From Fear to Courage: A Journey Toward
Becoming an Effective Evangelizing Church
By
Jennifer A. Houidobre
St. Norbert College
De Pere, WI
A thesis project submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree
of
Master of Theological Studies
Copyright 2006 Jennifer A. Houidobre. All Rights Reserved.
The author hereby grants to St. Norbert College permission to reproduce
and distribute publicly paper and electronic copies of this thesis document
in whole or in part.
CONTENTS
Introduction
This paper focuses on adult catechesis as Òthe principal form of catechesis because it is addressed to persons who have the greatest responsibilities and capacity to live the Christian message in its fully developed form.Ó[1] In developing this thesis I engaged in a project that assessed two current models of adult catechesis used by parishes in the United States today. The models assessed were Intergenerational Religious Education and Whole Community Catechesis. This project also involved a case study of adult faith formation needs at my parish. The results of this study were used to help my parish determine which model or variations of the models could be of most use in developing an ongoing and lifelong program of adult faith formation.
The impetus for writing this paper came from a conversation I had with a coworker regarding an invitation she received from a friend from another Christian denomination to attend a work camp experience. It was expected that a number of busloads of members were expected to go help with repair work needed in a particular community in Alabama. It was also expected that, with Bibles in hand, the group would be able to do some ÒevangelizationÓ work. My coworker declined the invitation for different reasons, one of which was because she was not comfortable going to share in a Bible experience she felt she was not prepared for. After this conversation I began to seriously consider that because faith formation in most parishes in the United States has not been ongoing and lifelong, many Catholic faithful are not knowledgeable about or articulate in the faith. As a result many parishes are not able to effectively carry out the ChurchÕs missionary mandate as given by Jesus[2] to ÒGo into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creatureÓ (Mk 16:15).
Encouraging adults in the parish to participate in an adult faith formation program is a challenge because it requires a change in their thinking process. The majority of adults have been focused on the faith formation of children to the virtual exclusion of continued faith formation of adults. Often catechesis stops at various stages in the process of the faith formation of children, thus hindering them as adults in their efforts to deepen, share and spread their faith. Many children do not continue their faith formation after receiving the sacrament of the Eucharist. Others end their catechetical experience after being confirmed. Without a continued effort to develop and deepen their faith, as adults they may feel inadequate with their knowledge of the Catholic faith and uncomfortable with or evasive about becoming involved in an adult faith formation program that involves them with their children or with other members of the parish. In an effort to develop the most appropriate program of adult catechesis, the following section presents a case study that examines the current needs of adult faith at my parish.
A Case Study Assessing Adult Needs
The National Directory for Catechesis (hereafter, NDC) contains a number of effective methods that should guide the selection of a program for adult catechesis. One of these methods is the identification of catechetical needs, situations and circumstances of adult lives.[3] A main reason for writing this paper is to address, in a practical way, adult needs at my parish. As a starting point to determine those needs, I designed a questionnaire.[4] The questionnaire does not include religious conditions or concerns as I am interested in those adults who are involved with the religious education of their children, presuming that most are Catholic. The questionnaire also does not contain questions that specifically refer to their experiences, problems or spiritual maturity, though some of these concerns are intimated in the answers given.
The questionnaire was given to ten persons in the age groups and categories within the parish as listed below. Eight of those returned answers to the questionnaire.[5] The responses received are a very small sampling of adults involved with the religious education program. Their answers provide some idea of adult catechetical needs but if the questionnaire is used in the future, a greater sampling would be needed for a more comprehensive examination of adult needs at my parish.
Adults- 35-55 years
-married with young to adolescent children in the RE program
-married with no children
-married with small children to younger, some in the RE program
-married with no children*
-for grades K-8
-for grades 9-12
The parish community is predominately Hispanic having a low to middle income range. It has well-established immediate and extended families who have lived in the community for many generations. There is a high elderly population, many of whom are raising or caring for their grandchildren.
The parish community, agriculturally oriented in the past, has become a more urban technical community. This reality is understood as due in part to the employment by Intel, causing a large number of young families to move into the immediate and surrounding areas.
Because of the increasing number of younger families moving into the area as well as young adults who grew up here, remained in the area and are raising their own families, the religious education program is experiencing a high number of students in attendance. Many of the new families in the area are monolingual Spanish-speaking families. These circumstances contribute to four parish priorities. The first is the building of a new school to accommodate the rising numbers of students in the religious education program. This includes a large number of adults who participate in the RCIA and Adult Confirmation programs. The religious education program is well developed, contributing to a second parish priority, that of sacramental preparation. Because of the priority of sacramental preparation, the program is family oriented. Responses to the questionnaire indicate a third priority, the desire to involve parents and families more directly in the religious education of their children. Exciting changes are being made in that area, in which parents and guardians are invited to join in sharing a simple meal before classes begin and returning fifteen minutes before classes are over to share with their children those things that were learned during class.
While other parish ministries are headed by individuals within each particular ministry, the religious education program is headed primarily by the Religious Education Director who oversees facilitators, coordinators and volunteers.
Other active ministries include those for older adults, such as the Catholic Daughters and Knights of Columbus. However, there is a lack of ministries in which young adults who belong to the parish and youth that have already been confirmed can be more active. The fourth priority at the parish is to provide enough programs that reach out to adolescents, youth and young families to keep them involved and to evangelize to those lacking in the faith. There is also a concern that more sophisticated programs for adults be developed.
When asked about the importance of age group catechesis, responses ranged from Ònot very interestedÓ to Òvery important to Òimportant for youth.Ó There was little explanation regarding any of the answers. This reveals one flaw in the questionnaire. It is possible that the term Òage groupingsÓ in question #12 is not understood well enough to give more specific or concrete answers. This question would need rewording for future use to include a statement about what the term Òage groupingsÓ in catechesis means.
As regards current and potential leaders able to conduct age group catechesis, most responses to the questionnaire indicated that there were enough persons willing to head the different kinds of programs but that most volunteers needed training before doing so.
Part of that training would involve an awareness of a mission statement for the parish. My parish does not have a mission statement which guides the different parish ministries. There are, however, written aims for the religious education program. Program aims include proclamation of the Word, promoting worship of God, inspiring moral living, encouraging a spirit of prayer, developing the community of God and motivating persons to do service.
Based on responses to the questionnaire, there is a wide range of understanding regarding evangelization. The common thought is that evangelization efforts are focused within the parish and are for aiding the parish community in its understanding of the faith. Responses to the questionnaire included promoting membership, taking communion to the sick, providing religious education for children and listening to the readings during the Sunday liturgy.
The common theme running throughout the responses to the questionnaire is that, in an ideal parish situation, there needs to be more involvement in programs and varied forms of group participation offered at all age levels. The desire was expressed that persons develop confidence through knowledge of the faith by becoming involved in Scripture study and prayer groups.
It is interesting to note that the pastor did
not respond to the questionnaire.
In order for any vision of change to take place at the parish level, it
is important that the endeavor receive support from the pastor. The document Adult Catechesis in the
Christian Community (hereafter
ACCC), published by the International Council for Catechesis in 1990, states that priests assume the responsibility for the local
communities and should be directly involved in the catechesis of adults.[6] Support by the parish priest is
essential in careful planning of adult catechesis helping to close gaps created
in the Religious Education experience of many Catholic adults, aiding them in
becoming mature in their faith.
Recognizing
ÒA Broken EcologyÓ
In
order to understand what is needed to bridge gaps created in the religious
education experience so that the Catholic faithful achieve full maturity of
their faith, it is important to understand some of the contributing factors
that have hindered this goal.
John Westerhoff, in his book Will Our Children Learn?, states that the problem rests not in the educational program itself, but in the model or paradigm which supports or guides educational efforts.[7] Since the turn of the twentieth century, Christian educators in the United States have functioned according to a Òschooling-instructional paradigm,Ó[8] one that mirrored public education. The schooling paradigm equated teaching as ÒtellingÓ to children assembled in rows of desks in a classroom[9] that tended more toward lecturing with a heavy emphasis on moral preaching. This method lacked what Thomas Groome calls a holistic or humanist[10] approach to education, one that involves the whole of a person--head, heart and hand.[11]
To understand the need to shift thought from the ÒschoolingÓ paradigm to a new model, it is important to first understand what Westerhoff describes as seven ÒinstitutionsÓ in society that existed during the first one-third of the twentieth century. These institutions intentionally worked together to produce an effective educational paradigm[12] during that time.
The first ÒinstitutionÓ found the community consciously engaged in religious education. Life in a typical small town nurtured persons in the particular culture of the community in which persons lived. Secondly, families were basically secure. The community had few single parent families and no interfaith marriages. Persons lived and died within one hundred miles of where they were born. The third ÒinstitutionÓ provided a natural family setting which made a significant contribution to a personÕs religious education. Living under the same roof, both parents were frequently at home and shared family life together. Relatives living nearby had continuous interaction with family members. In the fourth Òinstitution,Ó Protestant parochial schools practiced a daily ritual of Bible reading, reciting the LordÕs Prayer and working on moral religious lessons. Roman Catholics, in turn, supported their own parochial school system to educate their children. The fifth ÒinstitutionÓ was Church supported by the community. Church was a place where community members regularly met to interact with each other and to share their faith. In the sixth Òinstitution,Ó the availability of religious reading materials provided a major source of ÒentertainmentÓ and religious education in the home. The final ÒinstitutionÓ involved the entire community in its ÒSunday schoolÓ religious instruction. Teaching was lay-directed, with women playing a significant leadership role. Religious education provided an intergenerational setting where persons could engage in religious celebrations such as Christmas, Easter, dedications and baptisms, as well as school and secular events. The whole community was involved in Church and social functions.
Westerhoff describes several societal changes that occurred by the end of the first one-third of the twentieth century, causing a break in the cycle that he calls Òa broken ecology.Ó[13] Religious education in the Church today continues to accept the schooling-instructional paradigm, ignoring the changing societal structures which make it no longer viable as a workable or effective model.[14] Societies in which persons live today are more heterogeneous.[15] There is a plurality of cultures and religions that compete with transmitting a particular set of religious understandings.[16] Family members often lack direct interaction with extended family members. Both parents may work outside of the home. There are situations of divorce, unwed mothers and single parents raising the family. There are interfaith marriages which often bring tension within the family, causing a greater chance of isolation from both spouseÕs sets of belief systems. Day care centers and retirement homes have taken over much of the care that used to be provided by immediate and extended family members. The majority of organized youth activities is secular and often conflicts with the activities of the Church. Public schools are religiously neutral.[17] Religion can be taught there but in general terms rather than as a personal statement of belief. Fewer parents are sending their children to parochial schools.
Societal changes require new thinking regarding the religious education process. It is now more imperative than ever before that the Church recognizes its need to form a Christian community of believers who are mature in their faith and are prepared to withstand the pressures of todayÕs societal values. This calls for Christians who can articulate and boldly proclaim the gospel message in a world that is often opposed to, ignorant of, or desiring to know of GodÕs great initiative of love as made known through Jesus Christ.
The
ChurchÕs Mission of Evangelization through catechesis
The NDC states that evangelization and catechesis are among the principal means by which the Church hands on the faith.[18] GodÕs message of salvation was revealed fully in Jesus Christ. By the power of the Holy Spirit, the disciples of Jesus preached the Gospel as Christ commanded, handing on divine revelation to all future generations. This mission includes not only passing on the faith but also building up the Kingdom of God, a kingdom begun here on earth and terminating in an eschatological event that is meant for all people of all times.[19]
Catechesis is an essential dimension of Church activity that contributes to its missionary effort and formation of disciples of Christ. The NDC lists elements of the catechetical endeavor: giving form to missionary preaching that is intended to arouse the first signs of faith, allowing for examination of reasons for belief, bringing the faithful together so that they may express their experiences in light of Christian living, preparing the faithful for the celebration of the sacraments, facilitating integration into the Church community, and preparing the faithful for the ecumenical mission of the Church.[20]
Within the ChurchÕs mission of evangelization, catechesis gives support to and helps bring to maturity the faith of the Church community. Since Vatican II, Catholic Church documents make clear the importance of parents as primary catechists in the faith formation of their children. The CCC states that the role of parents in faith formation is so important that it is impossible to provide an adequate substitute.[21] Parents have the greatest responsibility and capacity to live out their faith and hand it on to their children.[22] Because of this importance, the NDC states that adult catechesis should have high priority at all levels of the church because all other forms of catechesis are oriented in some way to adult catechesis.[23] The U.S. Catholic BishopsÕ document Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us (hereafter, OHWB) considers adult catechesis the central task, the axis around which revolves the catechesis of childhood, adolescence and old age.[24]
Rationale for adult faith formation in the Church must speak clearly to its members so they can better understand why they are an important and vital part of an on-going and lifelong process of faith formation in the task of evangelization. As such, parents, having the greatest responsibility for handing on the faith, are the primary catechists for their children. On the other hand, in the Address of Pope Benedict XVI to the participants in the Ecclesial Diocesan Convention of Rome, he states that parents, single-handedly, cannot transmit to children love and the meaning of life.[25] Part of this responsibility is conferred upon the Church, the larger family in which through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, GodÕs eternal and indestructible love may be communicated and recognized by every person. Benedict continues by stressing the important relationship of the family, a Òsmall domestic church,Ó[26] to the larger Church. Both family and Church are called into collaboration in the fundamental task that consists in the formation of the person and the transmission of the faith.[27]
Catechists, parents of our children, and adults of the faith community are all encouraged to nurture the seeds of faith necessary for fostering and making concrete the ChurchÕs mission of evangelization. Effective evangelization is intimately tied to effective catechesis by and for the adults of the community. In order that our children, adolescents and youth become adults of mature faith,[28] the Church community must always be involved on every level in Òproclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindranceÓ (Acts 28:31). The Church must more strongly become a people who, by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, shares with and draws people to GodÕs message of hope offered to all humankind through his son Jesus Christ.
The Church, as the people of Christ, must be prepared to proclaim all that Christ is and has done for the world through his saving action on the cross and in his resurrection. The NDC states that the ChurchÕs evangelization activity consists of several essential elements: to proclaim Christ, preach Christ, bear witness to Christ, teach Christ and celebrate ChristÕs sacraments.[29] The emphasis on evangelization is focused on Christ and aims at both an interior change of individuals as well as an exterior change in society.[30] Evangelization cannot take place without the support and constant efforts of adults mature in their faith. Neither can the faith be passed on to our children if parents and adults in the faith community are not prepared or eager to do so.
A step to be taken in the effort to encourage those reluctant to initiate a program of adult faith formation, be it the parents, adults in the faith community, members of the pastoral staff, or the parish priest, is to use sources that bear witness to the reasons and need for such a program. The Church has three such sources of rationale at its disposal: that of Scriptural witness, Christian Tradition and contemporary experience.
As Scriptural witness, the Bible is not simply an historical account of events or a guide for moral living. ÒAll Scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good workÓ (2 Tim 3:16-17). Along with Sacred Scripture, our Catholic faith is built on Christian Tradition, Òthe living and lived faith of the Church.Ó[31] Adults play an important role in Christian Tradition as we experience and share with others the traditions of the faith. A third and rich source of rationale for the catechesis of adults can be found in contemporary experience, as expressed through the documents of the Church and through the works of well-known authors in the fields of developmental psychology and religious education. These sources will help frame the importance and need for adult faith formation that provides its participants with a better vision for becoming an evangelizing Church.
Rationale
for Adult Catechesis from Scriptural Witness
The Church receives its vision of family and community in part from Sacred Scripture. As Christians, we are taught to turn to the Bible as a source of strength, encouragement and hope. We consider its contents as authoritative and meaningful for our lives. The message of salvation was revealed to all humankind through Jesus, as passed on by the apostles and their successors and committed to writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The Church holds both the Old and New Testaments as sacred and canonical because, written under the power of the Holy Spirit, they have God as their author.[32] As such, all books of Scripture must be acknowledged as teaching solidly, faithfully and without error so that those who belong to God Òmay be efficient and equipped for good work of every kind.Ó[33] As the inspired Word of God, the Bible is a primary source for explaining and demonstrating the important and necessary role adults play in the formation and the expansion of the Christian community.
The Old Testament writings or Hebrew Scriptures reveal how the Spirit of God was present with the Israelites in their relationship with God and through their experiences with each other. The message that God dwelled among them helping the people was meant to be instilled in their hearts for all time. Deuteronomy 4:9 exhorts parents to remember all that has been seen and spoken so that they can teach the faith to their children and their children after them. Passing on the faith to future generations by remembering GodÕs goodness is a central task in maintaining a relationship with God.
It is by the will and power of God alone that the Israelites are delivered out of slavery and out of the hands of enemies. The writer of Psalm 44:1 remembers the good deeds God has done as handed on to him through his ancestors. As the psalmist remembers GodÕs deliverance of his people in the face of adversity, he does not forget that redemption comes from God alone. The opening of Psalm 78 instructs that the good deeds of the Lord be taught to children as God commanded the forefathers of the Israelites. The psalmist retells the history of the Jewish nation from the time of slavery in Egypt to DavidÕs reign so that generations to follow would not make the same mistakes as their ancestors.[34] The Book of Proverbs repeats the necessity of listening to a parentÕs teachings (1:8; 4:1; 6:20) and gives words of wisdom to the young so that ÒWhen you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with youÓ (6:22).
The New Testament also shows the importance of the role that adults play in passing on the faith. First, it was the responsibility of the elders sound in faith (Titus 2:2), exhorting each other to tend to the flock (1 Peter 5:1-2). Tending the flock implies passing on a sound faith to all in the community. This included women who were to teach what was good, an implication that the domestic responsibilities of early Christian women included passing on the faith to younger women and to children (Titus 2:3). Young men were to accept the authority of the elders, model good works, teach with integrity, gravity and sound speech that could not be censured. In doing so, Ò. . . then any opponent will be put to shame, having nothing evil to say of usÓ (Titus 2:7). Even slaves were to be taught the faith so that they would be Òan ornament to the doctrine of GodÓ (Titus 2:9).
Every believer needs to be educated in the faith. To give strong and clear witness to God, one must have a firm grasp of the Word. The Gospel, however, does not become effective until it moves from beliefs and teachings to life-changing experience.[35] The Acts of the Apostles records the spread of the Gospel and the growth of the Church. Luke, its author, gives the witness of the early Christians to their new faith in Christ by personal testimony (Acts 11; 22:1-22; 26:9-23), preaching (2:14-42; 10: 34-43; 11:26; 14:1, 7; 17:1-7; 28:31) and defense before authorities (4:7-12; 7, 24:1-21). They did so with boldness and courage. Wherever Christians were residing and whenever they were forced to flee from their homes, they testified to their experience in such a way that numbers were being continually added to the Church (2:47; 5:14; 6:1,7; 9:31; 11:21,24; 16:5).
The early Christians could not accomplish the task of being witness to the faith by their own effort. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, given to them at Pentecost, Christians were able to sustain themselves in proclaiming the Gospel message, many times under great persecution, as they joined together for support and strength. Just as the apostles met together on the day of Pentecost, the day they received the power of the Holy Spirit, so the newly forming Christian community met together as believers who encouraged each other in many ways through prayer, examining Scripture and sharing in the remembrance of the risen Lord in the breaking of the bread. Spending much time together (Acts 1:14; 2:46 12:12; 15:6,30; 16:13), these Christians used prayer to make decisions (1:24-25), to give thanks and praise (2:47; 4:24-28, 10:46; 19:6), for support and encouragement (4:32-37; 6:1-6; 13:3; 15:30-33; 16:40; 18:27; 19:6; 20:1-2,36; 21:5-6), in supplication (9:40; 10:2; 21:5) and sharing in receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus (2:42, 46; 20:7, 11). They also met together for examining the Scriptures (2:46; 5:42; 6:2; 11:26; 17:11; 23:23, 31). By careful study, the early Christians preserved and transmitted the word of God, having confidence in their ability to preach boldly.
Raymond E. Brown, in his book The Churches the Apostles Left Behind, gives insight into how the early Church survived after the death of the apostles. His book is a study of different types of Christian Churches as described in the New Testament, each with its own unique emphasis on community life. Each of these different churches offers for us today examples and lessons which can help the Church renew its effort to form adult communities that are willing and prepared to proclaim the Good News.
Brown presents to us a picture of a Church structure that is primarily pastoral, one concerned with tending the flock. In Acts, for example, the dying PaulÕs advice on how to survive, given to Timothy and Titus, shows concern for an existing flock that might be led astray by false teachers. Scriptural passages that stress the importance of passing on the faith first by the elders of the community to younger men, then to the women and children, even to the slaves within the families, suggests the necessity of passing on the faith so that early Church members could discern truth from false teachings.
Like
the early Christian Church, parishes today wanting to bring to their members a
new or renewed effort in adult faith formation, must look seriously at a
structure that will preserve the apostolic heritage of the church. Paul wanted to protect early Christians
against those who could be easily lead them astray by radical or new ideas not
in keeping with or misinterpreting the Gospel message. Many Church members today, who
lack a basic and clear understanding of scripture, are in danger of accepting
as a norm the common social attitudes held in society that threaten to
undermine Christian values.
Learning from the elders of the community, whether from a priest giving
the homily during mass, a parent in the family structure or a trained catechist
teaching others, pastoral care of Òthe flockÓ is a necessary first step in
preserving an apostolic heritage that is ongoing and lifelong so that all the
faithful may Òhold firmly to the sure word as it was taughtÓ (Titus 1:9). GodÕs revelation of salvation for all
as revealed to us through Jesus Christ and passed down by the apostles
continues through the Church faithful today. The understanding of divine revelation is always an ongoing
and lifelong process as it is played out in Christian lives and in the evangelical
mission of the Church.
Brown develops the idea of fellowship or Koinonia of the early church. Early Christians were tied together by their personal relationship to Jesus as experienced in the resurrected Lord. Through the celebration of the Eucharist, they were bound in a unique way to the Body of Christ and by their personal relationship to the Father through Christ as the People of God. In sharing the Word and in the celebration of the Eucharist, Koinonia was strengthened among believers. The early Church survived the many heretical ideas that threatened to disrupt the essential teachings of the Christian faith because its members were able to stand firmly on the solid ground provided by the relationship each member had to one another. Through the Òbreaking of the bread,Ó they were encouraged and strengthened as a group and in their personal relationship with the risen Christ, the animating principle of the community, still Òalive and wellÓ in their midst.[36] In maintaining Koinonia among its members, the early Christian community was seen and experienced as both familial and personal. The Church today must, as Brown states, Òbring people into some personal contact with Jesus so that they can experience in their own way what made people follow him in the first place.Ó[37]
Rationale for Adult Catechesis from
Christian Tradition
The second important source of rationale for the catechesis of adults and its link with evangelization is Christian Tradition, Òthe living and lived faith of the Church.Ó[38] The process of handing on the faith is found in the Tradition (uppercase) of the Church practiced by its faithful, some of which includes Scripture, essential doctrines of the Church and the celebration of the Eucharist and other sacraments. Tradition transmits in its entirety the Word of God entrusted to the apostles and passed on to us.[39] ÒTradition is to be distinguished from the various theological, disciplinary, liturgical, or devotional traditions born in the local churches over time.Ó[40] These would include traditions (lowercase) such as changeable customs, teachings and practices that reflect the distinctive reality of Catholicism through expressions of belief that have received the official approval of the Church and have been accepted as normative statements of Christian faith.[41]
Catholicism defines itself not only by means of Scriptural Witness but also as a product of its history as expressed through life and experience. The Catholic Church teaches that Sacred Scripture and Tradition, as two sources of revelation, are held as normative and authoritative. The CCC states, ÒSacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, then, are bound closely together and communicate one with the other.Ó[42] The Church Òdoes not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from Holy Scripture alone. Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence.Ó[43]
The Church has a rich history that helps to understand the place Sacred Scripture and Tradition have played in the catechetical process of both children and adults. Before the use of written texts the faith was handed on through proclamation, catechesis, worship and example. Catechesis for the early Christian church involved sharing life experiences, encouraging and supporting each other which included communal prayer, acts of justice and studying scripture for deepening the faith and preparing members to be witnesses for Christ to the world.
During the Middle Ages, catechesis was influenced by St. Augustine (354-430), who introduced a four-step methodology similar to a process developed over time by other early Christians. It involved:
1. Telling the story.
2. Explaining the doctrine in the story.
3. Asking questions to check understanding.
4. Exhorting to right behavior.[44]
As with the early Christians, from the time of Augustine to the fifteenth century, catechesis was primarily oral. Though first introduced in AugustineÕs treatise The First Catechetical Instruction, this pattern of catechesis can already be seen in Acts when St. Paul witnesses to Agrippa. In Acts 26: 4-16, he first tells the story of how he persecuted Christians and, while traveling to Damascus to continue his persecution, he experiences his conversion when Christ speaks and appears to him. Paul then explains the doctrine as Christ reveals his plan for Paul to be sent to the Jews and the Gentiles so that Òthey may turn from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in meÓ (26: 17-18). In verses 25-27, Paul checks for understanding by questioning AgrippaÕs belief in the message of the prophets. Finally, in verse 29, Paul exhorts Agrippa and all those listening to right behavior that they Òmight become such as I am,Ó desiring the salvation offered by God.
This method of adult catechesis used by the early Christians and passed on into the Middle Ages by St. Augustine would experience a shift that would affect religious education for centuries to come. First, the Church changed its format of catechetical instruction from interaction within the community, adults being the primary recipients of catechesis, to catechesis which involved primarily children. During the 1500s, a prototype of future catechesis for children was developed. In 1529 Martin Luther published his Small Catechism with its series of questions and answers. In 1596 the Jesuit Peter Canisius published an abbreviated version of his compendium on Christian Doctrine called the Short Catechism, which included fifty-nine questions and answers for children to memorize. It became instruction with a book, rather than understanding the ChurchÕs stories. Those of us growing up under the book instruction methodology may well remember our own catechetical experience of memorization and recall.
The second effect of the shift is that religious education began to develop into other forms. In 1566, a catechism as a resource for clergy was produced as a results of talks stemming from the Council of Trent (1545-1563). Its authors intended the text for use by clergy to help them in their sermons and their instruction of children and youth.[45] As a means to memorization, it was written in running prose, not in question and answer form. It became the basis for many catechisms written by priests and bishops in the Post-Reformation period.[46]
By the nineteenth century, the question of a uniform catechism became a worrisome concern for bishops in the United States. Many favored the adoption of a single catechism. In April of 1885, The Baltimore Catechism was published.[47] The Baltimore Catechism was a book containing seventy-two pages with 421 questions in thirty-seven chapters. An anonymous critic at the time writing in Pastoral Blatt, a monthly periodical from St. Louis, found it to be educationally unstable and theologically inadequate. Though met with serious resistance from both instructors and bishops, it would not be for nearly fifty years that a revision would take place. Even when it was revised, bishops felt that the catechism was neither christocentric, trinitarian nor biblical. It did not incorporate the liturgical insights of the time or show priorities among the doctrines. It did, however, like the original edition, promote both unity and uniformity.[48]
A third effect of the shift was that, by the twentieth century, many ways of improving methodology for teaching were developed. Primary concerns focused on how children learned as well as on the content of what was being taught. Children were introduced to drama, dance, drawing, singing and liturgical celebrations. Even so, by the 1930s the prevailing attitude held that understanding doctrine was not enough, even if carried out through new and creative ways of teaching. Religious instruction should also focus on the formation of the child.[49]
The work of the famous liturgist and catechist Josef Jungmann (1889-1976), brought to the Church new insights into the nature, goal and process of catechesis.[50] His insights would later bring attention to the need for adult catechesis leading to current Church thinking that adult catechesis is the axis around which revolves all other forms of catechesis. His work would ultimately lead the Church to consider the important relationship between catechesis and evangelization.
While doing his pastoral ministry in villages of his native Austria,
Jungmann recognized a spiritual deficiency of the village people that he
described as Òthe vast gulf between the joyful good news of the gospel and the
legalistic fearsome piety of the people of the parish.Ó[51]
He stated that Òthe main root of todayÕs religious malady is. . . an extensive
misunderstanding or nonunderstanding of the Christian message.Ó[52] Jungmann described church life as
Òimpoverished due to a static theology that did not speak to peopleÕs lives, a
liturgy divorced from the people. . . .Ó[53]
He believed that the inadequacies experienced by the people were because of a catechesis which was not Christ-centered. The Òradiant coreÓ of the salvation message, ÒChrist and Grace, became ever more and more separated.Ó [54] Catechesis, strong in doctrinal formation was lacking in its interaction with Scripture and liturgy. Jungmann believed that an examination of doctrine, Scripture and liturgy was intimately connected with the witness of daily life.
At the same time Jungmann was introducing his ideas, Joseph Colomb (1902-1979), a French Sulpician priest, was also bringing to the Church new insights about the nature, goal and process of catechesis. Colomb was responsible for two major contributions. First, he emphasized that understanding is dependent on experience. Secondly, he pointed out that the act of faith is a response to God, not a response to objective statements.[55] While believing that faith is a gift from God and that the content of that which is taught to children should stress understanding, each is free to choose this gift but that every free person should be educated to fight for his faith Òin the measure in which that has a meaning for the child.Ó[56] Both Jungmann and Colomb realized that the current methods of teaching were not producing the desired effects of understanding nor was teaching producing adults who wanted and would chose to Òfight forÓ their faith.
I stress the words Òa meaning for the childÓ because it indicates that during the early part of the twentieth century, religious education was still focused on the child. There is a vital connection here between adult catechesis and the prophetic statements both men were making in regard to the state of the adult faithful of the Church at the time. Both Jungmann and Colomb were intuitively aware of the fact that current catechesis was not a life-changing experience for adult members as it should be. Their understanding that the problem lay in the manner and content of what was being taught was correct but not complete. Others later in the twentieth century would, in addition to the manner and content of what was being taught, understand the necessity for adding the formation of adults in their quest to develop in the faithful a love for the Gospel message.
In 1962, catechetical leaders assembled in Bangkok, Thailand, would initiate a dramatic shift from the emphasis on the catechesis of children to the catechesis of adults.[57] Up to this point, Church history does not speak to its effort to catechize adults, other than in the early Church. Jungmann and Colomb were keenly aware that the faith formation of children stopped at some point, a crucial point, in which what was being desired for and learned by children was not being assimilated into their lives as adults. The Church today now understands, as Pope John Paul IIÕs encyclical Redemptoris Missio and the U.S. Catholic Bishops document OHWB express, that evangelization efforts require adult believers who are articulate in sharing a faith they understand, embrace and live.[58]
The Catholic Tradition has contributed greatly to the education of our youth and continues to do so but it is through our adult faithful that the evangelical mission of the Church will be made fruitful, because it is the adults who Òhave the greatest responsibilities and the capacity to live the Christian message in its fully developed form.Ó[59] The Church has been experiencing a renewal in catechesis that is taking place in many parishes today. A discussion on the contemporary efforts of the Church in the area of adult catechesis, its relationship to other forms of catechesis and its inseparable connection to evangelization will be discussed later in this paper.
Before going into such a discussion, one final aspect of the Christian
Tradition needs to be given important attention. Many parishes across the United States are embracing the call to involve our adult faithful in
a catechetical process that helps its members better understand and deepen
their faith. They are doing so by
embracing a fourfold presentation of the faith much like that followed by the
early Christian communities of Acts and developed in the methodology of St.
Augustine. This catechesis
embraces faith through liturgy, Bible, systematic teaching and testimony of
Christian living.[60]
Many other parishes, however, have not yet embraced this catechetical renewal. This does not diminish the fact that, without being involved in a formal program of catechesis, many parents and adults of the community are and have been sharing and passing on the faith in many ways, keeping it alive and meaningful in their lives as well as in the lives of future generations.
Ritual practices have become traditions, forming a Tradition of faith
that is a binding force for families.
Catholics receive their identity as Christians through the practice of
the traditions that make up their faith.
These traditions come from the foundations of faith by which Catholic
Christians live their lives and pass on the Christian message of salvation.
These traditions reach out to each man, woman and child as they are drawn and
bound to each other through common Christian experience. Their ceremonies and rituals serve as
reminders of the faith and help instruct new and younger members. Catholic Christians develop traditions
in the family and within the church to highlight the significance of doctrine,
to serve as reminders for older persons and learning experiences for younger
ones.
Tradition, the living and lived faith of the Church, is expressed in many traditions (the various theological, disciplinary, liturgical or devotional traditions born in the local churches over time) by which adults pass on the faith. As Catholics, some may not have fully considered the weight adults play in the Catholic Tradition of the Church. In presenting rationale that supports the need for adult faith formation as the axis around which revolves the catechesis of all other age groups, especially that of our children, it is important to emphasize the ways in which parents and adults in the faith community have been and continue to pass on the faith to future generations.
Some areas through which our traditions of the faith arise and have been passed on to others are the oral or vocal tradition of prayer, the narrative or story-telling tradition and sacramental traditions. The CCC states that vocal (or oral) prayer is an essential element of Christian life and is the most readily accessible way to present statements of the faith to groups.[61] Prayers such as the Nicene and ApostleÕs Creed, the Our Father and the Hail Mary are examples of prayers in which basic essential doctrine of the Christian faith and the teachings of the Church are passed on. Catholics have learned these teachings through the tradition of prayer by repetition and contemplation during masses and by memorization and study during religious education classes, at home or at other religious functions within the community. These prayers, within the particular ceremony or ritual in which they have been learned, have become an important part of the life of the Church.
The Creeds, as
statements of our faith, can be used to illustrate the narrative or
story-telling tradition many Catholic faithful use to teach the truths they
express. Some most commonly
recognized and practiced traditions come from the two most important Christian
celebrations namely, Christmas and Easter. The following section of the Nicene Creed states the
doctrine from which narrative or story-telling traditions play themselves out
as they arise from the Christmas celebration: ÒFor us men and for our
salvation, he came down from heaven. By the power of the Holy Spirit he was
born of the Virgin Mary, and became man.Ó[62]
During the Advent season, a most common expression of the faith is the use of a nativity scene to teach about the Christmas Story. Religious education classrooms, churches, homes and other places in the community are filled with reminders of the birth of the Baby Jesus. We are reminded of the Christmas story through Gospel readings (Matthew 1:18-2:12; Luke 2:1-19) and homilies. By the very action of placing a nativity scene inside and outside our homes, we remind and teach to all generations our belief in salvation through the Lord. Another tradition, Las Posadas, is an enactment in song of Mary and JosephÕs journey to Bethlehem, their search for shelter and the birth of their son, Jesus, as celebrated in Spanish and Mexican cultures throughout the United States.
Through many Lenten traditions, the Catholic community shares its beliefs in the following section of the Nicene Creed:
For our sake, he was crucified under Pontius Pilate. He suffered, died and was buried. On the third day, he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead.[63]
Catholic Christians gather together
on Ash Wednesday to begin the season in prayer as they receive the ashes that
represent the beginning of a time of repentance and preparation, while
considering the meaning of the death and resurrection of the Lord in Christian
lives. Persons participate in the
Stations of the Cross, and reflect through guided oral meditation, the story of
JesusÕ journey as he made his way to the cross and to his death on
Calvary. During the Lenten
experience, religious education classes, homes, families and parishes display
the suffering Christ upon the cross and contemplate the gift of salvation as
the Passion of our Lord is acted out or read. The tradition of Òpilgrims,Ó the Catholic faithful who walk
in prayer many miles and sometimes for days to holy sites as a way of enacting
ChristÕs walk to Calvary, is another way in which Catholics express their
belief in the saving death of the Lord.
The enactments of the Christmas Story and the Passion of Jesus Christ and pilgrimages to holy sites give a message that speaks louder that any words. There is no preaching or proselytizing. The medium is the message. This silent message rests on our tabletops and in our front yards and in every parish around the world at Christmas time. These traditions speak in subtle ways as reminders to the Christian community and to all people of the faith professed when the Creeds are recited.
Like the
traditions developed over time and celebrated during the Advent-Christmas and
Lent-Easter seasons, a third area in which the traditions of our faith arise
and are passed on by parents and adults comes from the liturgical
celebration. As a sacramental
Church, the faithful experience the Paschal Mystery, the saving grace of Christ
through his life, death, resurrection and ascension in the reception of
Baptism, the Eucharist, the Rite of Confirmation and other sacraments. A sacrament is a sign of GodÕs
invisible presence and grace through which the Church manifests and celebrates
its faith.[64] Sacraments are important moments of
Christian life that give Òbirth and increase, healing and mission to the ChristianÕs
life of faith.Ó[65] In the celebration of the Sacraments,
the Church community is drawn more deeply into the liturgical celebration. As a
faith community that celebrates together, the faithful share in the mystery of
God incarnate and his saving grace through the actions of his son Jesus Christ.
The traditions that have come from the customs, teachings and practices of our faith explain the distinctive reality of Catholicism. These traditions have been celebrated by the Church community and passed on from generation to generation. They are an important process of the faith formation as experienced through Catholic Christian heritage. Christian Tradition and Scriptural witness provide models for catechesis which can be followed and adapted to the changing needs of our times as was done by the inspired faithful of past centuries. We have seen how the first Christians grew in their faith, contributing to the growth of the Church as mandated by Christ. We too can be inspired by their example of community interaction, oral instruction, prayer, support, encouragement and exhortation to right behavior to each other and to those who hear the message of salvation. We can also be inspired and committed to a renewal in catechesis that exemplifies and gives importance to the struggles and gains made by the Church since the time of the apostles in its effort to make the Christian experience more meaningful.
The Church must continue its effort to orient and make comfortable the catechesis of adults to the Catholic community as was first addressed by catechetical leaders assembled in Bangkok. In doing so, the Church increases the possibility that, unlike JungmannÕs observations of the vast gulf between the lived and living faith of the people, by closing the gap, Catholic faithful will discover and continue to experience the Òjoyful and good news of the Gospel.Ó[66]
Rationale for
Adult Catechesis From Ecclesial Documents
Scriptural witness and Christian Tradition do not offer a complete picture of the importance of adult catechesis without the partnership of contemporary experience. This section explores current thought in this area as expressed in Church documents since Vatican II and as discussed in written works by important leaders in the field of adult faith formation. This section refers to and expands on four key statements taken from ecclesial documents to show important rationale for adult catechesis. The second part of this section expands upon these statements, using central themes in adult catechesis as discussed by current theorists and practitioners of religious education and adult psychology.
The development of rationale for adult catechesis from ecclesial documents is divided into the following four sections, each exploring an important statement made from within the different ecclesial documents. The statements to be developed are:
1. In its effort to carry out ChristÕs command to proclaim the Gospel, the Church believes that. . .
most adults are
capable of a free and informed response of faith
to GodÕs
initiative of love. They Òhave a
right and a duty to bring
to maturity
the seed of faith sown in them by God.Ó[67]
2. In the ongoing process of becoming articulate in
their faith, parents. . .
live out their faith and
hand it on to their children.[68]
3. Because adults have the greatest capacity to live out their faith and hand it on to younger generations, adult faith formation must be. . .
the central
task in [this] catechetical enterprise, becoming
the axis
around which revolves the catechesis of childhood,
and
adolescence as well as old age.[69]
4. Because the fundamental task of catechesis is Òthe formation of disciples of Christ,Ó. . . [70]
Evangelization is so central to
the life of the Church that, should she neglect her sacred responsibility of bringing
the Good News of Jesus Christ to all of humanity, she would be faithful neither
to the mission entrusted to her by her Lord nor to her identity as mother and
teacher.[71]
1. The NDC states that adults Òhave a right and duty to bring to maturity the seed of faith sown in them by God.Ó[72] Many adult Catholics have a desire to deepen their faith. They want a welcoming place in which they can share their life experiences with others. As adults share and grow in their faith, each is encouraged to mirror the image of Christ. Because adults have the capacity to respond to GodÕs loving plan, they are by GodÕs design, capable of responding to the life experiences of others. The evangelical task cannot be carried out without responding to the needs of others. When, as adults, we respond to the needs of others, we experience the joys and sorrows felt by the whole.[73] When united in this capacity, we respond to GodÕs initiative of love as an entire community becoming ever more like the compassionate Christ.
Within this sharing community, members are constantly united and nourished as the initial Gospel message that awakens faith grows and deepens. The faith community examines its reasons for belief, shares in the celebration of the sacraments, responds to its needs and by living the Christian life, becomes a witness to the faith.
Before the Church can carry on the mission beyond its own walls, evangelization must first take place among its members. By interaction with the Christian community, adults can learn to evangelize to each other so that as adults and especially as parents, they become more proficient and articulate when passing on the faith.
2. The CCC tells us that ÒThe role of parents in education is of such importance that it is almost impossible to provide an adequate substitute.Ó[74] The CCC considers the responsibility of parents to first, create a home where there is tenderness, forgiveness, respect and fidelity. Parents can enrich their family responsibility by their participation in the life of the parish, especially in the Sunday Eucharist, their willingness to evangelize and serve other, their dedication to daily prayer and demonstration of their faith as Christians.[75] Within this context, parents provide for the physical and spiritual needs of their children.
The home is the most natural environment for evangelizing children because of its social structure. The CCC gives the ideal circumstances by which children can live and grow. However, at one time or another, most families live a life that is less than the ideal. Regardless of the degree to which families live the ideal life, all families struggle with situations that influence how they live. Following the call to try to provide responsible care for themselves and their families, parents need tools that can help them during times of struggle.
One of these tools involves a relationship with other families in which their experiences can be shared with others. While some family situations may require help from trained personnel, parents can find support and encouragement from other parents within the community where they live, especially within the Church community. Parents often think they are alone in the difficulties they face. As adults we have all experienced times in our lives when someone has offered a helping hand in the way of service, word or prayer. How much more is received when parents can meet with a group on a regular basis who want to share similar experiences and lift others up so that each member can be sustained in the task of raising family members who lead a Christian life. In various places, small communities have emerged that support each other through praying and reflecting on the Word of God.[76] By striving to relate the relevance of the Word to their everyday lives, parents as well as all adults of the Christian community, can better equip themselves for the task of evangelization, in and out of the home.
One of the primary tools most parishes have in supporting parents in their efforts to hand on the faith is the religious education program for children and adolescents. By making a concerted effort to enroll students in these programs and be actively involved in the learning process, parents can receive some of the support they need in becoming more articulate in the faith. With consistent and quality interaction between parents and the religious education program, the catechetical task becomes a cooperative endeavor that helps sustain parents who have the greatest responsibility to hand on their faith to their children.
The NDC lists other ways in which family and home are being
supported across the nation and within the Catholic Church in the United
States. Men and women are sharing the responsibilities of parenting, creating
more flexibility in both the fatherÕs and motherÕs roles.[77] Many service institutions are showing a
renewed interest in providing services that help support familiesÕ
responsibilities.[78] Family concerns and issues are being
taken more seriously by some political leaders in the public policy-making
process. Some political leaders
are moving toward a consensus belief that families should be of primary concern
in the public policy-making process.[79] Likewise, the Church desires that
families understand their responsibility for the faith formation of their
children and encourages parents to have an ongoing and lifelong practice of
deepening their own faith.
3. Becoming effective witnesses to the faith requires a faith that is ongoing and lifelong. ACCC speaks to the fact that a grave imbalance has been created in the formation of adults insofar as catechesis has devoted its attention to children while the same has not happened for young people and adults.[80] The need for adult catechesis as the axis around which revolves all other forms of catechesis is bound up in the role adults have, not only in the Christian community and within the family structure, but also within the society that they live and work and find meaning.
Acquiring an adult faith involves the collaboration of all those who make
up the Church--from children and adolescent, young people and adults to the
aged. Every form of catechesis is
enriched by its adults. In fact,
the document On Catechesis in Our Time
(hereafter, CT) issued by the International Synod of Bishops in October 1977
states that, the Christian community cannot carry out a permanent catechesis
without the direct participation of adults.[81] Gaps in the religious education process
experienced by many Catholics can be bridged when adults are actively involved
in developing a mature faith.
Adult faith formation benefits all age groups, each in different
ways.
During the process of their faith formation, adults involved in ongoing and lifelong catechesis are developing a well-informed faith. This faith is essential for their transition into and as the Òwisdom keepersÓ[82] of the faith community. The adult phase of catechesis is a crucial one because most adults spend the majority of their lives learning, processing, making meaning and most important and necessary for mature faith, reforming their lives to reflect the life of Christ. In their shared faith experiences with others, adults grow in their relationship with God through focused attention on Jesus. During this phase of catechesis, adults acquire Òecclesial consciousnessÓ[83] which is ever aware of what it means to live as a disciple of Christ.
While the Church stresses its missionary objective of evangelization,[84] it is also sensitive to the many stresses its members live under every day. Adults experience the pressures of job, home and family responsibilities that can lessen or hinder their efforts to be effective evangelizers. As mature wisdom keepers of the faith, older adult Christians, freed from the many responsibilities that tied them down as younger adults, have the opportunity to continue their faith journey by undertaking some form of service to others. It is during the stage of the wisdom keeper that mature faith, grown during the adult years, can be used in the continuing effort of the Church to carry on the mandate of Christ to spread the Gospel message to and throughout the world (Mk 16:15). Since Christ calls all Christians to proclaim the Good News, he calls the elderly as well.[85] Pope John Paul II once said that Òthe service of the Gospel has nothing to do with age!Ó[86]
As wisdom keepers, older people are a valued and integral part of the Church community. It pays particular attention to the maturity of their faith.[87] A most important task of older adults is to instill in members of other age groups the virtue of hope as Christians who Òconfidently await eternal life.Ó[88] This can be accomplished only when adults, having matured in their spiritual growth, know and understand why we as Christians can stand on solid ground as we wait for the eternal Kingdom of God.
Involvement at the adult phase of catechesis prepares older adults to Òdiscover the storehouse of wisdom within themselvesÓ[89] and to use this wisdom to teach, to pass on the faith and to help others as opportunity presents itself, discover GodÕs initiative of love. Effective catechesis of adults is essential as they prepare themselves to transition into and be productive and effective wisdom keepers.
Older adults who are articulate and confident in their faith become good
role models for younger adults, those in their teens, twenties and thirties, by
living a mature faith able to address lifeÕs challenges. Young adults sometimes see the world
through eyes that are critical or indifferent. In witnessing to young adults, older adults demonstrate the
necessity of faith formation that prepares them to live fruitful, Christian
lives in spite of the difficulties they see and experience in the world. Adults sound in their faith can act as
mentors for a generation that seeks meaning in their lives. As mentors, adults can guide younger
adults toward a faith that is committed to Christ, and can mentor families who
are in the process of raising young children by inviting and encouraging them
to deepen their faith through the liturgical life of the Church.
Older adults can be of great assistance to younger adults as they help direct their paths in life as Christians always seeking to have and to deepen their personal relationship with God. An essential part of faith formation at the young adult stage is the call to evangelization. Pope John Paul exhorted young people, ÒDo not be afraid to go out on the street and into public places like the first apostles who preached Christ and the good news of salvationÉ.Ó[90] It is through the example of older adults, articulate and confident in their faith, that young adults may kindle the desire and the courage to bear witness as disciples of Christ.
The umbrella of adult catechesis under which falls the catechesis of older and younger adults, also embraces the catechesis of adolescents. The example of adults is important for this age group. Adults at all levels must model a strong faith so that adolescents are helped to articulate their beliefs and teachings of the Church and apply them to their own lives.[91] Adolescents must see adults participating in the Mass, receiving the sacraments and coming together to share outside of the Mass in faith-sharing communities.
The catechesis of adolescents has some key features which adults at all age levels can help strengthen as they continue to grow in maturity of their own faith. Catechesis for adolescents teaches the core content of the Catholic faith.[92] Catechists working with this age group cannot be the only providers to help instill the ChurchÕs teachings. Without witnessing the example of faith formation that is ongoing and lifelong at all levels of adult catechesis, many of our Catholic adolescents will not continue with their faith formation beyond their teen years. The NDC states that ÒThe Church must make every effort through a revised and revitalized catechesis to ensure that adolescents do not view their preparation for and reception of the Sacrament of Confirmation as the end of their formal catechesis.Ó[93] This Òrevised and revitalizedÓ catechesis should be one that encourages catechesis from year to year, and transitions from age to age. Anything less is an inadequate attempt to be a Church with members prepared to carry out its fundamental mission of evangelization. Both the NDC and the Church document Evangelization in the Modern World, promulgated by Pope Paul VI on December 8, 1975, express a similar sentiment. Evangelization and catechesis are among the principal means by which the Church hands on its faith.[94] ÒEvangelization is in fact the grace and vocation proper to the Church, her deepest identity. She exists in order to evangelize.Ó[95]
Evangelization efforts can be performed and adapted at every age
level. Adult catechesis is
essential if the church is to give a message to our children that their faith
development must be ongoing and lifelong.
If the Church does not have strong adult faith formation, then it is
highly likely that the Church will not be a place in which young adults can
deepen their faith. If the Church
does not have young adults who can encourage our adolescents to continue their
faith experience beyond Confirmation, then we have what the Church is
experiencing in most parishes today, families with children who believe that
there is nothing more to learn from their faith after being confirmed. If there are those who feel that they
want and need to continue developing their faith formation, will they be given
the opportunity to do so? Many leave the Catholic Church and go
where they will experience that Òsomething moreÓ they are looking for.
For many faithful who remain in the Church, the catechetical experience is not ongoing. Without families in which parents are involved with their own faith as well as the faith formation of their children, the importance of being a Church member rests on the reception of the sacraments rather than the living faith of the people receiving the sacrament. This is evident when many parishes observe children being baptized and parents and children returning only to receive First Eucharist and then again for the sacrament of Confirmation. At this point, these teens become the future generations of adults and family members who have received no support to become effective evangelizers. The gaps within this form of catechesis can be bridged only when adults realize the importance of their own faith formation as the axis around which all other forms of catechesis revolves and their crucial role in the fundamental task of catechesis in the formation of disciples of Christ.[96]
4. As effective evangelizers, we go to proclaim a message to a society that exerts its own forces upon us. It takes great effort on the part of the faithful to remain steadfast in the face of obstacles that threaten their Christian way of life. The Church is to prepare its members to Ògo into the world and proclaim the Gospel to every creatureÓ (Mk 16:15). Evangelization and catechesis are essential means by which the Church hands on the faith. Christ taught his disciples what he received from the Father: ÒWhat I heard from him I tell to the world.Ó[97] In turn, the apostles were commissioned by Christ to continue what Jesus had begun. The message then, as it is now, is to share the revelation of GodÕs love for all creation. God has been continually revealed throughout history. God was revealed in a special way to the people of Israel. God spoke through the prophets of the Old Testament. God was revealed fully through Christ when Mary received the God-man into herself and into the life of the world. God responds to creation in love. We are to follow the example and respond to GodÕs call to continue the message of love for all.
The
message of salvation, the message of GodÕs love for us, is that every soul be
saved through the Body and Blood of Christ and by the power of the Holy
Spirit. This message has been
entrusted to the Church as passed on in Scripture through the succession of the
apostles to all the faithful.
Under divine inspiration, the Church has preserved the integrity of the message
as Christ revealed to the apostles.
By the power of the Holy Spirit, the early Christians spread the good
news of salvation. Through
Tradition Òthe Church, in her doctrine, life and worship, perpetuates and
transmits to every generation all that she herself is, all that she believes.Ó[98] Christ demanded more of his followers than
just a listening ear. The faith he
demanded required a Òprofound change of heart and mind, a change of life, an
experience of metanoia.Ó[99]
Evangelization aims at interior change, our own and those to whom
we evangelize. By our word and
example, we awaken in others the desire to know Christ. We bring to others the salvation God
desires, by Òproclaiming Christ, preaching Christ, bearing witness to Christ,
teaching Christ and celebrating ChristÕs sacraments.Ó[100]
The evangelical mission as mandated by Christ requires the Church to commit to faith formation that is ongoing and lifelong. It requires that all members of the faith community be an active part in the catechesis of others. Most of us are not called to evangelize in the manner of the apostles, many who were martyred for their faith. We are asked, however to help bridge the gulf that has kept many from being effective evangelizers first to each other, and then to those whose faith they might arouse by words and actions. As Christians maturing in the faith desiring to spread the Gospel message, we must not be a community Òclosed in upon itself.Ó[101] The Christian community acquires its full meaning only when it becomes a witness to the Good News.[102] We are a community of believers each with a gift of the Spirit to be developed for the ChurchÕs mission of evangelization. We must be competent to promote the message of salvation and help to Òput to use every Christian and evangelical possibility latent but already present in the affairs of the world.Ó[103]
To summarize, Church documents can help us see more clearly the need to build a strong foundation for faith formation that is ongoing and lifelong, strongly supported by an effective program of adult catechesis around which all other forms of catechesis revolve. This foundation is built by providing the means in which adult members can Òbring to maturity the seed of faith sown in them,Ó[104] as stated in the NDC. Adults help support this foundation when they become proficient in their faith so that the Word of God, as transmitted to them from the time of the apostles, can be handed on to future generations. The task of adult catechesis must become the prime concern in parishes so that all other forms of catechesis make Christian maturity their goal. Christian maturity is needed if the Church is to carry out its missionary mandate to take the message of salvation to the world. Only then can the Church hope to create an environment in which the community is in one accord in its task of evangelizing to each other and most importantly, to others in the world who seek to understand and make the message of salvation real in their lives.
Rationale for
Adult Catechesis from psychologists, theorists and Practitioners
The principles expressed in ecclesial documents have been focused and expanded upon by current theorists and practitioners of religious education and adult psychology to help understand the priority of adult catechesis and show how best to meet the needs of adults in becoming mature in their faith. The NDC states, ÒThis formation needs to be addressed to adults at different stages in the development of their faith.Ó[105] This section discusses contemporary thinking in the fields of religious education and adult developmental psychology that gives insight and meaning to the important role of adult faith formation.
In her book Toward an Adult Church, Jane Regan asks the reader to consider several questions in regard to the shift of focus in Religious Education from children to adults. When looking to the adults of the community, the question most often asked is, ÒWhat do adults need in order to enhance the formation of their children?Ó[106] This question presupposes that the needs of adults are being considered when dealing with the faith formation of children. After years of experience in the field of Religious Education both as a parent and as a catechist, I see the question that most accurately portrays what is more often done as, ÒWhat can adults do in order to enhance the formation of their children?Ó
Parents are
encouraged to be involved in the religious education of their children doing certain
activities with them. They might
be asked to work with their child to complete
a family home activity page. They might be asked to help their child memorize prayers. Parents are frequently asked to come and watch their child
perform in various programs throughout the year. They are often asked to help with Church activities, or to donate
their time and resources.
While the practice
of parents wanting to do activities with
their children is an important element for enhancing the childrenÕs faith
formation, it most often is not sufficient on its own to sustain parents in the
task of being the primary catechists of their children. Being involved in the catechetical
efforts of our children is only a part of the effort needed to help the Church
become an effective witness to the Gospel. To help grow in maturity of faith and become active and
effective members of an adult Church requires that parents be given the
opportunity and the tools necessary to mature in their own faith as well.
As I was engaged in researching rationale that supports the idea that the catechesis of adults must have high priority at all levels of the Church,[107] I discovered two core thoughts that permeated the thinking of contemporary theorists and practitioners in the fields of religious education and adult psychology. The first core thought is that adult faith formation is a developmental process of knowing that brings the faithful into a personal relationship with God.
Within this process of knowing are essential dimensions of the catechetical enterprise in which theorists and practitioners of religious education and adult developmental psychology have expressed in different ways. Because of the directness and ease with which I can incorporate these understandings, I will borrow the terminology used by Jane Regan: to inform, to form, and to transform.[108]
These three dimensions of knowing, to inform, to form and to transform, imply the second important core idea in contemporary thought. A personal relationship with God experienced through the dimensions of knowing cannot be done in isolation but is brought to Christian maturity through participation in the life of the faith community. Because the Church exists in order to further the Kingdom of God, the dimensions of catechesis are interconnected with and for the development of the faith of the Christian community. On a broader scale, Christians are interconnected to the community of all humankind for which they receive the mandate by Jesus to spread the Gospel message.
The following discussion will revolve around the dimensions of knowing and will explore a third question in regard to rationale for the primacy of adult faith formation, a revision to the two questions brought up earlier: What do the adults of the faith community need to know, to experience, to understand in order to be able to grow and mature in their faith formation so that they can engage themselves, their children and others more fully in the life of an adult church?
To Inform
The developmental process of adult faith formation involves a journey in faith. That journey is sustained by lives of meaning and devotion.[109] This process of meaning-making is what James Fowler calls faith.[110] He defines faith as Ònot always religious in
its content or context. . . . It is our way of finding coherence in and giving meaning to the multiple forces and relations that make up our lives.Ó[111]
From birth to death, we try to negotiate through and make meaning out of crises that confront us at each stage of life. Fowler suggests that we deal with ways of being in faith that characterize adults as well as the age groups where they most typically arise,[112] many times during adolescence. During these stages, faith transitions represent significant changes in our structures of knowing and valuing.[113] Fowler, along with developmental theorist Erik H. Erikson, gives insight into what Òconstitutes the action, the way of being, that is faith.Ó[114] Their theories reflect the contemporary ideas of professionals in the field of religious education.
In EriksonÕs model, the first characteristic of a mature adult faith is seen when a person has formed and reformed a strong foundation of trust, expressed and grounded in a religious faith or a philosophical confidence that life has meaning.[115] When grounded in oneÕs beliefs and reasons for understanding that life has meaning, EricksonÕs mature adult has a sense of independence and an ability to stand alone on matters of principle.[116] These characteristics are foundational to becoming effective evangelizers.
Before this stage can be reached, however, it is born out of a depth of awareness that comes from what Fowler calls having an interest in the emotions, personality, patterns, ideas, thoughts and experiences of people--others and oneself.[117] It is at this point, the synthetic-conventional stage, that interpersonal perspective takes place, developing a sense of the meaning of life in general and of the meaning and purpose of oneÕs own life.[118] Fowler uses the term synthetic to mean pulling together elements in unity that have the possibility of helping one form a positive self identity. The term conventional refers to a synthesis of ideas that form meaning according to the beliefs, values and stories that compose a personÕs faith but are not yet objectified for critical reflection by that person.[119] His statement helps support rationale for ongoing faith formation in that persons at this level are given the opportunity to continue developing skills needed to critically reflect and examine their belief systems.
From ReganÕs perspective, this means that the focus on adult faith formation provides opportunities within the context of faith that allow adults to talk with other adults about things that matter.[120] Adults being informed regarding their faith learn of the essential doctrines of their Christian heritage: their apostolic connection to the early Church, their Jewish connection to Jesus and to the God of the Old Testament, and how early Christians related to their God through Jesus Christ. Not unlike the first Christians, adults today are brought into community by sharing stories of their life experiences, their traditions, their hopes and their fears. Through their stories, adults can connect Scripture to their personal daily lives. They find common bonds in which they can be strengthened and strengthen others in identifying problems of interest and by offering reasonable solutions. In becoming mature adults, the faithful build the trust needed to ground them in a religious faith experience that will, over time, produce members of the Christian community that, as Erikson expresses, can stand alone on matters of principle.
The confidence that comes from a relationship with the Christian community is crucial in faith development and acts as the groundwork for a Church involved in evangelization by understanding GodÕs relationship to all people.
To Form
The second dimension of the three-fold understanding of catechesis is to form or shape the faithful by inviting them to regularly examine, reflect on and discuss their beliefs and experiences of faith and what it means to live as a Christian. For Erikson, this marks a second element of a mature adult: someone who has the capacity for initiative and purpose based on examination and considered choice of values and principles.[121] They have developed a set of competencies that equip them to be contributors of society and to effectively carry out the roles and responsibilities these bring.[122]
For adults maturing in the faith, the formation stage marks a new dimension in their depth of faith. This new dimension brings with it an emerging awareness of self that is found at two stages of FowlerÕs developmental theory. The first is individuative-reflective faith,[123] and the second, a deeper level of the first, is called conjunctive faith.[124] These persons are open to the truths of other traditions while being loyal to oneÕs own primary communities of value and belief.[125] There is a developing sense of understanding that truth exists within the perspectives of different faith traditions. In entering into the dimensions of understanding the faith of someone other than themselves, Christians are called out of their comfort zones. This new way of perceiving faith can present a paradox as new expressions of truth assault the core beliefs and understandings of their own faith with seeming inconsistency, contradiction and even absurdity. However, it is also an ideal place in the journey of faith to examine the truths existing in other faith traditions on the basis of the truths of the Christian faith that the faithful have been learning to articulate in the ongoing process of their faith formation. It is also a significant mark in the joyous witness by the Church that its members are experiencing readiness to become effective evangelizers of the faith. This becomes a transition point between individuative-reflective faith and conjunctive faith.
As adults who are open to learning and new direction, continually deepening and maturing in their faith, an adult sense of identity is forming. Openness to learning and new direction is a prerequisite for adult wisdom.[126] Being informed in the faith provides the foundation to form a Òpersonally satisfying and publicly convincing answer to the question, ÔWho are you?ÕÓ[127] Adults at the stage of conjunctive faith consider who they are, what they believe and why they believe as they do. Adult faithful are preparing to recognize their mission as bringers of meaning into the world. It is not enough that learners are equipped to interpret the world. They must be prepared to change the world based on their religious convictions.[128] This marks the transition into the next stage, that of transformation.
To Transform
When empowered by the Holy Spirit, a community of believers can become capable of making transforming changes in the personal and communal lives of its members. As meaning-making forms a sense of who and what the community is all about, there is the realization, as Regan expresses it, that transformation takes a person beyond participation in the local faith community to the wider mission of the Church.[129] Persons being transformed by their faith have formed the ability to live and make decisions based on the Gospel message. It is an informed choice formed and sustained through the personal and communal efforts of the faith community. This choice is transforming in itself because, once made, it is a choice that reflects a life that is different in many ways from other groups in which the faithful find themselves. A transformation of spirit sees the world from a different perspective. When there is change from within, it takes form as persons are convicted to engage themselves in outward signs of personal and social action.
In the work of evangelization, moving beyond the confines of the faith community requires that lives ready for transformation be developed through a faith formation process that is ongoing and lifelong. As a crucial statement for rationale that adult catechesis be the axis around which all other forms of catechesis revolves, Regan makes clear the message that this step is beyond the capacity of children and can be fostered only over time. She continues to say that catechesis that ends at the adolescent stage cannot effectively reach a level of mature adult faith, a maturity that is needed to be effective evangelizers for the Church.[130]
At this point in the transformation process, we find Christians mature in the faith actively involved in trying to be of service in an effort to correct some of the injustices in the world. Evangelization happens by word and by deed. Christians invite others to share in the message of salvation and the love of God as exemplified by Christ and lived out through the faithful.
From this stage, adults are more ready to enter into FowlerÕs final and concluding stage in the adult process of meaning-making or faith development. He calls this stage universalizing faith.[131] This is the ultimate level of transformation a mature Christian experiences. It consists of two sub-stages, the second a deeper level than the first. Persons at the first level of universalizing faith, while being actively involved in the betterment of the world, also remain steadfast in their commitments to institutions and persons in the present. These attachments manifest tension, division and disunity. Persons at this level are Òin but not of the world,Ó feeling a sense of homelessness and loneliness.[132] For some, this becomes the means by which they are called to a deeper level of transformation becoming as one in their existence with all of creation.
The second level in transformation is marked by two tendencies that have been developing in earlier stages. The first involves decentration from self.[133] At each new stage in the process of faith formation, new perspectives about oneÕs relationship to God and to GodÕs creation have been taking shape. Decentration from self means having arrived at a point in which one desires to balance oneÕs perspective with others. Fowler states that it means Òknowing the world through the eyes and experiences of persons, classes, nationalities and faith different from oneÕs own.Ó[134] The community of believers is ever broadening to include the community of all humankind.
Persons achieving this level of universalizing faith base their sense of worth on the fears and anxieties, dreams and hopes, accomplishments and failures of all creation. One participates in this valuing process to such an extent that there is an ÒemptyingÓ or Òpouring outÓ of self described as detachment or disinterestedness.[135] In Scripture, we can find this type of transforming spirit embodied in Jesus. The Gospel of Matthew gives us an example of ChristÕs Òemptying of self.Ó In Chapter 12: 46-50, Jesus describes his true family. While speaking to the crowds, his mother and brothers were waiting to speak with him. When brought to his attention that they wished to speak with him, Jesus replies, ÒWho is my mother and who are my brothers?Ó Pointing to his disciples, Jesus says, ÒHere are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of the father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.Ó
On the surface, JesusÕ statement might appear cold and even hurtful to his family. But universalizing faith takes one beyond the attachments and concerns of the birth family to the worldly family of God. GodÕs love is not bound by attachment to specific love for specific persons. GodÕs love is a love that transcends all earthly need and desire. GodÕs ultimate love for all of creation is experienced in JesusÕ ultimate expression of ÒemptyingÓ or Òpouring outÓ of self when he gives himself up to death, a death with no attachments except in saving grace for the whole of creation.
Reaching the stage of transformation in the lives of the faithful is necessary to completely meet the mandate given by Jesus and professed by the Church to evangelize the world. Most will not reach the final stage of FowlerÕs universalizing faith. However, mature adult faithful will find themselves to be the most effective evangelizers of the faith when their faith formation has been an ongoing personal and communal process that allows them to reach some aspect of transformation. The catechetical dimensions of knowing that informs, forms, and transforms, prepares the faithful to respond to GodÕs love through action that manifests itself in and for people throughout the world.
Woven within the catechetical dimensions is the need for theological and spiritual development in adult faith formation. These elements provide a more complete formation of faith that allows adults to become as articulate and bold as possible in accomplishing the mission of the Church. Gathering information without understanding theological implications is of little value if the goal of adult faith is to transform lives into disciples for Christ. Forming communities of believers that are open to critical discussion and eager to fulfill the role as disciple cannot meet the demands that are placed on individual and communal change without a spirituality that can aid and sustain growth in faith formation.
Spiritual Development
Elizabeth J. Tisdell defines spirituality in terms of three possible manifestations in peopleÕs lives: spirituality of dwelling, spirituality of seeking and spirituality of moral responsibility.[136] She writes that spirituality highlights a sense of the connectedness of history, as well as the interconnectedness and unity of life and a sense of transcendence.[137] From the catechetical perspective, Thomas Groome writes that catechesis should educate people in the spiritual wisdom of the Christian faith, thoroughly grounding them in the whole Christian story.[138] A maturing faith that has incorporated these spiritual manifestations experiences a healthy spirituality that is both life affirming and affirming of oneÕs identity.
Tisdell describes spirituality of dwelling as tied to a sense of place or religious tradition. For many, spirituality is a grounding place or place to receive information that informs us of who and what we are as individuals and as a community.[139] We become informed as to who we are as a people of God in connection to our Christian heritage.
This new grounding process moves a person from the spirituality of dwelling into the spirituality of seeking. From TisdellÕs perspective, this form of spiritual growth takes into greater account the interaction with people who are of different cultural and religious traditions. The search for meaning in our lives is intimately connected with how we create meaning in our relationship with others. As meaning constructs define and make clear the evangelical role of the Church in the personal and communal identity of the faithful, a more deeply formed sense of being begins to manifest itself in the lives of the faith community and out into the world. The unity of life begins to expand as we more clearly realize our relationship to others in the world.
The spirituality of moral responsibility for us and for others takes birth in a transition which finds a person of faith who is being transformed into the likeness of God as mirrored in Christ. Attention to the needs of others, social injustice and oppression transform our meaning constructs into action. This action can manifest itself through art, music or other creative work or in working for justice on behalf of others.[140]
Thinking Theologically
A necessary element in faith formation that allows adults to clearly articulate their faith is to think theologically. Patricia OÕConnell Killen states, ÒThere is no task more crucial for adults or anyone working with adults in the church today than helping them to think theologically.Ó[141] As has been repeated at different points in this paper, maturing adults must learn to clearly articulate what they believe and why they believe as they do. Killen draws attention to the crucial need for adult communication skills that allow for open and genuine theological conversation.
She describes four steps in the process of theological thinking. The first step engages adults in mutual respect for one another by providing a safe environment that allows one to present and re-experience feelings and actions of experiences without condemnation. Persons are informed as they supply the Òwho,Ó Òwhat,Ó Òwhere,Ó ÒwhenÓ and ÒhowÓ of an event.
The second step is
identifying the heart of the matter. The heart of the matter is the issue,
question, concern or wonderment the incident or text contains. Killen states that the skill needed
here is articulating the core issue in a gentle and reverent way. The participant learns to get a sense
of what the core issue is and can then engage in structuring a
correlation, the third step crucial in
thinking theologically. Adults at
this step learn to identify the question to which classic Christian themes are
the answer. This step of
theological reflection helps to form meaning-making by open consideration of the values and principles that
make meaning possible for persons to understand their lives. At the fourth step, adults have a
deepening capacity for purpose of thought when identifying classic Christian themes to be discussed in a given
situation or text. New insights open up the possibility for new action and
change in adult lives.[142]
KillenÕs fundamental steps in the process of theological reflection mirror the discussion of the processes of faith formation by Regan, Erikson, Fowler and Tisdell. These theorists and practitioners of religious education and adult psychology show us that faith is a process of nurturance that needs continual attention in order to bring faith to its ultimate goal of making the faithful disciples of Christ who desire and are able to fulfill the mission of the Church to take the Gospel message to all corners of the world.
Explanation of the InterGenerational and Whole
Community Catechesis Models
This paper focuses on three objectives. The first is to give criteria supporting current thinking in religious education that adult catechesis should have the highest priority at all levels of the Church. Secondly, this paper gives criteria that explain why adult catechesis is the axis around which all other forms of catechesis revolve. The final objective is to show why adult faith formation should be coordinated with the existing religious education program at my parish for the faith development of both children and adults. With these objectives in mind, the goal of this paper is to determine a model of religious education that can most effectively answer the following question: How can gaps experienced by many Catholic adults in their religious education process be bridged to create mature faithful who are ready and eager to spread the Gospel message of salvation to the world?
When I began this project, I envisioned examining some of the different religious educational series put out by various publishing companies such as Harcourt, Sadlier and Twenty-Third Publications. As I began to read through some of these series, beginning with the series used at my parish, phrases like Intergenerational Catechesis, Intergenerational Family Catechesis and Whole Community Catechesis kept appearing. I realized that most of the series I planned to assess were based on one or more of these models of catechesis. I began to notice that each series contains a variety of programs or ways to implement the basic premises of the above models into the series curriculum. I knew at this point that I could not begin to assess or evaluate any of the series because I had not much of a clue as to what any of the models entailed or what each would mean for religious education programs. As a catechist in my parishÕs religious education program and as true for most of us, I suspect, I teach from a series that I do not know much about.
For these reasons, I decided to change my approach from concentrating on the different series for use in religious education programs to focusing my attention on understanding two basic models of religious education: Intergenerational Catechesis and Whole Community Catechesis. Because this project focuses on the importance of adult religious education, the models will be discussed in the context of adult needs.
INTERGENERATIONAL RELIGIOUS
EDUCATION
According to James W. White, Intergenerational Religious Education (IGRE) happens when two or more different age groups of people in a religious community learn and grow together in the faith. The important idea is that generations are related to each other and need each other for life in faith and life in God.[143] In his book Intergenerational Religious Education, White gathers insights from the Hebrew Bible and Judaism when he quotes Walter Breuggemann, who writes that ÒBiblical faith is essentially covenantalÉ. The family is first of all a community of covenant-making, covenant-keeping, covenant-breaking and covenant-renewingÉ. The family in the Bible is always intergenerational.Ó[144]
The problem in society which piqued WhiteÕs interest in IGRE is the unigenerational manner in which society places people. We find same generations of persons grouped together in schools, young adults at dance clubs and elders in retirement facilities creating isolation and insulation from one another. We find this same pattern of isolation taking place in our parishes as groups of people, whether in childrenÕs education, the Altar Society or Knights of Columbus, each work in isolation of the others. To redirect this pattern of isolation to a pattern of inclusion, White presents four goals important to effective IGRE.
The first of these goals, quality intergenerational relations, responds to the societal pattern of separation of age groups by helping people relate to one another in qualitative ways across generations. This goal seeks to bring persons of various ages and stages of development into Òrelationships of consequence.Ó It is in active sharing that such significance in relationship develop.[145]
In relating to one another through faith-sharing experiences, participants gain significant cognitive learning related to living in the modern world. Four criteria for determining significant cognitive learning are that topic areas for discussion be faithful, truthful, broadening and relevant. The principle of this goal is to find common topical ground in which all participants are most likely to have something to share.[146]
The third goal, positive subjective impact, requires that faith-sharing have a positive impact on its
participants. Affirming interactions with people empower them in their faith
journey. Positive emotional
experiences in education can lead persons into deeper levels of learning,
trusting and loving. The Church
should be a place of welcome, a place where people want and look forward to gathering.[147]
The fourth goal is to develop in persons a sound lifestyle involving the whole person--all of oneÕs psychic, cognitive, affective and psychomotor dimensions. The goal of sound lifestyle consequence in IGRE is to lead persons to observable and even measurable behaviors that reflect a Christian way of life.[148]
To support its goals, the IGRE model has four relational patterns to be used for effective catechesis. These are in-common-experiences, parallel-learning, contributive-occasion and interactive-sharing.
According to White, shared experiences are crucial for building IGRE.
Participants have in-common-experiences of generations that are usually less verbal and
more action related. Making a symbol banner that shows oneÕs understanding of the
Eucharistic celebration is a concrete example of in-common sharing where all participants may work on something together.[149]
Parallel-learning, the second major intergenerational relational pattern, separates generations into like-groupings in order to work on the same topic or project but in different ways according to age grouping ability. Generation age groupings are a necessary element to IGRE so that instruction remains at a level in which the particular age group best develops their cognitive abilities.[150]
After
the generational groups have been involved with learning at their level of
understanding, the different groups are brought together for the purposes of
contributing to the learning process by sharing what they have done or learned. The contributive-occasion allows separated pieces of the whole, developed
within the individual generational groupings, to be added together for
everyoneÕs benefit.[151] An example of this might be each
groupÕs role in the traditional Las Posadas reenactment of the Holy FamilyÕs search for
shelter. Each generational group
might have a specific task to practice in preparation of the reenactment. Younger children often love to be
angels, shepherds or wise men.
Older children might play the role of Mary and Joseph. Adults might lead the performers in
song. Within the generational
groupings, persons practice their parts, then come together to share their
experiences and perform the Posadas.
Interactive-sharing, the fourth relational pattern, functions to help participants understand one anotherÕs perspective. It most often opens up conversation that is more personal, familial, societal and cultural. Interactive faith-sharing provides significant communication back and forth across generations in which people are giving and receiving in a reciprocal way.[152] Directly focusing on the Posadas experience of the Holy Family, for instance, could bring forth experiences, thoughts, feelings and actions of intergenerational group members that give meaning and connects people, thus bridging what has been typically called the Ògeneration gap.Ó
For WhiteÕs total parish paradigm to be most effective, any parish using it must integrate the four goals and the four relational patterns into its basic programs. These basic programs include the family groups, the weekly classes, the workshops or events, the worship service, the worship-education program and an all-congregation camp.
Family Groups, also called Family Clusters, join families with other families for the purpose of fellowship and are considered the most active and significant way of doing IGRE. The idea is for faith communities to build IGRE programs closely and intentionally around families. Four to five complete family units contract to meet together periodically over an extended period of time. The program involves three or more generations with a learning style that is more explicitly religious, containing a strong cognitive element.[153]
The worship element has two components: the Worship Service and the Worship- Education Program. Both use the Sunday Mass as a pivotal point for fellowship. The worship service is generally more active, participatory, visual and tactile, aiming at involving all generations of community members. The worship-education program intentionally integrates worship and education bringing all ages together for worship and learning. It is recommended that those activities done outside of the Sunday Mass always involve some kind of worship gathering, parallel learning, reuniting for sharing and ending with communal celebration.[154]
The weekly class program has IGRE activities occurring on a regular once-a-week basis conducted at the parish. This program has the advantage of providing for quality interaction between persons over a long period of time. The weekly class focuses on cognitive faith education more than on interpersonal growth and is intended for the acquisition of educational knowledge.[155]
The Workshop is characterized by a specific theme, problem or project. The focus enables participants to relate in different ways as people of all ages come together to share and learn from one another. The most popular types of IGRE workshops are those done near or at the times of major holidays or celebrations.
The last element of the total parish paradigm is the All-Congregational Camp. Intergenerational learning occurs through various active outdoor experiences as well through opportunities for quiet. Religious community, learning about the Bible, improving interpersonal skills or developing family spiritual life are examples of the different themes of the All-Congregational Camp.[156]
In addressing the goals and objectives of the IGRE model, White incorporates these into three specific content areas. These areas include: the agenda for inherited faith which is concerned with passing on Christian beliefs and practices, the agenda for the people in the community which involves participants in concerns that are deeply relevant and essential to the faith, and the agenda to the world which serves to help raise the consciousness among the faithful of the need to serve the world. The content agendas focus on the wholeness of a person by addressing cognitive, affective and behavioral modes of learning when in communication with one another.[157]
Kathleen O. Chesto describes a similar model of intergenerational catechesis she calls Family-Centered Intergenerational Religious Education (F.I.R.E.) in her book titled the same. It is analogous in many ways to WhiteÕs model of Intergenerational religious education. One of the goals of the F.I.R.E. model, as of the IGRE model, is to establish intergenerational communities where faith can be shared and values passed on in an atmosphere of acceptance and support.[158]
Like WhiteÕs model, this model calls for setting up large and small group communities. The objective of the large group is to make people aware of belonging to an intergenerational community as well as to the larger Church community. Within the large group experience, members participate in social activities and liturgical celebrations they hold in common. The small group or home group is the basic unit of F.I.R.E. Groups composed of five to seven households meet in homes to help provide a more natural environment in which families normally function, facilitating a more comfortable learning environment than that of the classroom setting.[159]
Within the context of drawing generations together, the large and small group gathering exemplifies a number of program goals. The groups are designed to encourage people to grow in their faith through Scripture study, actively talk about God and pray together. As persons are drawn into the study of the Word and an active prayer life, they are also drawn more deeply into the liturgical life of the community. As persons are drawn into the liturgical celebration, they are challenged to live out the Christian message in service to others. Some of these services include assisting families in developing communication and affirmation skills, discovering their gifts and using them in the service of others and helping persons to recognize the presence of God in their everyday lives.[160]
In his book Models of Adult Religious Education Practice, R.E.Y. Wickett suggests some practical ways of determining whether or not to use the intergenerational model within a parish. He suggests that this model is effective where there is a diversity of age groups provided that there are no factors within the community which inhibit inter-age activities. This model works best in faith communities with large numbers of families that recognize the need to be inclusive. A sound basis for using this model can be provided where there is the desire to experience and build relationships with all parts of the community.[161]
WHOLE COMMUNITY CATECHESIS
Ideally, catechesis involves the whole Christian community and everyone in it. Whole Community Catechesis (WCC) envisions faith formation taking place simultaneously throughout the entire parish. The seven principles by which this model operates are described by Bill Huebsch in Handbook for Success in Whole Community Catechesis.[162] The first of these principles states that catechesis is made up of different dimensions or tasks essential in helping to form Church community. These dimensions include religious education and moral formation, liturgy, prayer, community life, preparation for ecumenical work, conversion and transformation.
WCC encompassing all the dimensions of Principle #1 frames the second principle, which states that catechesis is a necessary and essential part of Christian life. It is a lifelong journey that involves the whole community in a developmental process, connecting lives in a meaningful way to the Sunday liturgy and leading to positive behavioral changes that positively affect humankind.
The catechetical endeavor involves continual conversion, calling Jesus into our lives on a daily basis. Huebsch, in Principle #3, suggests that before catechesis begins, there must be an initial conversion, one that ignites in a person the desire to begin to live as a Christian. Through initial conversion, persons respond to God both as individuals and as a community. The community experience of coming together to share the faith in ongoing conversion is the backbone of WCC.[163]
Because the faithful are gathered together as a Christian community each Sunday, the initial conversion experience can be recaptured and continually deepened when experienced through the Sunday liturgy. Huebsch, in Principle #4, suggests that all catechesis is intimately bound to the Sunday assembly. A parish using WCC with all of its ministries, must be committed to a lectionary-based catechesis that connects the life of the Church to the Sunday liturgy.
In WCC, a lectionary-based program uses the Sunday liturgy experience through use of The Question of the Week. This method of total community involvement invites persons to reflect on questions that arise from the liturgy. The Question of the Week helps community members be more mindful of making church-to-life connections and prepares them to celebrate and reflect upon the liturgical celebration throughout the year. Questions that arise from participation in the sacraments and the liturgical life of the Church lead persons toward theological reflection on what they learned about themselves, about God and about the Body of Christ.
Within the WCC
model, there are many different dimensions for implementing a
community-liturgical based experience.
Some of these include parallel presentation and intergenerational
assemblies structured much like the parallel gatherings found in the IGRE
model, adult faith formation, service to others, summer sessions and home-based
programs.[164]
Using home-based programs, HuebschÕs Principle # 5 stresses the importance of all catechesis should develop households of faith in which the faith of the Church is lived out at home in everyday life. The catechetical process, using home-based programs, turns households of knowing into households of continual conversion to Jesus that helps form a family environment of holiness. Catechesis not only trains persons in the faith but trains them in a manner so that they can live by it.
In developing households of faith, Principle # 6 states that the life of the Church must be made to look and feel more like Church, a Koinonia of believers, and less like the ÒschoolingÓ model of religious education many Catholics have experienced. The de-emphasis on lecture type, community isolated catechesis is replaced with a holistic approach that emphasizes the affective and behavioral dimensions of learning set in an environment that draws households together in regular participation.
In WCC, the cognitive, affective and behavioral dimensions of learning are developed in a pattern of instruction called a Scope and Sequence. Huebsch describes this pattern as a spiral scope and sequence, in which the learner returns to the same topic every year in a spiral fashion. Each time the topics are discussed, they are done so using age appropriate language and teaching methods. In WCC, parishes can plan for the involvement of the entire community by using a spiral scope and sequence. Instruction combined with faith sharing experiences provides a framework for bringing the entire community together and connecting learning to everyday lives.[165]
As part of a WCC holistic approach to catechesis, author Steven Ellair writes that an emotional connection is essential before many of the cognitive and informational pieces can take root and have meaning. He continues to say that as key to effective catechesis, faith must be integrated into the experiences and lives of persons for reaching their fullest potential of spirituality and relationship with others and with the world.[166]
Developing oneÕs full potential to become an adult of mature faith requires living lives of holiness. This is not an easy task. As Christians we have received the gift of grace from God and, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we are sustained in our desire and effort to live lives of holiness. Principle #7 states that grace, as a powerful force of love within every person, is present within the community. The WCC model helps people recognize GodÕs presence and connect with GodÕs powerful love force within themselves and to recognize it within others.
Criteria for Assessing
the Models
The goal of this project is to assess models of religious education that can effectively be used for the faith formation of the adult faithful in the parish community. Rationale for the importance of the faith community in adult catechesis has been a prevailing theme throughout this paper. Faith formation, while fostering personal awareness, reflection and action of each individual member, is also intimately connected to koinonia, the fellowship, community and communion of believers. The importance of community is foundational to my assessment of the IGRE and WCC models.
The use of the word ÒChurchÓ today refers to the integral part parish life plays in all its ecclesial dimensions. The word ÒecclesialÓ as defined by Richard P. McBrien, pertains to the Church as a mystery, the Body of Christ and the People of God.[167] The biblical term ekklesia means those who have been called out (ek-kletoi).[168]
The many ministries of the Church as the Body of Christ that help sustain personal and communal growth in faith can be classified within the four ecclesial dimensions, often spoken of in Church documents. These dimensions include the Church as Leiturgia (sacrament), Kerygma (proclamation), Didache (teaching and moral formation) and Diaconia (service). While some theorists include Koinonia as a fifth ecclesial dimension, I consider it to be the umbrella under which the other four dimensions operate. These ecclesial dimensions work together to produce a fellowship among believers, a community of learning and a communion of the faithful that help bridge gaps found in some current religious education programs by fostering mature adult faith formation so the faithful can more fully participate in the mission of the Church.
Leiturgia, the Church as ÒSacrament,Ó is described by theologian and Cardinal Avery Dulles as a communion or community of grace.[169] The word ÒliturgyÓ means Òthe work of the peopleÓ and has come to be associated with the worship and prayer life of the faith community.[170] The Church as Leiturgia is the primary factor that binds its members to each other in the reconciling grace of Christ[171] through the celebration of the Eucharist. Participation in the liturgical dimension of the Church leads members into communion with the Divine. Dulles states that ÒMan comes to himself by going out of himself. He becomes active only in reception, and receives only through encounter with the world about him.Ó[172]
GodÕs grace manifests itself in the desire to proclaim the gospel message. The Church as Kerygma, or ÒHeraldÓ[173] means both what is proclaimed and the act of proclaiming.[174] In proclaiming the Word, the Church aids in the transformation of the lives of people and the society. To ÒheraldÓ or proclaim the Word of God finds its meaning in the ÒactionÓ or service of the Church to establish a better society in which all life can attain its full potential as designed by God.
The call to lead its members into communion with the Divine, sparked by the desire to ÒheraldÓ the message of salvation through word and action receives its grounding from the Church as Didache, a Greek word meaning Òa teaching.Ó[175] It is through the efforts of the ministry of catechesis that the community is drawn into a deeper desire to proclaim the Gospel message.
The Church as Diaconia or ÒServantÓ[176] reaches out to the needs of its members as well as to a suffering world. The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World reminds us that Christ entered this world, not to sit in judgment but to give witness to the truth and to serve and not be served. The Church carries on the mission of Christ to serve the world by Òfostering the brotherhood of all men.Ó[177]
In what follows, I will use the four ecclesial dimensions of Koinonia in conjunction with criteria which support an effective and valid catechesis of adults as found in the Church documents OHWB and the NDC. I have included the older document OHWB in this assessment for two reasons. The first is because the NDC refers to it as being more comprehensive in its discussion in the content area. The second reason for doing so is to make clear that both works express the same ideas though the use of terminology differs slightly. The Tasks of adult catechesis as written in the NDC are referred to in OHWB as Principles. The Content of Catechesis as stated in the NDC is referred to as the Six Dimensions in OHWB.
These sources have helped me produce a set of guidelines by which I can better assess the models of religious education. Criteria for the assessment include the goals, the tasks, and the content of adult catechesis. Each is discussed in relation to the four dimensions of ecclesia. In Appendices I and II, I have placed the NDC/OHWB tasks and content statements under specific ecclesial headings. Though many of the statements can fit into more than one dimension, and some persons may feel that a task or content statement better fits in one dimension than another, I have placed them according to my personal research and experience as to how each most relates to the ecclesial dimensions.
Methodology
for Assessing the Models
The discussion of the goals, tasks and content of each model as compared to those of the NDC and the OHWB documents incorporates a number of tables around which the discussion revolves. Table I compares the model goals to those of the NDC/OHWB. Tables II and III compare the goals and tasks of each model to those of the NDC/OHWB. Both tables contain Parts A and B to include all four ecclesial dimensions. Tables IV and V compare model content to that of the NDC and OHWB.
The NDC states that since adults are called to be Disciples of Christ, the content of catechesis should be a catechesis directed toward discipleship.[178] The content of catechesis refers us back to the exploration of rationale by theorists and practitioners of developmental theory and religious education. To remind the reader, faith is developmental and involves the whole of a person, which includes the head, the heart and the hand in faith formation that informs, forms and transforms. The NDC describes the content of adult catechesis similarly as being Òcognitive, experiential [and] behavioral.Ó[179]
Adult catechesis also aims at fostering the development of all the content areas or dimensions of Christian discipleship: worship and prayer life (Leiturgia), missionary spirit (Kerygma), knowledge of the faith and moral formation (Didache) and, belonging to community, both Church and society (Diaconia). When catechesis omits any of these elements, the Christian faith does not attain full development.[180]
assessment
considerations
Before comparing each of the models based on current
standards for the catechesis of adults as set forth by the NDC and OHWB, some
considerations need to be taken into account. First, information for Whole Community Catechesis is
very recent and has had the advantage of using as its basis, standards set by
the CCC and most importantly to this project, the NDC and the OHWB
documents. On the other hand, the
information used in this project regarding the IGRE model has been taken from
earlier sources that did not have these same advantages.[181]
A second consideration is that the presentation of the two models by their authors is given as an overall view of each model and not specifically as guidelines for adult catechesis as set forth in the NDC and OHWB. Because of the importance this project gives to adult catechesis, my frame of reference in the assessment of the two models is in the context of the ability of each to be used with adults.
Model comparisons and Critique
This section will use the five tables mentioned previously to compare IGRE and WCC model goals, tasks and content to the standards set forth in the NDC and OHWB documents. The section will include a critique of the strengths and weakness of each model in relation to the ability of each model to 1) contribute to the faith formation of adult parish members helping to better become the Church as Koinonia, 2) coordinate with the current religious education program and 3) contribute to the ChurchÕs vital mission of evangelization.
Comparison of Model Goals
Table
1 found on page 78 shows that both models have goals or principles that reflect
those of the NDC and OHWB. The
comparison shows that both models consider Goal #1, Conversion to the Lord, an important element. For the IGRE model, more emphasis seems to be placed on
communal conversion rather than on personal conversion. In each of the three examples cited for
the IGRE model, the words people/persons are common among them, indicating that conversion is more a communal
rather than personal experience.
One of the elements for conversion based on the NDC and OHWB is that persons develop a personal relationship with Jesus in ongoing conversion.[182] Principle #3 of the WCC model better indicates an understanding that the conversion process is an individual one sustained by support from the faith community. In his explanation of Principle #3, Conversion Precedes Catechesis, Huebsch addresses a personÕs need to first turn oneÕs heart over to Christ in order that catechesis may take root to experience continual deepening of faith and lifelong conversion to Jesus. Initial conversion includes a personal desire by an individual to want to live a life of holiness and work towards being a disciple for Christ. Once the initial conversion takes place, then individuals can be supported by the faith community.
The second NDC and
OHWB goal, Lived faith through membership in the Christian community, is also found in both the IGRE and WCC models. Both models give emphasis to the
importance of the faith community in catechesis. The IGRE model is more specific in its goals for developing
catechesis across generations, although WCC brings into its model the element
of intergenerational catechesis through Principle #5, Developing
households of faith.
The use of
intergenerational faith communities in IGRE and developing households of faith
in WCC are strengths of each model that can be incorporated into an adult faith
formation program at my parish, thus helping to encourage more adult
participation. If these strengths
are used to enhance the current religious education program, I can envision
faith formation taking place in the parish at all levels, encompassing a wider
range of adults actively involved in their own faith formation.
An element lacking
in both models as compared to Goal #1 and Goal #2 of the NDC and OHWB is the
attention given to the specific place the Holy Spirit plays in the conversion
process. The faithful are called to seek holiness of life, supporting the
Christian communityÕs sense of mission within the Church and to the world. Families working in cooperation with
the Holy Spirit better understand the ChurchÕs mission to the world and its internal
life.[183]
The third goal of adult catechesis as stated by the NDC and OHWB is Christian discipleship to the world.[184] The NDC suggests that catechesis for adults brings them to a place in which they are more able and willing to be disciples for Christ in an effort to evangelize, be involved in works of peace and justice and bear witness to the message of salvation. In the IGRE goals, there is no explicit statement that, as mature adults in the faith, one will be able and willing to be disciples for Christ. However, I chose to place its goals, Challenge people to live out the Christian message in service to others and Using oneÕs gifts and talents to help others into Goal #3 based on the description of evangelization given by the NDC. Goal #3 states that an important aspect of evangelization is pre-evangelization which prepares listeners for evangelization by meeting basic needs such as providing security, love or acceptance. The IGRE goals do not address the missionary preaching element of evangelization which involves proclaiming the Gospel message to those ready to hear GodÕs word.[185]
In the WCC model, I find no related principle but, by using Principle #2, Catechesis is constitutive of the Christian life, I can infer a relationship to the third NDC and OHWB goal. There are explicit references made by Huebsch to peace and justice that relate to letter ÒbÓ under Goal #3 of the NDC.[186] There are no examples that speak to the proclamation of the Word to ready listeners. It appears that both models lean toward pre-evangelization efforts rather than those of proclamation.
To summarize Table I, I find that both the IGRE and WCC models meet the goals as related to those set forth in the NDC and OHWB document. Differences between the models show that IGRE goals focus the conversion experience on the faith community while WCC goals imply a more personal conversion experience. While both models stress lived faith through the Christian community, IGRE is more specific regarding active participation as realized through families. Both models focus more on pre-evangelization efforts which involve actions of peace and justice rather than on evangelization which is the proclamation of GodÕs Word.
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TABLE I |
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IGRE
AND WCC GOALS RELATED TO THE NDC/OHWB GOALS |
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NDC/OHWB Goals |
Intergenerational Religious Education |
Whole Community Catechesis |
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1.
Conversion to the Lord |
1. To encourage people to grow
in their faith |
Principle # 1: The dimensions of
liturgy and Prayer |
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through
prayer |
Principle # 3: Conversion precedes
catechesis. |
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a. Through
the guidance of the Holy Spirit |
2. To draw people more deeply
into the liturgical |
Principle # 4: All catechesis is
tightly connected to |
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b. By
seeking holiness of life |
life of
the community |
the Sunday assembly. |
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c. By
fostering spirituality through the sacraments, |
3. That persons recognize God
in their daily lives |
Principle # 7: All catechesis builds
on grace, which is |
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works of peace and justice and prayer |
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offered to everyone. |
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2. Lived
faith through membership in the |
1. Establish quality
Intergenerational faith |
Principle # 1: The dimension of
Community life |
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Christian
community |
communities and relations |
Principle # 5: The goal of all
catechesis is to develop |
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2. Encourage faith growth
through scripture study |
households of faith. |
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a. By
fostering participation in the Church as realized |
3. Faith-sharing that has
significant cognitive |
Principle # 6: Catechesis must look
and feel more like |
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in families |
learning |
Church and less like school. |
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b. By
supporting a sense of mission within the Church |
4. Development of the innerlife
of each person |
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and to the world |
through
positive subjective impact |
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5. Influence people in a
holistic way through sound |
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lifestyle
consequence |
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3.
Christian discipleship to the
world |
1. Challenge people to live out
the Christian |
Principle # 2: Catechesis is
constitutive of the |
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message
in service to others |
Christian life. |
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a. Attaining full maturity to
evangelize |
2. Using one's gifts and
talents to help others |
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b. By promoting peace and justice |
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c. By
witnessing to the salvation won by Christ |
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Comparison of Model Tasks
Tables II and III, both containing Parts A and B and found on pages 84 through 87, compare IGRE and WCC model tasks to those of the NDC and OHWB documents. Under the dimension of Church as ÒSacrament,Ó Goal #1, the goals for both models place emphasis on the liturgical aspect for conversion but differ in their tasks to achieve the goal. The IGRE model task suggests that persons in charge of the liturgy give attention to language, action, pace and other liturgical elements. Responsive litanies for example, might include lines spoken by children of various age levels, parents, single persons, retirees, and so on. It is a way of recognizing congregational distinctions while remaining one body.[187] By doing so, this form of liturgical involvement communicates to as broad an age spectrum as possible, addressing both communal and personal forms of conversion. Like the NDC and OHWB goal, Goal #1 involves persons in the liturgical life of the Church. WCC tasks give emphasis to communal as well as to personal conversion. As mentioned earlier in this paper, the ÒQuestion of the WeekÓ is a means to help create a process from which all catechesis flows from the liturgical celebration into all parish activity.
Under Goal #2,
both models give importance to the prayer life of the Church, which meets the
NDC/OHWB task of Participation in the prayer life of the Church to meet its goal of Lived faith through
membership in the Christian community.
I especially like the task of WCC
which encourages faith sharing groups to follow a 4-step prayer plan. These steps include an invitation for
everyone to pause and prepare for prayer, to re-read part or all of the Sunday
Gospel, to allow about 15 minutes at the beginning of each meeting for faith-sharing
based on the ÒQuestion of the WeekÓ and to close the session with brief prayer.[188] This prayer plan could be a useful tool
for parishes that need direction in beginning a faith-based prayer study or
need to develop a better focus for sharing.
Under Goal #3, the NDC and OHWB task for adults is to assume their baptismal responsibilities for the ChurchÕs mission. As is probably true for most Catholic faithful, if asked what their baptismal responsibilities are, would not be able to give a clear answer. The NDC lists these responsibilities as professing the faith, education in the knowledge of the faith, celebration of the mysteries of the faith, practice of Christian moral virtues and dedication to daily prayer.[189] Using these baptismal responsibilities, I was able to determine goals and tasks for both models related to the NDC and OHWB. The IGRE model encourages faith growth through scripture study and prayer. The task to support this goal is practice of prayer and faith sharing through Scripture study. As part of the baptismal call, the faithful participate in becoming educated in the faith so that they may make a sound profession of that faith.
Huebsch writes
that the success of WCC is directly linked to the place baptism holds for the
life of the parish. He believes
that in order to understand and carry out baptismal responsibilities, baptism
must be more that Òjust one of the seven sacraments.Ó[190] Baptism must be Òrethought raising its
status on a par with that of the Eucharist.Ó[191] Baptismal promises made and the
responsibilities that go with them are little understood by the faithful. Catechesis must be more effective in
helping people to see the vital place baptism hold in their lives. Through the worship experience of the
Church, persons can deepen and better appreciate the gift of baptism that they
have received.[192]
Under the dimension of Church as Herald, Goal #1, the ndc and ohwb task is to promote evangelization as a means of bringing the Good News to all of humanity. Pastoral directives for evangelization in the United States as stated by the NDC and listed by the models are knowledge of scripture, liturgical renewal and integration of daily prayer.[193] As with the goals, IGRE and WCC tasks for this ecclesial dimension place more emphasis on the actions of persons rather than on proclamation through word. WCC also places greater emphasis on pre-evanglization efforts as a means of bringing about conversion rather than on proclamation by word of mouth. For Church membersto become effective evangelizers, the parish community must be intentional in its effort to become articulate in sharing the Gospel message by word as much as by its actions.
The Church as Herald must be given support through the catechetical endeavor of the parish. The Church as Teacher has the important responsibility to insure that understanding of the faith takes root and that the faithful grow in fullness of maturity so that they may be more willing and able to proclaim the Word. As a catechist, I have taken for granted the goals of religious education and moral formation as listed in Principle #1, under Goal #1 in the WCC model. The goal and related task listed in the IGRE model more clearly expresses the reasons for religious education and moral formation as drawing persons more deeply into the liturgical life of the community to help develop the inner life of each person. Conversion to the Lord occurs when persons have had some kind of metanoia or change of heart. When catechesis speaks to the development of the inner life of each person, this IGRE goal is supported by and also supports the IGRE task of learning that positively affects peopleÕs emotional feelings. This is one sign of conversion to the Lord. On a personal and communal level, as Christians we then become more aware of what we have done or what we have failed to do in our relationships with others and in our personal relationship with God.
As Goal #2 is expressed by both models, catechesis involves the whole community at the parish level and at home in faith formation that builds knowledge of the faith. An important WCC task as it relates to the thesis of this paper is to first teach parents and then teach children. IGRE goals stress the importance of quality intergenerational relations and significant quality learning.
A weakness I find in both models is that the excellent goals and tasks expressed under Church as Teacher inhibits its ability to develop adults of mature faith if the tasks used to help them become articulate in the faith are not used to complete the task of evangelization. Proclamation of the Word is the ultimate expression of adults of mature faith engaging them beyond pre-evangelization efforts of service to others.
The Church as Servant takes the faithful beyond the call of service to give Christian witness in society as listed in Goal #1. The Church as Koinonia, a fellowship of Christian believers, finds ultimate expression in The Church as Servant. All that she has done and has become through the Church as Leiturgia, as Kerygma and as Didache gives visible evidence of mature adult faithful who can boldly proclaim the faith. Proclaiming faith in the risen Christ, as the task for WCC lists under Goal #3, must always be given direct intent in all aspects of the life of the parish community. Only then will the Church be able to effectively carry out its missionary call to evangelization, as mandated by Jesus.
To summarize Tables II and III, I find that both models give importance to the liturgical life of all members in the parish. The IGRE model gives attention to liturgical language within the Sunday celebration, which encompasses a wide range of intergenerational age groupings. WCC uses the ÒQuestion of the WeekÓ and the 4-step prayer plan to establish a process from which all catechesis flows within the parish. Both models stress prayer as important to the faith formation of its members, WCC giving more direction for members by addressing its use of the 4-step plan. Both models give attention to living the Christian life through works of justice and peace. Both are weak in giving specific examples that give priority to proclaiming the Word to others.
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TABLE
II (Part A) |
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Ecclesial Dimensions
of IGRE Model Goals and Tasks as related to NDC/OHWB Goals and Tasks |
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Church as Sacrament |
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Church
as Herald |
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NDC/OHWB
Goal #1: Conversion to the Lord |
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NDC/OHWB
Goal #1: Conversion to the Lord
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NDC/OHWB
Task to assist the goal: Participation in the sacraments and liturgical life of the Church |
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NDC/OHWB
Task to assist the goal: To promote evangelization as the means of bringing the Good
News to all of humanity |
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IGRE
Goals related to the NDC/OHWB Goal: |
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IGRE
Goals related to the NDC/OHWB Goal: |
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To draw
people more deeply into the liturgical life of the |
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Challenge
people to live out the Christian message in service to others; |
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community;
to develop the inner life of each person |
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Draw
people more deeply into the liturgical life of the community |
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IGRE
Task related to the NDC Task: |
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IGRE
Tasks related to the NDC/OHWB Goal: Commitment to |
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To give
attention to the liturgical language |
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peace, the increase among people of
the love of God/neighbor |
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NDC/OHWB
Goal #2: Lived faith through membership in the Christian Community |
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NDC/OHWB
Goal #2: Lived faith through membership in the Christian Community |
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NDC/OHWB
Task to assist the goal: Participation in the prayer
life of the Church |
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NDC/OHWB
Task to assist the goal: To clarify the relationship between
Church and the world |
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IGRE
Goal related to the NDC/OHWB Goal: |
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IGRE
Goal related to the NDC/OHWB Goal: |
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To
encourage people to grow in their faith
through prayer and scripture
study |
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Faith
growth through scripture study |
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IGRE
Tasks related to the NDC/OHWB Task: |
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IGRE
Task related to the NDC/OHWB Task: |
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Practice
of prayer, worship more sincerely, meditation |
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Know
books of the Bible |
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NDC/OHWB
Goal #3: Christian discipleship to the world |
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NDC/OHWB
Goal #3: Christian discipleship to the world |
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NDC/OHWB
Tasks: Being able to give Christian witness in |
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NDC/OHWB
Task: Adults will assume their baptismal |
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society;
participate as Catholic families in Church and society, |
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responsibilities
for the Church's mission. |
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marriage,
family life and single life |
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IGRE
Goals related to the NDC/OHWB Goal: |
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IGRE
Goal related to the NDC/OHWB Goal: |
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Encourage
faith growth through scripture study and prayer; |
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Quality
intergenerational faith communities and relations |
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IGRE
Tasks related to the NDC/OHWB Goal: |
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IGRE
Tasks related to the NDC/OHWB Goal: |
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Practice
of prayer; scripture study |
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Love
others better |
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Church
as Worship |
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NDC
Goal #1: Conversion to the Lord |
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NDC
Task to assist the goal: Participation in the |
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sacraments
and liturgical life of the Church |
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WCC
Program Goal related to the NDC Goal: |
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Principle
#4: All catechesis is tightly connected to the |
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Sunday
liturgy |
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WCC
Program Task related to the NDC Task: |
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Establish
a process from which all catechesis flows |
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within
the parish |
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Goal
#2: Lived faith through membership in the |
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Christian
Community |
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NDC
Task to assist the goal: Participation in the |
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prayer
life of theChurch |
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WCC
Program Goal related to the NDC Goal: |
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Principle
#1: catechetical dimension of prayer |
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WCC
Program Task related to the NDC Task: |
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The
faith-sharing group will follow a 4-step prayer plan. |
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Goal
#3: Christian discipleship to the world |
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NDC
Task: Adults will assume their baptismal responsi- |
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bilities
for the Church's mission |
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WCC
Program Goal related to the NDC Goal: |
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Principle
#1: catechetical dimension of liturgy |
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WCC
Program Task related to the NDC Goal: |
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Raising
the status of baptism on a par with Eucharist |
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TABLE II (PART B) |
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Ecclesial Dimensions of IGRE Model Goals and Tasks as related to
NDC/OHWB Goals and Tasks |
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Church as Teacher |
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Church as Servant |
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NDC/OHWB
Goal # 1: Conversion to the Lord |
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NDC/OHWB
Goal # 1: Conversion to the Lord
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NDC/OHWB
Task to assist the goal: Development of an |
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NDC/OHWB
Tasks to assist the goal:To give Christian witness in |
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informed
conscience/clarify religious and moral questions |
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society |
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IGRE
Goal related to the NDC/OHWB Goal: |
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IGRE
Goal related to the NDC/OHWB Goal: |
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Development
of the inner life of each person |
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No related goal |
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IGRE
Task related to the NDC Task: |
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IGRE
Task related to the NDC/OHWB Goal:
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Learning
that positively affects people's emotional feelings |
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No related task |
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NDC/OHWB
Goal # 2: Lived faith through membership in the
Christian Community |
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NDC/OHWB Goal # 2: Lived faith through membership in
the Christian
Community |
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NDC/OHWB
Task to assist the goal: Nurture |
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NDC/OHWB
Tasks to assist the goal: Participate as Catholic |
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community
and support people in seeking solutions |
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families
in Church and society; marriage and family life; single life; |
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to
personal and communal problems; |
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IGRE
Goals related to the NDC/OHWB Goal: |
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IGRE
Goals related to the NDC/OHWB Goal: |
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Quality
intergenerational relations |
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Quality
intergenerational relations |
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IGRE
Model Task related to the NDC/OHWB Task: |
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Significant
quality learning |
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To
realize more than "the usual" age-group interchanges |
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IGRE
Tasks related to the NDC/OHWB Task: |
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NDC/OHWB
Goal # 3: Christian discipleship to the world |
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People
together will study X subject or do Y things so they |
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NDC/OHWB
Tasks to assist the Goal: Works of charity and |
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will
learn subject matter: maintain community, transfer of |
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justice |
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basic
beliefs, knowledge of Church as institution, |
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IGRE
Model Goal related to the NDC/OHWB Goal: |
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NDC/OHWB
Goal # 3: Christian discipleship to the world |
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Using
one's gifts and talents to help others; challenge people to |
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NDC/OHWB
Tasks: Develop rational foundations of faith; |
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live out
the Christian message in service to others |
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demonstrate
compatibility of faith and reason |
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IGRETasks
related to the NDC/OHWB Goal: |
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IGRE
Goal related to the NDC/OHWB Goal: |
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Love
others better; commitment to peace |
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Positive
subjective impact |
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IGRE
Tasks related to the NDC/OHWB Goal: |
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Understand
ones responsibility to give faith to the world; |
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Understanding
the ecumenical and denominational |
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aspect
of the local community |
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