Archive for July, 2008
Whether you are a beginning catechist or a returning catechist, it is good to be familiar with the Church’s documentary tradition when it comes to catechesis. Over the years, the Church has provided us with numerous resources to guide and inspire the ministry of catechesis. Here are just a few of what I consider to be some of the most inspiring lines from these documents (this list is not intended to be definitive…if there are excerpts from documents that you’d like to share, by all means, please send them along!). As you prepare for the upcoming year, use these excerpts (and the questions I’ve provided) to reflect on your call to serve the ministry of catechesis.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church
“The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for.” (#27)
· How is God drawing you to himself?
· In your own search for truth and happiness, what paths brought you closer to God? What paths steered you in the wrong direction?
· What messages from society/our culture are leading those you teach down the wrong path as they search for truth and happiness?
The General Directory for Catechesis
“This comprehensive formation includes more than instruction: it is an apprenticeship of the entire Christian life…” (#67)
· Who apprenticed you into the Christian life? How did he/she/they do this?
· How can you apprentice those you teach into the Christian life?
· What does it mean to you to think of your teaching as more than instruction but as an apprenticeship?
The National Directory for Catechesis
“Catechesis must make it clear that the person of Jesus Christ offers a realistic alternative to immediate gratification and the satisfaction of personal needs.” (#4C)
· How can/do you invite those you teach to encounter the person of Jesus, not just the idea of or memory of Jesus?
· What factors in society/culture encourage the concepts of immediate gratification and the satisfaction of personal needs?
· How can/do you present Jesus as an alternative to these?
Catechesi Tradendae (On Catechesis in Our Time)
“The definitive aim of catechesis is to put people not only in touch, but also in communion and intimacy, with Jesus Christ.” (#5)
· What in your life fosters communion and intimacy with Jesus Christ?
· What can you offer to those you teach to put them in communion and intimacy with Jesus Christ?
· What factors foster communion and intimacy in human relationships? How can these be applied to our relationship with Jesus Christ?
Evangelii Nuntiandi (On Evangelization in the Modern World)
“Evangelizing is in fact the grace and vocation proper to the Church, her deepest identity. She exists in order to evangelize, that is to say, in order to preach and teach…” (#15)
· How do you understand the word evangelize? What does it mean to evangelize? How is catechesis related to evangelization?
· If evangelization (preaching and teaching) is the Church’s deepest identity, what does that say about the importance of your role as a catechist?
· As a catechist, how can/do you evangelize those you teach?
Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us (A Pastoral Plan for Adult Faith Formation in the United States)
“We are entering a period of new vitality for the Church, a period in which adult Catholic laity will play a pivotal leadership role in fulfilling the Christian mission of evangelizing and transforming society. For adults to fulfill their roles in this new era of the Church, their faith formation must be lifelong, just as they must continue to learn to keep up in the changing world.” (#29)
· How is your role as a catechist helping/challenging you to keep up with a changing world?
· How is your role as a catechist contributing to your own lifelong formation?
· How can you encourage those you teach to see that faith formation is a lifelong task?
Go and Make Disciples (A National Plan and Strategy for Catholic Evangelization in the United States)
“This is crucial: we must be converted—and we must continue to be converted! We must let the Holy Spirit change our lives! We must respond to Jesus Christ. And we must be open to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit who will continue to convert us as we follow Christ. If our faith is alive, it will be aroused again and again as we mature as disciples.” (#14)
· How are you experiencing conversion at this time in your life?
· How does serving as a catechist foster your own conversion?
· How do you call those you teach to change their lives?
Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions
“Central to our identity as Catholics is that we are called to be leaven for transforming the world, agents for bringing about a kingdom of love and justice.”
· In what ways do you see yourself a being a “leaven for transforming the world?”
· How can you call those you teach to become agents for bringing about a kingdom of love and justice?
· What does it mean to say that working for justice is central to our identity as Catholics? What implications does this have for you ministry as a catechist?
Guidelines for Doctrinally Sound Catechetical Materials
“Effective catechesis…requires that the Church’s teaching be presented correctly and in its entirety, and it is equally important to present it in ways that are attractive, appealing, and understandable by the individuals and communities to whom it is directed.” (II – Guidelines for Presenting Sound Doctrine)
· What are you doing to ensure that you are presenting the Church’s teaching correctly?
· How can/do you make the Church’s teaching attractive? Appealing? Understandable?
· Considering the age level you teach, what is needed to make the Church’s teaching attractive, appealing, and understandable?
Renewing the Vision: A Framework for Catholic Youth Ministry
“Renewing the Vision takes up the Holy Father’s challenge by focusing the Church’s ministry with adolescents on three essential goals: (1) empowering young people to live as disciples of Jesus Christ in our world today; (2) drawing young people to responsible participation in the life, mission, and work of the faith community; and (3) fostering the personal and spiritual growth of each young person.”
· How can/do you empower young people to live as disciples of Jesus Christ in our world today?
· How can/do you draw young people to responsible participation in the parish community?
· How can/do you foster personal and spiritual growth of those you teach?
Thanks to the folks at Good News Daily for providing the following positive review of my new book, A Well-Built Faith!
| New Book Helps Catholics Nail Down the Facts of Their Faith |
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CHICAGO, (Christian Newswire) - The Catechism of the Catholic Church is over nine hundred pages long, so it comes as no surprise that many Catholics think of their faith as complex–and certainly too complex to share with others! In A Well-Built Faith: A Catholic’s Guide to Knowing and Sharing What We Believe (Loyola Press, 156 pp, $9.95, 0-8294-2757-0), best-selling author Joe Paprocki makes it easy and flat-out fun for any Catholic to know what they believe and to feel confident in sharing those beliefs with others.
This highly practical book is developed around a construction theme, making it accessible to all readers. Following the structure of the four pillars of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Joe takes otherwise difficult topics about the Catholic faith and makes them relevant to the lives of average Catholics without compromising the rich depth of Catholic teaching and tradition.
“Can you imagine your pastor asking you to represent him at a meeting of non-Catholics who wanted to learn more about the Catholic faith?” asks Paprocki. “I’ve asked this question to numerous groups of Catholics, especially catechists, and the number of people who feel they would have the right tools to represent the Catholic faith properly is extremely low.”
A Well-Built Faith serves a broad audience of individuals who want to deepen their own knowledge of the Catholic faith. It can be used effectively with RCIA candidates, catechists, parents, adult faith- formation groups, pastoral council members, and anyone else who is eager to learn more about their faith.
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One of the biggest frustrations that catechists have is the fact that so many of our students are not attending Mass (because their parents are not attending). Here is a helpful resource I recently came across titled, “8 Reasons to Bring Your Child Regularly to Mass.” It is in a parent “magazine” called “Together: Preparing at Home for First Eucharist” ((written by Tom McGrath) that is a part of the God’s Gift: Eucharist program (Loyola Press).
8-reasons-to-bring-your-child-to-mass-regularly
Here is a nice, simple liturgical calendar that can be used as a very effective teaching tool for teaching about the Church year. Below this image, I share an approach to understanding the liturgical calendar.
If you’ve ever visited the Grand Canyon, you know that its immenseness is overwhelming: 277 river miles long, up to 18 mles wide, and a mile deep! All around the rim of the Canyon are numerous breathtaking look-out points. What do visitors to the Grand Canyon do? They walk along the trails and pause at various look-out points to take in the view from specific vantage points. Along the way, they are looking at the same thing - the immense Grand Canyon - but from various perspectives and angles that highlight different aspects of the Canyon’s majesty.
This is what we do as we walk through the liturgical year. Our gaze is fixed on one thing: the Pashcal Mystery of Jesus - a mystery that is so immense that it cannot be taken in in its entirety. Rather, stop at various vantage points along the way to look more closely at specific aspects of this wonderful mystery. We are always looking at the same thing: the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ. Each season and feast of the Church year, however, is like a look-out point - an opportunity to pause and to focus on one specific aspect of the Paschal Mystery. Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, Ordinary Time - these are all opportunities to get a unique perspective on specific parts of the Paschal Mystery - parts of a whole. On saints’ days, we have an opportunity to learn from “tour guides” - people who know the landscape of the Paschal Mystery very well and who can guide us in our journey.
The Paschal Mystery is so overwhelmingly immense, that we walk through it over the course of a 3-year cycle and then again and again throughout our lives. Like the Grand Canyon that looks different at various times of the day and seasons of the year, the Paschal Mystery of Jesus is revealed to us in different ways throughout our lifetime. It is a journey that we never tire of making!
Too often, when we catechists plan for our lessons, we concentrate on what it is that WE will be doing. “I’ll cover chapter 10, then play Jeopardy to review the main points of the lesson, then I’ll lead prayer, and so on…” It’s important to remember that, in our planning, the focus should be on what the participants will be doing. Today, most catechist manuals use the phrase learning outcomes to identify what the participants should be able to know or do as a result of a lesson. Some may use the word objectives, however, that tends to be more teacher-focused. Here is a nifty chart that helps to identify different levels of learning outcomes.
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If you want your participants to . .
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Use keywords such as the following in your learning outcomes.
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Example: After this lesson, the participants will be able to . . .
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recognize or recall facts and information and knowledge
(recall)
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list the seven sacraments.
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demonstrate an understanding (comprehension)
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paraphrase explain
review match
discuss interpret
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explain the meaning of the symbol of water in baptism.
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apply what is learned to new situations
(application)
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apply construct
draw simulate
sketch predict
write
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draw a picture of an experience of reconciliation in their lives.
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pick out important points
(analysis)
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classify distinguish
differentiate compare
contrast categorize
separate break down
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categorize the seven
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combine concepts into something new (synthesis)
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combine relate
put together integrate
assemble collect
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assemble a prayer aid for the celebration of one of the seven sacraments.
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judge and evaluate ideas based on standards
(evaluation)
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judge argue
assess appraise
decide defend
rate debate
evaluate choose
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evaluate a sample homily for a confirmation Mass in relation to its use of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the symbols of the bishop, or the symbols of the rite of confirmation.
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To be a catechist is to have a vocation - a call from God. This means that if you are contemplating becoming a catechist, you need to involved God in the decision-making. We call this discernment. Here are a few tips I’ve written on the practice of discernment:
Many choices we face in life are very complex. How do we know what God wants us to do? What is God’s will for us? This is where discernment comes into play. Discernment refers to the process of aligning ourselves with God’s will in order to learn what God is calling us to. Discernment is needed in, not only immediate decisions (do I say something to my best friend about his drinking?), but also in decisions about the overall direction of our lives (do I want to accept this promotion even though it means relocating?). In both cases, the decisions we make have everything to do with God and the kind of person God is calling us to be. Every choice we make, no matter how small, is an opportunity to align ourselves with God’s will. Here are some tried-and-true pointers that can help you discern God’s will.
Take some alone time with God.
Take some to recognize God’s presence—sit with Scripture or a sacred image; spend some time getting in touch with nature; find a quiet spot, such as a chapel, that can help you recognize God’s loving presence in your life.
Search your feelings.
Ask yourself two important questions: When do I feel as though I’m drawing closer to God or walking with God? When do I feel like I am moving away from God? Your responses can help you figure out where you stand with God and help you make good decisions about the direction you are going.
Beware of temptation.
Knowing your temptations helps you be more careful so you don’t get caught off guard. Sometimes it is helpful to talk to someone you trust and ask for help in facing temptations.
Be conscious of your conscience.
Your conscience is that inner compass that helps you to judge the morality of your actions. It guides you to follow God’s law by doing good and avoiding evil.
Get help from the “network.”
You’re not alone. In addition to the grace of God, we have the Bible, the Church, and the Communion of Saints to help us. We can read stories about the ways that Jesus and the saints made decisions for God and how they dealt with temptations.
Check out the fruits.
Discernment is ongoing. After you make a decision, prayerfully evaluate it. If the fruits (outcomes) of your decision—your words, actions, and behaviors—are good, then it is a good indication that the decision you made is good. If the fruits are “rotten,” then that is a good indication that you may need to alter your course. True discernment results in good fruit (even if it’s something we wouldn’t normally pick out for ourselves).
Discernment can help you when you face decisions. Even though making good decisions can be difficult at times, trust that the Holy Spirit is with you to guide you and help you choose what is good and true.
What an amazing world we live in that a catechist in North America (me) can somehow connect with a potential catechist in Australia, some 10,000 miles away! I received the following comment from a prospective catechist in Australia after she viewed my catechist recruitment video.
Joe,
Viewed your video clip as I am considering the call to become a catechist in my Parish in New South Wales Australia.As you would be aware we have just had the Final Mass with Pope Benedict XVI and this past week WYD08 had been amazing. The young Catholics have been so excited ,refreshing and so committed to their faith. I think this will be an inspiration for many to connect with their faith again and also for others to grow in theirs. Thankyou for your insight. - Jillian
Thanks, Jillian. You will be in my prayers, hoping that you will join the worldwide “army” of catechists!
Have you marked your calendar for Catechetical Sunday? It officially takes place September 21, 2008. Of course, check with your parish DRE…some parishes celebrate on a different date because of conflicts in their local calendar (it’s not a liturgical feast, so parishes can celebrate it whenever they want).
Be sure to check out http://www.usccbpublishing.org/client/client_pages/catsun.cfm
I have a new “weapon” in the ongoing battle to recruit new catechists! Click on this picture:
Recruiting catechists is one of the most difficult challenges that catechetical leaders face! We catechists know that the invitation to become a catechist, while flattering, can also be intimidating. We’re not sure if we are qualified or capable of forming others in the faith. As a result, we often come into this ministry with a pinch of reluctance.
Once we have established ourselves as catechists, however, we develop a confidence that we can now use to encourage others to join us in this ministry. With that in mind, I put together this short video clip with the help of my son, Mike (the videographer) that I hope will encourage people to accept the invitation to serve as a catechist.
After you view it, let me know what you think. If you are considering the call to serve as a catechist, I hope it gives you something to think and pray about. If someone you know is considering the call to serve as a catechist, pass the link along to them. If you are a catechetical leader or you know of a catechetical leader who is recruiting catechists, tell them about this brief video so that they encourage their prospective catechists to view it.
The best recruitment message is the testimony of a current catechist who enjoys this ministry! If that’s you, send in your comments!!!
Does anyone remember courtship? Back in the day, the process of a young man and a young woman entering into an ever-deepening relationship followed a pattern. For some, this pattern still exists, however, with society’s casual attitudes about sex, for many the process is “out the window.”
Anyway, courtship follows a definite pattern:
- the couple meet and introduce themselves
- the couple spends time getting to know one another
- as a relationship develops, the couple learns how to “conform” to one another (”the things we do for love!”)
- at a certain point, the relationship is formalized, first with an engagement period, and then with the consummation of marriage
- as life goes on, the relationship bears fruit, not only of new children, but of the effects (hopefully positive!) that each person has on the other
All this to say that catechesis can be compared to a process of courtship (especially in the catechumenate). Last night, in discussion with the 8th grade catechists at Mary, Seat of Wisdom parish in Park Ridge, Illinois, we compared the Confirmation program to a courtship process. In particular, we looked at the Confirmation text being used by the parish (Confirmed in the Spirit, Loyola Press) and saw how the chapters of the book basically follow this courtship process:
- In the first 2 chapters, the young people meet (are introduced to) the Trinity and, in particular, the Holy Spirit
- In chapter 3, the young people get to know the Trinity more intimately through the teachings of the Church (the Creed)
- In chapters 4 and 5, the young people learn to conform to the life of the Trinity by exploring the moral life (the Commandments, the Beatitudes, conscience, etc.)
- In chapters 6 and 7, the young people explore how our relationship with the Trinity is formalized through the Sacraments and, in particular, how our relationship with the Holy Spirit is formalized in Confirmation.
- In chapter 8, often taught post-Confirmation, the young people learn how their relationship with the Trinity and in particular, the Holy Spirit, bears fruit (the Fruits of the Holy Spirit).
This, of course, is the pattern of the catechumenate (RCIA): inquirers meet (are introduced) to the life of the Trinity and the Church in the period of Inquiry; they get to know the Trinity and the Church in the period of the catechumenate; the catechumens learn to conform to the life of the Trinity throughout the catechumenate and, more intensely, during the period of Purification and Enlightenment (Lent); the relationship is formalized in the celebration of the Sacraments of Initiation; and the neophytes reflect on how their new relationship with the Trinity and the Church is bearing fruit during the period of Mystagogia.
I like this metaphor of courtship because it reminds us that, in catechesis, what we are nurturing is a relationship!
