Yesterday, I told you about the first 35 minutes or so of my first session on Monday evening during which time my focus was to ENGAGE the young people. My Engage step normally does not take that long however, being the first night, there was more engaging to do! With the focus on the theme of TRUST, we next moved into the EXPLORE step of the lesson, where we look at the story of salvation and how it connects with the lived experience we just talked about in the Engage step. Here are the highlights:

• First, the pastor stopped in. This is always a welcome interruption. He is a new pastor and he came in to introduce himself to me and to the young people and I thought he did a fine job of doing so. He was very cordial and outgoing and he engaged the young people in some brief conversation. I thought this showed great interest and support for these young people.
• I did a brief “book presentation ceremony” to present the young people with their textbooks, telling them that this is not just any textbook but is a means by which we encounter Jesus and so we do more than simply distribute them. I called them forward one at a time by name and presented their book to them saying, “May the Word of God be in your heart.” They behaved quite well for this and it went very quickly.
• We then immediately opened our books to chapter 1 and, using the ball toss, the young people took turns reading a few paragraphs at a time. I inserted some comments along the way. The article we read was about how our story of creation in Genesis teaches us that God is good, all of creation is good, and that we can trust in the God of our creation who continues to care for His creation. The article compares this to the Babylonian creation myth that teaches that creation came about as a result of a violent battle between angry gods who then enslaved human beings.
• We spent about 15 minutes focused on this chapter and the content. Normally, I would spend more time on the content, however, being the first night, I had spent a lot of time engaging them and I wanted to be sure to introduce them to the REFLECT step of our sessions, where they go to their “sacred space” for guided reflection.
• I emphasized to them that, out of the first 45 minutes or so of class, we had only read from the book for about a third of the time. I told them that we are not just going to come here and read from a book for 75 minutes but that we will continue to do a variety of things to keep them going.

Normally, I would want to have the young people DO something with the material that has been read…some type of informal assessment to see if they “get it.” Again, given the time constraints of the first session, I was unable to do this. However, I wasn’t too concerned because the concept – we can trust in God our Father – was very simple.

Next we moved in to the Reflect step. I’ll share about that tomorrow.

Thanks to those who have sent in comments about their first session. I invite more of you to do so. I/we love to compare notes and we learn from one another. In all honesty, I did 4 or 5 things on Monday night that I picked up from other catechists who shared their ideas here on my blog…THANKS!

Are you off to a good start this year as a catechist? Please share your comments with me and your fellow catechists about your first session (click on Comments below).

My first session last night went very well, thank God! Today I’ll share some observations about the Engage step, which, being the first class, took about 35 minutes:

• My aide had a family issue to tend to and was unable to be there last night so I was on my own to get things organized. Also, there is a class in my room that doesn’t let out until 15 mintues before I begin so I don’t have very much time to get the room in order.
• Thankfully, our supply bins are now being kept on our floor so we don’t have to lug them up 3 flights of stairs!
• 2 of my students are related to other catechists and both of those catechists came by as I was setting up to introduce me to them…that was very nice.
• I greeted each student at the door with a handshake which generally seemed to surprise and disarm them a bit. I immediately had them sit in assigned seats and gave them each an index card to jot down the names of 5 people they trust. They did not have a moment to breathe before I had them on task  and attentive.
• I was assigned 10 students, 6 boys and 4 girls. 3 were absent and one was added so I ended up with 8 students last night. I have to say that they were very pleasant and friendly and I think we hit it off nicely.
• I immediately began by introducing myself …about 20 seconds into that, one young man blurted out a question without raising his hand. I cut him off and said, “I’m sorry, but you don’t talk while I’m talking.”  He was a bit surprised at the quickness and firmness of my correction but he apologized and I continued on having asserted my authority very early on. That appearance of being strict was (hopefully) offset by my attempt to be very cordial in my tone as I continued my introduction.
• Next, I had them stand and I explained that we’ll always begin with prayer and that I will say “This is the day the Lord has made” and that they are to respond, “Let us rejoice and be glad!” I had this written on a cue card and we practiced it a couple of times. They did very well.
• I had them pass a candle (battery operated) around and offer either thanks for something they are happy about or a petition for someone who needs prayers. This year, I did not give the option of passing (last year when I did that, they ALL passed!). That went very nicely and they all offered thanks for something or someone and all were sincere (save for one who offered thanks for Jay Cutler, the new Bears quarterback, who had a miserable debut and was more worthy of a petition rather than a thanksgiving!)
• I had them next introduce themselves and share the name of one person from their list who they most trust. Most mentioned either a parent or a friend, many of someone in the class which was nice.
• Next, I mentioned that trust is not always easy and I introduced our song of the week, “From the Inside” by Linkin Park. They listened very attentively, looking at the lyrics that I had printed up for them.
• After the song, I did a ball toss to several of them, asking them their take on the song and why it can be hard to trust. They said that it can be hard to trust especially when someone is two-faced.
• I used that as my segue to move into the theme of the session which was that we can trust in the goodness of God the Father. That brings us to the next step of the session, the Explore step, where we make a connection between their lived experience (entering through their door) and the teaching of the Church (moving them toward “my” door). We’ll explore that step tomorrow.

The one thing that I really worked on this year and I’d have to say I feel very good about, was the fact that I kept them on-task from the get-go and itnroduced another task for them every few minutes. The clear message was that they were going to be asked (told) to do many things in this class and to ”get with the game plan!”

I have to admit that my inspiration for this came this past Saturday as I went for my run in the park. There was a grade school football game going on and there were also a few army recruiters present who apparently offered the older teens who were present the opportunity to experience a 15-minute boot camp. As I ran around the park, I listened and watched as football coaches and army recruiters barked instructions to young people that were followed to a T. I thought to myself, “Why shouldn’t I teach with the same authority?” My tone was certainly different (cordially pastoral) however, my mindset was that of the coach and drill sergeant. I had it in my head that I have no less reason to show authority as a catechist than the coaches or military men that I observed.

Tell us about your first session…how’s it going so far?

I provided free Catechist Training Webinars on August 19 & 20 (Part One) and August 26 & 27 (Part Two). Recordings are available for those who were unable to participate or would like to share it with others.

Let’s continue our post-webinar Q & A!  To access the Q & A, click on the COMMENTS link just below and to the left.  You’ll see a number of comments from “Joe,” each representing a different question from Webinar participants. You can then click on REPLY to add your thoughts. Let’s talk!

As many of us are beginning our catechetical year, I thought it would be helpful to share some inspiration sent to me by my friend and colleague, Tom Quinlan, the Director of the Religious Education Office of the Joliet Diocese. Tom has written the following piece titled “Be An Evangelizing Catechist!” Thanks, Tom!

1. Pray for your children, your families … and for yourself!  Pray privately and within the liturgical/sacramental life of your parish community.
2. Provide a gentle, firm, consistent presence.  Be there early to welcome each participant by name. Strive to achieve respect prior to seeking to be liked.
3. Listen to and remember the significant things going on in your learners’ lives. (This presumes that an environment is fostered where they will feel comfortable sharing.)
4. Create a physical setting that is comfortable and conducive to meaningful learning.
5. Come to the session well-prepared … and thus, more confident and more relaxed.
6. Find ways to reach out and connect with parents (or guardians).  Parents are much in need of re-evangelization and faith formation today.  Strive to bring the learning home for families to continue together!
7. Minister in relationship to other catechists.  The personal bonds and creative sharing will be a blessing to you and your ministry…and theirs!
8. Pray well with your participants.  This means:
   1. Dedicate sufficient time and quality to the experience
   2. Incorporate a liturgical dimension (including ritual action) that fosters a Catholic sensibility in the children and makes Sunday Mass more meaningful
   3. Allow them to participate in substantial and creative ways
   4. Give them the opportunity to encounter the sacred up close and personal…incorporate a meditative silence, involve special items from their families, etc.
9. Help them to gain a command of:
   1. The Catholic approach to scripture
   2. Distinctive elements of Catholic faith (i.e. various prayer traditions, the Pope and apostolic succession, Eucharist and our sacramental system, Mary and the saints, social justice teaching)
10. Remember that children (and adults) learn more, and more deeply, by doing than by listening…and the most by teaching.  Use this to find creative ways to make the learning deep and lasting.
11. Always strive to make connections that show relevance:
    1. Between the issues of the day/their lives…and what we believe
    2. Between what we believe and how we are called to live … discipleship lifestyle
12. Teach Catholic faith fully and faithfully.  And share your faith experience insofar as it can strengthen the process of learning and integration.
13. See yourself as more than just a medium to Catholic faith. The catechist is an embodiment of Christ and the Church!
14. Help your learners to experience Catholic faith and community as good news. We learn more when there is joy and humor, enthusiasm and hope.
15. Don’t pretend to have all the answers. Be with them on this journey of faith discovery.  Try to find answers from good sources, when possible.  But also help them grow comfortable with the concept of mystery, the unknowable dimension of God.
16. Utilize a variety of learning modes so as to form the whole person.  Since catechesis is much more than a strictly academic subject, care must be given to create a learning dynamic that attends to intellect, emotion, spirituality and human experience in proper balance.
17. If there is a parish Catholic school, make creative connections:
    1. Catechist to teacher
    2. Student to student
18. Encourage your learners to be evangelizers, in their actions and in their words, at home and in the world.
19. Be open to the Holy Spirit, both in prayer beforehand and during the session. On occasion the lesson plan will need to be adjusted.
20. See yourself as a work-in-progress.  Engage in catechist formation that develops your knowledge, your skills and your interior faith life in a way that is integrative.  Seek out opportunities to grow as a person of faith, not just as a catechist. (Remember to log your efforts that can count toward catechist certification, too.)