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Jan and Bob Dilenschneider, Chair-couple of the 2009 Appeal -- “It is time to step up, give back, help others”. Read more...
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Nurturing the Faith of our Children, Our Future
ON “JESUS DAY,” in the First Communion program at Saint Lawrence Parish in Shelton, children bake small loaves of bread, then invite their parents to a prayer service that re-creates the Last Supper. “The Jesus Day helped them understand what happens at a Mass,” says parent Barbara Sheffer, shown with her son, Mark, and husband, Gary, the day of Mark’s First Communion last year. Giving to the Living our Faith Appeal provides catechetical training for religious education programs.
Article Appears in the March 14, 2009 Edition of the Fairfield County Catholic
BY PAT HENNESSY
As the 2009 Living Our Faith Annual Bishop’s Appeal kicks off in all 87 parishes, one of the main concerns of parishioners is, “Where does the money go? Who benefits from the Appeal?”
The answer covers a lot of territory – counseling sessions from Catholic Charities; hospital and nursing home chaplains; assistance to inner-city children through the Cardinal Shehan Center; aid to Catholic schools; to name but a few. But instead of looking for the answer in an inner-city soup kitchen or a seminarian in formation, look down your parish hall to the religious education classroom filled with eager youngsters learning about their faith.
Nothing More Important
“Can there be anything more important than to support parents in nurturing the faith of their children?” asks Bishop William E. Lori. He points out that the diocesan Office of Pastoral Services, funded by the Appeal, provides training to
directors of religious education (DREs) and catechists and oversees sacramental preparation for 33,000 children in every parish of the diocese.
“We’re beginning our last weeks of sacramental preparation,” reports Barbara Pekar, DRE of Saint Lawrence Parish in Shelton. Saint Lawrence has more than 140 children in its First Communion class, one of the largest in the diocese. The parish has a special group of ten catechists for them, each experienced in dealing with the most exciting year in the children’s life of faith.
“The kids come on Sunday mornings, and each week we have a different theme,” explains Pekar. The sessions cover a set of themes, including: what it means to belong to a parish; a “Meet Father” Sunday; and classes on the different parts of the Mass.
Parents are invited to be part of the excitement. “We have a parent session early in the year to introduce them to the material we’ll be covering,” explains Pekar. “Then, during these last Sunday sessions, we have one called ‘The Boy Who Shared His Lunch,’ about the miracle of the loaves and fishes. The children dress in bathrobes and scarves, and re-enact the lesson for the parents, and share bread with them. It’s a way to bring both kids and parents closer to Jesus.”
“Instead of dropping our kids off and picking them up afterward, we’re part of what they do,” says Barbara Sheffer, whose son, Mark, went through the First Communion program last year. “When they act out the story and tell it to us, it makes more of an impression on them, and I appreciate that the Saint Lawrence staff takes the effort to make us part of our children’s experience.”
Jesus Day
On “Jesus Day,” a week before the conclusion of the program, children invite their parents to a prayer service that re-creates the Last Supper. The kids knead and shape small loaves of bread. Parents arrive to the smell of bread warm from the oven and share in the prayer service with their children. The kids enjoy grape juice, while the parents can have coffee during the recreation of Jesus’ last meal.
“Jesus Day gave the kids a hand-on experience and helped them understand what happens at a Mass. It makes it very real when they actively bake the bread and share it with us,” says Sheffer. “I believe strongly that during the Mass, the priest changes the bread and wine into Christ’s Body and Blood. The special attention given to First Communion preparation at Saint Lawrence brings that home to my children.”
Creative programs like this one at Saint Lawrence depend on a knowledgeable and welltrained DRE and catechists. “I go to every vicariate meeting and talk to the DREs and catechists,” says Carol Pinard, diocesan director of religious education programs. “If there’s a question, a problem, a DRE or catechist can come to me. I’m a resource for everybody.”
Catechist Formation
While Pinard is always available for suggestions or assistance, professional formation for catechists is ongoing – and appreciated – throughout the year.
“We have 1,100 children in religious education,” says Jeanne Bisson at Saint Thomas More Parish in Darien. “I’m lucky to have 106 catechists this year, and believe it or not, that’s not enough. We have religious education classes going on five days a week here.”
Saint Thomas’ catechists come from all walks of life. “Even if they’re lawyers in their professional life, they don’t necessarily know how to communicate their faith to children. That’s why catechist formation is number one on my list,” says Bisson. “The in-service programs for catechists run by the diocese are wonderful, and offer tools to bring our lessons more to life.”
Pastoral Services offers five in-service sessions a year for DREs and catechists, including a retreat in May. In-service Programs Support for the parish programs comes in a variety of forms. Saint Thomas has had Jamila Evans, director of Youth Ministry, come to the parish to talk about teaching chastity to teens. This month, Michelle Grieco, director of the Ministry for People with Disabilities, will visit the parish to discuss ways catechists can work with students with disabilities.
Premier among the new tools that has helped catechists this year is the Saint Cyril of Jerusalem School of Formation, and its new online courses. “Over 30 catechists took the online classes on prayer,” says Bisson. “Everyone is pulled so many ways, and it’s hard to get out on a Saturday for a class. The online courses are a huge help for our catechists.”
“The Saint Cyril School started as a way to help catechists really understand the Catholic faith, so that when they’re teaching children they have a solid background,” says Damien O’Connor, director of Adult Formation for the diocese. “As other adults heard about it, they wanted the courses for their own faith enrichment.”
Online Learning
Currently, the Saint Cyril School has two courses online, “Prayer” with Dr. Thomas Hicks, and “Sacred Scripture” with Father Peter Lynch. Additional courses are offered at locations throughout the diocese to make them as accessible as possible to all adults.
“The content and the caliber of the teachers is excellent, says O’Connor. “Going online makes the courses available for people who simply can’t get there any other way.”
“I’ve learned a lot,” agrees Anna-Marie Giblen, who teaches seventh grade at Saint Thomas. “The great thing about taking a course online is that I could back it up and listen to some parts again. I took Father Lynch’s course, and for the questions at the end I read some more and looked things up on the Internet. It gave me a chance to think about the material, not copy what was said in the class.”
Presentation
Giblen’s seventh-grade class has been studying the Gospels and the Epistles. “Father Lynch’s online class explained the relationship between the Old Testament and the New, so I could explain to my kids why Joseph and Mary had to present the baby Jesus in the temple – where that custom came from and how it evolved, so it’s not an isolated incident. The kids like to learn. They really want to understand the material.”
By this time of year, with substantial study behind them, the students are viewing the film Jesus of Nazareth. “As it goes along, I can point out to them how parts of it relate to either the Gospels or the Old Testament prophets,” says Giblen. “The film puts all the things they’ve learned throughout the year together. Taking the Saint Cyril course helps me emphasize the underlying essence of what they’re seeing.”
Aid for the Disabled
One group of catechists and parents need additional assistance with the religious education of their children: those with learning disabilities ranging from Down’s Syndrome to autism. Michelle Grieco, director of the Ministry for People with Disabilities, is available to work with a parent to build a curriculum for their child, advise pastors or catechists, or work with one of the regional classes for children with disabilities.
“Children with disabilities can absolutely have an ageappropriate understanding of their faith,” says Grieco. “We teach them the key concepts, and we keep their experience visual, concrete, and hands-on.”
A modified lesson plan for the Sacrament of Baptism, she explains, might have the students bringing in photos of their own baptism, or use baby dolls dressed in white garments to demonstrate the ceremony. “They learn the core concept, that through this sacrament they became a child of God, and God loves them,” she says.
No Two Alike
“No two children are the same,” says June Vendetti, who heads religious education for children with disabilities at Saint Theresa Parish in Trumbull. She has students with spinal bifida, developmental disabilities, Down’s syndrome, and autism. The program is open to children throughout the region.
“We have the same syllabus as regular religious education,” says Vendetti. “Even though they have disabilities they have to learn just like any kids. I’m tough – they don’t get away with anything!”
Even so, Vendetti and two additional catechists welcome volunteers – including teens from Trumbull High and Saint Joseph High School – to help with the dozen children in their program. Assistance is virtually one-on-one, with individually modified lessons.
“It’s a matter of knowing what the child needs and meeting those needs,” says Vendetti. “Kids who are non-verbal need questions that can be answered yes or no. They may hold up a sign, ‘I am sorry for my sins,’ when they go to Confession. They know what it means, and they’re prepared to receive the sacrament.”
To prepare for First Holy Communion, children practice with unconsecrated hosts to become familiar with the feel and the taste of them. “It’s a great ministry,” says Vendetti. “These kids have taught me more than I’ve taught them. We have challenges sometimes,but Michelle is here to help me over the bumps.”
Autistm
Sister Donna Marie, S.S.M.I., religious education director at Saint Theresa’s, remembers one incident in particular that sums up the value of religious education for children with disabilities.
“We worked with two girls who were autistic and had trouble sitting still,” she recalls. “Now they come to Mass, sit in the front row, and go to communion every week. Their mother told me, ‘I never in my whole life thought that my children could do this!’”
Even if you’ve never given to the Annual Bishop’s Appeal before, even if you can only give a small donation, your generosity will make you part of a ministry that brings joy to a parent’s heart as children come to know that Jesus truly loves them.
(For more information about the 2009 Living Our Faith Annual Bishop’s Appeal or to make a donation, call 416-1479 or visit online: www.bridgeportdiocese.com).
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