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.
Lots of Catholics are talking about the controversy over Fr. Michael Pfleger’s politically and racially charged talk last week at Trinity United Church. Unfortunately, lots of knee-jerk reactions are happening. I have met Fr. Pfleger on a number of occasions over the years and have great respect for the way he has taken the Gospel to the streets. On the other hand, I also have many reservations about his tactics. It’s important for us as Catholics to turn to our teachings for guidance in forming our opinions in this matter. In this particular case, I think it is imperative that we explore the Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit (especially since the community of Saint Sabina, Fr. Mike’s parish, takes pride in being “dependent upon the Word of God and the power and presence of the Holy Spirit”), the Virtues, and the concept of prophecy.
The power and presence of the Holy Spirit is beyond our ability to control or harness. Jesus told us that the “wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8). Too many people have interpreted this passage as describing a Spirit-filled person rather than the power of the Spirit himself (no gender implied). Being Spirit-filled does not grant one license to do or say as one please. Too often, people jump to the conclusion that, to be a Spirit-filled person, means that you can do or say whatever you want and that the “rules” do not apply. It’s not that simple. For example, on the one hand, a Spirit-filled person must rely on the Gift of fortitude to challenge conventional thinking. By the same token, however, he or she also must rely on the Gift of Counsel which provides him or her with the ability to see the best way to follow God’s plan when we have choices to make. Fr. Pfleger has always been known for his fortitude which is admirable. In this most recent situation, however, I dare say that Fr. Pfleger lacked counsel. His mockery of Hilary Clinton is clearly not the best way to follow God’s plan as we make choices in this election.
A Spirit-filled person exemplifies the Fruits of the Holy Spirit as well. One of these traits is faithfulness which describes the conviction that one has in respect to the Gospel. At the same time, Spirit-filled people exemplify the fruit of self-control, i.e. the act of allowing God’s love to overcome our compulsive need for security, affection, esteem, power, and status. Fr. Pfleger is to be admired for his faithfulness to the Gospel…his convictions are deep and strong. Unfortunately, in this latest instance, he lacked self-control, allowing his need for affirmation from a congregation to cloud his thinking and to block God’s love from coming through. Not to mention the lack of the following Fruits of the Spirit in his talk: charity, kindness, and gentleness.
Finally, we can turn to the Virtues for guidance. The Virtues are attitudes or ways of acting that enable us to do good. In particular, we can look at the cardinal virtues: prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. A Spirit-filled person no doubt is called to practice these virtues. Fr. Pfleger is well-known for his commitment to justice and the fortitude that he draws upon in the face of injustice. In this latest episode, it would seem quite clear, however, that he lacked prudence (the ability to carefully and thoughtfully consider one’s actions) and temperance (self-control, restraint in both actions and speech).
I have no doubt that Fr. Pfleger is Spirit-filled. This does not mean, however, that he is free to do and say as he pleases when it comes to preaching the Gospel. Quite the contrary, the Spirit frees us to speak the truth but also makes us prisoners of Christ which means that we are bound to think and act in ways that are pleasing to Christ.
Finally, I don’t know where we have gotten this notion that a person who is seen as prophetic is incapable of speaking untruth. I believe that we have less to fear with the concept of papal infallibilty than we do with what seems to be this popular acceptance of “prophetic infallibility.” People defend Rev. Wright and Fr. Pfleger by saying that they are prophetic, as though somehow they are immune to preaching erroneously. A prophet is someone who is called to speak the truth of God and to communicate God’s will in order that people may be led back to the Covenant that God made with humankind. Just because a person’s “career” has been characterized by prophetic work and words does not excuse or justify momentary lapses of judgment. Fr. Pfleger laments the fact that his reputation to many in this country will now be based on a short YouTube snippet rather than on his years of prophetic acting and speaking. This is indeed unfortunate but it does not exonerate a serious lapse in judgment. My wife and I continuously remind our kids (now college age and beyond) that all it takes is one slip up - one momentary lapse of judgement - such as getting behind the wheel after a few drinks, to damage all the good you’ve done up to that point. The fact is, preaching and living the Gospel is like cultivating a garden. You cannot hope to nurture a small patch of weeds off in the corner that (you hope) few will see. (I borrowed that idea from Stephen Covey’s book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People)
Fr. Pfleger has offered an apology which is the appropriate action and that apology should be accepted. He must now work to show his contrition and that may involve humbly accepting the consequences that are handed to him by Cardinal George.
Last night I attended my end-of-the-year meeting with Arlene, my DRE. She schedules grade level meetings to informally evaluate the year and to look at the schedule for next year. So I was with several of my fellow 8th grade catechists last night as we chatted about what worked and what we’d like to tweak for the coming year. It was a good opportunity to compare notes with colleagues and to hear how they dealt with similar experiences. Our conclusion was that we made some great strides this past year in implementing some innovative ideas, especially the confirmation intensives. We committed to doing those once again and decided to schedule a couple of opportunities for our groups to come together for some large-group presentations, particularly for the Church history PowerPoint and the viewing of the segment from the Jesus of Nazareth DVD. It was a productive meeting and I appreciate the attention and affirmation that Arlene gives to all of us catechists!
I’m happy to announce that I’ve had an article published in the June-July, 2008, issue of Ministry and Liturgy Magazine (Resource Publications) titled “Through Hymns, With Hymns, and In Hymns: the Catechesis of Sacred Music.” The gist of the article is to point out how the hymns we sing at liturgy serve to catechize us and form us in faith. Enjoy.
through-hymns-with-hymns-and-in-hymns.pdf
I’m pondering a different kind of homework for my religious education students for next year.
Typically, we think of homework as completing some type of worksheet, writing an essay or a paragraph, or reading a chapter and answering questions.
I’m talking about a different kind of homework: assignments that amount to practicing what we preach. In other words, we hope that what we teach our young people will have an impact on how they live on a daily basis. We are trying to apprentice them into a way of life. Perhaps we can devise assignments that require them to attempt a new “skill” for Christian living with the idea that, on the following week, we could talk about their experience.
What might I be thinking about? Here are some examples based on Catholic social teaching:
- Life and dignity of the human person: Think of someone at school who is often “left out.” Go out of your way to sit with this person at lunch or during recess.
- Call to family, community, and participation: Go out of your way to do a chore at home that will make life easier for your parents and family.
- Rights and responsibilities: Focus on a responsibility that has recently become yours (at home, in school, as part of an extra-curricular activity) and do your best to fulfill it.
- Option for the poor and vulnerable: Select an opportunity this week, either at school or at your parish, to contribute to or participate in efforts to help those who are poor (e.g. a food or clothing drive, Catholic Relief Services, working at the soup kitchen, etc.)
- The dignity of work and the rights of workers: Visit www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/kidsweb/food and find out what FAIR TRADE is all about and come back with one example
- Solidarity - Visit www.hcakids.org to find out about the HOLY CHILDHOOD ASSOCIATION and come back with a story about children in another country who need our help.
- Care for God’s Creation - Keep a tally of how many items you can recycle in one week (e.g. plastic bottles, glass bottles, newspaper, aluminum cans, and so on)
As much as possible, I’m looking for these ideas to be practical and simple enough for an individual to accomplish on their own without requiring them to “make something” (no posters, etc.) and without repeatedly asking them to give money to causes that address these various needs. Likewise, various categories can be used to inspire the assignments. There can be assignments based on the Beatitudes, the Virtues, the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy, and much more.
My inspiration for this is Luke 10 in which Jesus sends out the 70 disciples in pairs with a mission to accomplish and then they report back to him. Likewise, in Luke 24, the Emmaus story, the 2 disciples go on to Jerusalem after their encounter with the Risen Christ and they report what they have experienced. I believe that this is an important part of the process of mentoring: assignments are given and then a “report” is given at which time advice can be offered. It is often in the telling of these experiences that the hand of God is recognized in the experience. I think we need to give our young people more experiences!
I’d love to hear your thoughts.
I’m proud to announce that I will be authoring “What’s Your Catholic IQ?” - a regular feature of Catechist Magazine, beginning with the September, 2008 issue! This feature - 20 multiple choice questions (and insightful answers) about all aspects of our Catholic faith - is a self-assessment for readers’ fun and enlightenment.
For years, this popular feature has been written by Page McKean Zyromski. I’m honored to be following in her footsteps to provide this great resource for catechists. I look forward to “meeting” you there!
The Catechist’s Toolbox talked about HOW we teach. Now, A Well-Built Faith will talk about WHAT we teach. I wrote this book not only for catechists, but for general audiences as well…(think especially, parents of kids in R.E.). I’ll tell you more about it in the days and weeks to come. For now, I just wanted to show you what it looks like!!! Click here!
I’m in the Diocese of New Ulm, MN with their catechetical leaders and youth ministers. I’ll be back to posting on Wednesday. Talk to ya then! -joe
This Sunday is, of course, Trinity Sunday. One problem that we often fall into when it comes to the Trinity is that we are always trying to explain the Trinity. Early Christians did not occupy themselves so much with explaining the Trinity as they did with KNOWING the Trinity. We can KNOW someone or something without fully understanding or being able to explain that someone or something. I KNOW my wife and she KNOWS me but we can’t explain eachother!
So what do we KNOW about the Trinity? We experience God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - a loving community; a loving relationship; three Persons in one God. In essence, God IS loving relationship. When we say that “God is love,” we are not describing a trait of God but the essence of God. God is fundamentally relational and involved. We are made in the image and likeness of God. This means that we are called to live in loving relationship with one another and God. We are called to be relational and involved. In other words, when we engage in loving relationship with others, we bear a “family resemblance” to God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - in whose image and likeness we are made.
Bottom line is, our goal is not to explain the Trinity. Our goal is to know the Trinity and to live like the Trinity - in loving relationship that resembles the Oneness of God.
Most of what I shared above is inspired by a little pamphlet called A Vision for Pastoral Ministry by Dr. Richard Gaillardetz.
I just want to take this opportunity to offer congratulations to all of this year’s graduates that catechist’s are involved with in any way! From students we teach in Kindergarten, 8th grade, senior year high school and college to members of our own families who are graduating to all of the catechists who are completing formation programs and achieving certification by their dioceses! Praise God for these accomplishments and for the grace that enabled(s) all of us to achieve them!
