Franciscan at Home

Catholic school teachers, parish catechists, and coordinators of youth ministry (to name a few) are all concerned with catechizing teenagers. Unfortunately, these ministries often are not coordinated with each other. Ten years ago, leadership from the National Catholic Educational Association, the National Conference of Catechetical Leadership, and the National Federation of Catholic Youth Ministry, with representation from the USCCB, came together to form the Partnership for Adolescent Catechesis (PAC). One of the goals of this group was to create a shared vision and language for all of those who are involved catechizing adolescents, regardless of the setting. The fruit of that partnership is the recently published document, The Joy of Adolescent Catechesis.

I was honored to be one of the primary writers along with Miriam Hidalgo, President of the Federation for Hispanic Catechesis. We had a writing team that represented people from across the country, various ethnicities, and different catechetical fields. Knowing that Latino young people are now the largest group of Catholic teenagers in the US, we were committed to making a document that was multi-cultural at its foundation, not just something that would be “translated” at the end.

The Joy of Adolescent Catechesis was written to inspire, educate, and challenge those who pass the faith on to young people. For those without a background in catechesis, it is hoped that this document could be an overview of the mission and goals of that ministry. For those more familiar with adolescent catechesis, the document endeavors to invigorate that ministry with a Christ-centered vision that empowers catechists to help young people to become missionary disciples.

In a Catholic school everyone works together and grows together, united by a common mission to form young people in faith and knowledge for success in this life and the next. Catholic educators are more than just instructors; they are servant leaders and catechists who echo the faith. But the students are not the only ones growing; teachers grow together with their students, and, in turn, Catholic schools grow.

As an example in this article, I will refer to the experience of my son, Sam, who goes to a Catholic school. As parents, my wife and I form a partnership with the pastor, the principal, the teachers, and all the staff. We all work together to help Sam and his fellow students get an education to encounter Jesus Christ. This is why Catholic schools exist: to provide students with an encounter with the living God through every aspect of the life of the school. In the process of creating this environment of encounter, all involved have the opportunity to grow.

Immediately visible when walking into the classroom is a picture of Jesus smiling and a holy water font. The classroom is filled with images—a statue of Mary, Jesus on the cross, and prayer posters. Rosaries are always available to the students. Quotes from Mother Teresa (“do all things with great love”) and the Bible are displayed as well as the Ten Commandments. We have a prayer wall, which is a big, blank laminated sheet of poster paper on which students write their prayer intentions. Students often ask, “Ms. Eyth, can I add something to the prayer wall?” or “Will you pray for this special intention?”

The election of Pope Francis has brought with it a renewed focus on the attractiveness of the Christian message. There are already two magisterial documents from this pope’s hand offering insights into his vision for catechesis. Perhaps the best known of his observations can be found in Evangelii Gaudium, where he has drawn attention to the fundamental bedrock of what we ought to be passing on—the Kerygma:

Jesus Christ loves you; he gave his life to save you; and now he is living at your side every day to enlighten, strengthen and free you.[1]

The structure is disarmingly simple, and yet it allows us to touch on every important aspect of the Christian life. We are reminded that the foundation of all we do as Christians is the love of Christ. Before every program, prior to any inspirational conference, above all petty politics or personal clashes of any kind, we do what we do because Jesus Christ loves you. This finds its most powerful expression in what Christ did: he gave his life to save you. This is not some distant event that is no longer relevant, for Jesus is living at your side every day—made present mysteriously through the sacraments and made personal through our ongoing dialogue in prayer. Finally, there must be some element of struggle and personal transformation involved in this; for Christ stands by us for a good purpose: to enlighten, strengthen and free you. This is an incredibly powerful summary of what we are trying to pass on to those in our care, by living it out ourselves. It is so important that “all Christian formation consists of entering more deeply into the kerygma.”[2]

The education of the young, particularly in matters of faith and morals, is not merely a career but rather a calling. St. John Baptist de la Salle, founder of the Christian Brothers, in his Meditations on Christian Education, declared that those who teach the young are “cooperators with Christ in the salvation of souls.” Theirs is a task that must not be taken lightly. It requires much zeal and vigilance, indeed being “ambassadors for Christ” and “guardian angels” for their students, for on the Judgment Day the Lord God will ask these educators to render an account of the souls entrusted to their care.

Pius XI, in his encyclical on Christian Education, declares: “Perfect schools are the result not so much of good methods as of good teachers, teachers who are thoroughly prepared and well-grounded in the matter they have to teach; who possess the intellectual and moral qualifications required by their important office; who cherish a pure and holy love for the youths confided to them, because they love Jesus Christ and his Church.”[i] All Catholic educators must be professional, competent, and set an example of prayer and virtuous living. They must seek to “practice what they preach” and thus give integrity to the Gospel message.

Yet while the aforementioned characteristics can and ought to be embodied by both religious and laity who teach in Catholic schools, there further exist traits that can only be personified in one or the other. Thus by virtue of their different vocations, laity and religious both bring something unique to the world at large and to the educational apostolate specifically.

Use the questions and comments on these two pages as a study guide of The Agony in the Garden by Mantegna.

Suggested uses: First Communion, First Confession, Lent, Exploring the Mass, Confirmation, RCIC

1. Find the three groups of people (and angels) and describe what they are doing.

What are the Angels doing?

What are the Apostles doing?

What are the Roman soldiers doing?

Why do we need to develop the virtues?

Arguably, the cornerstone of the moral life is the theological and the cardinal virtues. Each of us can recognize that our human nature is wounded due to the effects of Original Sin because we experience every day that it is very difficult to maintain a moral balance in our lives. We know that we must combat, above all, the selfishness and pride which hinders the perfect love for God and our neighbour to which we are called. Living virtuous lives helps us to live in true peace and joy, because we ‘not only perform good acts but give the best of ourselves’ (CCC 1803). Therefore, we should all want to pursue this goal. However, developing the virtues is not something that we simply accomplish through our own will power. ‘Christ’s gift of salvation offers us the grace necessary to persevere in the pursuit of the virtues’ (CCC 1811). At the core of all virtue is love and actions are needed to express this love.

The theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity are infused along with sanctifying grace into the soul of the person at Baptism. These virtues are supernatural, meaning that they are above our nature. These virtues form the foundation of the Christian life because they bestow on us the capacity to live in a relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This relationship consists in acting as God’s children by believing in Him and everything that He has revealed to us; hoping in His promises because we can trust Jesus, who says, ‘He Who made the promise is trustworthy’ (Heb.9:23); and loving our neighbor because of our love for Christ.

Catholic Schools Week gives us all an opportunity to express our gratitude to the parents and families, pastors and parishes who entrust to us the privilege of teaching, and sharing in the Church’s teaching mission. They are good supporters of our work, and with them we share the weighty responsibility of bringing children to Jesus Christ; and bringing Jesus Christ to our children.

During these special days, I hope that you as administrators, teachers and staff, also hear the appreciation of God’s people for your vital work. You are the teaching Christ. You are participants in the work of the bishops, shepherding our young people. You are close co-workers with the parents. You love these children and spend so many hours with them, not only instructing them but also forming them in mind, heart, body and soul. You listen to them and correct them and encourage them. Sometimes you toss and turn at night because of them.

Thank you, dear teachers. Thank you for answering God’s call – fulfilling not just the contractual obligations of a job, but carefully and prayerfully responding to a vocation. When I was at one of the schools recently and asked the students what they were doing during Catholic Schools Week, one young boy answered that they were going to have a teacher appreciation day. He whispered to me that exactly what they were going to do was a secret. I hope you have received many signs of thanks and affection from your students.

St. John Bosco, the patron saint of working with youth, was known not only for how he taught the boys about the faith but how he formed them in the faith. John Paul II, in his letter Iuvenum Patris, wrote that St. John Bosco’s concern for the evangelization of his boys ‘was not limited to catechesis alone, nor to liturgy alone, nor to those religious practices which call for an explicit exercise of faith and lead to it, but covered the whole vast sector of the youth condition.’

St John Bosco did not only want his students to succeed in faith; he wanted them also to succeed in life. He knew that leading the boys to holiness required an orthodox curriculum. And he saw that it required other things as well. It involved him in building community, in job training, in involvement in government, in a whole range of social interactions, in finding the boys a place to live, and so on.

The National Directory for Catechesis, released by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, seems to agree with the saint’s vision. ‘The most effective catechetical programs for adolescents are integrated into a comprehensive program of pastoral ministry for youth that includes catechesis, community life, evangelization, justice and service, leadership development, pastoral care, and prayer and worship.’[i]

The phrase ‘comprehensive program’ and the list of components involved came out of Renewing the Vision, a USCCB document about youth ministry. Some wondered, ‘Are the bishops saying only youth ministry can do effective catechesis? Can nothing be done in the classroom anymore?’

The sixteenth century in Europe was an axial period in history. Major changes were taking place in society, and in the midst of much strife there was also creativity. The Renaissance was giving way to more serious Christian theology, and the question of education was to receive a major leap forward with the foundation of a number of Teaching Orders. While the great events of the day might have been seen as diets, synods, the Council of Trent and wars, a creative initiative took place within the schools which was to be a major factor in creating a Christian heart in the classroom.

To look at this in the context of Church history, I propose a glance first at the long tradition of guilds, confraternities and sodalities; then at the events of 1563; then the spread and development of the confraternities, and finally the question of what lessons these developments hold for us today.