office for Religious Education, or some variation thereof. Here are a few examples:
http://www.dioceseoftrenton.org/church/certification.asp
http://www.archdiocese.la/learning/ore/formation/certification.html
http://www.cdob.org/catechesis/certification.htm
You’ll notice that this last link to Brownsville, TX, makes mention of a video series titled Echoes of Faith. This video series is used by many rural dioceses where catechists simply cannot get to central locations for training and formation. It is a very effective tool. Check it out:
http://faithfirst.com/html/eof/modules.html
Of course, I myself have authored a very popular book titled The Catechist’s Toolbox: How to Thrive As a Religious Education Teacher (Loyola Press) which focuses on the teaching skills and methodologies that volunteer catechists need for their ministry. I have a follow up book coming out this summer titled A Well-Built Faith: A Catholic’s Guide to Knowing and Sharing What We Believe (of course, this one will be a little too Catholic for you, I’m sure!). This one focuses more on the content, as outlined in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
I hope these suggestions are a start. I’m happy to talk more after you’ve done some of this initial exploring. This may just scratch the surface of what you are looking for, so by all means, feel free to follow up and we can delve further. It’s a pleasure to be of assistance to you. Peace.
-joe
What an amazing world we live in today where I am engaged in a dialogue with an Anglican minister from Rwanda about catechist formation!!! See below:
Good morning, Joe.
First, a little background.
I’m a missionary priest with the Province of the Anglican Church of Rwanda. In an ironic circumstance which could only come about by the providence of God, the missionary jurisdiction to which I’m assigned is here in North America—Africa is sending missionaries back to the US in response to the situation in the Episcopal Church.
In Rwanda, the ministry of the catechist is very important, not just in terms of teaching the faith, but also because many of them serve as lay pastors of churches, since parishes typically only have one priest and there may be several congregations which are a part of that parish.
In the missionary context of North America, we have many lay-initiated church plants and a number of small parishes which do not have an assigned priest and may only have a priest visiting once a month. In these types of situations, a licensed catechist would be very helpful.
While I realize that the catechist in the Catholic Church do not have all of these functions, they do share the common role as lead teachers of the faith and I would assume that the content of the training required to become a catechist would be similar. I have the curriculum for this training in Rwanda, and it would not work in the US or Canadian context.
So, to my point …
I’ve been tasked to come up with a pilot program for training catechists. Any suggestions in terms of methods and materials would be greatly appreciated and a blessing.
Thanks for your work for the Kingdom.
Here’s my initial reply:
Dear Rev. -N-,
Praise God for the Internet which can bring people like you and me together! Who would have thought?
Thanks so much for your e-mail. I have heard that the role of the catechist in places like Africa and South America is quite different than in North America - a role of great honor and responsibility. Too often in the United States, it is seen as a minor form of volunteerism - a type of religious tutor. I’ve been working to bring about a transformation in that understanding…the catechist has a vocation!
Enough preaching!
Please tell me a little bit more about why the curriculum from Rwanda would not work in North America. Perhaps with a larger frame of reference, I can begin to respond to your inquiry and offer some specifics.
I look forward to hearing more from you. Thanks!
-joe
I’ll share more of our dialogue tomorrow.
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