eCatechist

The Trouble with Catechesis by Thomas Flowers, SJ

In so many ways, Canisius’s catechism bears the marks of its age: he speaks in the theological language of the sixteenth century, he uses texts and lists made popular by medieval catechesis, and his understanding of the Church and who can be saved, by our post-Vatican II standards, is severely limited. But the spirit of his catechesis embraces the most fundamental message at the heart of the new Directory for Catechesis: catechesis must be oriented towards ‘intimate union with Christ’ and adapted to the language and particular needs of the people whom it addresses.

From: Thinking Faith

Review by Nick Wagner From: Pray Tell Blog

Why would anyone want to be a Jesuit today? The wisdom and example of Peter Canisius

From: Thinking Faith

Our Children Might Return to the Church but Our Grandchildren Most Likely Won't by Daniel McClain.

 

Daniel McClain, Loyola University Maryland theologian and Episcopalian priest, scrutinizes children at play and the failures of religious education

From Church Life Journal at Notre Dame University.

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Webinar: Echoing the WORD: The Catechism, Transformation, and Conversion

 

• Tuesday, January 9, 2018 4 p.m and 7 p.m. EDT

Learn more at: www.Sadlier.com/ReligionWebinars

Register at:   https://register.gotowebinar.com/rt/9087536556103604738

 

Description:

It’s the 25th anniversary of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. We’re celebrating with a look back on this moment in evangelization. Join this webinar presented by Sister Maureen Sullivan, OP and explore these questions:

• Why did the bishops publish a new Catechism?
• What do we truly know about the Catechism?
• How do we incorporate this religious education tool into our catechesis?
• Is it realistic to believe that an encounter with the Catechism can lead to an encounter with the living Christ?

This webinar is offered at multiple times. Choose the time that works best for you.

Martin Luther: Luther's Bible - Part 2 by Steve Mueller

 

Image from Wikipedia

Although there had been many attempts at translating the Bible into the several Germanic dialects since the 4^th century, before the advent of printing it was difficult to make these manuscripts widely available. Thus the primary Bible translation was the Latin Vulgate done by St. Jerome a thousand years before. The problem was that only the highly-educated knew Latin.

Luther, a university professor, was one of the most learned scripture scholars of his time and as such he was aware of the new discoveries of the Greek New Testament manuscripts that pre-dated the Latin translation of Jerome. Like scripture scholars today, comparing the Greek and Latin versions, Luther realized that the Latin did not always accurately translate the Greek. So he decided to produce a new translation.

But his real stroke of genius was that he would translate the Bible into German and, thanks to the printing press, he could make it available to all the people. His translation, finished in 1534, became an instant sensation. It was a clear, forceful translation that made the unintelligible Latin come alive in the mouths of preachers and catechists. Moreover, as the King James Bible did for the English language, Luther’s Bible helped to create a literary style and vocabulary that contributed greatly to the High German that a remains today as the common standard for the German language.

Steve Mueller is the author of the five books in The Reading the Bible Series, which is published by Faith Alive Books.

www.faithAlivebooks.com

Martin Luther: Master Catechist - Part 1 by Steve Mueller

 

Image from Wikipedia

In 2017, we recall the beginning 500 years ago of the Protestant Christian Reformation triggered by the posting of 95 theses for theological debate at the University of Wurzburg by the Augustinian Scripture professor Fr. Martin Luther. But their publication soon ignited the widespread desire for reform of the many abuses that characterized the Church at that time.

            Martin Luther is held in high esteem today for his great theological insight and teaching, and not only by Lutherans. His teachings are based on scripture and still form the basis for Lutheran doctrine. That Luther has had lasting influence on Western culture was recognized in a millennial survey in Life magazine that named Luther as the third most important person of the past 1,000 years, after Thomas Edison and Christopher Columbus.

            But most important for us as catechists, we should recognize and learn from the example of Martin Luther as a master catechist, who combined a deep knowledge and love of Scripture with a practical zeal to communicate the gospel message to both children and adults in their own language and in a way that they could understand its application to their everyday lives. We can explore these two dimensions of Luther’s catechetical craft by noting his skill as a Bible translator and as the creator of a basic catechism.

Steve Mueller is the author of the five books in The Reading the Bible Series, which is published by Faith Alive Books.

www.faithAlivebooks.com

Martin Luther: Master Catechist - Introduction by Steve Mueller

Image from Wikipedia

October 31, 2017 marks the 500^th anniversary of the beginning of the Protestant Christian Reformation that began in Germany when Augustinian scripture professor Fr. Martin Luther posted his theological theses for debate. Much of what was protested then has now been modified or fixed. But for us catechists, it might be a time to appreciate the contribution of Martin Luther to scripture scholarship and to catechesis. So in the next 3 weeks, we will explore the contribution of Martin Luther: Master Catechist, in particular considering his work as Bible translator and also as author of his Small Catechism for teaching the basics of the Christian faith.

Steve Mueller is the author of the five books in The Reading the Bible Series, which is published by Faith Alive Books.

Download Cat_Guide_Series_Handout__Rev_F

www.faithAlivebooks.com

Liturgical Catechesis by Donna Eschenauer, Ph.D.

 

Liturgical catechesis recognizes the profound relationship between liturgy and catechesis. This relationship is essential to preparing children for active participation in the celebrations of the Sacraments of Penance and Reconciliation and the Eucharist.

Children have a natural capacity for wonder and awe. They are open to the greatness of God and eager to learn. Developmentally, children experience a profound sense of identity in and through ritual prayer. Their Catholic Identity is shaped and nurtured through ritual activities that appeal to their senses.

Within the context of the liturgical year, assembly, song, symbol, Scripture, gesture, and even silence nurture the sacramental imagination of children and offer them deeper insight into the world.

It is important to understand that liturgical catechesis is one aspect of catechesis, rather than an alternative method of catechesis. The purpose of liturgical catechesis is threefold:

• It is catechesis toward the liturgy.
• It is catechesis in and through the liturgy.
• It offers the opportunity for reflection on the liturgical experience.

In Sadlier’s Believe • Celebrate • Live, Reconciliation and Eucharist program, we aim to prepare children to celebrate the sacraments as baptized members of the Body of Christ. The text fosters beliefs that will reveal the mystery of Jesus Christ and the Church and lead to active participation in the liturgy. It promotes service to others in ways that can influence children and families in the lifelong process of learning to see God’s presence and action in the world.

To view or request a sample of Believe • Celebrate • Live, Reconciliation, Eucharist and Confirmation, visit http://www.sadlier.com/religion/believe_celebrate_live or to order, call 1-800-221-5175.

Religious Education Is Broken: It's Time to Fix the Sunday School Culture. America Magazine

A public school with a dropout rate of 50 percent and two-thirds of area parents opting out of it would be considered failing. If the school were unable to turn those numbers around in a few years, it would likely be shut down. And yet for decades, Catholic parishes in the United States have invested in religious education programs that have proven no more effective. Today, more than half of Catholic millennials report going to Mass a few times a year or less, and, according to a 2014 poll, 68 percent of Catholic parents decide not to enroll their child in any formal Catholic religious education.

Continue in America Magazine

The Gospels As Catechetical Documents

The Gospels are not abstract theological treatises or collections of moral guidelines. Rather, they are narratives that proclaim the Good News of our salvation by recounting the story of Jesus of Nazareth, whose life, death and resurrection are the foundation of our Christian way of relating to God. They are also our chief resources for learning who Jesus was and what his mission was. [For a more detailed consideration of this see my book Who Do You Say I Am? The Catechist’s Guide to Jesus in the Gospels (Faith Alive Books, 2015)].

Moreover, although the Gospels are often represented as documents that we might use to invite others to become followers of Jesus—to evangelize as we say today—a careful reading reveals that the Gospels would be very hard to understand without some familiarity with Jesus’ story and his expectations for his followers. In other words, the Gospels were not written to convert outsiders but as catechetical documents to deepen the faith of those who have already committed themselves to Jesus and his community by adopting his vision of the world, his values for living in it, and the vocation to continue his mission of bringing the Good News to others.

So What's the Good News? The Catechist's Guide to Reading the Gospels by Steve Mueller. p 2.

So What's the Good News?

21st Century Catholic Evangelization Website from NCCL

This website, sponsored by the Evangelization Committee of the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership, is designed to serve Catholic leaders in their ministry of evangelization. We are seeking to provide approaches, strategies, and resources to help parish and diocesan leaders address three audiences for the transmission of the Christian faith:

• to reach out to those who have never heard the gospel proclaimed (initial evangelization)
• to re-engage those who are baptized but have lost a living sense of the faith in their daily lives (re-discovering faith)
• to engage more intently those who are faithful and need to be renewed with increased catechesis (evangelizing catechesis)

Link

 

The Catechist: An Artist Disciple by Peter Ductram

As the year came to an end, many catechists and Catholic school teachers dialogued about the current changes in the U.S. Church landscape. One of the most interesting conversations happened around the topic of the priority of systematic formation for catechists. Some commented on the "importance of living our faith," to which others added the priority of knowing the faith and the art of sharing it with our children and youth in our religious education programs and in Catholic schools.

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Peter Ductram is the Archdiocesan Director of Catechesis, Archdiocese of Miami. He was born in Lima, Peru. Earned a MA in Theology in from Catholic Theological Union and is a Candidate for a MDiv. in Bible. He served in the Archdiocese of Chicago as Coordinator of Hispanic Ministry, Director of Religious Education, Adjunct faculty at the University of Mundelein, and Coordinator of Evangelization Initiatives. Proactive bilingual leader with experience in faith formation and enrichment in multicultural environments.

What Is a Catechist?

 When Frederick had finished, they all applauded.

"But Frederick," they said, "you are a poet!"

Frederick blushed, took a bow, and said shyly, "I know it."

                                                                 Leo Leonni, Frederick

Frederick was not a catechist. He was a field mouse in a chatty family of field mice. But he was a special field mouse because he was called to a special task. While the other members of his family worked day and night to gather corn and nuts and wheat and straw for the long cold winter, Frederick gathered sun rays, colors and words. Somehow he knew that these were going to be important, and they were. When the corn and nuts and wheat were gone, Frederick, through his words, was able to bring the warming rays of the sun and the beautiful colors of the blue periwinkles and red poppies to help his family survive the winter. Frederick, the poet, knew from the beginning what he was doing.

What Is a Catechist?

Before we can begin to talk about working smarter, you need to ask yourself what it is that you are expected to do as a catechist. Like Frederick, you need to know from the outset what your role is. The term catechist has a long history in the Church, but it is not a word that is often used in everyday conversation. When you were being recruited by your parish or school to be a catechist, you, no doubt, understood it to mean a religion teacher. You were right. To be a catechist is to be a teacher, but a teacher with a special task.

The term catechist comes from a Greek word meaning "to echo." The Church has the responsibility of handing on the faith, of echoing the Word of God, to its own generation and to succeeding generations. This is the catechetical ministry. In the early church if one assumed this task, he or she was called a catechist, a person responsible for echoing the message of Jesus to the community. Today, as in the past, people actively involved in the formal ministry of handing on the faith are called catechists. By choosing to become involved in your parish or school's religious education (catechetical) program, you became a catechist in this long tradition. You assumed the responsibility of handing on the Catholic

From Working Smarter, Not Harder: A Catechist's Survival Guide by Tom and Rita Walters. c) 2011

 

The New Evangelization by Bishop Christopher Coyne

 

Bishop Christopher Coyne of Indianapolis addresses Catholic school teachers, catechists and youth ministers on the New Evangelization

Bishop Christopher Coyne on Facebook

The Joy of the Gospel by Robert Ellsberg (Maryknoll Magazine)

 

When Jorge Mario Bergoglio entered the Society of Jesus at the age of 21, he dreamed of serving as a missionary in Japan. As it turned out, health worries kept him home in Argentina. Though he eventually became the archbishop of Buenos Aires, the commitment to mission never left him.

At the conclave where he was elected pope last year, Cardinal Bergoglio delivered brief remarks outlining his vision for the Church. Evangelization, he proclaimed, is the Church's reason for being. But to realize this purpose, the Church must "come out of herself" and "go to the peripheries, not only in the geographic sense but also the existential peripheries." His remarks struck an enthusiastic chord with the assembled cardinals, contributing to his election as pope.

Since then, as Pope Francis, he has captured the hearts of many others, both within and beyond the Church, through his humility, his embrace of poverty and his evident love for all humanity. In all this, he has fulfilled the promise implied in his choice of name. It was St. Francis of Assisi, after all, who renewed and reformed the Church of his time by recalling the memory of Jesus in his poverty and compassion for the sick and marginalized.

But behind all the pope's words and gestures there is the deeper challenge he poses to all of us who constitute the Church: to recover our true purpose as a "community of missionary disciples," a phrase borrowed from the final statement of the Aparecida document, which Cardinal Bergoglio drafted for the Latin American bishops in 2007.

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A New Kind of Religious Education

A little after 3 p.m. on a Thursday, children in grades three through eight begin dashing through the doorway of an old red brick convent behind St. Mary’s Church in Waltham, Mass., having finished their days at nearby public schools. Lugging backpacks and wearing shorts and T-shirts, they have arrived for religious education — although you wouldn’t know it, just by looking at them during the next couple of hours.

The first stop is the lunchroom, where the kids help themselves to hot bagel sandwiches and juice. Then they separate out into six classrooms upstairs for an hour of homework with help from parish volunteers. After that comes an hour of recreation: soccer and other pursuits on St. Mary’s sprawling front lawn, on a summer-like day in October. Not until the third hour will the children take part in what most would recognize as a spiritual activity — a celebration of the Eucharist in the building’s six-pew chapel.

For St. Mary’s pastor, Father Michael Nolan, all of it is religious education.

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From Our Sunday Visitor

August 2013

Address of the Pope Francis to the Participants in the International Congress on Catechesis

27 September, 2013

Dear Catechists,

Good evening!

I am pleased that this meeting was organized for the Year of Faith.

Catechesis is a pillar of faith education and we need good catechists! Thank you for your service to the Church and in the Church. Even if at times it may be difficult and require a great deal of work, and although the results are not always what we hope for, teaching the faith is something beautiful! It is perhaps the best legacy we can pass on: the faith! To educate in the faith, to make it grow.

To help children, young people and adults to know and love the Lord more and more is one of the most exciting aspects of education. It builds up the Church! To "be" catechists! Not to "work" as catechists: this will not do. I work as a catechist because I like to teach… But unless you "are" a catechist, it is no good! You will not be successful … you will not bear fruit!

Catechesis is a vocation: "being a catechist", this is the vocation, not working as a catechist. So keep this in mind: I didn't say to do the "work" of catechists, but to "be" catechists, because this is something that embraces our whole life. It means leading people to encounter Christ by our words and our lives, by giving witness.

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News Story from Catholic News Service (CNS)

 

A People Ahead of Their Time by Kathy Coffey

Editor's Note:  This is a beautiful recognition of the vocation of the catechist and a tribute to the generosity and contribututions that catechists continue to offer children, youth, adults, and families throughout the world. Let's us give thanks and pray for one another. - Dan Pierson

 

I am a conference junkie. Because I’ve given talks at various parish, diocesan and national events for the last twelve years, people often ask, “so what do you see, traveling around the country?” It’s probably a skewed perspective, flying in on Friday night, speaking most of Saturday, then returning to the airport Sunday. Sometimes a longer retreat or workshop gives the chance to know people at a deeper level and communicate over a longer period of time. That kind of experience makes it harder to say goodbye, but is the exception, not the rule.
 
So much travel: what does it teach? Given the breadth of the action in  a truly catholic culture—from Asians in Seattle to Cubans in Miami, from Filippinos in Las Vegas to Latinos in Lubbock, any sweeping generalization sounds suspect. With that caveat comes a firmly optimistic read. For the most part, catechetical activity isn’t generating headlines, but it speaks loud and clear of a robust faith community. In the old cliché, reports of the church’s demise, at least in this arena, are exaggerated.
 
Come along for an imaginative tour of conferences around the country. Most events, whether in Milwaukee or Monterey, tend to be as similar as the Gap stores at the local mall. The folding chairs for a keynote in the elementary or high school gym, the breakouts in classrooms, are sometime upgraded to hotels or convention centers.

 

Pope Francis' Letter to Catechists

Editor’s note: On August 21, 2012, the feast of St. Pius X, then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio—now Pope Francis—published a letter to the catechists of his Archdiocese of Buenos Aires. This is an exclusive English translation of that letter.

Source: Catholic World Report

Dear catechists,

It has been a custom now for many years that I write you a letter around the feast of Saint Pius X. In this way I wish to greet you on his day, thank you for your quiet, faithful work each week, for your ability to be Good Samaritans who offer hospitality out of faith, by being familiar faces and dear hearts that make it possible to transform, in some way, the anonymity of the big city. 

Continue Reading the Entire Letter

Some Quotes from the Letter

But catechesis would be seriously compromised if our experience of faith were to leave us confined in and anchored to our familiar world or in the structures and spaces that we have been creating over the years.  To believe in the Lord is always to enter anew through the door of faith that makes us go out, to set out on a journey, to leave our comfort zone....  We must not forget that the first Christian initiation that occurred in time and in history climaxed in mission ... that it took on the characteristics of visitation.  With complete clarity the account of Luke tells us:  “Mary arose and went with haste... full of the Spirit.” 

It is good to realize that today, more than ever, the act of believing must allow the joy of the Faith to shine through.  As in that joyous encounter of Mary and Elizabeth, the catechist must imbue his or her entire person and ministry with the joy of the Faith.

Furthermore, though, I ask you not to see your field of evangelization as being limited to those who are to be catechized.  You are privileged to spread the joy and beauty of the Faith to their families.  May they become an echo in your catechetical pastoral ministry in this Church of Buenos Aires that wishes to live in a missionary state.  [“Cat-echesis” and “echo” are related words. – Translator’s note]

While thanking you from my heart for all that you do as a catechist, for your time and your dedication, I ask the Lord to give you an open mind, so as to recreate dialogue and encounter among those whom God entrusts to you, and a believing heart so as to follow, exclaiming that He is alive and loves us as no one else does.  I have a picture of Mary Help of Christians that says, “You who believed, help me!”  May she help us to follow by being faithful to the Lord’s call....

Faith Requires Sharing, Pope Francis Teaches

Vatican City, Jun 2, 2013 / 09:10 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The multiplication of the loaves and fish highlights our need to share our faith with others as part of a conversion to a deeper unity with Christ, Pope Francis says.

“The feast of Corpus Christi asks us to convert to faith in Providence, to share the little that we are and that we have, and to not ever close ourselves in,” said Pope Francis June 2.

During his Sunday Angelus address on the Feast of Corpus Christi, which celebrates the Institution of the Eucharist, Pope Francis reflected on Jesus' multiplication of the fish and loaves found in Luke 9.

Something that “always strikes me and makes me think,” the Holy Father said of the Gospel passage, is the way that Jesus involves his disciples in the process of feeding the multitudes.

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Source: Catholic News Agency

What’s “New” About the New Evangelization?

(And what was wrong with the old one?)

Recently, someone said to me, “If we spent as much time doing the new evangelization as we have spent talking about it, perhaps we’d be done already.” Truly, much has been said about the new evangelization over the past fifty years. In 1975, Pope Paul VI wrote in Evangelii Nuntiandi that the Church must evangelize not only those who have never heard the Gospel proclaimed, but also those who have heard the Gospel, but “are indifferent and not living in accordance with the faith” (56).

Fifteen years later, in Redemptoris missio, Pope John Paul II again emphasized the need for a “new evangelization or re-evangelization” for those “…entire groups of the baptized [who] have lost a living sense of the faith, or even no longer consider themselves members of the Church, and live a life far removed from Christ and his Gospel” (33).

In 2000, Pope John Paul II wrote in Novo millennio ineunte, “Over the years, I have often repeated the summons to the new evangelization. I do so again now… (40).

Pope Benedict XVI has once again called our attention to the new evangelization. The Synod of Bishops, which will convene in October, will discuss The New Evangelization for the Transmission of Faith and the Year of Faith, which begins October 11, 2012.  The Year of Faith is intended as an opportunity for Catholics to participate in the new evangelization. With all this attention on the new evangelization, surely some are wondering, “Isn’t the new evangelization… getting old?”

But that’s the thing about the new evangelization – it’s always new. The Church must unceasingly discern new ways to respond to rapidly changing circumstances, to proclaim the Gospel in new ways that take into account today’s culture, to speak anew to those who have heard the Gospel message, but for whom it did not take root.

The new evangelization is not redoing something that has already been done or correcting what was done incorrectly. Rather, the new evangelization is “new” energy, methods, and language used to make comprehensible the Gospel message in the context of one’s life, personally and socially. The new evangelization will not be “done” until the world is done changing.

New evangelization is the work of all the Church. Only those who have been evangelized – those who have heard the Good News of Christ – can proclaim that Good News in their lives, actions and words.  Therefore, we each must be newly evangelized, letting the Light of Christ illuminate the dark corners of our lives, so Christ can be further revealed to us in new ways, renewing our joy, enthusiasm and fervor for proclaiming that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb. 13:8).

With new energy for living a life of discipleship, we pray that those who have fallen away from the practice of the faith may hear the proclamation of the Gospel in a new way that speaks to their circumstances and rekindles in them the love of Christ, our hope for the future.

 

Introductory Document for the Synod: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/synod/documents/rc_synod_doc_20110202_lineamenta-xiii-assembly_en.html

Agenda for the Synod: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/synod/documents/rc_synod_doc_20120619_instrumentum-xiii_en.pdf)

The “Year of Faith” (http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/how-we-teach/new-evangelization/year-of-faith/)

Evangelii Nuntiandi: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/paul_vi/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_p-vi_exh_19751208_evangelii-nuntiandi_en.html

Redemptoris Missio: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_07121990_redemptoris-missio_en.html

Novo Millennio Ineunte: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_20010106_novo-millennio-ineunte_en.html

 

Amy S. McEntee is an assistant director in the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. She is also the chairperson of the Executive Board for the National Catholic Young Adult Ministry Association.

Amy has ministry experience in the areas of faith formation for children, youth and adults. She has presented locally and nationally, particularly in the areas of young adult ministry, new evangelization and social media in ministry. In addition, she has been a contributing author to both print and electronic publications, including Catechetical Leader and Young Adult Ministry in a Box.

An amateur photographer and avid reader, Amy can often be found in art museums, bookstores and coffee shops. She lives with her husband, Patrick, in Dayton, Ohio.