Sept 2007 - CL Magazine by National Conference for Catechetical Leadership

September/October 2007 | Volume 18, Number 5 | $6.00

C AT E C H E T I C A L LEADER

Catechesis and

Human Values

I N T HIS I SSUE : Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Sell Your Soul Catechumenate Content Notable Resources

CATECHETICAL UPDATE: Liturgical Catechesis

A PUBLICATION OF THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR CATECHETICAL LEADERSHIP (NCCL)

C AT E C H E T I C A L L E A D E R

Table of Contents

September/October 2007

In Every Issue 2 From the President Stories Lead Us Into the Mystery 3 From the Executive Director Do the Truth 13 Books in the News What Does God Want? 14 Diocesan Directors’ Forum The New Faces of NCCL? 16 Echoes of Faith Introducing EchoesofFaith.com 23 People 24 Notable Resources

Mary Ann Ronan Leland Nagel Reviewed by Anne D. Roat Jim Kemna Jo Rotunno

Dan Pierson

Features Catechesis in a Consumer Culture page 4

Catechesis and Human Values 4 Don’t Sell Your Soul Edward P. Hahnenberg 8 Catechumenate—Where Is the Content? Jim Schellman 10 Forming Disciples of Jesus in Parish Laura Henning and School

Update: Attending to the Dance page U1

Catechetical Update Liturgical Catechesis U1 Attending to the Dance D. Todd Williamson U5 Homiletics: Presenting the Invitation Patrick Bishop to the Table

Forming Disciples page 10

NCCL BOARD OF DIRECTORS

NCCL STAFF

Ms. Mary Ann Ronan President St. Paul Parish, Phoenix, AZ

Janet Schaeffler, OP Secretary Archdiocese of Detroit

Rev. David Loftus Vice President Archdiocese of Los Angeles

Most Rev. Richard Malone Episcopal Advisor Diocese of Portland, ME

Dr. Lorraine S. DeLuca Treasurer Diocese of Beaumont

Mr. Leland D. Nagel Executive Director Washington, DC

C AT E C H E T I C A L L E A D E R

Mary Caroline Marchal, SC At-Large Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Louisville, KY Dr. Chela Gonzalez At-Large Archdiocese Diocese of Santa Fe

Mr. Joseph Swiss At-Large Archdiocese of Baltimore Mr. Thomas Quinlan At-Large Diocese of Joliet Dr. Michael Steier Ex-officio USCC Department of Education

Mr. Leland D. Nagel Executive Director Ms. Joyce A. Crider Katherine J. Kandefer, BVM Associate Directors Ms. Bridgette A. Bailey Office Manager

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FROM THE PRESIDENT

STORIES LEAD US INTO THE MYSTERY Mary Ann Ronan A few years ago I received a gift of a “story teller” from an RCIA group. Story tellers are made of clay to preserve the cultural traditions and keep alive a pueblo’s story. The artist who made mine is Jeaneth Fragua from the Jemez Pueblo in New Mexico. We are drawn to stories: “Read us a story.” “Grandpa tell us about the time…” “A man had two sons.” “Two people went into the temple to pray…” “On the night before he died…” John Shea tells us in Stories of God that we are God’s story and that stories of Jesus and about Jesus become our stories. Shea goes on to say: we turn our pain into narrative so we can hear it — and our ecstasy into narrative so we can prolong it. We tell stories to live. God loves to tell God’s story. We are the story God tells; our very lives are the words that come from God’s mouth.

Eucharist is not about receiving; we are to be broken and poured out for one another. Jesus’ story is ours.

The Eucharist is the greatest story, reminding us over and over that we are body and blood of Christ. Eucharist is not about receiving; we are to be broken and poured out for one another. Jesus’ story is ours. Read again Barrington Bunny by Martin Bell. It reveals the paradox of life: in dying we give life; in being crushed, celebration arises. Each of us are powerfully moved and drawn to one who gives up one’s life for another. We are the stories Jesus tells, created in God’s image. Stories touch our hearts and open our minds. Peter warming himself, watching the fire die, leads us to see our own deeds of betrayal (Luke 22); the rich young man makes us wonder what we won’t give up (Mark 10). Stories allow God to be God — to surprise, challenge, love. In On Evangelization in the Modern World, Pope Paul VI says, “Evangelizing means bringing the good news of Jesus into every human situation and seeking to convert individuals and society by the divine power of the gospel itself.” Evangelization helps people see themselves as God’s own story and allows the stories to illumine their experience. They are drawn to the person of Jesus and want more. The outcome of evangelization is changed lives and a changed world. It leads us to the action of the Eucharist…to be broken and poured out…this is a radical discipleship. Stories don’t stay just stories, they lead us into the mystery of God. Are we ready for that? ❙

Stories help us remember who we are. Born into a family or community of story tellers, we cannot forget. I am reminded of the little child who sneaks into the bedroom of his new baby sister and leans into the bassinet and says, “Tell me the story of God; I am almost forgetting.” Jesus reminds us of the importance of not forgetting in his “Remember me.”

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FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

DO THE TRUTH Leland Nagel

Every few years, I attend a workshop where the speaker asks us to open our purses and wallets to see what is most important in our lives. What are we carrying around and what does it say about us? Do these items really reflect what we value? How does one echo he core values with which we make our decisions? My father valued honesty, not because “Thou shalt tell the truth” (also known as “Thou shalt not bear false witness”) is one of the Ten Commandments, but because he believed a person’s word is priceless. This human value is not only grounded in the legends of our country’s leaders (George Washington and the cherry tree, “Honest” Abe), but it is part of our natural law. We are born with an instinctive sense of right and wrong. Although not specifically referring to Scripture, Thomas Jefferson said, “Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.” My father never read Ephesians 4:24 — “Therefore, putting away falsehood, speak the truth, each one to his neighbor, for we are members one of another” — but I saw it everyday in his actions. He may not have realized or consciously accepted his parental role as chief catechist in my life, but before I could read, his very life was my first catechism. The message of Jesus Christ was already inculcated in his life. He was then and still is, now and forever, a man of faith. In the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults the Eighth Commandment is presented as “Tell the truth.” While Jesus said, “I am the truth” (John 14:6) and it is the job of the catechist to teach that truth, it is also the task of the catechist to “do the truth.” One of the six tasks of catechesis is moral formation. No wonder the National Directory for Catechesis states that “catechesis is the responsibility of the entire Christian community” (p. 220). Our very lives speak the truths of what we believe, what we value, and what we hold in our hearts. We are formed by those around us. Some of us begin each day with the sign of the cross, while others pray, “In the name of Success, Happy Smiles, and the American dollar.” Everyone prays to a God, but it is not always the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, or the God of Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel. Sometimes, it is the god of wealth, power, and prestige or even the god of drugs, lies, and alcohol.

Catechesis is about forming disciples. We are ambassadors for Christ! Pope John Paul II wrote of the power of personal witness in his apostolic exhortation, Jesus Christ Alive in His Church: Our contemporaries “listen more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if they do listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses”. The presence and the signs of holiness are thus decisive: holiness is the essential prerequisite for an authentic evangelisation capable of reviving hope. What is needed are forceful, personal and communal testimonies of new life in Christ. It is not enough that truth and grace are offered through the proclamation of the word and the celebration of the sacraments; they need to be accepted and experienced in every practical situation, in the way Christians and ecclesial communities lead their lives. This is one of the greatest challenges set before the Church….

My father may not have realized it, but before I could read, his very life was my first catechism. The media, and advertising in particular, are teaching values every day through omnipresent branding, story lines in television and movies, music lyrics, and direct ad messages. Lawyers proclaim that their clients did nothing illegal; it may have been wrong, but it was not against the law. There was a time when IBM’s employee handbook stated that “the law is the minimum.” This phrase wouldn’t be bad if the law was understood as the two great commandments of loving God with all our heart, mind, body and soul and our neighbors as ourselves. When considering catechesis and human values, remember Philippians 4:8: “Finally, …whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” ❙

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Don’t Sell Your Soul Catechesis in a Consumer Culture by Edward P. Hahnenberg “If Jesus saves . . . then I want to know where he shops.” That bit of bumper-sticker humor reminded me of a road trip a few years back. We were on our way to visit family in Michigan. At the time, our oldest daughter was two and just learning to talk. In order to keep her occupied for the long drive, my wife and I prepared an arsenal of snacks, games, and books for the road. But the arsenal did not last. To our dismay, our toddler would take up a toy, play with it for a few seconds, and then toss it to the floor demanding “Somphing else! Somphing else!” Twenty-five minutes into an eight-hour drive we had a crying kid — surrounded by a mountain of food and entertainment — upset because she had nothing to do. The story offers a suitable metaphor for our consumer culture. So many of us live atop a mountain of stuff. But we can’t wait to climb down, get to the store, and buy some more. “Somphing else! Somphing else!” is our refrain too.

We love to hear that Christmas is about more than buying stuff. And every Christmas we’ll buy just about anything that tells us that. As Christians, we are in this culture, but called not to be of it. As religious educators, we face the daunting challenge of helping people see that there is another way to live. This is a challenge not simply because our consumer culture promotes values that are at odds with Christianity. It is a challenge because of the way consumerism teaches us to relate to all values.

POOR CHARLIE BROWN In his insightful book, Consuming Religion: Religious Faith and Practice in Consumer Culture (Continuum, 2003), Vincent Miller argues that one of the most insidious things about contemporary consumer culture is its ability to absorb critique. Consumerism sucks up all

manner of things and spits them out as products to be bought or sold. It can sell anything — produce, people, ideas, a life-style, or an image. It can even sell the values of its most committed opponents. Take just one example: the Charlie Brown Christmas special. This simple tale — whose basic storyline critiques the commercialization of Christmas — has become the most profitable Christmas commercial franchise in history! Its message has been absorbed by the very system it attacks. Every year Merry Christmas Charlie Brown airs full of commercials for electronic toys and Dolly Madison snacks. Malls fill up with Charlie Brown ornaments, greeting cards, and tote bags — all for sale in the spirit of the season. We love to hear the message that Christmas is about more than buying stuff. And every Christmas we’ll buy just about anything that tells us that. On the level of competing values, it seems like you can’t win. The values are overrun and put up for sale. Even Linus — gentle, noble Linus — has been co-opted by the power of consumerism. Good grief! Why do critiques of consumer culture seem to do so little to stem its tide? Miller argues that the deeper dynamic of consumerism is to blame. Consumerism trains us to treat things as commodities — shallow and free-floating “products” for exchange. Every time we go to the grocery store or the mall we are taught to value the surface of things, to see things as discrete and disconnected from other products on the shelf, to expect things to be temporarily useful or soon out of style. We grow to expect the same from intangibles, like values or beliefs. Miller suggests that when our faith is commodified in this way, its transforming power is lost. We forget how things are connected, and our faith becomes fragmented. Just like we add sweaters to our shopping bags or features to our phones, we pick and choose various beliefs or practices of our faith as if they were commodities. Shallow and free-floating, these commodities just don’t have the power to compete with all the other commodities out there. Moreover, as commodities, they don’t challenge the basic logic of consumption that we are living.

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In order to respond, we might think of pushing below the level of Christian values to the deeper dynamic of our faith — to its own “logic.” There we see in the Christian story not just alternative values, but a radically alternative way of life.

this offer, and so we can choose to say “yes” or “no” to God. But this choice is no ordinary consumer choice. Those who have experienced and accepted God’s gift of grace know that this “yes” is unlike any other we will ever utter in our lives.

THE LOGIC

St. Augustine, who in his debates with Pelagius articulated the classic Christian position on the gratuitousness of God’s salvation, illustrated this logic through a story from his own life.

GRACE

It may be tempting, given the seemingly unstoppable power of consumerism, to fall back on the adage: “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em!” Some churches have done so — enthusiastically embracing the logic of consumerism and seeking out ways to package Christ’s message in as appealing and engaging a way as possible. I have nothing against making church a more attractive and welcoming place to be. But we always want to keep in mind that the Christian community operates out of a fundamentally different logic than that of consumerism. We are called to live by the logic of grace.

Within the logic of consumerism, religion becomes a commodity.

Growing up, Augustine flirted with various pagan philosophies. Through contact with Christians, he gradually became intellectually convinced that Christianity was right. But he could not make himself believe. He knew Christianity was true, and he wanted so much to experience salvation, but he couldn’t argue himself there.

What is the difference? The logic of consumerism begins with the all-powerful consumer, who freely makes a choice. In the realm of religion, this choice is a choice for or against God. Within such a logic, religion becomes a commodity. It is one element, among others, that I have chosen to include in my life. Notice, however, that such a religion can never make demands on me. After all, I am the one who chose it in the first place. Even if I convince myself that I am bound by its precepts, deep down I know that it ultimately rests on me and my decision. Thus, the God of this faith cannot be challenging, transforming, or even interesting, because this God enters my life only at my convenience. The logic of grace begins not with the all-powerful consumer, but with the all-powerful God, who offers the gift of God’s very self to us. We always remain free to respond to

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DON’T SELL YOUR SOUL

continued from page 5

NO STRINGS ATTACHED

We think Jesus’ parables are about us. But they are really about a God who just gives it all away.

If we can’t earn God’s gift, nor can we pay for it. So often, that is how we twist religion. Unable to accept God’s great gift as a gift, we feel there must be strings attached. We are convinced that we have to pay God back, either by believing certain things or by doing certain things. But those who truly know

One day, as he struggled in frustration with his inability to come

God’s love know that we do not strive to be holy in order to pay

to full faith, he left his friends and ran out into the garden weep-

off a debt. We strive for holiness because — in the presence of

ing. There, as he prayed, he heard some children playing a game,

this kind of love — we can’t imagine living any other way.

singing “Pick it up. Pick it up.” He took this as a sign from God.

It can be difficult to accept a God who gives so gratuitously,

He ran into the house, picked up his Bible, and read the first line

who loves so obscenely — even stupidly. This is a God who

he saw. In that moment, God’s loving grace washed over him,

makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good, who sends rain

and he believed.

on the righteous and on the unrighteous; a God who gives the

You can’t earn faith or argue your way into it. You can only

younger son an inheritance he does not deserve, and then wel-

accept it as a gift.

comes back this kid only to throw more money at him; a God who scatters seed all over the place with wasteful abandon; a

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God who pays the guys who worked a few hours the same as

time when our eyes our opened. And we come to realize that

those who worked all day.

mercy is infinite. We need only await it with confidence and

We think all these parables are about us. But they are really about God, a God who just gives it all away. The logic of consumerism tells us that there is no such thing as a free lunch. Christianity obliterates that logic. It’s all a free lunch! After all, what could we possibly do in a day, in a week, over the course of a lifetime, to earn

receive it with gratitude. Mercy imposes no conditions. Everything we have chosen . . . has been given to us. And everything we rejected . . . has also been given. Yes, we get back even what we rejected. For mercy and truth are met together. And righteousness and bliss shall kiss.”

the gift that is with us in just one celebration of the Eucharistic

That is the illogical logic of grace. The Christian message is not

banquet?

something as pedestrian as a set of values, even a set of counter-cul-

We catch a glimpse of the logic of grace in that wonderful film Babette’s Feast. The movie tells the story of Babette, a French refugee

tural values. Our faith offers a different way of relating to all values, to all of life.

who makes her way to a poor village on the coast of Denmark.

CATECHESIS TODAY

Babette was at one time a famous chef in Paris. And after many

If every time we shop we are trained to value the superficial, we

years with this small community, she prepares an extravagant meal

as religious educators need to push ourselves and others to think

for those who welcomed her in.

more deeply. If consumerism tends to break up our world into discrete commodities, we need to help the faithful see the connections among our beliefs and practices. If advertisers reduce us

Christianity obliterates the logic of consumerism. It’s all a free lunch!

to passive spectators or impulse shoppers, we need to encourage active participation in the church and careful discernment in the life of faith. Finally, we should resist the temptation to offer nicely packaged products in our education programs, benign commodities from which to choose. We are not selling stuff for folks to fit into

Half of the film is devoted to the details of the meal. Its surprising

their lives. We are introducing a messy and marvelous way of

over-abundance and transformative power evoke the Eucharistic

life. We are seeking to transform consumers into Christians,

mystery. The images are literally mouth-watering. But the highlight

mentoring disciples whose lives are shaped by the logic of grace

for me comes in a little speech given near the end by one of the

— that strange logic in which the gift of God’s love breaks

guests — the general Lorenz Lowenhielm.

through and shatters all our expectations about the way the

The general has been fretting about whether he has made the

world works. It is a gift we can’t purchase or pay off, but only

right choice with his life. But through the experience of this

share in and celebrate. ❙

meal, of its almost absurd generosity and goodness, he says:

Edward P. Hahnenberg is the author of A Concise Guide to the

“Man in his shortsightedness believes he must make choices in

Documents of Vatican II (St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2007). He

life. And he trembles at the risks he takes. . . . But there comes a

teaches theology at Xavier University, Cincinnati.

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Catechumenate—Where Is the Content? by Jim Schellman After receiving an overwhelming number of requests for reprints of the articles on the catechumenate in the May/June issue, we invited the executive director of the North American Forum on the Catechumenate to contribute this article, which complements this issue’s Update on liturgical catechesis. — Editor

There is a kind of crisis of confidence among some church leaders today over questions surrounding the “content” of our beloved faith. Do the members of the church know this content? Are we passing it on to those being nurtured in our Catholic faith tradition? Questions like these are being asked as well of the implementation of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults in our dioceses and parishes. Are our newcomers to faith receiving the fullness of Catholic teaching in the Catechumenate? How can the Catechism help achieve this goal? These are good and critical questions to ask of ourselves as we begin the second generation of labor

in the remarkable vineyard of adult initiation (including children of catechetical age!). How we frame these concerns is as important as the answers we seek. Is the framework found in the principles articulated in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults and the related liturgical and catechetical documents of the church? Are these principles the bedrock of our pastoral practice in both parish and diocese?

AN APPRENTICESHIP From the outset of the decision by our bishops at the Second Vatican Council to restore the Catechumenate, it was explicitly envisioned as a form of “apprenticeship” in the Christian way of life (see Decree on Missionary Activity Ad gentes, No. 14). Such an apprenticeship entails several critical elements. These are elaborated in paragraph 75 of the Rite and further treated in the General Directory for Catechesis (see, for example, GDC, Nos. 67, 68, 91). The four elements can be summarized as Word, liturgy, the life of the Catholic community of faith, and that community’s apostolic witness and service. To leave out any one of these elements is not to form these newcomers in the fullness of Catholic teaching and the way of life that embodies that teaching. This apprenticeship is formation in a whole way of life (see RCIA, No. 76), central to which are the teachings of Christ as handed on by and actively lived in the church. A principal concern of paragraph 75 is that the catechesis experienced by catechumens be “accommodated to the liturgical year,” expressed elsewhere as “The catechists should see that their teaching is filled with the Spirit of the Gospel, adapted to the liturgical signs and the cycle of the Church’s year…” (RCIA, No.16). The term “lectionarybased catechesis” was one way of trying to capture what the Rite means by this. We do not use this term as much now in the North American Forum on the Catechumenate since it is easily misunderstood as being just about Scripture.

FORMATION

WITHIN THE

LITURGICAL CYCLE

The formation of catechumens is to be fundamentally liturgical, and the liturgical year is the primary vehicle for this. Central to the cycle of seasons and feasts of the liturgical year is the Sun-

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day Eucharist. And it is the first two parts of the Sunday Eucharist, the Introductory Rites and the Liturgy of the Word, that constitute the recurring way in which catechumens experience that formation in the midst of the community of faith (this part of the Mass was formerly titled “Mass of the Catechumens”). Note that this is a liturgy, at the heart of which is the Lectionary. Note too that the Lectionary is not simply Scripture, but the embodiment of the Catholic understanding of Word, that is, Scripture and tradition (see Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 97). The Lectionary is in effect the ancient ordering of Scripture precisely for the purpose of making new Christians and remaking them each year through the annual cycle of the church’s celebration of the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ. It is in the whole mystery of Christ that Christians are formed. This is why the U.S. bishops’ National Statutes insist that the Period of the Catechumenate alone span one full liturgical year, by means of which “A thoroughly comprehensive catechesis on the truths of Catholic doctrine and moral life…is provided” (see RCIA, U.S. National Statutes 6 and 7). As the General Norms for the Liturgical Year and Calendar make clear, it is over the course of one full liturgical year that the paschal mystery of the Lord is unfolded (see GNLYC, No. 17). This is the living mystery that the catechumens are progressively immersed in. It is formation in the whole of this mystery that the church has in mind when it uses the terms of “suitable,” “comprehensive,” “appropriate,” and “systematic” in reference to the teaching that catechumens receive. Anything less will not do.

The Lectionary is in effect the ancient ordering of Scripture precisely for the purpose of making new Christians and remaking them each year. If one uses the whole year and its rich cycle of prayers and carefully ordered proclamation and preaching of the Scripture, the full, conversion-driven, systematic formation of catechumens in the Catholic faith is more than possible. This experience of the Liturgy of the Word, along with the weekly Introductory Rites of the Mass that precede it and gather the catechumens and faithful together, provides the basis for all four elements of paragraph 75 of the Rite. This is not to the exclusion of other experiences of the Word, as the Rite correctly insists. But it is through this weekly experience and its seasonal ordering that the life of the community is refracted and the impetus for apostolic witness and service is concretely experienced and understood. The Sunday Liturgy of the Word is thus not exhausted in the initial breaking open of the word and the subsequent extended, doctrinal catechesis with the catechumens. Rather,

this liturgical experience is savored and given concrete doctrinal application by the experience of each parish and the witness and service that it is engaged in week by week because of that very liturgical experience (“Go in peace, to love and serve the Lord”).

When we use all four elements — Word, liturgy, community of faith, and that community’s witness and service — to form our newcomers in the Catholic way of life, all of our central doctrines will inevitably be taught by a conscientious community and its leaders. When we use all four elements of paragraph 75 to form our newcomers in the Catholic way of life, all of the central doctrines of the faith will inevitably be taught by a conscientious community and its leaders. All is grist for this apprenticeship in the Lord in the midst of the Lord’s body, the church. A catechist immersed in the Catechism will know how to bring the doctrine to bear seamlessly, in the context of her or his community’s experience of living the faith, an experience that brings all of us weekly to Sunday Mass and impels to go faithfully from it to live the paschal mystery of our Lord. This full and rounded vision of formation is nothing less than a recovery of the ancient Catholic way of making Christians. This is what the General Directory for Catechesis means when it refers to the baptismal catechumenate as the inspiration for all of the Church’s labor of catechesis (see GDC, No. 68). The liturgy, meaning the whole liturgical year and all its parts, grew out of the experience of our ancestors in faith as they labored to learn how effectively to make Christians and then help them go ever more deeply into life in Christ as they live the faith. This is not to say that it is easy to learn again how to form our apprentice Christians in this fuller, more comprehensive way. Much is still to be learned after the intervening centuries in which we lost this ancient and holistic approach to formation. Let us hope that our parishes and dioceses will remain faithful to this vision and keep working courageously at it until it becomes inseparable from our way of life once again. The Lord and those whom the Lord has called deserve nothing less. We have just begun! ❙ Jim Schellman is executive director of the North American Forum on the Catechumenate, an international network of people dedicated to implementation of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. The ministry of Forum is carried out principally through pastoral formation institutes conducted in collaboration with dioceses.

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Forming Disciples of Jesus in Parish and School by Laura Henning This is the seventh article in a series on adolescent catechesis sponsored by the Partnership for Adolescent Catechesis, a collaborative effort by the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry (NFCYM), the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership (NCCL) and the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) with support from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to enhance the quality of adolescent catechesis in parishes and schools.

he answer to question six of the Baltimore Catechism explains that God made us to know, love and serve him “in this world, and to be happy with him forever” in the next. This succinct answer delineates the three essential tasks of adolescent catechesis: to help the learner to know, to love and to serve God.

A TRIPOD CONSTRUCT FOR ADOLESCENT CATECHESIS

In order to accomplish these tasks, I suggest a catechetical framework for discipleship formation that replicates a tripod structure, using the three equal legs of the tripod to create a program with a solid foundation. For the structure to stand firmly, balance is needed between the legs: No one leg can support the structure’s weight alone or if the weight is distributed disproportionately. The National Directory for Catechesis seems to make this point when it says “it does not do justice to catechesis to think of it as instruction alone” (No. 35). Instead, the Directory broadens catechesis beyond instruction by identifying the work of catechesis as being “to proclaim Christ’s message, to participate in efforts to develop community, to lead people to worship and prayer, and to motivate them to serve others” (No. 213).

Life Experiences

How do parishes and schools, as the two main vehicles of adolescent catechesis, follow the wisdom of these documents and employ a tripod construct to provide a firm foundation for the creation of vibrant ministries that effectively will form youth as Jesus’ disciples? What can parishes and schools learn from the other and what can each offer to the other? C

The accompanying image illustrates the components necessary for an effective, comprehensive catechetical approach to forming disciples. The legs (A, B and C) illustrate the planned approaches to formation. The seat shows the integration that occurs through living. Together, these approaches lead to a comprehensive formation approach.

THE COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT Knowing/Head/Content/Religious Education The cognitive construct deals with the intellectual appropriation of faith practices, precepts and beliefs. Knowledge of God, in this leg, is demonstrated through articulation. Until recently, it often was

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considered the primary “leg” of catechesis. While programs of intentional instruction generally lead to higher levels of faith articulation, simply participating in religious activities, classes or programs does not guarantee that teens automatically will understand Catholic precepts, practices or beliefs. Churches and schools must find ways to bridge the cognitive gap and assist young people intentionally in appropriating Catholic fundamentals. Without a firm grasp of the essentials of Catholic belief, young people are at the mercy of whatever religious whim sweeps past them.

THE AFFECTIVE CONSTRUCT Loving/Heart/Context/Faith Formation This leg’s main focus is to help young people, who hunger for transcendent experiences, love God. By providing avenues for youth to commune affectively with and experience God, we teach them to speak with their heart. The church must speak to the reality in which young people live in order to put them in direct connection with Jesus Christ. This is best explained by the word “relationship.” We must help young people form a relationship with Christ and the church. In “Renewing the Vision,” the U.S. bishops explain that prayer and worship with adolescents “celebrates and deepens young people’s relationship with Jesus Christ through the bestowal of grace, communal prayer and liturgical experiences (National Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2005, p. 44). The “General Directory for Catechesis” identifies the challenge of “context” and notes that it is necessary to adapt catechesis “in order to translate” Jesus’ message “into the terms” of young people without betraying the message (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1997, GDC No. 185). The family is a critical context for teens. Parents have a direct bearing upon their child’s faith development. Most U.S. teenagers follow in their parents’ footsteps when it comes to religion. “The best social predictor, although not a guarantee, of what the religious and spiritual lives of youth will look like is what the religious and spiritual lives of their parents do look like” (Smith and Denton, 2005, p. 261).

THE BEHAVIORAL CONSTRUCT Serving/Hands/Methodology/Discipleship This aspect applies what young people learn and experience in imitating Jesus. If teens clearly know Catholic beliefs, practices

and values and can articulate their own faith experiences, it makes sense that they will have success behaving as Jesus’ disciples. Those who work with young people have become aware of the importance of methodology in discipleship formation. We need only look at the ultimate model himself, Jesus Christ, to see that it is not just what we teach but how we teach it and live it that is of supreme importance. The messenger does affect the message, and lived experience is crucial in internalizing the head and heart knowledge. For young people, truth is verified by experience. Our methodologies must reflect this reality as we develop relevant catechetical practices.

APPLICATION

PARISHES

AND

SCHOOLS

According to Christian Smith in “Soul Searching,” a report based upon the National Study on Youth and Religion, current efforts at faith formation are not effective. According to Smith, young people today may participate in the church’s sacramental life, attend Catholic school or a parish youth ministry program, and still not know or follow the church’s moral tenants. According to Smith, teens seem happy simply to go along to get along. I believe that by implementing this tripod construct, the catechetical formation for young people will be strengthened both in Catholic schools and in youth ministry programs.

COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT APPLIED PARISHES

SCHOOLS

AND

The first leg of the tripod, the Cognitive Construct, is an intentional and systematic course of study designed to provide young people with a solid foundation in the teachings of the Catholic Church. The cognitive construct is easiest for schools to achieve because they are structured to foster faith knowledge and its articulation. Instructors have daily contact with young people and systematically present fundamental Catholic theology, practices and beliefs, increasing retention and articulation. Students have a vested interest in learning because they receive grades for their efforts. Most teachers are professional educators who understand learning styles and appropriate teaching methodologies and who often have advanced degrees in theology. Structured learning environments foster the use of textbooks that provide a consistent and comprehensive curriculum. Whereas schools generally offer religion classes three to five days a week, most parish adolescent catechesis programs meet only once a week, if not less frequently. In addition, volunteers who often lack professional teaching credentials and experience often run the programs. Because there is no compulsion to attend, attendance can fluctuate greatly from session to session, caused frequently by the extremely busy schedules lived by modern teens.

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NCCL Liturgical Catechesis | Volume 18, September/October 07

CATECHETICAL UPDATE A publication of the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership

ATTENDING TO THE DANCE LITURGY AND CATECHESIS MOVE AS ONE by D. Todd Williamson

To help me understand the dynamic between liturgy and catechesis I have one prevailing image to which I go, over and over: the image of my parents dancing.

as one to form a fluid, seamless dance. It is a dance entered into with each partner having a keen, intimate sense of the other — one in which each partner not only anticipates the other’s moves, but surrenders a bit of self to the other.

Let me explain. My parents love to dance! Not only do they really, really love dancing but they’re good at it. At family weddings you can bet that at some point my parents will get out there and “cut the rug” and people will stop dancing just so that they can watch.

There are three basic steps to this dance, each step leads flowing from the last and leading to the next. Dance calls for discipline, yes; but it also calls for a bit of self-surrender, if the dance is truly going to enter the bones and help each partner to become one with the other. The three simple basic steps at the heart of the dance that is liturgical catechesis are here named as: attending to texts; attending to symbol and ritual; attending to the rhythms of the liturgical cycles.

Now, let me tell you — my parents have been dancing together for more than fifty years — ever since high school. They’ve danced together for so long that they anticipate one another, and they sense one another’s moves. When they glide over the dance floor, they appear to be one being — not two separate people. That’s the relationship that liturgy has to catechesis. If we are to understand liturgical catechesis, we need to understand that it is the dynamic of two separate disciplines coming together

Attending to Texts Liturgical texts — all liturgical texts — are formative. This we know. As the constantly flowing water of the river shapes and forms the rocks and bed of the river, so too do the texts of liturgy, constantly flowing over us — Sunday to Sunday, season to season, year continued on page U2

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to year — shape and form us. Over the course of time the images in these texts and the declarations and assertions that they voice shape and form our faith and our system of belief. They tell us who we are and what we believe — about God, about Christ, about the church and about ourselves. This formation is gradual; it happens over time. It is formation that takes place precisely because of the constant and consistent nature of the acting force — i.e., the texts that are prayed in liturgy. This is easy to see, I think, in some of the texts that immediately come to mind as catechetical and formative: the Gloria, the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer. The words of these prayers are so familiar to us and so known; they have shaped us and formed us and we are acquainted with their catechetical power (how many of us could extemporaneously wax on the creedal attributes of the church being “one, holy, catholic and apostolic” or on Christ as “the Holy One…the Lord…the Most High”)? We tend to these texts very often and very well. However, I don’t know that we can say the same for some of the other liturgical texts, that often are overlooked for their formative power on those who hear them, listen to them, pray them, from week to week.

Like flowing water shapes rock, the texts of liturgy flowing over us — Sunday to Sunday, season to season, year to year — shape and form us. Presidential texts, for example, often go unplumbed and unexplored in terms of their power to shape and form the faithful every time we gather. Because they are the priest’s prayers, or the presider’s prayers, we sometimes overlook them as texts that are part of the prayer of the whole liturgical assembly and thus are an expression of the most basic tenants of our faith. The opening prayers, the blessings at the end of Mass, the prayers over the gifts, and the eucharistic prayers are all fodder for catechesis, a deeper understanding of the faith, and formation in what it means to follow Christ.

The opening prayers of Mass, for example, are filled with images and expressions of our faith that so often go unnoticed and un-reflected upon. Yet these texts tell us who God is, and they shape our understanding of God: God is “our Savior” (opening prayer, Monday of the first week of Lent), “Heavenly Father” (Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time), a “God of mercy and love” (Second Sunday of Easter), the “source of all good” (Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time) and a “God of all compassion” (Third Sunday of Lent). All of these are ways of addressing God in the formal texts of the church’s liturgy and thus forces that act upon our concepts and understanding of God. These texts tell us what God has done for us and what God wants for us: God has “formed [us] in the image of [his] Son” (Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time); God calls us “[his] children to walk in the light of Christ” (Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time); God “ordered the earth to bring forth life and crowned its goodness by creating the family of man” (Feast of the Holy Family), and God has “revealed Christ as [His] Son by the voice that spoke over the waters of the Jordan” (Baptism of the Lord). These texts tell us what should be our response to God’s undying love for us and what our lives should be now that God has saved us through his son, Jesus Christ: “Help us to remain faithful to a holy way of life” (Thursday of the fifth week of Lent); “Summon us always to love what is most deeply human, and to see your Word made flesh reflected in those whose lives we touch” (Second Sunday after Christmas); “Change our selfishness into self-giving…that we may transform the darkness of [the world’s] pain into the life and joy of Easter” (Fifth Sunday of Lent); “Help us to become more aware of your loving design so that we may more willingly give our lives in service to all” (Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time). We attend to these texts not only by listening to them — really listening to them — in the liturgical assembly but by letting them nourish our own prayer and our own reflection. We attend to them by unpacking their images and their phrases, for ourselves and for others. We attend to these texts by taking their lead and by using their images and phrases in our own prayer and in the prayer we may voice for others. (While saying daily grace, I have long used the phrases from the preparation prayers for the gifts of bread and wine: “Blessed are you Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness you have given us this food. We ask you to bless it and to bless us as we share it, through Christ our Lord. Amen.”)

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By attending to the texts of the liturgy — and by helping others attend to them — we can let their images and the truths they express deepen our faith, our understanding of what it calls us to as disciples and how we might live that faith in our lives.

Attending to Symbol and Ritual We are all aware of the power that liturgy has to engage us with the richness and the depth of symbols and gesture and posture, all of which are metaphors and three-dimensional expressions of our faith. Attending to these aspects of liturgy can enable us to unpack them and to discover within them the power they have to shape, to form and to teach. We are engaged by — shaped, formed, and taught by — the basic liturgical symbols of our tradition. Water, oil, bread and wine, touch, fire, ashes — all of these are means through which, we believe, God acts to claim us, heal us, feed us, redeem us, save us. Being attentive to the power of symbol, gesture and ritual means being aware of their ability to put us in touch with the mystery of our salvation through Christ. Through them we get a sense of — a hint of, a glimpse of, a touch of — this great mystery that is beyond words, the reality of which words could never fully encompass. We are engaged by — shaped, formed and taught by — the ritual gesture of anointing with oil and the laying on of hands. From these we are able to reflect upon the reality of the abundant love with which God wants to envelop us. We are able to “see” the great mercy with which God wants to touch us, through Christ. We are able to “touch” the reality of God’s presence and action among us, through Christ, in the Holy Spirit. We are engaged by — shaped, formed and taught by — the sacramental celebrations of our parish communities. In penance and reconciliation we are formed in our understanding of the great mystery of God’s love, mercy and compassion. In the Eucharist we are strengthened in our belief that God has loved us so much that he has sent his only Son to nourish us and feed us — with his very body and blood. In baptism we come face to face with the re-creation of life which God brings about and the profound transformation to which we are called as sons and daughters of God, which baptism makes of us.

We attend to symbol, gesture and ritual by availing ourselves of their power and by helping others to experience their power. We attend to symbol, gesture and ritual by using them ourselves in our prayer and in our leading prayer for others. We attend to these elements of liturgical catechesis by taking the responsibility to study them and their use in the liturgies of our tradition. We attend to them by trusting the symbols and rituals that have been given us by our liturgical tradition and trusting their power to shape and to

We attend to the symbols and rituals that have been given us by trusting their power to shape and to form, rather than trusting our own innovations. form, rather than trusting our own innovations and our own attempts at “improving” what has been given us. (I think of the many times I have heard both liturgists and catechists alike say something like, “You know, we always use water as a symbol at Easter. This year I think I’ll try something different.”) By attending to the symbol, gesture, and ritual we are able to reflect upon the great mystery of our life in Christ Jesus and through that reflection be brought deeper and deeper into that mystery.

Attending to the Rhythms of the Liturgical Cycles The cycles of the liturgical year are means through which our lives as disciples are given shape. Attending to these cycles reveals to us the realities of what it means to live a life in Christ. Through these cycles we observe and celebrate the fullness of the mysteries of Christ (cf. Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, No. 102). The cycle of seasons (Advent/Christmas, Lent/Triduum/Easter, Ordinary Time) and the sanctoral cycle (cycle of feasts and solemnities of the Lord, the saints, the Blessed Virgin Mary) help to unfold for us, throughout the year, a school of discipleship. Through their rhythms we are shaped more and more, from year to year, into the image of Jesus Christ that we were baptized to be.

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Through the annual observance of the play between light and darkness in Advent the ultimate plan of God is revealed to us: that in the end, darkness (in all of its varied and numerous forms) cannot succeed and that ultimately it will be the light of Christ that shines for all eternity. As each candle of the Advent wreath is lit we are taken deeper and deeper into the mystery of Christ’s ultimate victory over darkness; as the natural daylight (at least in the northern hemisphere) threatens to leave us completely, we are strengthened in our belief that Christ is the light that shines in the darkness, the light that no darkness can overcome (cf. John 1:5).

We attend to the rhythms of the liturgical cycles by letting them be the constant context for our lives of faith.

Through the annual Lenten practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, we are prepared — further shaped and formed — to once again renew the baptism through which God first claimed us for Christ Jesus and in which we were given a share of eternal life. In the Lenten rites of scrutiny and penance both catechumens and baptized together come to know a bit more of the fullness of life that is given to us in the baptism and the renewal of baptism that awaits us at Easter. Through the season of Ordinary Time we hear over and over again of who this Jesus Christ is and what he calls us to as those who follow him. We hear, in the liturgies of the season, of the cost of discipleship and the radical life being a disciple calls us to live in the world. We are once again put in touch with the demands of the Christian life and are asked again, can we drink from the cup he must drink (cf. Mark 10:38).

In the rhythm of feasts and solemnities we come in contact with those who have gone before us in faith, whose lives are concrete examples of what it means to mirror some aspect of Christ’s paschal mystery. We are called to walk in the footsteps of the saints and martyrs in a life of discipleship to Christ. Their example continually calls us to live more deeply the new life that we have been given through a life in Christ. We attend to the rhythms of the liturgical cycles by letting them be the constant context for our lives of faith. We attend to these rhythms by keeping before us the basic understanding that we always pray within the framework of one of these seasons and within the framework of these cycles. We attend to these cycles my simply observing them, never forgetting that they are the backdrop for our prayer, they are the “stage” upon which every liturgy is celebrated. We attend to them by always keeping in our consciousness the sense that these cycles give direction and shape to our prayer.

Dancing the Dance Attending to liturgical texts, attending to the symbols, gesture and rituals of our liturgical life, and attending to the cycles in which we pray are steps through which we experience liturgy and catechesis dancing in our midst. Are they the only ways through which these two disciples come together? Certainly not — no combination of steps fully exhausts any repertoire of dance! They are one means among many for developing our understanding of the dynamic between these two fundamental disciplines of our faith. By observing these steps, however, we can allow these two partners to dance in our midst in the way that helps us observe, celebrate and deepen our understanding of the mystery of God’s presence and action among us in Christ, through the Holy Spirit. ❙ D. Todd Williamson, director of the Office for Divine Worship of the Archdiocese of Chicago, is a speaker and liturgist whose ministerial experience includes teaching and parish pastoral minister. He is co-author of Let the Mystery Lead You! Bringing Liturgy and Catechesis Together and the author of Sourcebook for Sundays and Seasons: An Almanac of Parish Liturgy 2007 and 2008.

NCCL Liturgical Catechesis | Volume 18, September/October 07

HOMILETICS: PRESENTING THE INVITATION TO THE TABLE by Patrick Bishop

Ok, I am easily impressed: still, on the occasions that I think about it, I am amazed at the antiquity and brilliance of it all. When we gather around the Word in our daily chapel on weekdays or in the large church on Sundays at my parish or any other church, we do so with not only people in all lands and cultures, but also with people of all times. We open and proclaim the Word around which formed our church in its earliest days and manifestations. The Word shared by those attending the great councils that debated and defined our identity and beliefs. The Word carefully packed to be sent and opened for people in new and uncharted regions and continents. The Word

from which people gathered strength to tend to the dying and bury the dead of the Black Plague. The Word depicted by Michelangelo and the great artists of history. The Word standing in the background at the Magna Carta, or read by the founders and revolutionaries of the American Independence as they fashioned a new nation. The Word that comforted victims of two Great Wars, and many smaller ones. The Word we opened and held tightly to on September 11, at the death of a parent or friend, the birth of a child, or the beginning of our vows. The Christian Word 2000 years old, but still possessing a beauty, wisdom, and truth not matched in the millenniums since. People of all ages gathered as we do today so that they might draw strength, inspiration, understanding, wisdom, and an abiding sense of God’s presence in the daily life and challenges facing us — in critical times, and ordinary ones. continued on page U6

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We say one can’t take back a word spoken. We say the power of words can build up or destroy. We’ve felt the frustrations and ill effects of idle words, while our souls have soared at words well placed and well spoken. We believe in the Word made flesh; God’s Word that, once spoken, will not return empty to him; the Word of the prophets, the living Word of scripture and sacraments; and the Word that dwells amongst us. That is the Word preachers or teachers stand humbly before as they realize their awesome responsibility to open that Word this day, for these people, in the challenges of this time. For one brief moment in this small place in time, theirs is the voice of God nurturing, healing, protecting, challenging, and reassuring his people — and calling them to Eucharist.

The homily is not an instrument of instruction. It is a testimony from a heart that knows Jesus.

I am afraid that I, and many other preachers, forget that I cannot preach what I don’t know, have not heard, or have not experienced through prayer, living life and reflecting on it, and truly knowing the people I am privileged to serve. Priests whose wisdom I cherish have told me from the earliest days of my priesthood that one probably cannot preach a good homily in a new parish until he has been there six months or more. The priest, they tell me, must learn the needs, longings, fears, confusion, and frustration of those to whom he addresses the words of the Gospel. I agree. It is important that we study homiletics, preaching techniques, and public speaking. But, the homily is not an instrument of elocution. It is a testimony from a heart that knows Jesus. Its purpose is not to lead others to a greater understanding of our faith, ecclesiastics, traditions, teachings, great and noble causes or even sacred Scripture itself. Its purpose is to lead the hungry to a table to be fed — a table of thanksgiving to the God who still dwells among his people and heals their hurts as he celebrates their joys.

I find the most difficult part of preparing a homily is divesting myself of my own agenda, stepping aside from my own causes or concerns, listening carefully to the hearts of the people, and prayerfully trying to discern the voice of God in a world and times that can too easily drown him out. If I let my attention become distracted from the news of the day, the struggles of our society, the pressures on families or singles then my words become as hollow and empty as they do when I don’t pray the Word I am sent to proclaim. And, when the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist feel as though they are two different rituals, I am left with a feeling of incompleteness, questioning why I did not recognize the need, the hunger, and where the hungry are fed. I am always more pleased when the comments of the faithful are “what a beautiful Mass” than when they speak the almost obligatory “wonderful homily, Father.” For those with lives that are far too busy, we are given the privilege to join the ageless chorus of voices passing on the teachings of our Christ and the living, life-giving Word. We accepted that responsibility for this day, at this time, and in this place. Every word counts. Every word (if truly from God) is holy. That is why we reach into the depths of our prayer and ponder the ancient teachings amid the realities of the struggles and challenges of this day and this hour. We are not so much seeking solutions as we are a reminder that this is still God’s creation and we remain always his people. If we can help people to know and love the incarnate Word, than they will sit at table to celebrate in thanksgiving the Word among us. In so doing, they, and we, are fed abundant life. “For lives that are far too busy” — by those with lives equally busy. The days of the week can fly by. With every good intention, we let far less important duties sometimes distract us from the prayer and reflection that directs the power of the Spirit to our hearts and speech. We either “wing it” (perhaps known as such because we clip the wings of the Holy Spirit known so powerfully in stillness), or we craft the word in stone with attention to detail, but often details of flourish, glitz, and theologically sophisticated concepts about which the faithful are clueless. If the sky opens and the trumpets blare, and if it happens after 4:00 pm Saturday afternoon, it just isn’t getting into that homily! The sound of my voice, so pleasing to me, can at times be heard by others a “clanging symbol” — or, in the words of the Bard, “…a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” So many Sunday nights I have gone to bed with that horrible and empty feeling of a missed opportunity.

NCCL Liturgical Catechesis | Volume 18, September/October 07

From time to time I have been asked for guidance for preparing homilies. I humbly offer these suggestions on the mechanics of preparation that I have found helpful:

1) Decide on the one thought you want people to remember and present that thought in three different ways. 2) Use stories from your own experience or the experiences of others you are free to relate. People want to be reassured that you are walking the path with them and that you know what you are talking about. 3) Bring your thoughts up from the heart and edited and refined by the head. Religious education has its purpose; the homily has another. 4) Say only what must be said in developing your one point — every time I go too long I and the community regret it. 5) Drop the traditional model of “preacher” and stand before them as both pilgrim and guide.

6) Banish the word “must” from your vocabulary — it is never well received. And use “we” whenever you can instead of “you.” 7) Remember the kids-they are listening too. Referring to them and their challenges is greeted by their enthusiastic attention. 8) Be gentle. Your hearers are aware of their faults as much as you are of yours. They are looking for a reason and the strength to carry on with their struggles. You’ve got that reason and are the bearer of that strength. Having said all that, however, I am reminded of a rather embarrassing lesson learned by a group of seminarians who went to a very gifted preacher at the seminary to complain about the homilies of a less gifted preacher. “Gentleman,” said the preacher of our admirations, “I have never heard a homily preached by anyone from which I had nothing to learn.”

We preachers need to learn a lesson from other teachers. The good ones stand before their classes with a command of the subject and the kind of preparation that makes notes unnecessary. Their words inspire interaction with the teacher as stimulated minds, faced with new possibilities or insights, race ahead of the teacher in dreaming the heretofore unimagined. Ok, I am easily impressed: still on the occasions that I think about it, I am amazed at the antiquity and brilliance of it all. What a privilege we have to stand in the midst of the people, unroll the sacred Scripture and speak the words spoken for millenniums in Christendom and millenniums before that in the Jewish Testament. For one brief moment in this small place in time, ours is the voice of God nurturing, healing, protecting, challenging, and reassuring his people — and calling them to Eucharist. Humbly we stand in the realization that either our voice becomes his, or the words of love and caring he would speak to his people might go that day unheard. ❙ Msgr. Patrick Bishop is the pastor of Transfiguration Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Atlanta. You can hear some of his homilies at www.transfiguration.com.

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BOOKS IN THE NEWS

A SHORT COURSE IN DECISION-MAKING What Does God Want? A Practical Guide to Making Decisions by Michael Scanlan, TOR, and James Manney. Huntington, Indiana: Our Sunday Visitor, 1996. Paperback, 127 pages, $8.85. Reviewed by Anne D. Roat Since I am working on a formation program for spiritual directors, my reading has turned to books that deal with discernment in the spiritual life. A colleague recommended that I read this short and very readable book by Fr. Michael Scanlan. Written for the average lay person, the book is filled with examples of decision-making culled from every day life. Scanlan draws from his experience of helping thousands of people make decisions in a variety of situations. Some of these decisions relate directly to a religious vocation, but others have to do with living out a previously chosen vocation as a single or married individual. Decision-making, according to Scanlan, can be broken down into five steps. First, one must ask whether or not the decision is in conformity to God’s will. God has spoken in a variety of ways that reveal his will for women and men. A decision that is in conformity to the will of God is confirmed through Scripture, tradition, and the teaching of the magisterium. The second step is to determine if the decision encourages a conversion of some sort. Since the whole point of our lives is to love God and prepare to live with him in eternity, conversion is an important test for any decision. All decisions should lead one closer to God. Discovering if the decision is consistent with the manner in which God usually leads us is the third step in the process. When God communicates with us it is done in a manner with which we are familiar. At times we recognize a familiar stirring in our being or an insight while at prayer as God’s communication to us. The fourth step is to look for confirmation in the decision we have made from friends or family members. In the course of decision-making it is natural to share our choice with others. Their confirmation that the decision is a right one can give us C AT E C H E T I C A L L E A D E R

the assurance that we need. Confirmation can also come during prayer or when all the resources needed to make the decision a reality seem to fall into place. The final step is to examine our heart to find out if the decision contains the conviction that this is the correct path for us. We look for the conviction that the decision we have made is the right course of action for us at this point in time. It is important for the peace of heart to be present, as well as the conclusion of mind in any decision we make. While decision-making may not be an easy task, Scanlan has included worksheets for the process in the book. There are questions provided for each of the five steps that can aid the reader in clarifying the practice of decision-making. A suggested reading list is also incorporated for readers who want to learn more about Christian decision-making and discernment of spirits. Scanlan admits that the book does not address every item that may be involved in decision-making. However, he notes that, “… throughout I have emphasized the one thing that is crucial in all decision-making: the continuing conversion of our lives to Christ. Our decisions need to bring us into an attitude of submission, obedience, and love of God.” This book can serve as a short course in decision-making for those individuals looking for a process that is grounded in Catholic tradition. Or, it can serve as a companion guide for those individuals immersed in the Ignatian method of discernment. I believe that the book is a good choice for anyone interested in a usable approach to decision-making. ❙ Dr. Anne D. Roat is director of adult catechesis in the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana. Correction

The name of book reviewer Maureen Shaughnessy was misspelled in our May/June issue. Our apologies to her (and all the Celts). — Editor www.nccl.org

DIOCESAN DIRECTORS' FORUM

THE NEW FACES OF NCCL? by Jim Kemna Several years ago Jim Davidson presented the results of his research into American Catholic laity at an NCCL annual meeting. In his analysis of the data he divided American Catholics into three generations: ■

Pre-Vatican II (people born and raised in the 1930’s and 40’s or before, 17% of adult American Catholics)

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Vatican II (people born and raised in the 1950’s and 60’s, 33% of adult American Catholics)

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Post-Vatican II (people born and raised in the 1970’s and 80’s, 49% of adult American Catholics — double since 1987)

He asked those present to stand in turn to indicate to which generation we belonged. It was striking that there were a goodly number of pre-Vatican II Catholics among us. The vast majority of the group was made up of Vatican II Catholics. However, there were very few post-Vatican II Catholics present. A murmur went through the room as many realized that the average age of NCCL members did not reflect the average age of the Catholic lay population and that our membership was getting very gray. At that time the new generation, the Millennials (born and raised since 1990), wasn’t even mentioned.

Young adults offer organizations wisdom through their perspective, not necessarily their experience. At the annual meeting this year I believe I saw the future: the new faces of NCCL present among us. There were more than thirty young adults with us, mostly students from Notre Dame University and The University of Dayton. We can thank Gerard Baumbach and Sr. Angela Ann Zukowski for making their presence possible. Their youthful spirit and commitment added a great deal to the conference. I decided to introduce myself to as many of the young adults as I could and to give them a chance to express themselves to us through this article. I sent them some questions via email and asked them to respond. I asked them about their impressions of the conference; what they would like to say to NCCL as an organization; and what they would feel would encourage more young adults to enter the ministry of catechesis. I heard from twelve of them.

Their responses were positive and enthusiastic. Colleen Fitzsimmons wrote: For me, the conference was like stepping into this hidden world — there were so many resources I never knew were available, so many people who care so deeply about their work in spreading Christ’s message. I had always thought that catechists were on their own, working in their own parish in their own area, and I think it’s really amazing that they all come together to discuss their work and find new ways to evangelize. Conferences like these, I feel, can be extremely beneficial for catechesis across the country, as good ideas spread and catechists can become more effective in their work. Kat Morris reflected some of our concerns about the average age of our membership: I was surprised by the average age of catechists there, just in the sense that that is who is in ministry positions for young people and the next generation of catechists. Of course it is great that so many are willing to live the gospel and carry out this ministry, but it was also surprising to see that the majority were middle-aged women, and it made me wonder where are the males and younger people who can more easily relate to those that they are catechizing? Another reaction: At first I was in awe. The size of everything. All the tables and people that were so willing to share their knowledge and faith. At the first panel discussion I was surprised with the difference and could see the authority of all the many catechists. Hannah Arendt describes authority as the ability to have power without having to convince anyone and all of these people that were surrounding me in this large room all had authority. Whenever a question was asked, rhetorical or not, there was always a low hum of responses that you just would not find in a college classroom. The roundtables were also incredible; the wealth of knowledge that was shared in such a short amount of time was incredible. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. The young adults obviously feel that we have a good thing going in NCCL. And yet they could see the need to bring more young people into the ministry and into our organization. In answering how to get more young adults involved, Rachel Bittler had this suggestion:

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I think the way to get more young people involved is to let them see these opportunities. I didn’t know anything like this existed. I figured that if I wanted to work in a high school or parish, I was pretty much on my own and had to figure out everything by myself. Young people knowing about the NCCL and all the resources and opportunities it provides would be very beneficial in getting them involved. Holly Dehaven’s response was much the same: I think young adults are interested in entering the ministry of catechesis. I feel as though they need to be approached more because I didn’t even know this existed until I came to college. Lisa Baute had a suggestion about local involvement: I think that there should be more local chapters of the NCCL (and maybe there are and I just don’t know about it). If there were local events in Indianapolis, I think that I would attend more and most of my friends that are involved in ministry are young. I know that we would go to events together. Just keeping us informed is a wonderful way to get us more involved. Paul Sifuentes offered another perspective: I appreciate the warm reception from many people at the conference but as an organization I think NCCL should consider a young adult perspective on its board. As young adults in the church (and especially as YA’s in ministry), we are encountering many of the

same difficulties as those with more experience, and we can offer a different perspective. Sometimes, NCCL gives off the impression that YA are the group that will take over when this current generation is ready to hand over the leadership position. I think it is important to involve all ages in leadership. We are not here to wait, but rather we are here to serve. Dave Ballintyn offered a strong opinion. He wanted to stress that he is not angry or upset, but very concerned: Young adults, to the extent that they represent a large up-and-coming part of the Church, need adequate representation on catechetical boards and presentations. I know that I certainly don’t claim to have all the experience that other board members or presenters have, but in a way, that is precisely the point. Young adults offer these organizations wisdom through their perspective, not necessarily their experience. So there it is — the young adults among us were impressed, eager and yet as concerned as many of us are about the present and future of catechetical leadership in the American church. I want to encourage everyone to invite a young catechetical leader to come to the conference in Houston. NCCL’s Young Adult Initiative offers twenty-five young adults an opportunity to attend the conference without paying the registration fee. Let’s try to fill that quota. ❙ Jim Kemna is the director of religious education for the Diocese of Jefferson City, Missouri.

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ECHOES OF FAITH

INTRODUCING ECHOESOFFAITH.COM by Jo Rotunno With the Adult Faith Formation module and the Catechist and Methodology sets of Echoes of Faith Plus completed and available for your use, we are now deep into the revision and expansion of the five theology modules. As we have entered this final phase of the Echoes Plus project, we have also turned our attention to the ongoing electronic tool through which Echoes will continue to support your catechists — our Web site, EchoesofFaith.com. Here are a few features of this helpful new site.

PROGRAM INFORMATION Since last spring, we have had a preview video available on the site to acquaint new users with Echoes of Faith Plus. Throughout the coming year, this feature will change each month to highlight segments of various modules and clips from some of the new bonus interviews. Over the past year we have recorded over twenty-five interviews with theological and catechetical experts throughout the United States.

Check here each month to preview the insights of these men and women that are a bonus feature on the DVD of every module. On the home page you can click to find a Scope and Sequence and a description of each module in Echoes of Faith Plus. The home page also alerts you to the availability of new modules.

FAQ’S Check here to find answers to frequently asked questions about Echoes. Just beneath this section you’ll find an overview of the structure of Echoes Plus and how it is designed to be used.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS In this section you’ll find sample pages from key features of Echoes Plus. These features include a new spiritual formation reflection at the start of each module. You will find an explanation of how to use this feature, a full list of the fourteen module topics, plus a sample of one of the reflections.

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INTRODUCING ECHOESOFFAITH.COM

continued from page 16

There are also six professional articles provided for your catechists in each Echoes Plus booklet. When you click on this section of the Web site, you’ll find ideas for using these articles, as well as a sample of one of the new articles created for the new edition of Echoes.

CATECHETICAL FORUM One of the most exciting new features of Echoes Plus is a catechetical forum where you can ask questions about the catechetical ministry and share ideas with one another. One of our experts posts answers to questions within forty-eight hours. We’d especially like to hear from catechetical leaders who have creative ideas for the implementation of Echoes.

FEEDBACK FORMS We encourage feedback from all users of Echoes of Faith. The feedback forms are available in the back of each module, but participants now have the option of filling out these forms online. You’ll find the link to the forms at the bottom of the home page.

EchoesofFaith.com is a dynamic site and there will be new features added as they occur to us or are suggested by you. Over the next few years we would like this site to become a clearing house for the best ideas in contemporary catechesis. We know that there is tremendous creativity in our ministry and we want to make these ideas available to all. As new catechists enter our ministry each year, we hope that Echoes of Faith Plus will give them confidence and competence and increase their commitment to the work of catechesis. We hope that our new Web site will give them a source of ongoing support and help them feel a connection to the worldwide ministry to which they have been called. ❙ Jo Rotunno is director of creative development at RCL — Resources for Christian Living, which produced the Echoes of faith project for NCCL. She has worked in catechist formation for the past twenty-five years.

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continued from page 11

However, these stumbling blocks do not prevent parish programs from presenting solid cognitive courses of study. During the last decade, greater emphasis has been placed on developing courses of study designed for weekly sessions; these usually are produced as three- to six-lesson mini-courses. Many knowledgeable, well-formed leaders have been prepared to instruct young people effectively and systematically. In addition, much effort has gone into developing instructional approaches that work effectively in informal (retreat), non-gathered (Internet course) or non-classroom (work camp) settings, along with the increased attention to confirmation preparation and Bible study.

AFFECTIVE CONSTRUCT APPLIED PARISHES

SCHOOLS

AND

The primary concern of the Affective Construct is touching the hearts of the students and helping them to grow in their relationship with Christ and the church. Schools often are challenged in their efforts to provide a robust program of faith formation because of competing priorities. Research by Dr. Tim Cook of Creighton University suggests that

there is disagreement among religion faculty members about whether the intended outcome of religion class is knowledge of the faith or living the faith. Tight schedules can limit the amount of time that can be dedicated to affective activities and the school setting can limit the types of activities offered. That said, Catholic high schools are stepping up their efforts to address the affective construct. Greater emphasis is being placed on the role of campus ministry. In many cases campus ministry has been made a part of the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s administrative office and not simply another department. Efforts are being made to coordinate the activities of the Catholic high school with activities in local parishes so that young people see themselves as belonging to both communities. Retreat and service activities have become essential pieces of the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s faith formation plan. Finally, because the bond that develops in high school often is the strongest influence on young people, schools accomplish great things when they develop a strong Catholic identity for and within the school.

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families and to provide instruction for adults toward ongoing conversion. Schools tend to do a better job at engaging adults in their children’s activities through sporting and academic events. Both need to improve aspects of their programs.

BEHAVIORAL CONSTRUCT APPLIED PARISHES

SCHOOLS

AND

The third leg of the tripod, the Behavioral Construct, focuses on Christian living and practices. Often this falls under the heading of “service activities.” Schools, in general, have made service learning a significant part of the curriculum. Through these activities they also have added new opportunities for young people to have experiential faith opportunities. However, in order to be effective, service projects must incorporate intentional theological reflection into the process so that students don’t see these opportunities simply as hoops to jump through. Because schools can offer programs across the curriculum, these service opportunities can be placed in proper context in many different settings. Schools that integrate current methodologies throughout their campus produce dynamic, highly motivated, faithful teens. Parishes traditionally have excelled in affective faith development because this is where they have placed the greatest effort. Effective coordinators of youth ministry recognize the importance of establishing an environment characterized by warmth, trust, acceptance and concern for youth. Parishes can provide a multigenerational spiritual community that expresses love and acceptance for the young people and offers them the opportunity to engage in meaningful faith experiences. Parish programs usually operate on flexible schedules and in spaces more conducive to affective activities. However, when parishes are isolated from students’ daily lives it is hard to build a relationship between the parish and the student.

By utilizing hands-on, experiential-based methodologies through active campus ministries, meaningful liturgies and service programs, schools make great strides in helping students become not just hearers of the word, but doers as well (Lk 6:49). When leading by example, school faculties show how Catholic values and beliefs can be lived throughout one’s life.

Both schools and parishes struggle to addresses the young person’s family context. Parishes are better suited to reach out to

continued on page 20

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Parishes are designed to assist young people in the living of their faith. An effective community of believers regularly engages youths in opportunities to experience the horizontal dimension of faith. Parish settings generally are freer than schools to allow creative methodologies to be used and can plan for more effective dynamic activities and outings that can last for significant periods of time. There are limitless opportunities to engage young people in connecting to others in parish settings, allowing the young people to make meaning out of suffering and experience the guidance of mentors who help them to make an active commitment to discipleship. Both parishes and schools can improve at helping young people engage the local community, the wider society and the world at large over issues guided by Catholic teaching and values. Both can do a better job at linking young people to Catholic networks and finding for them men and women of faith who can be personal witnesses and mentors in discipleship. Both also can do a better job at helping young people freely commit to discipleship and readily conform their lives in word and deed to follow Jesus. (Currently the coercion of confirmation or grades interferes with this freedom.) Finally, both need to find more ways of coordination, cooperation and collaboration with each other if this is to succeed.

CHALLENGES If the church is to meet the diverse needs of young people it must give adequate attention to each leg of the tripod at the school and parish level. As it looks to the future it faces challenges along with reasons for having great hope. Both parishes and schools struggle to find the money to pay for quality programming. They also experience problems of getting ministries to collaborate and to overcome ecclesiological and theological differences among groups. Both face a shortage of personnel trained to work in all three aspects of the tripod. Both face administrations and supporters who do not understand the need for all three legs. Both struggle to find ways to actively engage parents in the process. Despite these challenges, there are many reasons to be optimistic.

HOPE

FOR THE

FUTURE

The comprehensive ministerial approach set forth in â&#x20AC;&#x153;Renewing the Visionâ&#x20AC;? acknowledges the diverse challenges facing adolescent catechesis. The formation of young adults as disciples of Jesus now has the churchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attention and the church has opened the doors wide and allowed for ingenuity and creativity in schools and parishes. Now there are multiple entry points to engage teens in life-long faith formation.

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The tripod model is taking root across the country and multi-faceted, interdependent processes of catechesis are being developed. The tripod model serves as a solid platform from which we can support young people in their evolving relationship with Jesus through the church. Forming disciples may be more difficult today than it once seemed, but it is no less important or rewarding now than it was then. How we, as adults, engage, mentor and inspire young people will have a significant impact on their faith journey. We must remember that faith is both caught and taught. Our institutions must attend to the dimensions of knowing, loving and serving as equal components, and allot resources accordingly. Parishes and schools each offer unique gifts and both are needed. If the church is to meet the significant challenges it faces in forming disciples of Jesus, greater collaboration between parishes and schools is required. Collaboration between school and parish leaders, who share their gifts, is the only viable approach to our catechetical mandate. â?&#x2122; Laura Henning teaches theology and serves as campus minister and service learning coordinator for Bishop Kelly High School in Boise, Idaho. She has experience both as a diocesan director of youth ministry and as coordinator of youth ministry for a large suburban parish. She holds a bachelor of arts degrees in psychology and philosophy and a masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s of arts degree in pastoral ministry from Seattle University.

C AT E C H E T I C A L L E A D E R

REFERENCES Congregation for the Clergy (1997). General Directory for Catechesis. Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Smith, C. & Denton, M. L., (2005). Soul Searching: the Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers. New York: Oxford University Press USA. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, (2005). National Directory for Catechesis. Washington, DC: Author.

HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK Once approved and implemented, the High School Curriculum Framework developed by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops will affect cognitive efforts in both school and parish settings as new textbooks are developed and diocesan curriculum guidelines are adapted over the next few years. This framework provides a six-semester course of study (along with electives) that presents Scripture and church teaching in the light of a relationship with Jesus Christ. The course of study offers a suggested sequence for offering these courses, something currently lacking in the United States. The emphasis here is also on this point: The intended outcome of adolescent catechesis is to help young people develop a deep relationship with Christ and the church.

www.nccl.org

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C AT E C H E T I C A L L E A D E R Loyola Press

EDITOR: Joyce A. Crider

For additional support visit Joe’s blog at

EDITORIAL CONSULTANT: Mary Kay Schoen

www.catechistsjourney.com 800-621-1008 www.LoyolaBooks.org/toolbox Since 1832, William H. Sadlier, Inc.

has been a family owned and managed publisher dedicated to developing quality catechetical materials that address the needs of the Catholic community. William H. Sadlier, Inc. 9 Pine Street New York, NY 10005-1002 • 800.221.5175

Silver Burdett Ginn Religion publishes faith formation resources for children, families, and the whole parish community. Our consultants and sales representatives are ready to assist you with information, presentations and in-service training. Silver Burdett Ginn Religion • 299 Jefferson Road • Parsippany, NJ 07054 • 1-800-338-2150 www.blestarewe.com

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DESIGN: Rings Leighton Design Group PUBLISHER: Leland D. Nagel Catechetical Leader (ISSN: 1547-7908) is published six times a year by the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership (NCCL), 125 Michigan Avenue, NE, Washington, DC 20017. Authors’ views do not necessarily reflect those of NCCL. Letters to the editor and submissions of news items are encouraged. Send to Catechetical Leader at the address above or email nccl@nccl.org. Phone: (202) 884-9753 Fax: (202) 884-9756. Contact NCCL for reprints. Copyright 2007 by NCCL Subscription rates: (U.S. addresses): One year $24; two years, $42; three years, $54. NCCL members receive Catechetical Leader as a part of membership. To subscribe, send name and address with check or credit card number to NCCL at address above. Bulk rate subscriptions: 2–5 subscriptions, $22 each; 6–10 subscriptions, $20; 11–20, $18; 21 or more, $16. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to NCCL, 125 Michigan Avenue, NE, Washington, DC 20017.

PEOPLE

CARL J. PFEIFER LEAVES CATECHETICAL LEGACY

he catechetical community mourns the death of writer, teacher, and lecturer Carl J. Pfeifer who died in Debuque, Iowa, on July 12 of Alzheimer’s disease. With his wife Janaan Manternach, he co-authored the pioneering post-Vatican II textbook series, “Life, Love, and Joy.” They were awarded NCCL’s Catechetical Award in 1993, the first married couple to be so honored. They also received the Emmaus Award for Excellence in Catechesis from the National Association of Parish Catechetical Directors. Dr. Pfeifer, a member of the Society of Jesus, Missouri Province, for twenty-nine years, began a ten-year collaboration with Manternach, then a Franciscan nun, while teaching at Catholic University. The first in their

elementary textbook series connecting catechesis with ordinary life experience was published in 1968. They married at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Washington, DC, in 1976 and continued writing, lecturing, and revising the series (now published by Silver Burdett Ginn Religion as “This is Our Faith”). Dr. Pfeifer brought his talent for photography to his ministry, writing a syndicated column of meditations using his own photographs. NCCL extends its condolences to Janaan Manternach on behalf of its members. We remember Carl fondly. His and Janaan’s work continue to inspire us. ❙

Megan Anechiarico is on vacation. Look for her catechetical crossword in our next issue.

John Hurley Named Executive Director of NPLC The National Pastoral Life Center in New York City has appointed Paulist Father John E. Hurley to be its new executive director. Although he was the founding director of the North American Paulist Office for Reconciliation, launched only last summer, he was persuaded to accept the position at NPLC, an organization established in 1983 to support the pastoral life of the church working with Catholic parishes, dioceses, national offices and organizations. The NPLC houses the Catholic Common Ground Initiative founded by Cardinal Bernardin and the Round Table for Diocesan Social Justice Directors. It also sponsors conferences for new pastors and parish leadership conferences. “I believe that this is a

good place for a Paulist,” Hurley says. “NPLC can be key to fostering a pastoral approach to ministry in the church and I intend to strengthen what is already a wonderful organization and one I have collaborated with in the past.” Hurley spent eight years with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, D.C., where he served as executive director of the Secretariat for Evangelization and oversaw ongoing implementation of Go and Make Disciples, A National Plan and Strategy for Catholic Evangelization in the United States. He was pastor of Old St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco from 1991 to 1997. NCCL congratulates Fr. Hurley on his new position.❙

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NOTABLE RESOURCES Books, websites, and media for the enrichment of the parish catechetical leader. Compiled by Dan Pierson

MVPARENTS:

MVParents.com believes that the key to raising responsible kids lies in something called Developmental Assets. Created by Search Insti® tute and grounded in scientific research, Developmental Assets are the essential building blocks for children and teens.

While building on the traditional elementary and junior high curriculum model, Huebsch begins with a historical survey of the recent catechetical ministry since Pope John XXIII. He then proceeds to offer a plan for involving the whole parish in ongoing conversion.

This website provides an explanation of these 40 developmental assets and their application in the school, parish and home. The “idea bank” section of the website is a collection of past articles on a variety of topics. These can be copied and distributed to parents and catechists.

After explaining the four common dimensions of parish planning — word, worship, service, and administration — Dreams and Visions presents a fifth and sixth dimension. Retreats/encounters and adult faith gatherings are opportunities for deeper communion with God and ways to sustain the excitement of faith.

ALBAN INSTITUTE CONGREGATIONAL RESOURCE GUIDE:

Huebsch concludes with an explanation of the three essentials in lifelong faith formation: participatory and welcoming liturgy, formation for catechists and teachers, and developing households of faith.

MVPARENTS.COM

ALBAN.ORG

The mission of the Alban Institute is to provide resources, books, publications, and consulting services for clergy and congregations. Their “congregational resource guide” is one of the most comprehensive websites of resources for church leaders. Sections include leadership, spirituality, worship, congregational resources, etc. I find their recommended reading section very diverse and comprehensive. The “seasonal reading recommendations” offer over one hundred spiritual, religious, and cultural titles from winter 2002 to the present.

GRATEFULNESS:

GRATEFULNESS.ORG Gratefulness.org is one of the best-designed and inspirational websites that I have found. Brother David Steindl-Rast, author of many titles including Gratefulness — The Heart of Prayer (Paulist Press), is one of the founders and a contributing member of this international community of individuals who are committed to the practice of gratefulness. Visitors to the website can explore practices, stories, and articles which are inspirational resources for living in the gentle power of gratefulness. Sign up for the e-newsletter, send a card, or participate in a labyrinth pilgrimage. Gratefulness.org will help restore courage, reconcile relationships, and heal our earth.

DREAMS

AND

VISIONS

Pastoral Planning for Lifelong Faith Formation Bill Huebsch, Twenty-Third Publications, 2007,154 pages, $14.95 I just received Bill Huebsch’s newest book, Dreams and Visions: Pastoral Planning for Lifelong Faith Formation. Huebsch is the author of A New Look at Grace: A Spirituality of Wholeness and a variety of titles focusing on whole community catechesis, a formational model that involves families and all members of the parish.

Dreams and Visions is a guide for parish catechetical leaders who wish “to build a process by which members either have had an initial encounter with Christ and his life-changing presence or seek a deeper communion with him through retreats and encounters.” September/October 2007

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Ideally Dreams and Visions will be used by a parish team/staff to explore ways that they might practically enhance the effectiveness of the parish’s catechetical enterprise. (www.pastoralplanning.com)

THE CATECHIST’S TOOLBOX

How to Thrive as a Religious Education Teacher Joe Paprocki, Loyola Press, 2007, 136 pages, $9.95 After you purchase multiple copies of What Do I Do Now: A Guide for the Reluctant Catechist (Pflaum Publishing), which I coauthored with Susan Stark, I enthusiastically recommend The Catechist’s Toolbox. First, I recognize and congratulate Tracy Sainz for creating one of the best-designed religious and spiritual book covers of 2007. The bright color, modern typeface and selected image work together to create a clean and engaging cover. The cover beautifully represents the interior design, which reminds me of the popular Idiot’s Guide series. Each of the seventeen chapters offers practical advice on those topics that catechists are always looking for help on. These include planning, selecting learning activities, learning styles and learning environment, classroom management, power of prayer, and the Bible. Catechists will find themselves returning often to The Catechist’s Toolbox, an encyclopedia of skills, tips, and practical advice. While diocesan and parish catechetical leaders design, implement, and support participation in a variety of educational and formational programs, I encourage them to provide each catechist with this low-tech, reasonably priced, on-demand collection of tools for learning throughout the year. (catechistsjourney.org) ❙ Author and publisher Dan Pierson, catechetical leader emeritus in the Diocese of Grand Rapids, compiles resources for each issue.