Adolescent Catechesis in the Diocese of Des Moines

Growing Disciples Project

Adolescent Catechesis in the Diocese of Des Moines

September 13, 2010 Edition

The Sacrament of Matrimony: Catechetical Sunday & Adolescent Catechesis:

This coming Sunday, September 19, is Catechetical Sunday. This year’s theme is Matrimony: Sacrament of Enduring Love. Perhaps this year’s theme doesn’t appear as helpful for you as in year’s past. However a second glance shows great promise, especially for adolescent catechesis. The National Directory for Catechesis (NDC) shares the following wisdom, “Catechesis on Christian marriage and distinctively Christian family values should be given to adolescents and teenagers during their high school years.” (page 142) This year’s USCCB website on Catechetical Sunday www.usccb.org/catecheticalsunday, provides quality materials that can be helpful within the high school curriculum framework at many access points.

One piece in general that I found helpful in spreading the understanding of this theme across many layers of discipleship is by Father Lawrence Boadt, SSD and his article, Scriptural Reflections on Marriage and marital Love as Reflective of the Union of God and Israel and Christ and the Church. This brief five page essay walks quickly through a journey of love within the Old Testament, New Testament, Christian imagery for love and Church teaching on love. A few points of interest below that could be essential points to wonderful adolescent catechetical sessions and/or youth ministry sessions:

·  ‘ahabah is the human word for love that is used throughout the Old Testament. Fr. Boadt writes, “Great emphasis is placed on the love for God. This love is the central proclamation of Jewish faith, and its primary statement is found in Deuteronomy 6:5. This prayer is recited daily by individuals and by the formal minyan of ten men who pray for the community each morning. It is carried as a written text in the phylacteries worn during prayer and placed in the mezuzah on the doors of Jewish homes.”

o  How does your family ritualize love within your home?

o  How does the Church ritualize love within the Church community?

·  “Central to this covenant relationship was awareness that God chose Israel to be not just a subject people, but a spouse partner, a friend with whom he would communicate and make himself known and to whose prayers and needs he would promise to be available.”

o  What is a covenant?

o  Why is an understanding of covenant so important for Christian marriage?

o  What would be included in your covenant with God…with your family…with your friends?

·  “Jesus teaches that the heart of love is union with God when he emphasizes his special relationship of love with his Father.” (a few Scripture examples include: 1 John 4:7 and 1 John 5:13)

o  What does it mean to be in union with someone or some organization?

o  Can unions be used to inflict pain or suffering?

o  What signs are visible for you to make a good choice between unions that lift up others or tear others down?

·  “The ideals of faithfulness, permanence, and fruitfulness that characterize married love are employed by the prophets to show the depth of God’s covenantal love.”

o  How do people behave if they value faithfulness, permanence and fruitfulness in relationships?

o  What strategies are helpful in building friendships that are fruitful, faithful and permanent?

·  “Not all are called to marriage, but married life stands as a unique vocation with the obligation to witness divine love.”

o  What other vocation is a witness to divine love and why?

o  What do you know about religious life and the consecrated single life?

o  How does your Baptism and Confirmation call you to witness divine love?

·  “No marriage becomes a full unity of two hearts and minds without recognizing that if God is love, then the deepest and truest love can only be achieved by living in unity with God’s will.”

o  What are some ways of knowing God’s will for our lives?

o  Although Jesus did much for the people of God while he walked on earth (teaching, preaching, healing) what key event in his life showed how much he loved all of humanity (for all time)? Why?

Peace of Christ,

John Gaffney

Framing the 1:00 Commercial:

Each week I find myself receiving more e-mails about the framework for adolescent catechesis. Although there is a great deal one can read about it, there is a twenty minute video that I think you will find helpful in understanding the development of the framework and its intended purpose. The interview is between Msgr. Daniel Kutys, executive director for the Secretariat of Evangelization and Catechesis for the USCCB, and Sabrina Magnuson, the editorial director for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Religion Publishers (now OSV Harcourt which developed Call to Discipleship). This is a good resource for those parish members on your education committee/catechetical committee, pastoral council, finance council, school board and volunteer catechists. The web address for the interview is:

http://your.harcourtreligion.com/bishopsframework/

Best Practices in Adolescent Catechesis:

Today’s helpful hint – Many Models for Adolescent Catechesis

The Diocese of Rochester New York did a survey of parishes and schools to determine the current state of catechesis. There are some fascinating results along with things we knew all along about teenagers. Be careful of reading too much into this survey: it was conducted in 2001-2002 and a lot has changed in 8 years. With that said below are a few ideas of adolescent catechesis models. I put the web address at the bottom of this article if you would like to look at the results.

·  traditional youth night gathering

·  weekly or daily “classroom” model

·  summer intensive—vacation Bible school/camps

·  super Saturdays – large monthly/quarterly events

·  retreat programs—day, overnight, weekend

·  service learning—work camps, urban/rural plunges

·  mini-courses—topical themes covering 4-6 weeks

·  multi-parish programming

·  technology based—on-line, podcast or CD ROM

·  mentoring/spiritual direction model-one on one or small group

http://www.dor.org/ec/images/Survey%20Results.pdf

Upcoming Events:

CLADD Regional Gatherings:

·  South – Monday, September 13, 2010 – St. Edwards Church in Afton (6:00 to 8:30 PM)

·  East – Thursday, September 16, 2010 – St. Theresa’s Church in Des Moines – Dr. Cheryl Fournier will present on technology (9:00 AM to 12:30 PM)

·  West – Tuesday, September 21, 2010 – St. Patrick’s Church in Missouri Valley – Dr. Cheryl Fournier will present on technology (9:00 AM to 12:00 PM)