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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:
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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, 23rd 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. |
