Religious Education Focus Day Family catechesis empowers parents as first teachers

Intermountain Catholic

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Wanda Spell traces a cross on the forehead of Mary Lena Arlofski during a prayer service in which religious educators learn how to give one another blessings. Spell and Arlofski are religious educators from St. Joseph Parish, Ogden. 

SALT LAKE CITY — "Catechizing young people means more than teaching religion classes; it calls for catechizing whole families," said Susan Northway, Diocesan Director of Religious Education at "Focusing on Family Catechesis," a focus day for religious educators March 18 at St. Vincent de Paul’s Benvegnu Center.

Northway introduced Ida Miranda of Harcourt Religion Publishers, who presented two workshops, one in English and another in Spanish. More than 115 parish directors of religious education (DREs) and religious educators attended the workshops that featured a shared lunch.

Miranda’s presentations drew heavily from the "National Directory of Catechetics" and the "General Directory of Catechetics," and included prayer services, paraliturgies, and blessing practices, all designed to empower religious educators and parents.

On the diocesan and parish levels, Miranda said, adult catechesis must be given priority.

"The bishops have made it clear that our mission as Catholics is evangelization," Miranda said. "Parents are supposed to be the first teachers of religious education to their children. First, we must evangelize our catechists, and then we must evangelize parents and encourage them to become more involved in their children’s religious education. Teaching parents how to teach their children is the responsibility of the parish."

Miranda encouraged the formation of small ecclesial teams and communities within parishes in which catechetics and faith sharing are a priority. The small ecclesial communities can become the center of discussion of Catholic teaching, social action, and parish support.

"These communities can bring issues to the attention of others and help facilitate necessary changes through understanding," she said.

Miranda led workshop participants in a prayer service that called each participant to make a personal commitment to seek guidance in the Scriptures.

While praising the work of parish religious educators, Miranda cautioned them: "Don’t take the responsibility for evangelization and teaching away from parents. Religious formation is for both parents and children."

Quoting from the "General Directory of Catechetics," Miranda said, "... the Christian community must give very special attention to parents. By means of personal contact, meetings, courses, and also adult catechesis directed toward parents, the Christian community must help them assume their responsibility – which is particularly delicate today – of educating their children in the faith."

In order to accomplish those goals, she said, it is vital that DREs and religious educators know the parents and include those parents who may not be practicing Catholics or may be of other faiths.

"It’s important that, when talking to parents of our students, we bring in elements that are familiar to the parents of other faiths and be willing to share traditions and values," Miranda said.

The laity must be empowered, and catechists can provide the spark that inspires parents to begin and continue religious education in the home," she said. "We face special challenges today because we live in a society in which many families don’t even sit down once a week to share a meal."

Miranda called on parents to directly catechize their children, spouses to catechize each other, and children to catechize each other and their parents, making the Catholic faith pivotal to the family.

Acknowledging that the best times to encourage family catechesis are when children are preparing for the sacraments, Miranda urged religious educators to expand programs for adults and children that will keep them coming to the church, not just for the sacraments, but for further education.

"All religious education should include opportunities for Christian service," she said. "It’s important that we make good habits of performing the charitable works of mercy.

"Start with the little ones," Miranda said, "and establish good community and family habits. Use ritual to teach prayers and the basics. Remember the definition of evangelization is getting others to know Jesus Christ."