I’m preparing for a presentation I will give at the Chicago Catechetical Conference this Friday morning - my topic is “5 Steps to Increase Your Students’ Bible IQ Dramatically.” Lo and behold, I find that the bishops at the Synod focusing on Scripture have something to say about the “secret” (I hate when they use that word!) for getting young people to read the Bible. Rather than the “secret,” I think what they are talking about is the “key” and it comes down to the person of the catechist. Surprise! No surprise here. Time and again, we hear that it is the authentic living faith of the catechist that serves as the foundation for any effective catechesis. Here’s what the bishops are saying (from Zenit):

A Secret for Making Youth Read the Bible

Cardinal Bertone Tells How to Spark Interest in Scripture

VATICAN CITY, OCT. 14, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI believes the Bible can be a compass for young people, but his secretary of state says they need to be taught how to appreciate it.

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone spoke about sparking youthful interest in the Bible when he addressed today the world Synod of Bishops, meeting in Rome through Oct. 26.

The cardinal referred to three statements from the Holy Father that indicate his outlook on Scripture: “If the holy Book is consulted with due attention, young believers will find an indispensable guide or compass, and the meeting with the Bible will also become a meeting with Christ.”

But, Cardinal Bertone acknowledged, according to the summary of his statement released by the Vatican, the Bible often does not “rouse particular interest and affection in the young, especially adolescents.”

“Compared to the living testimony of a believer, faith transmitted through the holy Scriptures largely provokes only indifference, indifference which is accompanied by a large dose of ignorance and above all by a great difficulty in perceiving its vital value,” he said. The cardinal cited a 1995 study that showed those who most frequently fail to come into contact with the Bible are between the ages of 14 and 19.

Nevertheless, Cardinal Bertone noted, “many of these young people show a surprising interest in the Bible” when adults who are credible witnesses of Christ present Scripture with their patience and testimony: “In other words, people who, when they say the Word of God, demonstrate it with their own life.”

“If the adult as teacher-friend manages to persuade the youth to open their hearts, then the Scripture will be seen as a gift which brings with it all the qualities of the Word of God according to Biblical codification, with special concern for the youth’s soul,” he added. “In this way young people will grow and appreciate the role played by the young in the Bible, especially in the Gospels [...] they will also appreciate the many sporting images in the Bible with their original applications for the virtuous life.”

The cardinal noted the Holy Father’s own summary regarding a pedagogical approach to Scripture: “I think that we should learn to do three things: to read it in a personal colloquium with the Lord; to read it with the guidance of teachers who have the experience of faith, who have penetrated sacred Scripture; and to read it in the great company of the Church, in whose liturgy these events never cease to become present anew and in which the Lord speaks with us today.”

In honor of Columbus Day, we have no religious education classes tonight, so I thought I would just mention a few odds ‘n ends.

Over the past few days, I’ve received emails from catechists in Indonesia, the Philippines, and a number of states all over the U.S. It’s always amazing to realize just how much we catechists from all over the world share in common.

Yesterday, my wife and I went to Mass at the parish where I served as a DRE from 1990-1997: St. Mary of the Assumption, on the very far southeast side of Chicago. Much has changed in 11 years but one thing has remained the same - the welcoming spirit of the good folks of that parish. The very second we opened the door to the church, we were greeted by a long-time friend. Within seconds, 5 or 6 people with whom I had the pleasure of working with (including several of my former catechists) were gathered as hugs and kisses were exchanged. The parish has continued to shrink in size…only about 60 people were at Mass. There was no organist. There was, however, a vibrant religious education presence - about 20 children with perhaps 5 catechists came in to the church from their classes. They stood up and sang a couple of songs (This Little Light of Mine, etc) and sat together as a group for Mass, until being sent forth for the children’s liturgy of the Word. In all, the experience was poignant. The parish is struggling mightily and that was sad to see. And yet, faith is very much alive at St. Mary’s.  God bless all the good folks there.

I’m preparing 2 talks for this weekend: one at the Chicago Catechetical Conference for Friday and another for the catechetical conference in Austin, Texas, on Saturday! I look forward to meeting lots of good folks both north and south!

I received my class list today and I have 13 eighth graders: 8 boys and 5 girls. Of course I would have hoped for a better gender balance but oh, well! I’ll be planning my lesson this weekend and gearing up to go Monday evening. Have a nice weekend!

p.s. a shout-out to all the wonderful catechists I met in Iowa on Wednesday and Thursday!

This coming Monday is week one of religious ed classes. Looking ahead, my overall goals are the following:

1. to get there early to look over my classroom to see how I can set it up so that the arrangement will be conducive to faith sharing and good behavior
2. to have name tents ready to place on their seats as they arrive (I will assign seating striving for boy-girl, boy-girl, as much as possible) so that I can begin using their names right away.
3. to greet each of them as they enter the room
4. to introduce my self and my aid
5. to invite them to join in a brief opening prayer in which we prayerfully distribute their textbooks
6. to do introductions in which we get to know one another better
7. to do an ice-breaker activity based on the theme of trust
8. to have the students work on chapter 1: We Trust in God’s Goodness (the young people will do paired interviews: half the class reads one article, the other half reads the other article and then then interview one another to summarize what was learned)
9. to lead a guided reflection on Psalm 8 focusing on the goodness of God (this will be short and the focus will be on introducing them to reflective prayer and being silent for an extended period of time)
10. to close with an exercise that encourages the young people to respect God’s creation and to share the earth’s resources

Of course, this is plan A! On the first night, lots of interruptions and distractions tend to take place, so I will need to be flexible!

I’m taking off one more week of vacation and, on the day that I’m back at work (Aug. 25), I will be attending the first catechist meeting of the year. See you then!

Thanks to the folks at Good News Daily for providing the following positive review of my new book, A Well-Built Faith!

The I.T. folks have finished updating software that I use for this blog meaning that the short “under construction” period is over. So, I’ll be back to posting.

In the meantime, here’s a cool pic of my grandmother from her First Holy Communion in 1902!!! I just received this pic from a distant relative. I wonder how old Granny was when this pic was taken…she looks older than 7!

My site may be under construction for a day or two so hang in there and I’ll be back soon!

Here is more of my dialogue with an Anglican minister from Rwanda who has been sent to the United States to do missionary work and to form catechists:

Joe,

I feel similarly blessed by this contact.

The reason why the Rwandan curriculum wouldn’t work in scope (it would to some extent in sequence) is that the general education level in Rwanda is very low and catechist, according to the canons, only have to be able to read and write, basically an elementary education. Also, Anglican parishes, even very small rural ones, tend to have a much higher level of education—college degrees are the norm. (BTW, this is changing in our mission (www.theamia.org) not because of fewer educated people but because of intentional outreach to other groups).

Obviously, in this situation, while we’re not looking for a compressed seminary education, we do need to offer a higher standard. We’re looking at not only teaching methodology and basic pastoral skills, but also doctrinal, biblical, and church historical content.

I’m hoping to move beyond this pilot project at some point and offer it on a much broader scale and use it as a DMin project (yes, I already have a doctorate—I’m just a glutton for punishment).

What I’m especially interested in at this point is how the Catholic Church trains its catechists, both scope and sequence, content and materials.

Thanks and blessings.

Rev. -N-

Here is my response:

Dear Rev. -N-

Thanks so much for your follow up. This is very helpful.

Catechist formation in the Catholic Church differs from one diocese to another, however, more and more diocese are requiring catechists to become certified, after participating in so many hours of formation and training.

For example, here in Chicago, the Office for Catechesis and Youth Ministry requires catechists to achieve 50 hours of formation for certification. Now, in reality, most catechists begin their ministry without this formation and then work toward certification while on the job. The requirement, at least in Chicago, is that catechists must be working toward certification and that responsibility falls to the parish director of religious education. Here is the curriculum for Chicago (this is actually the old one which required 48 hours…the new one is not yet posted):

http://www.catechesis-chicago.org/FF/FF_Curriculum/ffcurrintro.htm

I highly recommend checking the Web sites of other dioceses, big and small, to see what they require. Look for their catechetical office, usually named either the Office for Catechesis or Office for Religious Education, or some variation thereof. Here are a few examples:

http://www.dioceseoftrenton.org/church/certification.asp

http://www.archdiocese.la/learning/ore/formation/certification.html

http://www.cdob.org/catechesis/certification.htm

You’ll notice that this last link to Brownsville, TX, makes mention of a video series titled Echoes of Faith. This video series is used by many rural dioceses where catechists simply cannot get to central locations for training and formation. It is a very effective tool. Check it out:

http://faithfirst.com/html/eof/modules.html

Of course, I myself have authored a very popular book titled The Catechist’s Toolbox: How to Thrive As a Religious Education Teacher (Loyola Press) which focuses on the teaching skills and methodologies that volunteer catechists need for their ministry. I have a follow up book coming out this summer titled A Well-Built Faith: A Catholic’s Guide to Knowing and Sharing What We Believe (of course, this one will be a little too Catholic for you, I’m sure!). This one focuses more on the content, as outlined in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

I hope these suggestions are a start. I’m happy to talk more after you’ve done some of this initial exploring. This may just scratch the surface of what you are looking for, so by all means, feel free to follow up and we can delve further. It’s a pleasure to be of assistance to you. Peace.

-joe