Franciscan at Home

At the beginning of my second year of teaching religion in a Catholic high school, I began prompting my students in each lesson with a question that helped them apply that lesson to their own life circumstances. One day, in the middle of a lesson on original sin, I asked the students to write a letter to Jesus telling him what the “forbidden fruit” was in their lives and asking his help to resist it. Because students knew I would be collecting and reading their responses, I did not anticipate anything very serious. I was surprised, therefore, when “Monica” wrote that her forbidden fruit was alcohol. I took her paper to the guidance counselor, who directed me to tell Monica that the counselor would meet with her to help her with this struggle. When I next saw Monica, I passed along this message, awkwardly adding that I thought she was a great girl, and I had spoken to the guidance counselor because I wanted her to be free to receive everything God had for her. “Ok,” she said, and left the room, leaving me convinced I had lost her trust and consequently all hope of bringing her to Jesus. To my astonishment, Monica later asked me to be her Confirmation sponsor. In the course of our sponsor-confirmand meetings, I learned that Monica’s mother was an alcoholic, and Monica was struggling to cope. Because of the school’s intervention, Monica developed the resolve to resist these and other temptations. She gradually became more serious about her faith, more committed to Jesus and to Mass attendance, more consistent in living out what she learned in the classroom.

Monica’s response to this prompt was not an isolated self-disclosure. Over the years, students responded to these kinds of prompts with stories of their alcohol or drug use, sexual activity, suicidal tendencies, self-harm, guilt over believing they caused the death of a schoolmate or friend, as well as more “typical” examples of fallen human selfishness. These and other challenging experiences, chosen or inadvertent, extraordinary or mundane, often hindered their ability to believe in God, trust him, follow him. They illustrated, for me, an important reason why “many…adolescents who have been baptized and been given a systematic catechesis and the sacraments still remain hesitant for a long time about committing their whole lives to Jesus Christ.”[1] Monica taught me that I could more effectively prompt my students to commit themselves to Jesus if I could help them recognize the place they needed him most, which often meant facing their own painful life situations in the light of truth. Day in and day out, the classroom presented me with wonderful opportunities to shine that light, for the sake of helping them begin and grow in intimacy with Jesus.

The Evangelistic Mission of the Catholic School

The Catholic Church views the Catholic school as a critically important place of evangelization. Consider the document The Catholic School, promulgated by the Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education in 1977:

Evangelization is, therefore, the mission of the Church[2]…To carry out her saving mission…[the Church] establishes her own schools because she considers them as a privileged means of promoting the formation of the whole man.[3] The Catholic school forms part of the saving mission of the Church, especially for education in the faith.[4]

In three consecutive paragraphs, the Congregation makes it clear that the Catholic school exists primarily for the purpose of evangelizing, that is, for proclaiming the Gospel message to students and for training them to live according to that message.[5] This is not proselytizing or coercion, which would be contrary to the students’ intellectual development and free will.[6] Rather, it is fulfilling the very purpose of a school, which is to form the whole person: mind, body, heart, soul, and spirit.[7] The student is an embodied person who has been given intellect and free will to use to spend eternity with God; therefore, education is meant to offer formation of that intellect and will not just for the sake of getting a good job (though that is important), but for the sake of living this life in such a way as to get to heaven. The very nature of a school makes the Catholic school a genuine instrument of the Church to evangelize.[8]

By definition, Catholic schools are an extension of the Church’s saving mission of evangelization, with a special responsibility to provide “a privileged environment for the complete formation of her members” within that context.[1] That “complete formation” must have as its goal a lively and enlivening relationship with Christ specifically in the Eucharist, around which all apostolic work and even the other sacraments are centered (CCC 1324). Turning that belief into practice is one of the most critical activities in which a Catholic school must engage if it is to fulfill its own identity within the larger context of the Church’s mission.

Evangelization and the Eucharist
The Church understands evangelization and the Eucharist to be mutually coefficient. Evangelization is directed in a very real way towards the Eucharist, and the Eucharist is what unleashes the spiritual energies upon which the fullness of evangelization depends.[2] They support and feed each other, and where one is absent, the other will eventually struggle and fail, or at the least be a pale shadow of what it should be.

This means that the Eucharist must have a privileged role in the life, activity, and identity of every Catholic school. Spiritual formation should be centered on the Eucharist, spiritual programs should revolve around it, and catechesis specially devoted to it must have a priority; but, above all, evangelization should be specially directed toward it, and any activities centered around the Eucharist should be in some way linked with evangelization as well.

We can take for granted the fact that the Catholic Church runs a large number of schools throughout the world. It is clear that the Church must offer religious education, but why does the Church teach math, gym class, science, literature, and history? Wouldn’t it just be easier if the Church focused more narrowly on the supernatural; why also teach about the material world and how to read and write? In the Great Commission, Jesus commanded his apostles to make disciples, (mathetes in Greek and discipli in Latin – both words for students) and to teach them (Mt 28:19-20). Jesus, the Word of God, by whom the universe was made, established a Church that from the beginning embraced instruction on the nature of reality as a whole.

The Liberal Arts and a Catholic Worldview
The Church embraced the liberal arts in order to help its members, especially religious, to understand and contemplate the Word of God, as well as to speak and write effectively to share this knowledge. From the teaching of the seven liberal arts at the cathedral and monasteries schools, the universities formed to teach philosophy and three terminal degrees in theology, law, and medicine. The Church’s mission of salvation grew to include the complete formation of the person, uniting faith and reason in the common mission of seeking how to live in the world and order all things to the glory of God.

Catholic education, drawing upon both the natural and supernatural, offers a complete vision of life: a Catholic worldview. Worldview, in a simple sense, describes the way in which we see reality and form our students to understand it and live within it. Teaching with a robust Catholic vision embraces the entire person: body, emotions, mind, and will. The human person, as a sacramental being (body-soul unity), requires development of its potential in all of its dimensions: strength and health of body; control of the emotions in accord with the good; conformity of the mind to reality and development of the mental habits that enable one to understand and express oneself clearly; the development of the virtues of will that lead to happiness; and the encounter with the living God that enlivens our soul and enables a life of holiness.

The Catholic school cannot simply offer the same instruction as a public education, with religious education and the Mass superadded onto the curriculum. Every subject must be taught in a distinctive fashion that reflects the unity of knowledge, having a common source in God—his creation and revelation—and ordered in a wisdom that communicates the ultimate purpose of all things. A Catholic school approaches every subject through the two wings of faith and reason, knowing that every truth conforms our minds to the mind of God. Simone Weil claims that every truth “is the image of something precious. Being a little fragment of particular truth, it is a pure image of the unique, eternal and living Truth which once in a human voice declared ‘I am the Truth.’ Every school exercise thought of in this way, is like a sacrament.”[1]

Ample research has shown that a great majority of young people are leaving the Church before age 22 and choosing to never return. Many studies have been done on the Millennial Generation to discover their affinity (or lack thereof) to the Christian Faith. The Church’s response to this lack of faith is the New Evangelization.

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La necesidad en la Iglesia

El discipulado es una palabra que muchos comprenden solo parcialmente. Si la gente está familiarizada con la palabra, generalmente la definen como ser seguidor de Jesús. El problema es que muy poca percibirá que el discipulado también abarca el ser formador de discípulos. Al responder a la Gran Comisión en Mateo 28, 19-20, somos llamados no solamente a seguir a Jesús y todo lo que Él enseña, sino también a ir y hacer discípulos.

Click here for Spanish translation of article.

The Need in the Church

Discipleship is a word that many only partially understand. If people are familiar with the word, they will usually define it as being a follower of Jesus. The problem is very few will see that discipleship also encompasses being a disciple-maker. In responding to the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20, we are called not only to follow Jesus and all that he teaches but also to go and make other disciples.

Understood in this way, discipleship solves many of the challenges we see in the Church today. Authentic community results from disciples making other disciples, because in order to form other people, you must be in a relationship with them. Our church communities frequently suffer from a scarcity of interpersonal, vulnerable, intimate relationships. Without these types of relationships, loneliness ensues, which then brings with it a temptation to cover up the pain of isolation through a variety of sins. The Church needs followers of Jesus who are willing to invest their time and vulnerability in relationships with others and teach them how to follow Jesus.

Although some people are willing to share their faith with others in a casual environment, many of them do not know how to start an intentional discipling relationship with another person. They may get past the basics of sharing that they are Catholic, but then what do they do next? The Church needs clear processes to help the average parishioner respond to the call of discipleship—processes that will help them grow in their own faith and give them the confidence and structure to share their faith with others. While there are a plethora of organizations and programs inspiring people to develop a closer relationship with Christ, they may not necessarily inspire the same people to share that relationship with others. Simply giving people a particular book, showing them a video, or sending them to a conference won’t accomplish this.

For example, the organizers of the “Steubenville Conferences,” which help nearly 60,000 teens and adults throughout North America to encounter Christ each year, believe that the conversion experience of participants at a single conference needs to be followed through on a parish level. Even the most joy-filled Catholics need help with this next step of discipleship. In 2017, the Conference Office at Franciscan University of Steubenville embarked on a year-long research project to determine a discipleship model that results in forming disciples who are also disciple makers (spiritual multiplication). This article will share with you their findings and propose a specific model of two-fold discipleship. (Spoiler alert: it’s Jesus’ very own method.)

The Research

The study examined best practices from both Catholic and Protestant organizations, in order to find a model that resulted in spiritual multiplication, not just in the short term but substantively proven over a period of time. The goal was to find something that could be used on a parish level or by an individual who wanted to go home after a conversion experience at a conference and start growing and sharing.

Being a popular topic across many denominations, there are a lot of people doing good work in discipleship. But most of those researched had not yet figured out how to keep the momentum going to generate real spiritual multiplication, that is a disciple teaching a disciple how to make another disciple. Within the Catholic Church, college campuses with discipleship models are demonstrating the most success today, more so than in parishes.

The research concluded that a successful model, proven over time, does not exist in a non-campus environment within the Catholic Church. This does not mean that there are not some very good things happening in Catholic communities within specific dioceses (e.g. bible studies, small faith sharing groups, conferences with dynamic speakers, even online course offerings), but none of the programs examined in a parish environment were found to have resulted in spiritual multiplication over a long period of time.

A Model That Works

The second phase of research revealed a model of discipleship that utilizes micro groups (3 to 4 people) and intentionally creates a culture of expectation of reproduction within the process. The results were overwhelmingly better than any other approach, and not surprising considering micro group discipling is rooted in Jesus’ example of ministry where he discipled closely the Apostles Peter, James, and John.

Over 35 years ago, Greg Ogden discovered the powerful potential of micro groups while completing his Doctor of Ministry degree. Although he originally believed the way to make disciples was the one-on-one model demonstrated by Paul and Timothy in the New Testament, his advisor suggested that he consider a variety of other models. He did so, testing the micro group of 3-4 people, one-on-one discipleship, and small groups of 6-10. He discovered that the environment created with 3-4 people provided for a powerful “hothouse” of growth that was not present in the one-on-one model or a traditionally-sized small group. He documented all of this in his book, Transforming Discipleship.[1]

The fruits of the micro group have been substantiated for over three decades, with approximately 60% of those participating in the micro group discipleship process continuing on to develop their own groups and, therefore, generating a process of spiritual multiplication.

Some non-denominational churches had similar results using the small group model (i.e. 6-8+), but their success depended on a small group culture being central to their church’s life, and such a culture does not exist in most Catholic parishes.

Characteristics of the Micro Group

One benefit of this process is that it can be done within a variety of contexts. It does not depend on strong parish support, as many of the other successful small group models do. This micro group process has also proven to work well in the lives of people with full-time jobs, families, and a host of other responsibilities. It’s a model of spiritual multiplication that works within the context of the average person’s life, empowering him or her to disciple others.

Ogden has identified five points that indicate why micro groups are effective:

I have come to see groups of three or four as the optimum setting for making disciples. Why do I believe that a triad or quad to be superior to one-on-one?

1. The one on one sets up a teacher-student dynamic. The pressure is upon the discipler to be the answer person or the fountain of all wisdom and insight. When a third person is added, the dynamic shifts to a group process. The discipler can more naturally make his or her contribution in the dynamic of group interchange.

2. Triad discipling (micro groups) shifts the model from hierarchical to relational. The greatest factor inhibiting those who are being discipled to disciple others (spiritual multiplication) is the dependency fostered by one on one relationships. The triad/quad, on the other hand, views discipleship as a come alongside relationship of mutual journey toward maturity in Christ. The hierarchical dimension is minimized.

3. The most startling difference between one on one and threes or fours is the sense of “groupness”. The sense of the Holy Spirit’s being present in our midst occurred much more often in the group versus the one on one.

4. There is wisdom in numbers. The group approach multiplies the perspectives on Scripture and application to life issues, whereas one on one limits the models and experience. By adding at least a third person there is another perspective brought to the learning process. The group members serve as teachers of one another.

5. Finally, and not to be minimized, by adding a third or fourth person who is being equipped to disciple others, the multiplication process is geometrically increased.

If three is better than two, why isn’t ten better than three? The larger the group, the more you water down the essential elements that make for transformation.

1. Truth - learning occurs in direct proportion to the ability to interact with the truth, which becomes more difficult with an increased number of voices contributing. It also becomes increasingly difficult to tailor the rate of learning to the individual, the larger the size of the group.

2. Transparent relationships - self-disclosure is integral to transformation, and openness becomes increasingly difficult in direct proportion to the size of the group. If we are not free to divulge our struggles, then the Spirit will not be able to use the group members to effectively minister at the point of need.

3. Mutual accountability - the larger the group, the easier it is to hide. Accountability requires the ability to check to see if assignments were completed, or commitments to obedience were maintained. Greater numbers decrease access to a person’s life.[2]

Discipleship Quad Development

After studying Ogden’s methodology and process, and then consulting with him personally to determine the essential elements of two-fold discipleship, the Conference Office at Franciscan University developed a process called Discipleship Quads. [3]  We will now explore its essential elements.

Formation through Content

According to Ogden, the micro group process is the container and the curriculum is the content to the container. Therefore, the process can be used with a variety of different curricula. One of Ogden’s books, Discipleship Essentials, includes his particular curriculum for micro groups. After consulting this book, as well as specifically Catholic discipleship resources, the Conference Office created its own discipleship curriculum that is rooted in Catholic teaching and geared toward the structure and process of Ogden’s ideas. This curriculum begins with the kerygma (the basic proclamation of the essential glad tidings of Christianity) and then goes into the disciplines of a disciple, concluding with the call to go forth and share the faith with others in a discipling relationship. The content focuses on forming disciples through catechetical content, practical application, self-assessment, and accountability.

The length of the study is another element of the micro group that makes it effective. In following Ogden’s plan, groups typically take about 12 months to complete the curriculum. The time spent together is important because it provides the required time to develop intimacy with others, as well as provide the opportunity for a long intellectual and spiritual soak in the transforming power of the content within the curriculum.

Prayerful Invitation

Once a person has decided he or she wants to start a group (as the coordinator), the next step is to pray. Ogden suggests a process that begins with asking God to place the names of the people you are to invite on your heart. Consider writing a list of all the names that come to mind and then spending time praying with that list to ask God to pick out the specific three people you are to invite. The fruits of this prayerful process of inviting others is powerful, as it gives God the ability to lead the coordinator to unexpected people and prepare their hearts and minds for what God has in store for them.

Intentionality of Spiritual Multiplication from the Outset

“The covenant” is also an important element of the Discipleship Quad process. Upon inviting others to be a part of the Quad, they receive a written covenant, which details five points that they are asked to agree to when committing to the group. One of these points is that they would give serious consideration to continuing the discipleship chain by committing to invest in other people for another year following the completion of the group. Therefore, the expectation and intention of reproducing the groups is made clear from the beginning. Also, within the process, the group comes back to the points in the covenant at various times to keep reminding the members of what they have committed to and to start discussing and praying for those they will invite to be a part of a new group in the future. This creates a cultural expectation of reproduction.

Rotation of Facilitation

Some people are intimidated by the idea of leading or coordinating a group of people in a discipling relationship. In order to address this insecurity, Ogden included within the process  an opportunity for each member of the group to take a turn leading the discussion. Therefore, upon completion of their time together, each person has experience leading, which empowers them and minimizes the fears associated with going forth to lead their own groups.

Genuine Fellowship

With a group size of four people, genuine fellowship and vulnerability comes very easily. At the first two meetings, the members share their spiritual journeys by following an outline to reflect on what God has done in each of their lives up to this point, thereby creating a foundation for discussing the rest of the curriculum. Having no more than four people in the discussion is important, because it provides enough people to increase accountability and fellowship but not so many people that intimacy would be lacking.

Conclusion

Now, more than ever, the Church needs people to commit to living a life of discipleship in the fullest sense of the word. The approach of micro groups or discipleship quads answers this need by providing an easy to follow format for individuals to grow in their own faith and become disciple makers themselves.

Estamos en un siglo de inventos. Ahora no hay que tomarse ya el trabajo de subir los peldaños de una escalera. … Yo quisiera también encontrar un ascensor para elevarme hasta Jesús, pues soy demasiado pequeña para subir la dura escalera de la perfección. … ¡El ascensor que ha de elevarme hasta el cielo son tus brazos, Jesús! Y para eso, no necesito crecer; al contrario, tengo que seguir siendo pequeña, tengo que empequeñecerme más y más.
Santa Teresita del Niño Jesús, La historia de un alma

Estas palabras sencillas, pero profundas, de Santa Teresita la Pequeña Flor ilustran algo revolucionario que he llegado a comprender acerca de cómo ser efectivo y fructífero en nuestros esfuerzos de evangelización en la cultura altamente secularizada en la que vivimos hoy en día. Hay una manera más fácil y más eficiente para invitar a esta generación a que abra su corazón a Jesucristo y, por la gracia, conducir a los hombres a una conversión profunda que les cambie la vida.

Para abrazar este sencillo enfoque a la evangelización, primero tendremos que reconocer el hecho de que ya no nos hallamos en la Cristiandad – el catolicismo cultural ha muerto. Por lo tanto, las condiciones para un camino a la conversión son muy distintas de las del pasado: “En nuestro tiempo, en el que en amplias zonas de la tierra la Fe está en peligro de apagarse como una llama que no encuentra ya su alimento…Dios desaparece del horizonte de los hombres y, con el apagarse de la luz que proviene de Dios, la humanidad se ve afectada por la falta de orientación, cuyos efectos destructivos se ponen cada vez más de manifiesto.

He visto, por medio de mi compromiso por evangelizar a los estudiantes de las universidades a lo largo y ancho de Canadá durante los últimos treinta años, que hay una creciente resistencia y oposición a la Iglesia y a lo que ella propone. Lo que es aparente es la falta de interés en las devociones de la Iglesia que en otro tiempo condujeron a nuestro pueblo hacia una conversión continua mayor. Mucha de nuestra gente no ve la relevancia de nuestros sacramentos, se opone a nuestras doctrinas, les tiene mucha antipatía a nuestros dirigentes, y opinan que gastamos demasiado dinero en nuestras hermosas iglesias.
Lo que es evidente es la creciente polarización entre los católicos que viven la Fe y las grandes multitudes que se han alejado de la Iglesia. Como resultado, ya no nos debemos de esperar a que el camino común a una vida católica vaya a ser el mismo. A medida que crezca la brecha entre los creyentes y los no creyentes, los evangelizadores deben de estar listos para navegar conversiones que son significativamente más decisivas y dramáticas.

El camino comprobado y cierto hacia una conversión más profunda y continua sigue siendo relevante para las personas establecidas dentro de la Iglesia, pero para las enormes multitudes que no están dentro de la Iglesia, que no conocen a Cristo o que no lo conocen suficientemente bien, consideremos un camino más rápido. Santa Teresita, quien se inspiraba en el heroísmo y fortaleza de carácter de los grandes santos, se consideraba incapaz de seguirles: “soy demasiado pequeña para subir la dura escalera de la perfección”. Descubrió una nueva vía hacia la perfección presentándose sencillamente al Padre como niña pequeña, pidiéndole que la tomara en sus brazos para experimentar su Amor: “¡El ascensor que ha de elevarme hasta el cielo son tus brazos, Jesús!”
Reconociendo cuán lejos se han alejado de la Fe muchos de esta generación, invitémosles a que entren por medio de un ascensor, que abran su vida a una relación con Jesucristo. Esta relación de amor les abrirá los ojos a la belleza de la Iglesia Católica y a un deseo mayor de una conversión más profunda y continua. Dicho esto más claramente, debemos de comenzar por medio de la evangelización y darle seguimiento con la catequesis.

El Sínodo sobre la Nueva Evangelización del 2012 intentó traer claridad al lugar de la evangelización dentro de la Iglesia. Lo que se hizo patente entre los participantes fue la confusión en lo que se refiere al mensaje que debemos de proclamar. Para fomentar una mayor claridad, el Sínodo le propuso al Papa Benedicto XVI la necesidad de desarrollar “una enseñanza sistemática sobre el kerigma” que pudiera utilizarse para formar a los fieles en su obra de evangelización.
En mi experiencia, la evangelización es fructífera y efectiva cuando el evangelizador habla de forma clara y sencilla y tiene confianza en el poder sobrenatural del mensaje evangélico para cambiar vidas. Examinemos cinco principios para un proceso efectivo y fructífero de evangelización que comience con un encuentro con Jesús.

"We are living now in an age of inventions, and we no longer have to take the trouble of climbing stairs … I wanted to find an elevator which would raise me to Jesus, for I am too small to climb the rough stairway of perfection … The elevator which must raise me to heaven is Your arms, O Jesus! And for this I had no need to grow up, but rather I had to remain little and become this more and more." St. Thérèse of Lisieux, The Story of a Soul

photo of crowd going up escalator by Johannes Wünsch at Pixabay.com
These simple but profound words of St. Thérèse the Little Flower illustrate something revolutionary I’ve come to understand about how to be effective and fruitful in our evangelical efforts in today's highly secularized culture. There is an easier and more efficient way to invite this generation to open their hearts to Jesus Christ and, by grace, lead them to a profound life changing conversion.

To embrace this simple approach to evangelization we will first have to come to terms with the fact that we are no longer in Christendom—cultural Catholicism is dead. Therefore, the conditions for a path to conversion are very different than in the past: “In our days... in vast areas of the world the faith is in danger of dying out like a flame, which no longer has fuel... God is disappearing from the human horizon and, with the dimming of the light, which comes from God, humanity is losing its bearings, with increasingly evident destructive effects.[1]

I have seen, in my commitment to evangelizing students on campuses across Canada for the last thirty years, that there is a growing resistance and opposition to the Church and what she proposes. What is apparent is the lack of interest in the Church’s devotions that at one time led our people to greater ongoing conversion. Many of our own people don't see the relevance of our sacraments, they oppose our doctrines, they dislike our leaders, and they think we spend too much money on our beautiful churches.

What is evident is the growing polarization between Catholics living the faith and the great multitudes that have wandered far away from the Church. As a result, we must no longer expect that the common pathway to a Catholic life will continue to be the same. As the gap between believers and non-believers grows, evangelizers must be ready to navigate conversions that are significantly more decisive and dramatic.

While the tried and tested path to deeper and ongoing conversion is still relevant for those established within the Church, for the great multitudes who are not in the Church, who do not know Christ or do not know him well enough, let us consider a quicker path. St. Thérèse, who was inspired by the heroism and strength of character of the great saints, thought herself unable to follow them: “I am too small to climb the rough stairway of perfection.”[2] She discovered a new way to perfection by simply presenting herself to the Father as a little child, asking to be taken up in his arms to experience his love: “The elevator which must raise me to heaven is your arms, O Jesus!”[3]

Recognizing how far many in this generation have wandered away from the faith, let us invite them to enter by way of an elevator, opening their lives to a relationship with Jesus Christ. This relationship of love will open their eyes to the beauty of the Catholic Church and a greater desire for deeper and ongoing conversion. More clearly stated, we must lead with evangelization and follow up with catechesis.

The Synod on the New Evangelization in 2012 attempted to bring clarity to the place of evangelization within the Church. What became evident to those participating was the confusion surrounding the message we are to proclaim. To help bring about greater clarity, the Synod proposed to Pope Benedict XVI the need to develop a “systematic teaching on the kerygma” that could be used to form the faithful in their work of evangelization.[4]

In my experience, evangelization is fruitful and effective when the evangelizer speaks clearly and simply and has confidence in the supernatural power of the Gospel message to change lives. Let’s examine five principles of an effective and fruitful process of evangelization that begins with an encounter with Jesus.