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| Catechesis | |
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| Topic Started: Tuesday, 26. September 2006, 20:26 (1,767 Views) | |
| Alan | Tuesday, 26. September 2006, 20:26 Post #1 |
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Catechesis. At Their Low Week meeting in 1980 The Bishops of England and Wales took the decision to introduce Parish based Catechesis. At the same time it was decided that candidates should be older when they are confirmed. Broadly speaking Catechesis is the sharing of ones faith with others and in particular those preparing for the Sacraments of Initiation, Baptism, Holy Communion / Penance and finally Confirmation. At birth parents normally make the decision to have a child Baptised. Progressing to Holy Communion/ Penance when the parents and their child make the decision to progress to the next stage in their journey of faith. At Confirmation it is the young adult who determines to enter into full Communion with the Church. This only the beginning of our faith journey. The journey is a lifelong experience of love. It starts with parental love and progresses to the love of God and his church. Catechesis is truly based on the two Great Commandments. I have been in the unenviable position of advising a priest that XXX should not be confirmed, as I did not believe that they were ready to embrace their faith fully. Having outlined above the idea of Catechesis. I will now outline my progress to being a Catechist. As I retired from my formal position some years ago Some of what I say may be out of date. I was invited by my Parish Priest to train. This required that I attend several residential weekends of training organised by our Diocesan Education Service led by the Director of Education and the Diocesan Advisors for Parish and Adult Formation. This was followed by continued Formation at Deanery level. No I did not receive a Certificate of qualification. However from the foregoing you will see that there was continuous formation for those entrusted with Sacramental Preparation. Different people prepared candidates for the 3 stages of Initiation. We also worked closely with RCIA candidates and with other Parish Societies. Such as the SVP, Justice and Peace and CAFOD. Our purpose was not only to assist Candidates for Sacraments but also by example to encourage the Growth of Faith of the whole Parish. Several years later I was invited to follow a part time course leading to a diploma but I had to decline because of Work and family commitments. If any one is really anxious to broaden their knowledge on this subject I would suggest that they read the book. “Our Faith Story” subtitled “its telling and its sharing” by A. Patrick Purnell SJ ISBN 0 00 599770 4 I am not sure that this deserves "Resurection" but here goes |
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God Bless all who visit this forum, Alan. Add Catholic CyberForum to your favourites | |
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| Rose of York | Tuesday, 26. September 2006, 21:37 Post #2 |
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Alan this is one of the most important subjects for Catholics in the present day. Never before was there so much lay involvement in the spiritual and pastoral aspects of parish life. I am all for it, provided the parish priest selects "the right person for the job". I see that you did a lot of training and formation. That is good. Did you ever do catechesis of potential converts, ie RCIA? |
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Keep the Faith! | |
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| Alan | Wednesday, 27. September 2006, 00:21 Post #3 |
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The short answer is no. But what I did do was organise Days of recollection to which converts and potential converts would be invited . on these days we would discuss " Our Faith Journey" You can imagine that some fascinating discussions took place as all the attendees and the leaders were at varying stages of Faith Development. I then also organised another day when we would cover Almsgiving. with invited speakers from Cafod, SVP Twinnage Project and Clergy and religous on the Missions. Once again RCIA candidates were invited to this day of Recollection. The Third day of Recollection was based on Reconcilliation to which all parishioners were invited. These days helped us all grow in faith. |
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God Bless all who visit this forum, Alan. Add Catholic CyberForum to your favourites | |
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| Karin | Sunday, 25. February 2007, 23:17 Post #4 |
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Karin
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While I have been mentioning RCIA in some of the discussions on Anglicans, I'm wondering how many of us have actually been through an RCIA course? Our parishes encourage cradle Catholics to attend one course - at least, as adults, to be updated on how the Church functions - what's new, what has changed, etc. We have done some surveys in the recent past about how many Catholics have actually added to their knowledge of the faith, either by additional catechism classes, courses at University or a local college. Surprisingly, most have not done anything more than when they were originally received as children. But if you asked about a course or something other than Bible Study groups, people might be more interested in attending if it were made more enticing, say held in a small group at someone's home or in the rectory (with cake and coffee afterward). Many people have still held misconceptions about Catholics, our practices and traditions. The one about us not reading the Bible is especially outstanding to me. People still feel we are like the Church was during the Spanish Inquisition. I think people also leave the Church because of something they are NOT doing - and that's being involved with their own faith. You know I have always said, complacency kills and to this extent, I feel it does. It kills the desire to continue in the Faith - to make it fresh and renewed. We get out of it what we put into it and if we simply come to Mass and just go through the motions because it's what we have 'always done', then people will fall away and look to be 'entertained' in another denomination. If you want entertainment - go to a concert, not to Church. The music in Church is meant to complement the Mass, to enhance it, not to be a masterpiece of theatre. In this day of immediate gratification, I don't think a lot of people can even sit still for an hour, let alone understand the different parts of the Holy Mass and actually come away understanding what they have experienced. I'd be interested to hear what everyone thinks about this subject. How viable are some of these ideas where you are? Could these ideas be something to help us bring people to and back to the Church? |
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Karin Hvaljen Isus i Marija. Kraljica Mira, moli za nas. "Praised be Jesus and Mary. Queen of Peace, Pray for Us." | |
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| Rose of York | Monday, 26. February 2007, 00:02 Post #5 |
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Karin, I used to do quite a bit of work with converts, mainly prior to introduction of RCIA. It was a weekly discussion, with the priest, a few prospective converts, and me to bridge the gap, because I had been married to a person who was not Catholic, for twenty years before he converted. I kept saying then, we teach them, the learn the facts, but what about contact with Catholics once we have got them into the Church. In those days nothing was in place to "puppy walk" new converts. If they had questions during their early stages as Catholics, there was no help available. They came to Mass, hoped somebody would bother with them and that was that. They could join parish organisations, but we did not positively reach out to them. Yes, we need the availability of "further education" for Catholics. In this era we are all absorbing new information regularly, for example about global warming, diet, environmental affairs. Our minds our very beings are tuned up, more than even just two decades ago. There are plenty of approved internet courses, but that is not the preferred medium for all.
Karin, you may have hit the nail on the head. Moving house, to a new district, is the trigger for some people to drop out of the Church. Quite a few have told me, either they were busy with the removal, or for some other reason they did not go to Mass for a few weeks, and they got used to not going to Mass. Perhaps previously they had gone to Mass because they [were] used to it. As for being entertained, I think a small number of Catholics get close to making a false God out of the musical standards. |
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Keep the Faith! | |
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| James | Monday, 26. February 2007, 18:46 Post #6 |
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James
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I think, we must also remember that there are a lot of very religious people who go through a crisis of faith. Not because of complacancy but because they seem to enter into a void and going to mass does not give them anything and they just go through the motions. They find no comfort in religious practices any more and their faith becomes barren. People in that situation are advised to continue keeping up all their religious undertakings although they get absolutley nothing from them during this period. I suppose it can be described as "going through the motions". It is said to pass in all cases where the will is there to continue in darkness. |
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| Alan | Monday, 26. February 2007, 22:41 Post #7 |
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James and Karin, There is no doubt that the vast majority of Catholics have times in their lives when they feel that they are not getting anything from the practice of their faith. Indeed some carry out their Religious duties out of "fear" because of their upbrining. When I come across such people in our community, I tell them of two very simple prayers which I always carry in my wallet. 1. Footprints. 2. The Cross in my Pocket. The words in these Prayers are very simple and straightforward. They remind us that God through His Son never leaves us. Indeed He does carry us at all times. |
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God Bless all who visit this forum, Alan. Add Catholic CyberForum to your favourites | |
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| Eve | Sunday, 29. April 2007, 22:44 Post #8 |
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Former Admin/Moderator
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The subject of the quality of Catechesis has been raised, on another thread. Perhaps this is an appropriate time for us to revive this much neglected discussion? |
| Howdy Folks. Has anybody seen my husband lately? | |
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| Rose of York | Sunday, 29. April 2007, 23:14 Post #9 |
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In secular matters the laity in the Western world are more educated than their parents. We are bombarded with information, on many subjects, through the media, internet and easily affordable secular press. People are accustomed to being kept informed. People of all age groups gain Open University degrees. Time for more adult education in the Church?? |
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Keep the Faith! | |
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| Joseph | Sunday, 29. April 2007, 23:28 Post #10 |
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Alan - that schedule sounds quite 'frightening' for yer average pew dweller. I would guess that in our local parish it would scare most of them to death, and hold little or no attraction for other than the EMHCs (who seem to feel obliged to turn up at everything the PP lays on) :) |
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Joseph | |
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| Deleted User | Sunday, 29. April 2007, 23:38 Post #11 |
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I certainly think we would benefit from adult education in the Faith, but I wonder how this can be achieved. RCIA classes are one way of improving our knowledge as well as welcoming converts, but very few people seem to take advantage of them. There have been series in the Catholic press, but again, largely preaching to the converted. How can we interest "ordinary" Catholics, who are perhaps not particularly active in the parish, in discovering more about the Faith? KatyA |
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| Rose of York | Monday, 30. April 2007, 00:01 Post #12 |
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Come off it, Joseph. In my parish yer average pew dweller has a fairly average brain. Why would average Catholics be scared to death of such a simple programme? |
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Keep the Faith! | |
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| Rose of York | Monday, 30. April 2007, 00:03 Post #13 |
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If a parish priest were to risk a few pounds on the purchase of some books, instead of simple pamphlets, he might get a pleasant surprise. It would be a good idea to have a parish library, to which parishioners could donate books. Really clever parish priests would advise their parishioners to join this, most auspicious, Catholic forum. |
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Keep the Faith! | |
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| Joseph | Monday, 30. April 2007, 00:09 Post #14 |
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It is nothing to do with intellect, Rose. They simply would not turn up - try it in your parish!. (BTDIGTTS) |
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Joseph | |
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| Joseph | Monday, 30. April 2007, 00:34 Post #15 |
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Rose, I fully appreciate that our parishes vary tremendously, but in many of those I am familiar with very few even offer 'simple pamphlets, let alone 'books' (don't want the hassle of handling the money for them - too risky to leave unattended, etc.) I believe most of these problems concerning lack of basic knowledge of the faith stems from the 1970's(?) drastic change in the formal Catechesis given in our Catholic Schools, together with the change in our churches from Preaching to Homilies. These, together with the 'creeping liberalisation' and 'follow your conscience' policy have tended to push the fundamentals of the Faith and the teachings of the Church into the background where they are left to 'the fanatics' to dwell on, whilst the rest just 'get on with their lives'. How to address such problems is a big question, since stimulation of sufficient interest has to come first, and I suspect many don’t really want to know anyway - they are quite happy as they are and don’t want their boats rocking (Safe Harbours or not) :). |
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Joseph | |
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8:36 PM Jul 11