Franciscan at Home

Forming those who form others

Learning through Art: The Sacred Heart of Jesus

The purpose of the art meditation in this issue of The Sower is to encourage every catechist in every parish to give at least one session of adult formation to help people understand the true depths of priesthood.

Pope John Paul II wrote, ‘A properly structured catechesis, directed to all the members of the Church, in addition to dissipating doubts and countering one-sided or distorted ideas about priestly ministry, will open believers' hearts to expect the gift and create favourable conditions for the birth of new vocations. The time has come to speak courageously about priestly life as a priceless gift’.[i]

The present Holy Father, Benedict XVI, has now linked priesthood to the Sacred Heart at the beginning of this year for priests – this therefore can be a focus for our catechesis. The recent document on priesthood by Pope John Paul II quoted above begins, ‘I will give you shepherds after my own heart’ (Jer. 3:15). Christ has fashioned the priesthood ‘after’ or ‘according to’ his own heart. In order to consider priests as pastors, as shepherds, we need, then, to look at Christ’s own heart.

The rest of this online article is available for current Guild members.

Join the Guild today!

Caroline Farey divides her time between teaching catechetics and philosophy. She was the Director of the BA in Applied Theology for Catechesis at the Maryvale Institute in England, and is Lecturer in Philosophy at St Mary's College, Oscott, the Seminary for the Archdiocese of Birmingham, where she teaches Metaphysics, Epistemology, and St Thomas Aquinas. She is a regular contributor to The Sower, writing the "Learning Through Art" column and sees The Sower as a key means of ensuring a creative ongoing formation for DREs and key catechists. Her degrees included a MA in Theology and a Licence in Philosophy from the Pontifical University, Maynooth, as well as an S.T.L from the Pontifical University Louvain, and a doctorate from Lateran University in Rome. She was also contributing editor to The Pedagogy of God.

This article is from The Sower and may be copied for catechetical purposes only. It may not be reprinted in another published work without the permission of Maryvale Institute. Contact [email protected]

Categorized Under

Categorized Under:

Catechizing with Art

Issue:

31.2

Articles from the Most Recent Issue

Editor's Reflections— The Eucharistic Congress and the Missionary Year

Catholics in the United States have a long history of hosting both national and international Eucharistic congresses. The first of these was in Washington, DC, in 1895, and the last was in Philadelphia in 1976. If your ancestors were Catholic and lived in North America, they may have participated in one of these congresses—in St. Louis (1901), or New York... Read more

Missionary Worship

There is an interesting phenomenon that occurs in nearly every culture across history: man ritualizes worship. All over the world the similarities are astounding—animal sacrifices, burnt offerings, gifts of grain, the joy of ecstatic praise. It points to a universal sense within man that not only recognizes that there is a God but also knows that man is called to... Read more

Ask, Seek, Knock: The Pitfalls and Potential of Catholic Door-to-Door Evangelization

“He’s just too small,” sobbed a woman we had just met. It was a sunny summer day, and the pastor, transitional deacon, and I were out knocking on doors within our parish boundaries. This woman’s door was within eyesight of the rectory, and it happened to be the first one we had visited. The conversation had started off just as... Read more

About Franciscan Catechetics

The Catechetics Degree Programs and the Catechetical Institute (CI) at Franciscan University of Steubenville work in concert to prepare clergy, religious and laity to join the “army of catechists” called for by St. John Paul II, eager to help the Church in her mission of making all nations joyful disciples of Jesus Christ. We combine a thorough formation in Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and Magisterial documents with training in effective pedagogical techniques to help those we serve to grasp the truth, goodness, and beauty of the Father’s plan, and to bear witness to others faithfully of the wonderful life of grace in the Holy Spirit.

Designed & Developed by On Fire Media, Inc.

語言