"Discovering God ● Living Faith ● Sharing Hope"

by Greg Dobie Moser, Executive Director, Youth & Young Adult Ministry & CYO

The Bishops of the U.S. have identified catechesis as one of their top 4 priority areas in their 2008 – 2011 Strategic Plan. Within catechesis there is considerable attention being given to adolescent catechesis. Bishop Lennon has expressed his desire as chief catechist of the Cleveland Diocese to determine how adolescents can know what they need to know to more fully live as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. The Offices of Catechetical Services and the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry & CYO have entered into a dialog to consider the vision, goals, strategies, and implementation of this effort.

3 Significant Developments

The 2006 National Study of Youth and Religion has been a lightening rod for drawing attention to issues in the religious beliefs and practices of adolescents throughout the U.S. across various religions. Soul Searching, the follow up book and video from the study, paints a troubling picture of the religious beliefs and practices of Catholic youth in particular. The U.S. Bishops have received training from the study, and many diocese' have used the National Federation of Catholic Youth Ministry Training day on Soul Searching to further the understanding of the issues and challenges. 

In November of 2007 the U.S. Bishops approved a curriculum for adolescent catechesis   (www.usccb.org/education/framework.pdf) at their meeting. This curriculum is sequential and thematic as it identifies what content needs to be covered throughout the high school years in Catholic School and parish settings. This curriculum is not a text book and does not include lesson plans or educational methods. It is a clear framework that points out what content needs to be covered during adolescence within a planned, sequential, and intentional approach. There is still much to be developed to bring the bishops framework to life – educational resources, training for catechetical and youth ministry leaders, and engagement of young people, parents, parish leaders, and Catholic school leaders as partners. The Bishops have provided a gift to the church by identifying adolescent catechesis as a priority and framing the dialog to proceed with all of the critical persons and groups involved.

The National Initiative on Adolescent Catechesis is a 7 year initiative that is funded largely by a Grant from the Lily Endowment. It is the work of a joint partnership between the National Catholic Education Association (NCEA), the National Conference of Catechetical Leaders (NCCL), and the National Federation of Catholic Youth Ministry (NFCYM), the organization that will administer the grant.

The initiative has identified 6 steps that are described in detail at the link below.

The initiative has already led to the development and publication of ten (10) articles that frame the dialog by identifying key perspectives, challenges, and insights about adolescent catechesis. These articles and an information page about the initiative are available at  http://www.nfcym.org/resources/components/adocatechesis/pac.htm

On November 5 – 8, 2008 there will be a National Symposium on Adolescent Catechesis, a think tank comprised of a select and multidisciplinary group of 100 leaders representing parish, school, diocesan, and national organizations, Bishops, academicians, parents, and publishers who will address this question:

“What is necessary and effective for adolescent catechesis in the Catholic Church given the current and emerging environments in the United States?"  

What do I need to do Now?  

Youth ministry and catechetical leaders need to enter into and engage in the dialog about adolescent catechesis in an informed manner. In the short term that requires: 

• Download & read the National Initiative of Adolescent Catechesis articles.
• Download and read the recently approved USCCB Curriculum Guidelines.
• Engage key leaders in your local setting with the questions and perspectives relevant to adolescent catechesis and faith formation.

It is important to see adolescent catechesis within the context of overall faith formation for adolescents. This necessarily includes their faith formation within their family experience, within youth ministry and campus ministry experiences, and within parish experiences. An evangelizing catechesis is part of the larger goal of helping young people grow as disciples of Jesus Christ.

Many of the church’s documents (GDC, National Directory of Catechesis, Renewing the Vision of Catholic Youth Ministry, Our Hearts Were Burning, Sons and Daughters of the Light) have identified discipleship in Jesus Christ as an essential dynamic and goal of parish life. Discipleship enables believers to possess and develop observable characteristics that are transformed throughout the course of one’s life. These include:

• A relationship with God that is growing in an ongoing manner;
• A regular rhythm of full, conscious, and active participation in the Eucharist and sacramental life of the church;
• Life that is shaped through prayer, reflecting in a particular way on the Paschal Mystery of Christ’s life, passion, death, and resurrection;
• Rootedness in the word of God, with comfort in reading and reflecting on Sacred Scripture;
• A basic understanding of , and the ability to explain to others, essential beliefs, most often summarized in creedal statements;
• Moral behavior that is shaped and informed by faith as expressed in the teachings of the Catholic Church;
• An outpouring of service to others, as an organic expression of living faith;
• Active participation in the faith community, with all of its benefits and responsibilities (including stewardship of all life, everything being given by God and returned to God in gratitude);
• A marked desire to share one’s love of God and the way that love transforms life over time.  

(Forming Generous Hearts, Anslinger and Shepp, 2007, 23^rd Publications)  

This process of being formed and transformed by Christ throughout the span of one’s life is the endeavor that we commonly refer to as faith formation. It is individual and communal, occurring in fundamental ways in the domestic church of the family and communally through parish life. Faith formation within the context of parish life involves opportunities for parents, youth, and children to explore and develop the characteristics of living discipleship.

For more information, please contact Dobie Moser, 216-334-1261 x32 or gdmoser@clevelandcatholiccharities.org.