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May 10, 2006
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Greetings and welcome to Faith
Formation Update, a free monthly e-newsletter for catechetical leaders with
a focus on parish catechesis beyond textbooks and classrooms. I'm Judith
Dunlap. In each issue I offer a brief starter and my "Every
Family" column. My co-worker and fellow religious educator Joan
McKamey offers video resources and ideas in her "Seen
and Heard" column. Our co-worker Chuck
Blankenship suggests other faith formation resources for adults from St. Anthony
Messenger Press in his column, "Sowing Sampler." Finally,
we encourage YOU to share views and program ideas about this month's topic on our online
bulletin board, "Faith Formation Forum."
Blessings on your work!
—Judith Dunlap
p.s. You're receiving this either because you
signed up, or because you're a loyal customer of St. Anthony Messenger Press. We will
never send you unwanted e-mail. There is an unsubscribe link at the bottom of this page.
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When I was a DRE, I took pains to make sure catechists
had all the practical resources they needed, forgetting sometimes the most important element
needed in any classroom: an enthusiastic catechist. This is precisely the element highlighted
by the U.S. bishops in the final pages of the National Directory for Catechesis (NDC).
In their conclusion, the bishops stress that what is most needed in
this new millennium is a renewed passion, “a fresh enthusiasm” for catechesis
and the message we proclaim (NDC, #297). Generating that enthusiasm is one of a
catechetical leader’s most important jobs. One of the most effective ways to do this
is by sharing some of your own enthusiasm.
That was my objective at the L.A. Religious Education Congress when
I was asked to speak about the NDC. After a general overview of U.S. culture and
the aim, tasks and methodology of catechesis, I spent a significant amount of time on the
third chapter, which has the criteria for an authentic presentation of the message.
I centered on this chapter, and particularly the second criterion,
the Trinitarian characteristic of the Christian faith, because as I consider this great
mystery I begin to see my faith in a whole new light. When I talk about the Trinity, I
can’t help but be enthusiastic. If it were up to me, I would name this the millennium
of the Trinity.
In my presentation, I focused on the Trinity but talked about how the
other eight criteria flow from this one great mystery. Even the first criterion, “a
faith centered on Jesus,” is relevant to the second because Jesus Christ is the only
way we can share in the divine life of the Trinity (NDC, #55).
The NDC explains that as Catholics we are “radically
Trinitarian” (NCD, #77), and yet the Trinity is a mystery we often allude to but
rarely explore. We were created in the image and likeness of a triune God. How can we ever
come to understand who we are if we never consider the dramatic implications of the Trinity—three
unique persons in a dynamic relationship of love that become one.
In The
Mystery of Faith: An Introduction to Catholicism, Michael J. Himes tells us
that “the Trinity is not one doctrine among others: It is the whole of Christian
doctrine.” We know that in this life we will never understand the Trinity, but
we need to begin unraveling this mystery if we hope to discover the meaning of everything
else we hold sacred. (Click
here to read more from Himes’s chapter on the Trinity.)
By sharing the basic message of catechesis from the aspect that most
excites me, I am able to genuinely hand on some of that excitement to others. The word enthusiasm comes
from the Greek enthousiazein, which means “to be inspired by
[G]od.” How does God inspire you? And how can you share that inspiration with others? |
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One of the parishes I served as Family Faith Minister
was Holy Trinity in Dayton. We had a great intergenerational group of folks who met every
other Sunday to share faith (as well as coffee and donuts, etc.). On one of my favorite
Sundays we met to discuss the parish’s namesake: the Trinity. We began by talking
about everything we knew about this great mystery of the Church. (Click
here to read what I wrote about “Our Triune God” in a recent Every Day Catholic.)
The participants, young and old, were then divided into three groups.
Each group was assigned one of the persons in the Trinity: Father, Son or Spirit. Each
group also received a long piece of paper, pencils and markers.
To make the paper strong enough for this project, I took three long
pieces (12 inches by 40 feet) of shelving paper. I folded the paper three times horizontally,
taping it on the inside every few inches. This made the paper 4 inches by 40 feet for the
activity.
Groups were instructed to talk about everything they knew about the
assigned person of the Trinity. They were then to decorate one side of the paper with words,
symbols and pictures (which could be repeated) relevant to their person. Because the paper
was stretched out across several tables, everyone had space to draw and write.
When the groups were finished, they were asked to turn the papers over
and given the following instructions: The second side of the Creator paper was to be colored
with all different colors to symbolize the colors of creation. The Spirit paper was to
be colored with different shades of blue to symbolize breath, or wind (two of the meanings
for ruach, the Hebrew word for “spirit”). Finally, all three groups were
to write or sign their names on the other side of the Jesus paper.
When everyone was finished the strips of paper were brought to the
large group for sharing of the words, symbols and pictures that related to the Trinity.
I then took the ends of the three strips of paper, held them together (fanning them out
a little) and stapled and taped them together.
With the help of three of the children, we braided the three pieces
of paper into one piece. We brought the two ends together—stapled and taped them—and
formed it into a circle.
We put the braid on the floor and talked about how the circle was like
God: three separate pieces that became one circle with no beginning or end. I also called
participants’ attention to the fact that they were also in the braid—a part of
the mystery. They were the Body of Christ, intimately woven in the circle of love that
was God.
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With just a few weeks left of Mystagogy in our
parish’s RCIA process, I tend to give some thought to the individuals who have joined
our Church at Easter, the Church they’ve joined and our God who calls us all together.
By the time Lent rolls around, these folks are usually pretty confident that the Catholic
Church is for them. (Some of them walk in the door with that conviction.) Their witness
is both an inspiration and a challenge to me.
They inspire me to keep my faith life fresh and fertile. As adults,
they discovered that something was missing in their lives and went in search of it, made
an extra effort in their already busy lives, reached out, knocked on a door, made a phone
call—responded to God’s call. They listened and they shared. They learned from
stories—stories of God, stories of the Church and stories of others’ journeys.
They and countless others, including our faith community, will reap the benefits of their
response.
They challenge me to look at the Catholic Church with fresh eyes—to
look beyond the flaws and politics that become so obvious and troublesome when one works
closely with any organization—and to remember the awesome God who brings us together
and the awesome future promised to us. When I remember that our Trinitarian God is the
first community, a community of love, it gives me what my new friends from RCIA have and
are: hope—hope for the future of our Church community.
I’ve selected a clip about hope from the beginning of the audio
retreat, Rebuild
the Church, presented by Richard Rohr, O.F.M., to share with you (RealMedia | Windows
Media). In the 13th century, St. Francis of Assisi was called by God to “rebuild
my Church.” Rohr is troubled by fragmentation in the Church today. Having lost meaning
and vision, the Christian community needs to find new value, identity and purpose through
hope. It needs to be rebuilt.
As your program year winds down, please consider taking this audio
retreat with Richard Rohr. Share it with other catechetical leaders in your area and discuss
it talk by talk. Invite your pastoral team or parish council to join your discussion about
changes in society, attitudes and the Church, and the impact of these on your parish. How
can your parish be a beacon of hope?
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Like a growing number of people in Catholic parishes
these days, my wife and I belong to a small faith community here in suburban Cincinnati.
We belong for a number of reasons: to gain more of a sense of belonging in our very
large parish; to have a regular opportunity to share our “faith journey” with
others in a more intimate setting than the parish; to take advantage of the opportunity
to engage in learning activities connected with our Catholic faith; and to nurture our
faith life by means of prayer and sharing with other adult believers.
One challenge our group faces is finding printed materials to focus
our sessions. St. Anthony Messenger Press has just released a series of guides for
small groups entitled Gathered
in His Name. Each guide (and there are eight in the series so far) contains
material for six small-group sessions. Topics include Scripture (Old
Testament, Mark and Matthew),
sacraments, Lent
and Easter, Vatican
II and inspiring
Catholics. Each booklet clearly provides the outline for six meetings, with materials
for sharing, commentary, reflection and prayer.
The Gathered in His Name booklets sell for $3.95 each, but
if you’re interested in getting a sample of these helpful booklets, we have a special
limited offer for you. Simply send us $2.00 (to cover postage and handling) to Gathered
Sampler, St. Anthony Messenger Press, 28 W. Liberty St., Cincinnati OH 45202, and we’ll
send you a sample Gathered in His Name booklet with sample pages from the Leader’s
Guide, so you can see for yourself how Gathered in His Name can bring life to your
small faith community.
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Share your ideas on adult faith formation at our online bulletin board. Our editors will screen and post your thoughts, and you can learn from others' ideas. Submit your ideas by clicking here. |
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