Hideous Catechesis

[elts1956]

We actually use the Baltimore Catechism and Faith in Life. My wife is a cradle Byzantine Catholic and I have to say that I am extremely impressed at how well she was taught compared to the Latin Rite of that era(1960’s and '70’s).

It would be very interesting to see if the Eastern Catholics, or the Orthodox communities have been bitten as hard by the liberal bug as our Church here in North America. npatrol:npatrol:

 

[elts1956]

We actually use the Baltimore Catechism and Faith in Life. My wife is a cradle Byzantine Catholic and I have to say that I am extremely impressed at how well she was taught compared to the Latin Rite of that era(1960’s and '70’s).

I helped to teach with the RCIA at my parish but got tagged as an ‘extremist’ for saying that missing Mass without an excuse (laziness for example) was a mortal sin.

its a sad time when you can break two of the ten commandments in a one-er and still your act is considered ‘okay’.

I hope you kept teaching and speaking the truth. God bless you.

 

[elts1956]

And lose them to some easy-believe-it sect, or to outright atheism. I don’t think they would shape up if they were denied the Sacraments; I think they would just quit altogether.

I don’t know what the answer is, but extinguishing the flickering spark of faith is not the answer, I don’t think. It would be nice if there were some sort of tangible consequences for not knowing what’s going on, but for now, we carry on and we do our best to help these people as much as we can.

I wonder what would have happened if the Bishop told them they weren’t properly prepared, that he would be back in a month and they had better know the answers?

 

[elts1956]

And lose them to some easy-believe-it sect, or to outright atheism. I don’t think they would shape up if they were denied the Sacraments; I think they would just quit altogether.

I don’t know what the answer is, but extinguishing the flickering spark of faith is not the answer, I don’t think. It would be nice if there were some sort of tangible consequences for not knowing what’s going on, but for now, we carry on and we do our best to help these people as much as we can.

I feel your pain. I was asked to quit leading RCIA Inquiry because the Inquirers knew more than the Catechist, when they went for Catechesis after the completion of their Inquiry period with me.

I was thinking, “How is that my problem? He should learn his faith.” But I still had to be the one to leave. I’m not sure if they even have an Inquiry period, any more.

Unbelievable.

 

[savienu]

I had my catechesis in the 90s/00s (graduated catholic school in 2002), and it was plain horrible. I plan on homeschooling my children, including on the faith, since I just don’t trust that they will be properly catechised at our parish.

 

[barb_finnegan]

I don’t believe that the problem is hideous catechesis, per-se.

I teach 3 high school CCD classes (one First Communion / Reconciliation, and 2 confirmation classes.)

The vast majority (24 out of 25) of the high school kids in my First Communion class have been in church exactly one time before in their life. For baptism. I have an hour per week for perhaps 12 weeks before first reconciliation and another 7-8 weeks before first communion. Good catechesis in those 20 weeks is not enough to prepare these kids. We had first reconciliation a few weeks ago, and the following weekend exactly 1 of the 25 students went to mass. Yes, I’ve been telling them since week 1 about the 3rd commandment and mortal sin.

The majority of my confirmation students have been in church exactly 2 times before in their lives. For baptism, and for first communion. So I guess they’re twice as smart as the first communion bunch.

If the problem is catechesis, it is with catechesis of the parents. WHERE ARE THE PARENTS? If the parents don’t care, if the parents don’t demonstrate the faith, if the parents don’t take the kids to church - improving the quality of catechesis will not be a silver bullet.

Many of these kids and their parents think that their child’s weekly class fulfills their Mass obligation. HELP!!!

Now the rest of you can count your blessings

Please excuse my frustration.

I’m sorry about your frustration-that would get me aggravated too!

I was never a CCD teacher, but I saw first-hand the frustration that teachers have with the attitudes of BOTH students and parents.

In January 2003 I was invited to do a presentation on St. Joan of Arc for a confirmation class. The teacher who invited me was [and still is] a Perpetual Adorer.

After I set out my displays, the kids came ‘slouching in’…late! The RE head was ‘incandescent with rage’ ! She told them they were wasting her time, the teachers’ time, and my time as a guest. Then when I started my talk, two boys in the front row were fooling around. I stopped, glared at them, and said in a low tone, ‘If I was your mamma, I’d kick you in the butt!’ Then a girl in the same row started cracking her knuckles [can’t stand that], so I stopped again, glared at her and said in the same tone of voice, ‘Stop it’.

The DRE was furious with these kids’ attitudes. She said that if they didn’t shape up, she’d tell the pastor and [then] assistant pastor about them, and they would not be submitted as candidates for Confirmation. She also said she was going to call their parents and have at least one of them meet with her, so she could tell them that their children were not taking these classes seriously enough.

Later that day, the deacon who was one of the teachers told me that he confiscated some CDs from one of the students in his class…I responded with, “If I was teaching that class, I’d not only confiscate them, I’d SMASH THEM!”

Yeesh…

 

[TheDoctor]

The programs at my parish are very good, thanks to the past and present DRE’s and a lot of dedicated volunteers.

The problem is when we send them home. Every program I have been involved in relies on the parents as the main teachers and on us to supplement and expand on what they are learning at home. I could rant on about this, but it is Lent.

What is needed is more moms and dads in adult catechesis (no, not advanced bible study but more like Catholic 101) with a clear understanding of their responsibilities.

P.S. - Just one quick example. We just did a confirmation retreat for our 6th grade class which ended with confessions and Mass. Our DRE caught 12, yes folks, 12 kids walking back from communion with the Eucharist because they were not sure if they had to consume it now and another 2 that reached for it to take it out of father’s hand. Later, Monsignor told us how a lot of kids told him they had not been taken to Mass since their first communion so they really did not know what to do. Now, I have to go over “the proper reception of the Eucharist” this week…sorry, that was a little rant.

P.P.S. - :clapping: to the DRE’s doing a tough and sometimes thankless job - to instruct the ignorant is to help save souls - God Bless You.

 

[BSHoop96]

My friend, I fought this exact same battle for over twenty years. Twenty years, I made sure that I kept all my certifications current, made sure that everything I taught was correct and complete and behind the scenes never let the DRE and the head of RCIA off the hook for one second. Not one.

Each and every time they stepped over the line, I was right there. I had printouts of every essential doctrine and dogma of the Church, adjusted for the age group that we were dealing with. If there was a problem, it was corrected at the lowest level possible and if that meant going to the Bishop, then that is where I went.

I took my role very seriously and would not let them run the program into the ground or introduce new concepts, heresies and personal opinions in the place of facts. At first they howled and wailed like wounded sheep. But when they saw that I was not going to back down and they could not get rid of me, they essentially stopped pushing the new age ideas that they were so fond of except in my absences. But even then, I would usually get a call if something didn’t sound right.

One thing that I did, was provide anyone in RCIA that wanted one, a Catechism, both the current and an updated Baltimore and when they came out a copy of the Compendum. Another was to talk with any person, Catechuman or cCandidate at any time, day or night that I was able to.

The DRE and the RCIA director hated it, but what could they do? It pretty much threw a monkey wrench into their whole program and so for about my last five or six years on the team we enjoyed a truce of sorts. Since I have gone, who knows what happened. I pray that they have kept the nonsense down to a minimum but who can say?

The point is, it takes a lot to stand alone in the face of criticism, of having your motives and orthodoxy and knowledge questioned. It isn’t easy. Sometimes you just want to quit and walk away. It’s easier.

AND

You have to be right. It can’t be your personal opinion. It has to be 100% factual. Everything that you present. No it isn’t real easy or a lot of fun in many cases.

But I believe it was worth it then and I think if you are willing to stand firm and take these people on in the fight for orthodoxy in the faith, it will be worth it now,

Bless you.

I wish some of the parents who are upset and just take their children out and homeschool them would stand up to defend correct teaching. This isn’t a criticism…easier said than done I know…but how much better off would the future of the Church be if people fought for their faith. At least in this country fighting for it doesn’t mean we don’t have to die for it. …at least not yet.